Beginning a farm in Canada may be both thrilling and terrifying. There are many factors involved in farming. No two farms are alike. And since farming is unlike any other industry, a specific type of entrepreneur is required to start and sustain a farm. Although it’s not an easy profession, the experience can be extremely rewarding.
Is farming right for you is the first thing you should determine before beginning. Not everyone is suited to farming. It requires hard labour as well as commercial acumen. Long days, even longer nights and a lot of research may become a common lifestyle for farmers. Whether you succeed or fail will partially determine how much work you need to put in.
The province of Ontario and specifically, the counties of Lanark and Renfrew, provide beautiful landscapes and vast, fertile farmland. There are plenty of opportunities for new immigrants and newcomers to start farming with the help of local agricultural bodies as well as farming communities. Some of the farming and business development help centres are listed below.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) advocates for good soil management methods such as crop rotation, crop cover, adding compost, manure, or other organic amendments to the soil, and reducing tillage. You may obtain the whole collection of Best Management Practice information sheets online. You may also access Business Information Bundle for New Farmers, which can help in starting a farm in Ontario.
The biggest general farm organization in Ontario, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), represents 38,000 farm families throughout the province. OFA advocates results-based advocacy and lobbying and are driven by its mission – Farms and Food Forever. Lanark Federation of Agriculture and Renfrew Federation of Agriculture are two of the several regional federations supported by OFA across the province. These represent the voice of agriculture in the local communities and advocate on behalf of farm families on local agricultural issues.
Valley Heartland, a non-profit innovation-driven organization in Lanark County, is on a mission to encourage entrepreneurship, job development and help rural towns create and implement plans to deal with a changing economic climate. Through localized financing, grant funding, learning and development opportunities, and consulting services, Valley Heartland assist companies in Lanark County and North Leeds by giving them access to money and other forms of assistance. It also offers free consultations and advice based on specific funding requirements for businesses and entrepreneurial strategies. Valley Heartland Innovation Centre (VHIC) plays its part in serving as a central location for economic development in the Eastern Ontario region by providing services to entrepreneurs about funding and training and a supportive environment. Renfrew County Agricultural Economic Development Committee provides similar services in the county of Renfrew.
One of the other ways for new farmers to enter farming is to collaborate with other farmers with similar goals in their agricultural business. They can create a company or a co-op to create a business structure that works for them.
