Fredericton, NB: The Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick is launching a new website that connects current agricultural producers to operation expansion tools such as human resource best practices and a succession planning guide. The new website: www.AgriNB.ca, also serves to assist
prospective farmers with finding suitable farmland, industry contacts, and new entrant information. A six-week marketing campaign on the new AgriNB Facebook page, accompanies the launch of the website.

The website provides user-friendly information on business growth opportunities in agriculture such as workforce recruitment and retention tools, farmland suitability maps and funding supports, as well as agri-education and entrepreneurship training programs offered in Atlantic Canada.

AgriNB’s goal is to collaborate with both national and provincial organizations and governments to facilitate the communication of agricultural resources and programs to producers in New Brunswick. The website highlights relevant materials from numerous sources, including WorkingNB, NBJobs, the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, Opportunities New Brunswick, Immigration Canada, and Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Service (FARMS).

Funding for this initiative was provided by the New Brunswick’s Department of Post-Secondary Training and Labour, and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership through the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries.

The Canadian Agriculture Partnership is a five-year, $3-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow Canada’s agriculture, agri-food and agri-products sectors. This includes a $2-billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent
federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
Further funding was provided by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

AgriNB.ca is one of the many measurable objectives in the five-year Workforce Development Strategy launched by the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick in April 2020. The Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), previously announced an investment of over $125,000 to support this project in April 2021.

Working collaboratively with industry stakeholders and Government, the strategy addresses current workforce challenges in agriculture and works towards ensuring the industry in New Brunswick has a reliable and skilled workforce in the future.

Read about the Workforce Development Strategy below.
English: https://www.fermenbfarm.ca/resources/workforce-development-strategy/
French: https://www.fermenbfarm.ca/ressources/plan-de-developpement-de-la-main-doeuvre-
agricole/?lang=fr

QUOTES

“Agriculture is a key part of New Brunswick’s economy. The sector employs over 13,000 New Brunswickers and the value of food and beverage shipments exceed $1 billion. I’m proud that the Government of Canada is supporting this valuable tool to help farmers access training, government
programming and critical skilled labour. By providing access to new resources, we are ensuring the sustainability of the farmers and food processors of tomorrow.”
– Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

“As Canada’s agriculture industry continues to evolve, farmers and agri-food businesses in New Brunswick are adapting their businesses to take advantage of new opportunities. This new online resource will serve as a valuable tool to make it easier for them to connect with the supports and
information they need to focus on growing their businesses and adopting innovative practices to improve efficiencies in their operations.”
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

“New Brunswick is experiencing workforce challenges in many sectors across the province, and our agricultural producers are not immune to that. We need a collaborative approach to address these challenges and we’re proud to support a Workforce Development Strategy which is focused on the
recruitment and retention of new farmers and farm workers. The launch of this new website will be an important part of this initiative and to the growth of this sector’s workforce of this sector.”
–The Honourable Trevor Holder, Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour for New
Brunswick


“The agriculture sector is important to New Brunswick’s economy, and we rely on our farmers to help put good quality, local food on our tables. The new AgriNB website will support today’s farmers by providing easy access to valuable resources and also help new farmers navigate their way as they
enter a valuable and rewarding career. I’m pleased to see some of the great information on our Government of New Brunswick website is accessible through this new website as well and supports the initiative.”
–The Honourable Margaret Johnson, Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries for New
Brunswick.


“Knowing that the needs of the industry have evolved and changed in recent years, it was important to build an online resource that reflected that need and the support that farmers in New Brunswick were asking for. Whether it is a new entrant or someone who has seen many of the beautiful New
Brunswick seasons, AgriNB.ca has been built with farmers in mind. Agriculture in New Brunswick is always evolving and it is our hope to provide useful and relevant tools for producers that evolve with industry needs.”
–Christian Michaud, President, Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick


For more information on AgriNB or the Workforce Development Strategy, please contact:
Jessica McKenna, Workforce Development Coordinator
Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick
506-452-8101