BUSINESS BOOMING FOR ONTARIO FARM
When Brad Clement went into early retirement more than 20 years ago, he took a second look at his family’s farm in the shadow of the Niagara Escarpment in Milton. The land had been leased out for years, but because it was so hilly, much of it was laying fallow, or uncultivated. "I wanted to prove that this land could produce something of value to the community," he said as he walked between rows of short, sturdy pines. Now, decades on, Clembrook Christmas farm incorporates cut your own and pre-cut trees. They offer several varieties of pine, spruce and fir to families from across the GTA and say that business is booming. The clay-rich soil in Milton is better known for producing bricks than crops, and Clement says that his trees have shorter needles as a result.
But that doesn’t stop people from visiting the farm. Starting in late November, seasonal music is played through outdoor speakers, groups come for tractor rides and hot chocolate is served in the gift shop.
“In Ontario, we have a different focus,” he said.
Ontario accounts for slightly more than 10 per cent of nation-wide revenues but less than one per cent of Canadian Christmas tree exports. The business here is local.
Only 2 kilometres down the road from Clement’s farm, contractors are framing up new houses in a development on the edge of Milton.
“It’s farming in the urban shadow,” he said. “This kind of farming works better than most.”