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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, July 9, 2010 · 10 Paul Harris Fellowships Fewer and fewer farms in Halton By Dennis Smith SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER HONOURED: The Rotary Club of Oakville Centennial presented Paul Harris Fellowship Awards to, from left, Nancy Brown, Barrie Sprawson, Ian Howard, Mila Dinevski, Sera Mansueto, Robin Bannerman, John Hamilton and Mary Jane Howie. Absent from the photo is the ninth recipient Dr. Dianne Munro. Speak up! You can comment on any story in today's Oakville Beaver at oakvillebeaver.com. Shrinking farmland is posing a growing challenge for Halton and other Greater Toronto Area (GTA) communities, a Halton committee was told on Wednesday. "The number of farms in the GTA is continuing to decline at a consistent rate," said Margaret Walton of Planscape. "The trend is to larger farms." The consultant outlined a study of GTA agriculture to the planning and public works committee. The presentation was made on behalf of the GTA Agricultural Action Committee. According to the study, the amount of farm acreage in Halton continues to decline and nearly half the land being used for agricultural production is rented. "The rate of rental land is quite high in the GTA and it's highest in Peel and Halton. The cost of land is prohibitive," said Walton. "A tremendous amount of land is held in the GTA for speculation and it's put into farming to qualify for the agricultural tax rate. That's a good thing." She said the problem is rental farms have short-term arrangements, so long-term farming, like orchard and vegetable growing, doesn't occur. Walton added there's a lot of competition for land, with some growing areas considered prime for development. The consultant urged the provincial government to get involved. "We need a policy on how to manage productive farmland," said Walton. She's encouraged that numerous farms generate more than $500,000 annually, but added sometimes size is driven by commodity prices. "The farms get bigger because prices are stagnating and they need to produce more," said Walton. Oakville Ward 4 Councillor Allan Elgar expressed concern about foreign ownership of local farmland and the potential out- sourcing of food products to other countries. "It's a huge issue in other countries and it's happening here now and no one knows about it," he said. Milton Councillor Barry Lee was unhappy about affects of provincial legislation mandating long-term population growth targets for municipalities. "The GTA and Milton in particular were picked as places to grow," said the Milton councillor. "The issue here is the Province is talking out of both sides of its mouth about Places to Grow and supporting agriculture," said Lee. He feels Greenbelt legislation froze all the marginal land and opened up agricultural lands for development. Walton believes agricultural lands were missed when the Greenbelt was created, but there's an opportunity to correct the situation. "We have to finally get through to the Province that in order for agriculture to continue in the area, it has to be profitable and sustainable," she said. A low profile and an aging workforce were cited as some other challenges. The average age of Halton farmers is 55.5 years, secondhighest in the GTA. "We need to create links to agriculture," said Walton. "Some of us are connected to agriculture, but that's not the case today (with younger residents)." She said the GTA's primary agriculture producers made a $2 billion economic impact in 2006. "The GTA's advantages include transportation, a diverse and educated workforce, lots of research and development and lots of opportunities for new products to meet the ethnic diversity here," she said, adding that the area has great soil. Walton said agribusiness and food related manufacturing is clustered more in the western GTA, with Halton having the advantage of being closer to the border. SUMMER SPECIAL 2 FOR 1 GET FIT and STAY FIT No Weights, No Machines, No Bull, JUST RESULTS! 905-828-7298 www.evolutionxt.com 3480 Laird Road Unit 8 Mississauga, ON, L5L 5Y4