The City of Guelph will host the 2020 Federal, Provincial, Territorial Agriculture Ministers Conference.
Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece was part of the announcement.
“Farmers and agri-businesses in Wellington and Perth counties are some of the best in the province,” said Pettapiece. “This is a chance for our rural communities to show case our rich agricultural history and demonstrate some of our innovative farming practices. The annual Federal, Provincial, Territorial Agriculture Ministers Conference is a great opportunity to display our contributions to the sector and economy at a national level.”
The meeting will take place in July of next year with the theme "Strong Agrifood: Strong Economy." The event is expected to highlight ways to help grow the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector. It will also be an opportunity to highlight Ontario and Guelph’s leading role as a worldwide hub for research and economic development in the sector.
“Our government is excited to bring together this important gathering and to showcase the hard-working people who make our agri-food and agricultural industries the best in the world,” said Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ernie Hardeman. “This event will also provide a unique opportunity to reinforce Canada’s appreciation of our province’s vibrant agri-food sector and the incredible contributions made by a variety of Guelph-area organizations, institutions, and people.”
The Guelph-area is home to several leading agri-food research centres of excellence supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Government of Ontario such as the University of Guelph, the Livestock Research Innovation Centre and the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario.
The agri-food sector in Ontario contributes $39.5 billion to the province’s economy and supports more than 822,000 jobs.
It is one of the most diverse agri-food sectors in the world where 49,600 farms produce more than 200 commodities.