Farms to Tables: Agri-Food Discovery Centre has big plans for the future

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

While it may still be in its very early stages, the Ontario Agri-Food Discovery Centre is making its presence (and intentions) known as it raises funds, solidifies its plans and works towards opening its doors in Listowel in 2030.

 

The process began with a local board of directors a few years ago. The concept was floated in 2021 and the organizing committee began looking for members to represent the centre beginning the following year. That’s when Steve Dolson, the chair of the board, decided to get involved. He was fresh from serving on the Gay-Lea board of directors and had some time on his hands. He saw the call for representation in a local newspaper, couldn’t help but notice that the Listowel location was close to his home dairy farm and he put his name forward, keen to help in any way that he could.

 

He also has spent much of his life either involved in or advocating for further agriculture education, so to say that the proposal for the centre intersected a number of his interests and goals would be an understatement.

 

Dolson has worked over the years with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (when it was named as such) and with 4-H, in addition to his time on the Gay-Lea board and at his own home dairy farm. So, he certainly has the experience to bring a project like this to fruition and across the finish line. However, he notes that there are so many smart and capable people involved with the centre and on the board of directors that he has all the help he needs, and then some.

 

It began as the Huron Perth Ag. Science Centre and has since evolved from there. The ball began rolling in 2020 after the completion of a feasibility study in North Perth. It will be the first of its kind in Canada and, according to Dolson, it will seek to reconnect Canadians (and visitors from all over the world) with where their food comes from.

 

Dolson repeated the common refrain that is concerning to the world of agriculture - with more people living in large, urban centres and the family farm fading into obscurity in the shadow of large-scale agricultural operations, fewer Canadians than ever have a direct connection to the farms, processors and other operations that bring their food from the field to their fork. Centres like the one being planned for Listowel can play an outsized role in the process of educating the general public and bridging the gap between farmers and the people they strive to feed.

 

Up to this point, several steps have been taken to make the dream of the centre a reality. Organizers have worked with the Municipality of North Perth to secure a 10-acre site in Listowel for the centre. The preliminary plans for the centre will be designed by Moriyama Teshima Architects, the renowned, award-winning firm based in Toronto, which was chosen from more than 40 candidates.

 

Now, Dolson says, the plan is to get the word out about the centre, secure funds and partnerships and steady the ground on which the centre will stand, knowing that the group will be able to execute its vision fully. He said that, while he and his board, as well as those who are supportive of the centre have grand ideas for all that the centre can be, that scope will be as wide or as limited as the funds available allow it to be. 

 

Part of that process has been being visible at events throughout the region. Just last weekend, Dolson and other members of the board of directors were at Cranbrook Farms to be part of Breakfast at the Farm, showing off the plans for the centre and preaching its good word.

 

If the fundraising process goes well and they are able to secure all of the money they need - early estimates have suggested that the centre, in its current form, will require at least $50 million to build - Dolson says the hope is that shovels will be in the ground in 2029 with an opening scheduled for 2030.

 

Dolson says that the hope for the impact of the centre will extend far beyond its walls. In addition to what will be housed within the centre, he hopes that the grounds will be home to a number of outdoor spaces and exhibits and that the centre will also facilitate farm tours on a regular basis. This, he says, will be a crucial aspect of the centre’s learning experience as the board of directors has made the decision not to house any livestock there, due to the biosecurity complications that would arise as a result.

 

In the building, Dolson says the group is hoping for a wide range of interactive displays that will shed light on all aspects of agriculture and how it intersects with our day-to-day lives. Furthermore, he said that the centre should reiterate agriculture’s near-ubiquitous nature in Canada and how so many of the country’s jobs (one in nine) is connected to agriculture. Regardless of what a student studies or what his/her interests are, he says, agriculture has a job for them and the centre will be sure to tell that story as well.

 

Dolson says they also hope to incorporate a “living roof” into the design to allow for real-life, real-time agricultural growing projects to play out on the roof of the building through the growing seasons. In addition, he hopes the centre will have a demonstration kitchen and has already spoken to a chef about some of the potential programming, giving new meaning to field to fork.

 

He has travelled extensively to see some of the world’s agricultural science centres and feels that what is being proposed in Listowel will have a great home and serve a tremendous purpose in a community like this. With a region that is so beholden to agriculture, he said, it only makes sense that it would be home to such a centre.

 

For more information or to track the progress of the centre in the coming years, visit its website at oafdc.ca.