Dutch-Canadian Farming

Here in Grimsby, Ontario, we are excited to be next to the hosts of The International Plowing Match (IPM) in just a couple weeks. This 106-year-old event is the largest of its kind, taking place in a different community across Ontario each year. Over 70,000 people are expected to attend the multi-day event, and provincial parliament is even closed so they can attend the opening ceremony. Needless to say, we are quite thrilled to be chosen this year! Many of those farmers coming in will be of Dutch descent, but why is there such a large Dutch community in Canada’s farming sector?

After the end of WW2, waves of skilled farmers immigrated to Canada, bringing with them a wealth of useful knowledge, especially in areas of dairy, horticulture, and hog farming. And hog farming is no joke - the Dutch make up the largest foreign-born group in Canada’s hog farming industry today.

 With their extensive knowledge of how to reclaim land, the Dutch immigrants were able to build thriving farms in areas that had been deemed unusable farmland. This is known as “muck farming”. An area north of Toronto, Ontario called Holland Marsh is known as the “Salad Bowl of Ontario” for their crops grown on this land. The main crops are onions, carrots and celery.

As time went on, the Dutch were instrumental in developing more efficient methods of farming, including the use of drones, robotics and AI. Not just for the outdoor farms, but also in greenhouses. Canada has over 8,200 acres of greenhouses, with more being added each year. Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are the main crops, but in recent years lettuce and strawberries have gained popularity. With land being at a premium in The Netherlands, the Dutch figured out a better way (of course) of maximizing space and reducing carbon footprints. Thanks in a large part to Dutch technology, Canada is now a world leader in land-use efficiency, producing significantly more per acre than many other nations.

There is much collaboration between Dutch and Canadian companies how to create sustainable and efficient farms. The little country on the North Sea has impacted the rest of the world and continues to make it a better place for all of us!