Contribute to the strength of your community by purchasing local produce!

About Colchester Agriculture

The Municipality of the County of Colchester is located in the north central part of Nova Scotia. It covers 3,672 square kilometres maintaining a population of 49,307. Three towns are strategically located in the centre, south, and northern part of the county - Truro, Stewiacke, and Tatamagouche, respectively. Much of the county, however, is rural in setting, with an abundance of natural resources in land, water, and forestry.

Agriculture - the production of food and fibre - plays a major role in the economy of Colchester County. The latest census data notes 452 farms in the County representing about 11.5% of the provincial total.

Farms within the County range from small, diversified units to large commercialized, highly specialized operations. All of these farms, however, have two factors in common - they produce food, plant & fibre products and they are owned and operated by individuals and families living in the County. Farms within the County produce over 25 different agricultural products including many livestock products, vegetables, berries, field crops, maple products, and a wide variety of nursery and landscape products.

The Colchester County economy is based on an interdependent infrastructure that starts and ends with agriculture. Agriculture is the backbone of the economy, because it is responsible for producing the food we need to survive, and in the process it generates employment at the farm level and in a wide spectrum of spin-off industries. Farms within Colchester County contribute $49 million annually to the local economy in direct sales. These same farms spend in excess of $41 million in business operating expenses purchasing local supplies and services.

A dairy farmer, for example, buys grain to feed the cows; seed, nutrients, pest and disease control products to produce the crops; veterinary products to care for the animals; fuel to operate the machinery; equipment to work the land; building materials to house the livestock and so on. Processing facilities are needed to take the raw product produced on the farm and generate a variety of products to sell to the consumer. Retail and farm market outlets sell the finished products to you, the consumer. As local business owners, farms also contribute to the strength of the economy when they purchase services such as hired labour, product inspection, marketing, veterinary, banking, accounting, legal, business management, equipment / building repair and maintenance, crop management, and the list could go on and on.

Get the picture? No matter how you look at it - farms are the beginning of a long chain that creates tremendous spin off to the economy. Can you imagine what Colchester County would look like if you removed agriculture?

So next time you buy food, fibre, or plant material make sure you purchase locally produced products because only then are you contributing to the strength of your community!