Some things need to be done to retain and encourage young people in farming. We need more positive advertising of farming and farm products. People need to understand where their food comes from. I'd like you to pay attention to this. We have brought this up a few times before. Maybe the government could guarantee some start-up loans for beginning farmers; maybe certain criteria have to be met--for example, education, experience, some track record or something. An appointed committee could review and decide if the business plan for beginning farmers is viable.
A number of issues affect all farmers these days, but young farmers are most vulnerable. Government has to show farmers that they care. We want the same set of standards for imported products as there is in place for domestic and exported products.