Chris Unrau, Farm Manager

Supportive family

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"People pursue what they're passionate about and what they're interested in. I recognized very early on that I was not going to have a job that I dreaded going to and that I didn't enjoy.

"So my parents really encouraged me to pursue what I was interested in. I guess they did have some questions about agriculture because I didn't come from a farm.

"They were a little uncertain about how I was going to achieve this but I knew that I wanted to be involved in agriculture from a very young age and they supported me."

Where I work

I'm the Manager of Raspberries and Special Projects at Kroeker Farms in Winker. The company has about 120 full-time year-round employees that swells to about 200 during peak periods.

Our primary focus is providing high quality produce. We grow about 5,000 acres of potatoes. We also grow onions and recently started a raspberry enterprise.

We do a lot of post harvesting sorting and packaging of whole potatoes and also some processing for potato chips and French fries.

Supplier Interaction

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"A large portion of my job is interacting with vendors and suppliers. I'm constantly phoning around and getting information, getting pricing, getting quotes, setting up contracts, things like that. As far as dealing with customers, that's a part of my position that I haven't really had a whole lot of experience with in the past.

'"With this new raspberry position, I'm in charge of Sales and Marketing. I'm looking forward to starting a new phase in my career where I can learn a new skill, which is talking to customers and trying to sell a product."

Industry Myths

Nothing bugs me more than when people refer to farmers as simple or dumb. As I've become involved in agriculture it's become an industry where only the smart ones survive - the people who have good business skills.

Agriculture has progressed to the point where it is incredibly technical and requires some very good business skills. The other myth is that we work long hours. I don't know if we work longer hours than most driven business people.

Recent Technology

I have a laptop computer, a PDA, a cell phone, a digital camera and a handheld GPS device. It was different when I first started, but in the past six years, there has been more and more technology to help me do my job.

The GPS system for example, helps me map out where an irrigation pipeline will go. I measure to see where the centre of the pivot will be and figure out distances. Then I can order the right amount of pipe and get a more accurate quote of costs.

Informal Learning

I've been mentored by my boss and CEO, Wayne Rempel. I've spent a lot of time being coached by him and I've learned so much.

I'm continually in research mode, whether I'm conceptualizing a new project or keeping up with technologies and different products or ways of growing a crop,. I do a lot of reading and surfing the internet.

People skills are an area where I think everyone needs to continually improve so I always have a book on the go to help me hone those skills.

Reward for work

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"One of the rewards for me is travel. I've had some really significant opportunities to travel inside of work. I've been overseas a number of times and I've been as far as Siberia.

"For me travel is a huge reward. My wife and I are planning for our ten year anniversary to go to Europe."

Likes about Manitoba

I like our province's open, flat land. I like that it's cheap to live here when I compare it to other places. I think we have some good opportunities for producing and manufacturing crops, simply because we don't have to deal with the masses of people that other areas have to deal with.

My plan is to stay in Manitoba at this point. My family is a huge drawing card, but I think there are tremendous opportunities here.

Horrid Infrastructure

I don't like our roads and our infrastructure. They are absolutely horrid compared to other places I've been to.

I don't like our current government because I think they're squandering our money in areas where they shouldn't be. I think they should be putting more money into our roads and infrastructure.

Passionate Pilot

Because aviation is a passion of mine, I have my pilot's licence. The most interesting flight I did was with another private pilot. We ferried a small aircraft from Morden in Manitoba to Newfoundland. That was a very valuable experience.

We stopped five times along the way - in Duluth, close to Sioux St. Marie, in Cornwall, Ontario, Fredericton and then in Nova Scotia before we crossed over. It was easy flying. We didn't have any bad weather and the flight was really good.

On Call

In the kind of business that I'm in, I'm kind of always on duty. Often I'll be at home having supper and someone will call with a problem in the field that needs to be dealt with immediately.

My wife is very understanding. She grew up on a farm so she understands agriculture. She also grasps the timeliness that is required to get things done. She does tire of it at times but she's pretty good with it.

Busy harvest time

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"Previous to this I had been managing a potato farm. Harvest was incredibly busy. I would often leave the house at 6 o'clock in the morning. We'd get field operations underway by 7. You have everything set up beforehand and everybody knows what they're doing but something's going to go wrong.

"Until that happens I'm checking on production and efficiencies and quality and seeing how things are going. The minute crisis happens that's when I have to step up to the plate and make decisions quickly. We'll have 25 people in one crew and if one machine goes down that's costing us money."

Job freedom

No two days are the same. I don't have to keep regular office hours. My schedule is extremely flexible. Where I spend my work day depends on what season it is. During the winter I'm in the office more than I am in the summer, but I'm in and out a lot.

During slower times, if I decide I need a haircut I'll go do that in the afternoon. Basically, it's "get the job done", so I have a tremendous amount of flexibility and freedom to do what I need to do.

Winter schedule

During the winter, my day starts at 8 a.m. I spend more time in the office responding to emails and faxes. I make the most of coffee breaks and lunch time for meeting with staff and suppliers. Everyone needs to eat so it's convenient to do business.

I visit the farms or job sites to see how things are progressing. A lot of time is spent planning, looking at contracts or preparing budgets. Once I'm home and the kids are in bed, I'll work on my laptop for a couple of hours.

Enjoy my work

I thoroughly enjoy my work and what I do. I'm passionate about it. That's why for me, work and play are almost synonymous. For me to sit down on the couch with the laptop and surf the internet for information on how to grow raspberries is like playtime.

I enjoy sitting back with a cup of coffee and reading, researching or learning more about my business and how I can improve on what we're doing.

Can be stressful

The pace and stress level vary. It can be quite intense. We have some pretty large customers who are insistent on quality. When the quality isn't up to par, it can be quite stressful. We've had numerous weather related stresses in the last couple of years, especially due to excess moisture.

When you've got millions of dollars of investment out in the field and the rain won't stop, it's disheartening But we also have to ask: how are we going to deal with this?

Getting started

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"I grew up in rural Manitoba and I observed the farming operations around me. Probably one of the first things that got me interested in agriculture was technology and equipment. I spent a lot of time on a neighbour's farm helping him out. I had a couple of uncles who were farmers. One was a potato farmer.

"I spent time on his farm doing different tasks and watching how the potatoes were grown. By the time I got towards the end of high school I made the decision to pursue agriculture from a management perspective."

Interesting work

Things are constantly changing. Whether it's new technology, new processes, new people, new crops or new initiatives, there's always something new on the horizon. We're always changing.

This is a good match for me because I'm inquisitive by nature. I always want to learn new things and understand how things work.

Meaning of work

I love to see plants grow and produce. It has a particular relevance to me because of my faith. Earth is here for us to enjoy and for us to work with. I love the outdoors, nature aspect of what I do.

There's something invigorating about working with natural elements - soil, sun, seeds, water - and combining that with technology. For me it's the best of both worlds, and I'm helping to grow food that nourishes people.

Greatest accomplishment

Five years ago I managed a multi-million dollar project. We built a new potato wash plant and packing facility. I was very young but my boss believed in me and let me manage this project.

I was involved from square one and worked on the design and implementation. It was actually a swamp when I first got to the site. Now we store our potatoes there, wash them, grade them, pack them and ship them.

Collaborative atmosphere

I spend a lot of time negotiating with people within the company about what I need them to do. There are different groups I work with. When problems arise, we'll set up a committee to look at the problem and determine how to deal with it.

Our company's management meets regularly to make decisions and keep people informed. We encourage people in our company to seek advice from others so you're well-informed when you make a decision.

Enjoy work

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"Bottom line on any sort of education or career destination is pursue what you're passionate about. Find something you can grab hold of and really take ownership of. That's what's going to make you successful.

"If you force yourself into something because you think you're going to make good money, it's not going to last It's not going to be worth it.

"You have to do something you enjoy. Don't ever pursue something where you're going to dread going to work. Life's too short for that."

Further schooling

I regret not studying further at university. While I did pursue post secondary education, in hindsight I probably didn't take it to as high as a technical level as I would have liked to have.

When I was making my decision, I was worried about how I would come up with the money. My advice is not to worry about the money. That will sort itself out. You'll find ways. Be creative, be a good steward of what you've got and spend wisely. You'll make it through.

Building knowledge

I wanted to choose a local institution because I didn't want to go far away from home. I also wanted to choose something with a certain amount of practical training to it.

That's why I chose a diploma program. There was a practical element that included real world farm skills. I knew some of those already through my jobs doing farm labour.

The thing with farm work is that you always learn repair work along with it because there are always things going wrong. That's an on-the-job skill I've learned.

Suggested courses

Science classes, particularly physics and biology, were always my favourite. I also really liked geography. I'm not sure how the school system works now. When I was in high school we had the choice of taking university entrance courses.

I highly recommend taking as many university entrance courses as you can, so you have options. One thing I didn't take was grade 12 chemistry. Apparently it's a prerequisite for an agriculture degree.

Professional development

I've had numerous opportunities for professional development, personal development and developing related skills. I've attended some very good management courses at the Canadian Management Centre, which were very expensive but worth it.

Our company also supports travel, so every year we visit locations around the country to attend conferences and see how other producers do things to learn new technologies and techniques.

Future goals

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"I'm still not exactly sure what direction I want to head in the next ten years. My goal would be either to become a shareholder of this farm and continue in helping with management or I could see myself pursuing my own agriculture related or manufacturing related business.

"I'm not totally sure if I want to stay in agriculture forever. Sometimes people are just ready for a change, some different scenery. I would say in five years I'll still be with this company. I would like to be the Resident Manitoba Expert on Raspberries."

Further training

At some point, I'd definitely like to go back to school. I have so many different interests and so many things I would consider further training in; marketing courses, aviation training or even an engineering degree.

I think having a backup career is a good idea. Aviation is my backup, so I'd like to look at getting my commercial licence or instrument training.

Company’s future

We had a tough time when the Atkins' Diet came on strong because we saw a decrease in potato consumption. I think that's basically faded and potatoes will remain a staple food for a long time to come.

There are definite changes in the marketplace. We're going to see a lot more processing. Instead of buying a plastic bag of potatoes and cooking them, people will buy them precooked. I think there will be opportunities for processing and value-added types of things.

Future for management

There are tremendous opportunities for people in farm management. About 20 percent of farm managers are over 65 and if they're not quitting now they will be in the near future. A lot of opportunities will present themselves within the next ten years for people who want to work in farm management.

I see skill requirements continuing along the same lines they are now, with more of a focus on human resource management, people management, working with people and leading others.

Advise Passion

Pursue education and be passionate about what you do. Find a sector of agriculture you're keenly interested and work hard. There are a lot of challenges in life that can be overcome with hard work.

We look for people who work well with others, for people who take ownership in what they are do. We look for people who are passionate about and care about the quality of the product they produce.

Job market info

The links below take you to federal and regional government information on employment, education, salary ranges and long range prospects for this career.

The official name for Chris' occupation is "Farmers and Farm Managers" and its NOC* code is 8251.

Manitoba Job Futures

Who Hires? - Manitoba Labour Market Information

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the ‘National Occupational Classification' code or 'NOC'.

Education

High school

Useful High School Subjects:*

- Chemistry
- Biology
- Computer-related courses
- English

*Source: JobFutures.ca

For those out of school, Adult Learning Centres can help you get or upgrade your high school diploma, including adding subjects that are required for work or further education. All Manitobans are normally entitled to 4 free courses.

After high school

Below are links to various programs and courses that will you on the path to a career in Farm Management.

University of Manitoba

Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science

Faculty of Agriculture Diploma Program

Red River College

Business Administration
Commerce/Industry Sales and Marketing

Brandon University

Assiniboine Community College - Brandon

Agribusiness

University College of the North - The Pas/Thompson

All Programs (PDF)
Business Administration, Distance Education - page 28

Skills

Useful Experience/Skills*

- Co-ordinating skills
- Communication skills
- Supervising
- Computer skills

Source: Job Futures

There is not yet an Essential Skills* profile for this occupation.

*Essential Skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change.

Professional resources

Prairie Fruit Growers Association
Educates and advocates on behalf of prairie fruit crop growers, promotes the industry and supports research

Association of Irrigators in Manitoba

Keystone Vegetable Producers Association
T: (204) 239-6932

Manitoba Institute of Agrologists
An association for agriculture professionals

Western Canadian Wheat Growers
A not-for-profit farm organization representing the interests of its members to government and agriculture at large.

Related careers

Agricultural and Related Service Contractors and Managers (NOC 8252)

Farm Supervisors and Specialized Livestock Workers (NOC 8253)

Nursery Greenhouse Operators and Managers (NOC 8254)

Supervisors, Landscape and Horticulture (NOC 8256)