Farming & Agri-Food in Ontario: 30 Facts

30 Facts on Farming in Ontario

#1 - As of 2025, Ontario's agri-food sector supported more than 871,000 jobs ^[1]

#2 - Ontario's agri-food sector contributes nearly $51 billion to the province’s gross domestic product (GDP) ^[1]

#3 – Ontario is home to 48,346 farms producing more than 200 different commodities, making the province a leading food producer

#4 – Around 30% of Canada’s total agriculture GDP is generated by Ontario farms ^[7]

#5 - More than $26 billion of agri-food products are exported in Ontario annually ^[7]

#6 – Ontario’s food production prowess allows it to supply 54% of the food consumed within the province

#7 - Ontario produces a wide range of agricultural products, including (but not limited to) ^[2]:

• fruit crops, such as grapes, apples, berries and other tender fruits
• vegetables such as cucumbers, beets, garlic, leeks, and carrots
• cash crops such as soybeans, corn, mixed grains, forage crops, wheat and barley
• commercial poultry, hog, dairy and beef cattle farms
• flowers and other ornamental plants

#8 - Ontario’s top three crop and livestock commodities between 2020-2024 included ^[4]:

• Vegetables - $2.6 billion
• Dairy - $2.6 billion
• Soybeans - $2.3 billion

#9 - Ontario leads Canada in producing chicken, mushrooms, greenhouse vegetables, corn, turkey, and Christmas trees ^[7]

#10 - Ontario grain farmers are numerous, with 28,000 farms growing barley, corn, oats, soybeans, and wheat ^[3]

#11 - Ontario’s grain farmers generate $27 billion in economic activity annually, accounting for more than half the provincial sector’s GDP output ^[3]

#12 - Ontario’s grain farmers generate more than $2.3 billion in revenues for municipal, provincial, and federal governments every year ^[3]

#13 - Ontario’s grain farming sector supports 91,000 jobs across the province ^[3]

#14 - Ontario's fruit and vegetable sector contributes over $4.2 billion to the economy each year, with its $3.63 billion in farm-gate sales making up more than a third of Canada's total production ^[6]

#15 - Ontario's fruit and vegetable growers export $1.5 billion worth of produce annually, with greenhouse vegetables making up almost half of that total ^[6]

#16 - More than 3,500 farms grow fruits and vegetables across Ontario ^[6]

#17 - In total, Ontario’s fruit and vegetable supply chain employs over 30,000 people directly on-farm, and every on-farm job generates approximately 2.2 jobs downstream (an additional 66,000 indirect jobs) ^[6]

#18 - Ontario grows more than 125 different fruit and vegetable crops in fields, orchards, and greenhouses on 245,000 acres provincewide with an estimated annual farm gate value of more than $3.6 billion ^[6]

#19 - Ontario’s main crops include ^[6]:

Fruits: apples, grapes, peaches, apricots, blueberries, melons, cherries, nectarines, pears, plums, processing grapes, raspberries, strawberries and more.

Vegetables: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, field tomatoes, ginseng, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnips, peas, peppers, potatoes, processing vegetables, pumpkins, squash, sweet corn, radishes, rhubarb, rutabagas, spinach and zucchini. 

Greenhouse: cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, strawberries and tomatoes.

#20 - Ontario is home to the most vegetable greenhouses in Canada, covering nearly 4,000 cares – equivalent to the size of around 10,000 Canadian hockey rinks ^[6]

#21 - Ontario is Canada’s apple-growing province, producing around 35% of all apples in the country ^[6]

#22 - Ontario’s fruit and vegetable sector generates around $600 million in government revenues annually ^[6]

#23 - Ontario imports over $5 billion worth of fruits and vegetables, highlighting a significant opportunity for local growers to expand production and meet more food demand across Canada ^[6]

#24 – Ontario is home to more than 1,300 family-run chicken farms that raise more than 260 million chickens every year which are processed at 19 primary facilities and 21 custom processing operations ^[8][9]

#25 – Ontario’s chicken industry supply chain from the hatcheries to the farmers through to the processing facilities adds $5.2 billion to the economy every year ^[9]

#26 – Ontario’s chicken sector supports more than 28,500 full time jobs ^[9]

#27 – A leader in pork production, Ontario is home to more than 1,140 farms that produce over 6 million hogs annually ^[10]

#28 – Ontario’s pork sector supports nearly 15,300 full-time equivalent jobs and contributes over $1 billion to the province’s GDP annually ^[10]

#29 - Food and beverage processing sales totalled $173.4 billion in 2024; most of these facilities are located in Ontario and Quebec ^[4]

#30 - Approximately 60% of all barley grown in Ontario is used for livestock feed ^[5]

Growing Ontario’s Agri-Food Sector

What is Ontario doing to support and grow its agri-food sector?

The province’s Grow Ontario Strategy sets a clear roadmap to make Ontario a leading agri-food powerhouse by increasing production, shortening supply chains, and boosting domestic and international sales of made-in-Ontario products. It commits to lifting total agri-food employment by 10 % and expanding the sector’s economic footprint through targeted support programs running to 2032.

By capitalizing on its rich agricultural resources and strategic government support, Ontario is well-positioned to meet the growing demand for food, both at home and abroad. As Canada’s and the world’s population continues to expand, the province has a significant opportunity to strengthen its role as a reliable food producer. This not only enhances food security for Canadians but also allows Ontario to contribute to food security beyond its borders, exporting high-quality, safe, and exceptionally produced food to the world!

Join Us Today!

We invite you to join us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to learn more about how Canadian farmers and fishermen are an integral part of our communities and country!

The world needs more Canadian made food! pic.twitter.com/7nsx8rpPEK

— Canada Action (@CanadaAction) August 12, 2025

SOURCES:

_{1 - https://www.ontario.ca/page/2025-local-food-report}

_{2 - https://www.ontario.ca/page/about-ontario}

_{3 - https://gfo.ca/government-relations/federal-priorities/}

_{4 - https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/sector/overview}

_{5 - https://www.farmfoodcareon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Farm-Fact-Sign_PDF-view_watermark.pdf}

_{6 - https://www.morethanamigrantworker.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Ontario-Fruit-and-Vegetable-Stats-Infographic-21.pdf}

_{7 - https://homegrownofa.ca/facts/}

_{8 - https://www.ontariochicken.ca/en/raised-by-an-ontario-chicken-farmer-098943e20a763503bbabc19ff8f37eaf/}

_{9 - https://www.ontariochicken.ca/en/economic-contribution-60ff87156bfb8aa5ab02a01584211623/}

_{10 - https://main.ontariopork.on.ca/Portals/0/FINAL%20COPY-ONT%20PORK%20RESOURCE.pdf}