Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan - Perth County

5.3 Strong Future Economic Driver: Value Added Agriculture and Agri-FoodThis sub-section examines the region`s agricultural products and value added opportunities by examiningsector employment & labour force, business establishments and occupations.The Agriculture, Value Added Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector provides 5,535 jobs and employs 5,340residents in the region. This region is a net importer of 195 agriculture-related jobs. Many of the jobs areon farms (3,775) and in food manufacturing (1,610).In the local agricultural industry, there are generally two types of operators:• Large farm operators with several hundred head of animals or acres of crops and contracts withintermediaries or with large processing facilities.• Mid-sized and small farm operators who may provide more value added agricultural products.In the industry as a whole, food processors are recognizing the value of consumer diversity and providingmore ethnic, organic and artisanal food. It is estimated that the specialty food sector has been growing by9% annually and expected to rise to 12% in the next five years. 10 Reacting to this trend are the local midsizedand small farm operators. Locally, there has been growth in the number of entrepreneurial firmsserving unique specialty markets – largely made possible by the region’s proximity to a large populationbase in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and their growing immigrant communities.The region has an employment and labour force concentration in food manufacturing. Specifically, jobsare highest in fruit and vegetable preserving (455) and animal food manufacturing (440) (Figure 19). Withthe closure of the Campbell’s Soup Manufacturing plant in Listowel, the jobs in fruit and vegetablepreserving are expected to have declined substantially. The recent announcement of Erie Meats usingthis processing space for meat product manufacturing will increase the number of jobs in this industry.Figure 19 – Food Manufacturing Industry, 20060 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800Jobs455440285200155Resident Labour Force2253852502151453114 Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing3111 Animal food manufacturing3116 Meat product manufacturing3115 Dairy product manufacturing3119 Other food manufacturingSource: Statistics Canada, REDDI Tool: Labour Flow Analysis, 2006.10`Donald, Betsy, (2009). `From Kraft to Craft: Innovation and creativity in Ontario`s Food economy.` Martin Prosperity Institute.Perth, St. Marys and Stratford Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan 48 | P age