A growing number of Winnipeggers want to leave the city lights and move to the country to become farmers.
Kalynn Spain, 26, tried farming for the first time in 2014. She left Winnipeg for eight months to raise six pigs and 100 chickens.
"I love it. I embraced it and I loved being in the country,” said Spain.
She made $2,000 dollars profit from her efforts.
She said she’s happy with what she accomplished, but had to move back to Winnipeg to work. Her earnings were not nearly enough to live on.
She said there are many young people like her from Winnipeg who also want a life working on a farm, growing vegetables and raising animals.
On Saturday, Spain organized the first Small Farms Manitoba Conference to find a way to way farming viable. About 140 participants showed up, more than double the number of people she was expecting.
Megan Klassen-Wiebe, 26, grew up in Winnipeg and attended the conference. She said young people are concerned with food quality and her interest grew in university.
She said more and more Winnipeggers are excited to make a meaningful contribution to the food Manitobans access.
"As our farming population ages, we’re going to need younger and younger people, and build that farmer population up again and have new people join,” she said.
Andreas Zinn, 25, grew up on a chicken farm in Manitoba. He has moved into farming Berkshire pigs. He admits he has a lot of help, which some aspiring farmers from the city don’t get.
"It's a very bold aspiration for them to do that,” he said.” I respect them greatly for it and to come in with no experience - it's really hats off to them,"
The University of Manitoba says enrollment in agriculture courses has been increasing because young people are attracted to working outdoors and being their own boss.
