Agricultural Appraisals

Not all farmland is created equally. Being able to identify the characteristics of what makes farmland more or less desirable is an important distinction. These characteristics can include: soil type, CLI class, tile drainage, topography, and field size, shape and access.

These characteristics also dictate which crops are likely to be grown. Throughout Southwestern Ontario, arable (workable) land, is most commonly used to produce corn, soybeans, wheat, hay and forage, barley, and oats.

Within this spectrum of crops, most farmers opt for annual crop rotations for soil management and disease control. Cover crops have also been increasing in popularity to help with minimizing soil erosion, improving drainage, and improving overall soil health.

The Canadian dairy industry is one of two agricultural industries regulated by supply management. Dairy barns across Southwestern Ontario vary from traditional setups in older buildings to highly sophisticated barns with all the latest equipment and technology.

Important considerations for the valuation of dairy facilities include but is not limited to: the overall barn setup (free stall or tie stall), on-site replacements, feed storage, manure storage, milk house and types of parlour. Ensuring improvements are well laid out can assisting with reducing the labour costs involved in day-to-day operations.

There are four main types of swine farms including weaner, finishing, SEW, and farrow to finish.

Swine farms across Southwestern Ontario have barns with varying characteristics which include but are not limited to: the type of ventilation, type of barn construction, manure storage, feed system and storage and capacity (barn density).

Well laid out improvements can reduce the labor costs involved in day-to-day operations.

The Canadian poultry industry is one of two agricultural industries regulated by supply management.

The two main types of fowl produced in Southwestern Ontario are turkeys and chickens. The most commonly found types of turkey barns include broiler and breeder barns, while the main types of chicken farms include broiler farms, layer farms, and breeder barns.

Poultry farms across Southwestern Ontario have barns which have varying characteristics which include but are not limited to: grain storage, list types of poultry farms and capacity (barn density) which has by-law restrictions.

Beef farming, specifically cattle grazing, is limited in Southwestern Ontario as more and more of this land has been converted into grain production.

Many of the beef farms that remain have pivoted to feed lot style production. The majority of cattle ranges that still exist are located on more marginal land where conventional crops aren’t practical or economically viable.

Sheep and goat farming is a branch of animal husbandry where the animals are used primarily for their meat and milk. Sheep are also used for their wool.

These animals are typically grazed on pasture, in addition to being held in a variety of barn types including loose housing. These barns can range from older traditional barns to more modern structures with all the equipment and technology required for milk production.

The materials used in greenhouses can vary from double poly, glass, and polycarbonate. They can utilize multiple types of heating systems with varying efficiencies such as hot water, steam, bio fuel, natural gas, light oil, bunker oil.

Additional factors of greenhouses include service area percentages (warehousing, office, cooler, packing area etc.), employee housing, computer systems, crop systems (hanging trough, leachate collection, fertilizer & irrigation system), back-up generators, crop types (tomatoes, peppers, floriculture etc.), nurseries and garden centres.

In addition to conventional field crops, farmers in Ontario also use arable land to produce a variety of fruit and vegetable produce including but not limited to: carrots, potatoes, sugar beets, onions, broccoli, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, strawberry, blueberries, grapes, sweet corn, peas, green beans, squash, zucchini, pumpkins, ginseng, mushrooms and asparagus.

While some of these crops can be grown in a wide variety of locations, certain crops are more sensitive to their environment and require specific conditions to survive. Some of these conditions include a proper climate, precipitation, and soil conditions.

Ontario has three primary viticultural areas: Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore, and Price Edward County.

In recent years, Ontario has seen the potential of additional appellations emerging. Wineries and vineyards and appearing in Norfolk County along the north shore of Lake Erie, as well as the Georgian Triangle, located between Owen Sound and Collingwood along the southern shores of Georgian Bay.

With vineyards, important characteristic include the vine variety, age of the vine, row spacing, mortality rate, historical yields, land drainage, and associated infrastructure (such as posts, wires, and trellis).