Lamont County

CONNECTED TO GLOBAL MARKETS

Agriculture is a major industry sector with a 55% increase in Gross Farm Receipts from 2011 to 2016. A variety of crops such as canola, barley and wheat are grown with dry field peas increasing 249% from 2011 to 2016. is the 3rd largest county in the

Alberta HUB region with gross farm receipts over $181 million and Livestock/Poultry valued at over $95 million.

The large number of agriculture service businesses in the region help support the sector; this includes: farm equipment sales/service, fuels/fertilizers, livestock

products/services and grain handling companies, Richardson Pioneer and Viterra. Rail access is available in the Towns of , Lamont, and the Village of Chipman.

Lamont County is a transportation hub with Highways 16 (Yellowhead) connecting to the west coast ports and the Asian markets. Highways 15, 29 and 45 provide excellent access to regional and provincial markets. International air service is available at the International Airport 60 minutes away. Lamont County has rail service by CN and CP.

Farming Overview 2011* 2016* % ± Number of Farms 753 689 -8.50% Lamont County has 689 farms with Total Land Area - km2 2,385.09 2,385.09 0.00% Land in Crops - acres 371,871 398,381 7.13% almost 400 thousand acres of land Natural land for pasture - acres 106,095 110,364 4.02% Number of Farm Operators 1,010 920 -8.91% in crops with gross farm receipts Number of Employees 411 330 -19.71% estimated at approximately $181.2 Gross Farm Receipts $116,937,707 $181,264,47 55.01% *Source: Statistics Census of Agriculture, and community information. 7 million in 2016, an increase of Figures are based on number of farms reporting.

55.01% since 2011. Crop Overview 2011* 2016* % ± Canola - acres 55,522 133,493 140.43% Wheat - acres 98,972 116,454 17.66% Livestock Overview 2011* 2016* % ± Barley - acres 58,110 54,113 -6.88% Value of Livestock & Poultry $31,081,349 $95,106,331 205.99% Alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures - acres 36,821 33,646 -8.62% Cattle and Calves # 35,703 43,104 20.73% All other tame hay and fodder crops - acres 15,323 11,554 -24.60% Dairy Cows # 232 n/a Oats - acres 14,089 12,260 -12.98% Beef Cows # 14,954 n/a Dry field peas - acres 7,870 27,485 249.24% Heifers # 3,945 10,220 159.06% Fruits, Berries and Nuts - acres 55 25 -54.55% Calves # 10,710 10,705 -0.05% Lentils - acres 0 n/a Steers # 3,600 8,323 131.19% Total rye - acres 487 1,296 166.12% Bulls # 867 816 -5.88% Flaxseed - acres n/a 540 Bison # (12 farms reporting 2016) n/a 2,432 Vegetables - acres (excluding greenhouses) 17 11 Hens and Chickens # 23,794 39,607 66.46% Total greenhouse area in use - square feet 116,230 n/a Sheep and Lambs # 460 1,179 156.30% *Source: Census of Agriculture, and community information. *Source: Statistics Canada Census of Agriculture, and community information. Figures are based on number of farms reporting." Figures are based on number of farms reporting." n/a - not available from Statistics Canada Census data n/a - not available from Statistics Canada Census data

Investors in Lamont County are building Midland Railway Terminal, a $34 million terminal that will have capacity to store and switch up to 850

railcars, with 48,000 feet of tracks designed for empty railcar storage.

The Alberta Agriculture and

Forestry, Statistics and Data Development Section lists the value of agricultural land in the County as $2,805/acre in 2015.

Northeast Alberta Information HUB Ltd. 5015-49 Avenue St. Paul, AB, T0A 3A4 | (780) 645-1155 www.albertahub.com Lamont County 5303 – 50 Avenue Lamont, AB T0B 2R0 | (780) 895-2233 | www.lamontcounty.ca Alberta HUB strives to provide current and accurate information however this information is subject to change.