I have lived in Norfolk…

I have lived in Norfolk County for sixty-eight years and I have worked on farms in and around Waterford for over twenty-seven years. The soils are fertile and support the growth of many native plants, there is a vast supply of clean water, and food products that has a large impact on our local economy.
Agriculture has been and continues to be an important source of economic development for Norfolk County since the 1920’s with the introduction of tobacco crops. Currently, farmers grow a wide variety of specialty crops that thrive in the sandy loam complexes (1 & 2) that surround Waterford. The excellent soil drainage, abundant sources of clean groundwater, and the warm climate (Hardiness zone of 6b) and 5 to 6 growing months of Norfolk County, supports a vast number of native Carolinian plants and modern vegetable and fruit crops.

Table 1. Fruit, vegetable and food products commonly grown in Norfolk County as of August 2024.
Fruiting Trees
apple
peach
cherry
pear

Vegetables
turnips
sweet potato
radish
sweet corn
cabbage
onion
various types of lettuce
spinach
garlic
asparagus
pepper
tomato
pumpkin
horseradish
potato
squash
Fruit
raspberry
blueberry
Haskap berry
Saskatoon berry
strawberry
cantaloupe
watermelon

Plant Nurseries
annuals
perennials
landscaping trees
fruiting trees

Livestock-supporting crops
straw
hay
cow corn

Crops that support food production
sunflower
rye
soybean

Other
ginseng
dill weed
various herbs
medicinal marijuana
tobacco

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture states that the province of Ontario is increasingly losing its available farmland due to urban development (CBC, 2022). According to a report from CBC news (using 2021 Census data), Ontario is losing 319 acres of farmland daily compared to the 2016 census data of 175 farms daily (CBC, 2022). Also stated in the CBC article, Ontario only has five per cent farmable land (CBC, 2022). Unfortunately, our current Norfolk County development council is quick to agree to removing farmland from our farmers and Ontarians without really considering long-term effects such as global food chain supply issues, lack of employment for farm workers and farmers and irreversible damage to land and water sources. Supply chain issues have become a focus in our economy with increasing costs and lack of food products during the Covid-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine. We don’t want to become reliant on other countries for food production. Ontario, has strict guidelines for pesticide use, microorganism testing, water conservation policies, soil management and Ontarians feel confident buying food products grown in Ontario. As the threat of global warming looms overall of us, Ontario and Norfolk County has a responsibility to protect and preserve our abundant fresh water and fertile lands to support future generations.

In conclusion, growth is inevitable and as our global population increases, we have a role in providing housing, however, we need to carefully select land that is not highly productive, build in the correct areas so as to minimize long-term damage and consider the future ecological, agricultural and economic impacts to a region such as Norfolk County.

Bibliography-Communities in Ontario facing similar loss of agricultural land links:
1) Ontario Rapidly losing farmland amid urban sprawl, provincial agriculture group says (CBC. June 18, 2022) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ont-farmland-loss-1.6493833

2) Ontario loses 175 acres of farmland to urban development a day, says farmers group (CBC. May 31, 2021) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/urban-development-disappearing-fa…