KITCHENER -- A new program at Conestoga College is aimed at addressing labour shortages on Canadian farms.
The provincial and federal governments are giving the school a combined $180,000 to get the program off the ground.
The program will teach students skilled trades needed in the industry, like complex spraying, fertilization systems and harvesting operations.
Canada's Minister of Labour said farming is now a high-tech industry.
"Farmers today use tools that would have seemed like science fiction a few short decades ago," Filomena Tassi said. "On-board computers, satellite receivers, drones and robotics are part of the farmers' tool box today. These high-tech tools require skilled operators."
Advocacy groups said finding skilled workers is a major challenges. Thousands of jobs go unfilled on farms across the country every year.
