Wellington Federation of Agriculture representatives believe there are huge opportunities for agriculture within Puslinch and Wellington County.
On June 20, WFA vice president Ruby Lennox vice president and Puslinch director Barclay Nap updated councillors on the progress of the organization and challenges ahead. Lennox said the WFA represents over 1,300 farmers in Wellington.
“Wellington County is very lucky to be high agriculture in a number of different commodities, especially dairy in the north portion,” she said.
Lennox provided an infographic outlining the number of farms throughout the county.
“One thing we would like to see in Puslinch is more farmers,” she said.
While considerable farmland is rented out, there is land not suited for cash cropping that could be otherwise used.
Lennox pointed out that Puslinch is so close to other markets, “I believe there is a huge opportunity for the land to be used for agriculture.”
She commented that 10 per cent of Ontario’s dairy farms are in the county and similar percentages exist for hog and poultry operations.
She said there are only 37 vegetable farms in Wellington – but the sector represents the county’s highest percentage of growth.
Lennox said the WFA is part of the Producing Prosperity campaign, which aims get the message out that “agriculture is big business.”
“There is lots of opportunity,” she said. “Farmers are very good stewards of the land.
“Most have completed an environmental farm plan which looks at the entire farm operation – to determine if there are environmental issues.”
She added, “in Wellington County we are really lucky to have the Grand River Conservation Authority. They are one of the best conservation authorities I’ve dealt with.”
One program the GRCA is involved with concerns well decommissioning.
If property owners discover old abandoned wells on their property, instead of just filling it with rocks or covering it with boards, Lennox recommended giving the GRCA a call.
“There are programs to properly decommission the well,” she said, adding this is something property owners would want to do because it helps protect the groundwater and the conservation authority might be able to cover the entire cost.
Lennox said the WFA is looking to create a safe and secure local food system.
“When food is produced locally, a lot of the time it is also sold locally,” she said.
With all the cities surrounding Wellington, agriculture can create an economic base for tourism and retail.
Lennox suggested anyone heading to university and unsure what to take, should look into agri-food sector.
“The number of job opportunities is unreal,” she said.
WFA is working with others to convince the government more natural gas lines are needed in rural areas to support various farm operations.
“We need an economical fuel source,” she said.
Transportation is also an issue.
“Municipalities need more money for roads,” she said.
Reliable broadband is also extremely important to people in rural areas. It means not waiting overnight to download information or having reliable cellphone service at the back of one’s farm.
Lennox said rural schools also remain important.
She pointed to a big push to shut them down and send students to urban schools. Now those town and city schools are overcrowded.
“We are pushing to keep the rural schools open,” she said.
Councillor Ken Roth asked “what constitutes a farm?”
Lennox explained that based on tax laws, a farm must produce $7,500 of gross income. In some cases, it could be a two-acre vegetable farm or an acre growing garlic, she said.
Councillor Matthew Bulmer was interested in the number of farms in Puslinch.
For many involved in farming, the enterprise is not just the main property, but could involve several hundred acres of rented fields.
Lennox noted a considerable amount of farmland is rented land for cash cropping.
“But there are quite a few small, little farms tucked in as well,” she said.
Councillor Susan Fielding was glad to hear the push for agriculture, but was surprised to hear 10% of Ontario’s dairy farms are in Wellington County.
