FARMLAND INCREASE: Western Ontario cropland increases 2.5 per cent over 10 years

SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO — Disappearing farmland? The reality on the ground in southwestern and Western Ontario contrasts with recent OFA messaging on the topic, at least in terms of productive farmland used for crops. 

Over the last 10 years, the amount of cropland put to use in southwestern Ontario has grown by 2.55 %. That’s based on figures from the 2021 Census of Agriculture. While it’s true that overall farm real estate has shrunk a bit in the broad region — a drop of just over 1.5 % — net cultivated cropland has not, and that’s an important distinction in a hungry world.

Of 20 counties in Southwestern and Western Ontario, there were just over 6.26 million acres of cropland in 2021 — up 2.55 %  (or 155,831 acres) over the 6.11 million acres of cropland recorded in 2011. The 2021 figure also represents a small 0.31 % gain on the 2016 Census, which tallied 6.25 million acres of cropland. 

Cropland — or “land in crops” as termed by Statistics Canada — refers to the usual field crops, as well as fruit and vegetable plantations and sod and nursery products. It does not include hay, pasture, silage crops, Christmas trees, woodlots or any other unproductive areas.