It’s been two years since Northern Ontario food producers have gathered in person for the annual Northern Ontario Ag Conference. But this week in Sudbury, as they convened for two days of learning and networking, they got some welcome news right out of the gate.
“It’s very significant,” said Lefort, in presenting to a full house on day one of the conference, being held Feb. 15-16 at the Holiday Inn. The North’s main commodities are dairy, worth about $61 million in revenue, and cattle, which generates about $36 million in revenue, according to 2021 numbers presented by Lefort.
“So you’ve almost doubled the amount of revenue per acre over that 10-year period, which is quite significant growth.” Before crops can be produced, land must be cleared and drainage tile has to be installed — both expensive endeavours for the average farmer, but even more so in Northern Ontario, Lefort noted.
As a result, the numbers of acres of corn increased by 123 per cent, while the numbers of acres of soybeans increased by 120 per cent, Lefort said.