Agriculture

2019-2021

Agriculture Study

Over the last year there have been several advancements in available information and potential areas to further investigate; field work was completed when restrictions allowed late 2020. The Agriculture Study is in the final phase and nearing completion with Maps and figures being embedded into the report.  This Preliminary Agricultural Study is the first stage in the development of an agriculture program; the second stage would entail detailed groundwork including but not limited to; soil analysis, suitable agricultural uses, site designs, and required infrastructure.

Agriculture Sector Initiative (A.S.I)

Agriculture Sector is new for the Greenstone Region so there is no baseline information to draw from which is leading to an extensive research and information gathering stage for the A.S.I. Although there are some agriculture themed concepts in our 2016 “New Ideas Business Report” there is still the need for a preliminary study and research to be done before we can identify possibilities for the Greenstone Region. GEDC started an Agriculture Study aimed to provide this preliminary information; in the meantime, GEDC will continue to probe for stories on local endeavours and existing activities.

Attention Entrepreneurs and Hobbyists…

  • Have a greenhouse and want to expand? GEDC can help via business financing...
  • Have a hobby farm and need to get word out there? Call us today.
  • Have potatoes, carrots etc. for sale? Call us we want to know
  • Help us let the public know what’s available…eggs, chaga tea, vegetables, preserves, plants...

As part of our information gathering and research stage we will be publishing a quarterly story on local / regional services available in Greenstone   Want your story in the next Newsletter? Call 807-854-2273 or email info@gedc.ca

2017-2018

Agriculture Sector Initiative

Over the last year GEDC has been approached by several interested parties looking for information on the Agriculture Sector and possibilities in the Greenstone area. As a result we approached Ms. Kendal Donahue, Ontario Agriculture Development Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Thunder Bay, to do a presentation at our 2018 AGM.  The presentation discussed the steps that stakeholders can take to gain further insight on this sector and spoke about other projects in the North. 

Our objective is to increase public awareness and encourage agriculture sector business development in the Greenstone region;  this will be done through the assistance and guidance of OMAFRA and in collaboration with the Municipality of Greenstone. We launched an agriculture information page on our website to assist those interested in agricultural ventures.  There are currently some hobbyists / home based businesses in this sector in Greenstone.  GEDC is presently gathering information and researching agricultural potential in Greenstone. Stay tuned for updates!

Presentation
Developing Agriculture Potential  

Additional Resources:

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Agriculture Economic Development Guide
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/landuse/aed.pdf

Northern Ontario Agri-Food Strategy
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/northernagrifood/noas.htm

Starting a Farm in Northern Ontario Course
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/northernagrifood/ed.htm

Starting a Farm in Ontario - Business Information Bundle for New Farmers
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/newentrant/newent.htm

OMAFRA Field Crop News 
OMAFRA crop specialists provide great information at: https://fieldcropnews.com/  

OMAFRA Agriculture System
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/landuse/agsys-ggh.htm

OMAFRA Agriculture Profile Page
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/stats/county/index.html

AgMaps 
An online application that allows you to create custom maps and find agricultural information for Ontario, combining agricultural data on soils and drainage, as well as data layers from other Government of Ontario ministries.  
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/landuse/gis/portal.htm

Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA)
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is the largest general farm organization in Ontario, proudly representing 38,000 farm family members across the province, visit website for more information  
https://ofa.on.ca/

Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s – Always in Season Toolkit
https://ofa.on.ca/alwaysinseason/toolkit/?pdf=ofa-always-in-season-toolkit-eng#toolkit

Thunder Bay Food and Area Food Strategy
The Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy (TBAFS) has created a digital directory that connects consumers to producers, restaurants and merchants.

Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy Website (English only)  
http://tbfoodstrategy.com/

TBAFS digital directory (English only)
https://tbayinseason.ca/

Other

Farmnorth.com
The website for all things agriculture in the north, hosted by Northern Ontario Farm Innovation Alliance (NOFIA).
 https://www.nofia-agri.com/

Farm Credit Canada
A federal Crown corporation that lends money and provides other services to primary producers, agri-food operations and agribusinesses that provide inputs or add value to agriculture.  
https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en.html

AgriCorp
Farm Business Registration:  To register a farm business and get a Farm Business Registration (FBR) number, contact fbr@agricorp.com or call Agricorp at 1-866-327-3678.
Information on FBR, the Farm Tax Program and other AgriCorp services at: www.agricorp.com  

Report from Canada's Economic Strategy Tables: The Innovation and Competitiveness Imperative (Also known as the Barton Report)
https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/098.nsf/eng/00006.html

Statistic Canada – Agriculture Census Promotional Toolkit
 https://census.gc.ca/resources-ressources/social-media-medias-sociaux/agriculture-eng.htm

 

 

 

 

May 2021