Farm Bureau county presidents learn Ontario farmers face similar ag challenges.

Situated between three Great Lakes, southwestern Ontario’s rich soils and favorable climate make the region fertile ground for growing a vast array of crops from corn and wheat to fruits, vegetables and wine grapes. 

However, farmers in the region are also pressured by encroaching urban sprawl, rising farmland prices and mounting regulations, as Iowa Farm Bureau county leaders learned during the 2024 County Presidents’ Incentive Trip to Toronto and the surrounding area July 15-20. 

The county presidents toured several farms, ranging from those that have been held by the same family for seven generations to others whose history only dates back one or two generations. 

“I’m amazed by the diversity and the scale and size of operations and the diversity in many of the different crops that are grown,” said Joel Wahling, Shelby County Farm Bureau president.

Based in Guelph, about 60 miles west of Toronto, the Sharpe family raises crops and livestock on about 5,000 acres. But the family-run business’ real growth has come through a vast retail network that was founded in 1986 by Bill and Marion Sharpe. Through a series of acquisitions over the past four decades, Sharpe Farm Supplies now includes a large warehouse distribution center and a chain of farm stores in addition to handling feed, grain, crop protection, fertilizer and seed products. 

Three Sharpe brothers, John, Paul and Michael, each oversee different aspects of the business. 

“I’m amazed at the amount they have grown over the period of time that they have,” said Wahling. “The big takeaway was the bottom line for them is to always watch expenses and find ways to be more efficient.” 

With about one-third of Canada’s population of 39 million living in southwest Ontario, the farm is simultaneously benefiting from a growing population while feeling the pressures of urbanization, says Sandra Wolfe, wholesale business development manager for Sharpe Farms. 

They have expanded beyond livestock feed to include products like bird seed and pet food targeted at city residents. But high farmland prices are forcing the Sharpes to look elsewhere to continue growing their farm. 

Farmland around Guelph sells for around $30,000 per acre. So the family has expanded several hundred miles to the north, where farmland costs about one-third as much. They farm about 1,000 acres and have opened three farm stores north of Lake Huron.

Muck farm

While farmland prices are high around Guelph, they’re off the charts in an area known as the Holland Marsh, reaching as high as $140,000 to $150,000 per acre, according to Jody Mott, executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers Association. 

The marsh is a community of 125 farmers on about 7,000 acres of low-lying land containing some of the richest farmland in Ontario. 

Its fields consist of about three feet of highly organic “muck” soil in a marsh that was reclaimed for farming with a system of dikes, canals and drainage tile.

Farmers in the region grow dozens of varieties of vegetables, including carrots, celery, onions and leafy greens, producing an estimated $105 million in farmgate value of horticultural crops. 

“We are the second largest carrot-growing area in the world behind California,” Mott says.

The soils range from 60% to 80% organic matter, which holds plant nutrients and water to create an ideal environment for high-value horticultural crops, according to Shawn Janse, manager of the University of Guelph Muck Crops Research Station. 

But after more than eight decades of continuous production, some of the land is becoming “tired” and losing productivity, Janse says. Farmers are leaving land fallow for a year and experimenting with cover crops to interrupt pest and disease cycles and reduce pressure.

Jason Steele, a U.S. Department of Agriculture soil scientist and Jefferson County Farm Bureau president, said he was interested to see how Canadian farmers are using cover crops to improve their soils in a similar manner as U.S. farmers. 

“One thing that was kind of neat to see was they had a kid come back from college with a 10-acre cover crop plot and how they saw a decrease in diseases and insects in just one year,” said Steele. 

Cover crops help break up disease cycles and reduce soil temperatures, which keeps heat from killing beneficial microbes in the top inch of the soil, especially important in the dark black muck soils that absorb heat, he noted.

PICTURED ABOVE: Martin’s Family Fruit Farm, the second largest apple packing house in Canada, is situated ideally where warm sunshine, adequate rainfall, rich soil and cool nights combine to grow bountiful crops. PHOTO / TOM BLOCK

Orchard, winery

Other ag tours included Martin’s Family Fruit Farm, which has roots in Ontario stretching back to 1820, and Chateau des Charmes vineyard and winery, the second-oldest winery in the region. 

Martin’s started growing apples in 1971, taking advantage of the region’s combination of warm summer sunshine, adequate rainfall, rich soil and cool autumn nights to produce sweet, juicy apples. The farm operates the second largest apple packing house in Canada, supplying major grocery retailers including Costco. Martin’s grows 1,000 acres of apples and also purchases apples from 40 other growers. Its three most popular varieties are Gala, Ambrosia and Honeycrisp, according to Alicia Sebastian, grower support manager. 

The Chateau des Charmes winery is located on a peninsula west of Niagara Falls between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, where the weather patterns and topography create distinct mini-regions that affect the flavor of its award-winning wines. The vineyard was established in 1978 by Paul Bosc, a fifth-generation French winegrower who moved to Canada in the 1960s. 

“To me, the biggest takeaway from that winery is the grit and determination to make it work. They were kind of a precursor to a whole new industry for Ontario,” said Mark Wilcox, Cherokee County Farm Bureau president. “That’s the root definition of sustainability. You’re able to provide five generations to make a living from farming.”

Networking time

Leo Stephas, Clay County Farm Bureau president, said the exposure to Canadian agriculture was a valuable learning experience. 

“Each trip, you find something different, and you learn new things,” he said. “It broadens your horizons.”

Networking with other Iowa county Farm Bureau leaders is another highlight, providing opportunities to discuss successful programs in other counties, Wahling said. 

“I really get a lot of enjoyment out of visiting with the other county presidents. We get to visit about what worked and what might not have worked in other counties … , and if there are successes or adjustments required in some of those,” he said. “There really is a synergy that you get out of that because each of you improves through those conversations. We’re hearing what’s happening with different counties, which is nice because each of us are in our own little world and not one of us is the same.”