ERIN — The federal government has giving $202,000 to the Erin Agricultural Society to help cover the cost of the new Agricultural Awareness Dome.
Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield made the announcement in Erin Friday morning.
The agridome gives the E.A.S. a permanent indoor space to be used to conduct agricultural education events.
“This investment is going to see a permanent agricultural dome that will allow for education and events to happen outside of the temporary structure normally used during the annual Erin Fall Fair,” Longfield said.
The agridome is complete. It is a large building with a high roof on the E.A.S. site just off Main Street. It will be used for agricultural awareness during the Erin Fall Fair and other times. It is also a big, indoor space for the community to use year-round.
The E.A.S.’s Erin Fall Fair has been a fun event in the area since 1850.
Longfield explained the purpose of the Canada Community Revitalization Fund.
“The Government of Canada established the Community Revitalization Fund to help communities across Canada to build and improve community infrastructure to rebound from the effects of COVID-19. And that is what we’re doing here today,” Longfield said.
He also talked about the future of agriculture and the need for the next generation to fill roles within the industry.
“There is really a future for kids that are looking at agriculture as a way forward,” Longfield said.
There is a need for agriculture related education. It could be based on the technology used in farming or the fight against climate change.
“And connecting to the technology of today and helping with climate change and sequestering carbon, we really need to be able to grow that as a way forward for our kids.
“Some of us are getting older and people are retiring out of agriculture and we need to have the next generation to be there to fill the role we’ve all played in supporting agriculture,” Longfield said.
Brenda Lothmann, past president of the E.A.S., talked about how the agridome was a long time dream at the E.A.S.
“We’ve talked about what we could do on the fairgrounds and putting something up. You know Eileen and I have talked about a building like this for ages and it is so nice to see it come into fruition,” Lothmann said.
Eileen is Eileen Brown, a past secretary for the E.A.S.
Jesse Gault is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
