Trusted Farm Source 2019 Fall-Winter

One quarter of these farms are located in Ontario and 90% of those farms are located in southern Ontario. With the growth of large urban areas many dairy farms sprang up to service these markets. Most of the dairy farming in Ontario today is found around Ottawa and London, Ontario. Much of the provinces cheese production is located in these areas. Tender fruit is grown in several areas along the shores of the Great Lakes. The Niagara Peninsula is famous for its fruit growing capabilities because of it’s location below the escarpment and the warming effects of Lake Ontario. Cherries, peaches, plums, pears, apples and grapes are major agricultural commodities for the area. The production of grapes has also created a substantial cottage winery industry in the Niagara Region. The warm waters of Lake Erie and its southernly location make grape growing also possible on Pelee Island. Tobacco is commercially grown in Ontario near Windsor and is especially concentratated in the St. Thomas-Tillsonburg-Simcoe area. In the southwest of the province farming consists mainly of cash crops such as corn, sugar beets, and various other vegetables and cannery crops. The area of Chatham and Leamington are best known for their tomato production both in fields and in greenhouses. The Holland Marsh and the Thedford Marsh are devoted to the growing of fine vegetables. On the margins of the Canadian Shield cattle, hogs and dairy production are important sources of farm income. Further north and deeper into the Canadian Shield the landscape becomes less supportive of agriculture and farming is scattered in small patches. Hay and potatoes are primarily what can be found growing in these areas.

From the  Southern Ontario Tourism website www.soto.on.ca