The Changing Rural Economy Around On-Farm Businesses

While the face of farming in Grey County is typically either very large corporate operations or smaller niche operators, an emerging market is the horse and buggy community, which is buying marginal farmland and transforming it into productive farms. At the same time, high-tech manufacturing and innovative businesses are being developed on these farms at a rate of about 20 new business applications per year in Grey County. These small innovative on-farm businesses are creating exciting new economic opportunities, but they are also offering some challenges. This session will explore challenges such as land use conflicts, impacts on road infrastructure, density of operations/cumulative impacts, and scale of operations. 

 

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