Ken Gray: NIMBY watch

[reidjr]

Originally Posted by Dr.Z

There are a couple of big outfits within the Ottawa area proper but the biggest ones are outside of the City limits but effectively within the Greater Ottawa area. There are a few big dairy farmers and a milk plant or two. Most crop grown here are exported soya beans and cattle feed. Much of the corn you see along the arterials or county roads are for cattle consumption.

As we all know Canada produces more ag than we consume, hence we are a net exporter. Global competition culminating with Regan-onmics and NAFTA means that farms in Canada become more specialised via competitive advantage. So farms in Eastern On do not feed the region first and export the rest and they are no longer geared to do just that. It is just not efficient or cost effective in our global economy for the farms to feed their surrounding regions first, nor would the local buyers be able to afford such produce (low supply, high demand for tomatoes lets say = high price). The direct support sector still benefits though, being the machinary dealers, mechanics and seed manufacturers, grain elevators, custom farmers and arguably some of the banks and lenders for farm loans, which collectively employ a lot folks in the rural and outlying areas.

Eastern ontario does have a fair amount of corn/hay type farms we also do have dairy farms but what concerns me is some are willing to have windmills fill up all up the farms so it could come down to one day we have to get food shipped in from the west in terms of things like corn etc.