WELLINGTON COUNTY – Wellington County might account for just a small area in Ontario and Canada, a report examining its agri-food system shows it has a significant impact in that industry.
Wellington County’s agriculture industry annually contributes $2.8 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP), $841 million to Ontario’s GDP and employs over 12,000 people, says a Wellington Federation of Agriculture (WFA) report released Friday.
The agri-food system study, prepared for by Wilton Consulting Group in collaboration with Serecon, stated Wellington County has some of the most productive farmland in the county, with 2,617 farms identified as of 2021.
“While Wellington County covers only 0.2 per cent of total land area in Ontario, it supports 5 per cent (418,296 acres) of the province’s field crops,” a press release stated.
According to the report, the county’s farmers also grow:
- 10 per cent of Ontario’s acreage of corn silage
- Nine per cent of Ontario’s acreage of mixed grain
- Eight per cent of Ontario’s acreage of barley
Wellington County also has a significant livestock production and processing industry with the highest number of dairy farms in all of Ontario.
The county has:
- 12 per cent of Ontario’s dairy farms
- 10 per cent of Ontario’s poultry and egg farms
- Eight per cent of Ontario’s hog and pig farms
- Seven per cent of Ontario’s equine farms
Janet Harrop, WFA president, said in a phone call she hoped people takeaway how valuable farmland is in Wellington County particularly when considered in the context of projected population growth.
Wellington County, as of 2021 home to about 97,000 people, is expected to grow to 160,000 residents by 2051 and will need 22,000 new households in that time — representing 730 new households each year to 2051.
“We want the decision makers to use this as a tool to highlight when we’re paving over farmland,” Harrop said. “Because it’s such a great place to grow things, it’s also a great place to live so we always have that battle about building homes … we want the people that are making decisions to grow crops and not grow houses.”
Key priorities identified in a press release are leveraging the growing local consumer base and educating consumers, protecting prime agricultural land and supporting entrepreneurship in the system.
"This report confirms our knowledge that the farmers in Wellington County are leading the way in agricultural production in Ontario. It also reinforces that our soils are a driving force behind the vibrant agri-food system in the county,” said Andy Lennox, Wellington County warden, in a press release.
“As our county and province grows, we have a responsibility to protect and grow our agri-food system, not only for our future, but also for the future of those who depend on the food we produce.”
