Farming and Agriculture

The Township of Springwater is a proud rural community filled with farmers and producers. Springwater has 253 farms according to a 2016 census, with production ranging from fruits and vegetables to maple syrup and animal by-products. For a full look at the farming and agriculture business in Simcoe County, view OMAFRA's statistics.

Two annual signature events celebrate our agricultural roots: the Elmvale Fall Fair and the Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival.

Springwater Farmers' Market - Elmvale

The Springwater Farmers' Market - Elmvale operates from June to September every Friday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the municipal parking lot at the Elmvale Community Hall (33 Queen Street West). The market features in-season produce, crafts, gifts and baked goods from local producers across Simcoe County.

Interested in becoming a vendor?

The Springwater Farmers' Market - Elmvale is now seeking interested vendors for its 2023 Summer Season. The season will start June 16, 2023 and run Fridays 9am - 2pm until September 15, 2023.

If you are interested in being a vendor in 2023, please review the Farmers' Market Vendor Application Package and submit a complete application form to farmersmarket@springwater.ca Applicants will be contacted in May to confirm if their application has been approved. Please note, priority is given to vendors from last season and farm producers.

For additional information, please feel free to contact us at farmersmarket@springwater.ca.

Simcoe County Federation of Agriculture

The Simcoe County Federation of Agriculture is one of 52 county and regional federations supported by Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) across the province. The federation represents the voice of agriculture in the local community and advocates on behalf of farm families in Simcoe County on local agricultural issues.

Livestock Claims

For information about losses, please visit our Livestock Claims page.

Additional Agriculture Resources

AgGrid 2023

AgGrid 2023 is a resource guide for agriculture and agri-food businesses in Simcoe, Grey and Bruce Counties looking for information about starting up, expanding or improving their business.

Agriculture and Agri-Food BR&E

Regional partners undertook a significant study of the area's agriculture and agri-food sector to build regional and local Action Plans. The partnership group includes the County of Simcoe, Grey County, Bruce County, City of Barrie, City of Orillia, Georgian College and local business support agencies. Over 270 producers, distributers, processors and retailers were interviewed in the study. Review the BR&E Infographic for a snapshot of the results.

Visit edo.simcoe.ca/agricultural-resources for additional information on the study and the work plans that were developed based on the results.

Read the Final Trends Report

Agri-Tourism Toolkit

Have you been thinking about adding an agri-tourism component to your farm in Simcoe County? Maybe you’d like to expand an existing tourism operation or just want to explore what it takes to get into the agri-tourism industry.

To help Tourism Simcoe County has created and published a new Simcoe County Agritourism Toolkit! The Simcoe County Agritourism Toolkit contains all the information you will need to help you decide whether agritourism is right for you. It outlines the steps you will need to take to add an agritourism component to your existing farm business or to help grow your existing agritourism business. The Toolkit is divided into four components based on a standard business development planning approach.

To view the toolkit visit experience.simcoe.ca. Prefer a printed copy, contact tourism@simcoe.ca to request one for free!