Written By Olena Riznyk
MIDDLESEX COUNTY – From growing young vegetable plants to building heavy machinery and turning farm waste into energy, Middlesex County’s Fall Agri-Business Tour gave participants a look at six very different businesses on October 1.
The free, day-long bus tour, organized by Invest in Middlesex, the County’s Economic Development team, and sponsored by the Middlesex Federation of Agriculture, took visitors to farms and manufacturing facilities across the County. According to Cara Finn, the County’s Director of Economic Development and Tourism, the annual tour attracts up to 50 participants.
The first stop was Ontario Plants in Glencoe, where young cucumber, tomato, pepper and berry plants are grown for commercial growers. Participants toured the greenhouse and learned about its growing technology, including LED lighting and a system that recycles 98% of the water used across its two sites.
At Jireh Hills Family Homestead in Southwest Middlesex, the focus shifted from large-scale production to life on a family farm. Visitors learned about overnight farm stays, goat milk soap, cheesemaking classes and a program where guests can milk goats and make their own cheese.
In Strathroy, the group visited two manufacturers working across the road from each other. Wolfe Heavy Manufacturing builds plows and wheel trenchers used to prepare farmland for drainage, while Parmerit designs automated equipment and precision machinery.
At Nortera, participants learned about vegetable processing through a virtual tour before visiting the company’s freezer facility. The company completed a $25-million expansion of its frozen vegetable warehouse in 2025, adding 100,000 square feet of storage space.
The tour ended at Stanton Farms near Ilderton, which was celebrating 75 years of family farming. The fifth-generation operation milks about 1,000 Holstein cows and supplies dairy genetics to other producers. It also turns manure and other organic waste into renewable natural gas, becoming Ontario’s first agriculture-based supplier in 2022.
Finn said the annual tour gives people access to businesses they might never otherwise visit. “It’s the behind-the-scenes look at everything that you would not otherwise maybe even know about, let alone get the opportunity to go inside,” Finn said.
Lucan Biddulph Deputy Mayor Dave Manders said seeing the different operations helps municipal officials better understand the businesses, industries and employment opportunities available across the county.
“It’s good to see what’s within the County of Middlesex,” Manders said.
Finn said the tours also recognize the investments local businesses have made in the county. “They’ve spent their hard-earned money to develop these things and to provide products or services for the rest of us,” she said.
