Education · 1 of 5

The path

There is no licence. There is skill, capital and land, usually in that order.

1. 1

   High school diploma

   Grade 12

   Work summers on a farm. Join 4-H or a young farmers group. Learn to weld and to fix an engine.

2. 2

   Diploma or degree (optional but common)

   2 to 4 years

   A two-year agriculture diploma or a four-year agriculture degree teaches soil, animal science and, most importantly, farm business management.

3. 3

   Work for other farmers

   3 to 10 years

   Seeding, harvest, calving, milking. Paid, and the fastest way to learn what a well-run farm looks like.

4. 4

   Get access to land

   Varies hugely

   Rent acres, buy a small parcel, join a family succession plan, or lease quota in a supply-managed sector such as dairy or poultry.

5. 5

   Run your own operation

   Ongoing

   Register the farm business, line up financing, buy inputs, market the crop or the animals.