Ontario agriculture is worth celebrating this week — and every week

By Clint Cameron, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

This week is Ontario Agriculture Week, leading us into Thanksgiving — one of the most food-focused times of the year. It’s a perfect reminder of just how much our province has to be thankful for when it comes to agriculture and food.

Ontario farmers grow and raise more than 200 different food and farm products. That’s an incredible depth and breadth of diversity that few other places in the world can match. It means we’re fortunate to enjoy a wide variety of locally grown and raised food and beverages right here at home, no matter what season it is.

Ontario’s agricultural story stretches across the entire province. In northern Ontario, livestock and crop farms supply beef, pork, lamb and grains to local and regional markets. Eastern Ontario is well known for its dairy and poultry farms. Apple orchards in midwestern and central Ontario are bursting with crisp, sweet fruit at this time of year.

Southern Ontario has long been the heart of fruit, vegetable, and grape production — think tender fruit in Niagara and along the Lake Erie shore, tomatoes and peppers in Chatham-Kent, greenhouses in Leamington, and the world-class wine industry those grapes support.

Whether it’s maple syrup from Lanark County, wild blueberries from Sudbury, or pumpkins from Norfolk, every corner of the province contributes something unique to Ontario’s harvest.

Agriculture isn’t just about what ends up on your plate, though. It’s also a powerful economic engine.

Our province’s agri-food sector contributes more than $51 billion to the provincial economy every year and supports over 867,000 jobs. Farming businesses don’t stand alone — they connect to food processors, transporters, retailers, farm suppliers, equipment dealers, and countless others.