Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Intentional Community Farms, Co-operative Farms or Mult-Family Farming Anyone?

Hello!

I am new to this forum but I was wondering if anyone on here knew about or was interested in discussing the idea of cooperative farming.  I currently live in Toronto but would like to move to a farm setting within 45 minutes of Toronto.  My partner and I would like to raise a family in a rural setting, preferably in some type of communal or shared setting.  This could be as simple as renting or buying a house on an existing farm and helping with some aspects of operations to establishing a cooperative farm with other families with a similar vision.

 

I grew up on a cooperative colony farm so I do have some experience and understanding of what is involved there.  Unfortunately I still do need to earn a living in the city so proximity is of great importance to me. 

 

Anyone interested in discussing?

 

Cheers

Views: 1738

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Parry Long on July 13, 2010 at 2:03am
That's a good idea. I have an academic background in agriculture and am interested in your plan. Wish to learn more about the plan and know more people related to farming.
Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on July 14, 2010 at 2:07am
Interesting concepts...not something complete foreign to agriculture...we have a tradition of cooperatives...just not as common on the farm...

I have only heard about a couple of cooperative models for farming...the Hutterites colonies in Western Canada and US have grown over the years and of course the Israeli Kibbutz system...wondering if anyone else has some examples that work...

Joe
Permalink Reply by Ekandi on July 14, 2010 at 2:22am
The amish and old order mennonites have participated in varying degrees of collective farming as have the Bruderhof and several other religious groups. Seeing as religion and common cultural heritage are strong glues that held those communities together I think an alternative concept would be doing something more similar to a "condominium" structure where there is common shared space (the farm) and privately owned space with service fees (the houses)
It would make a lot of sense in terms of sharing the investment, risk and capital expenditures that farming involves. It would also not necessarily have to financially sustain all the members but could be seen as a collective hobby farming community..? I think it would be a cost effective, environmentally friendly and exciting way to build relationships, have a safe and green place to raise kids and as well as a farming opportunity.

OntAG Admin said:
Interesting concepts...not something complete foreign to agriculture...we have a tradition of cooperatives...just not as common on the farm...

I have only heard about a couple of cooperative models for farming...the Hutterites colonies in Western Canada and US have grown over the years and of course the Israeli Kibbutz system...wondering if anyone else has some examples that work...

Joe
Permalink Reply by Parry Long on July 14, 2010 at 2:32am
It looks like that we should build the system firstly, then we can practise.

Ekandi said:
The amish and old order mennonites have participated in varying degrees of collective farming as have the Bruderhof and several other religious groups. Seeing as religion and common cultural heritage are strong glues that held those communities together I think an alternative concept would be doing something more similar to a "condominium" structure where there is common shared space (the farm) and privately owned space with service fees (the houses)
It would make a lot of sense in terms of sharing the investment, risk and capital expenditures that farming involves. It would also not necessarily have to financially sustain all the members but could be seen as a collective hobby farming community..? I think it would be a cost effective, environmentally friendly and exciting way to build relationships, have a safe and green place to raise kids and as well as a farming opportunity.

OntAG Admin said:
Interesting concepts...not something complete foreign to agriculture...we have a tradition of cooperatives...just not as common on the farm...

I have only heard about a couple of cooperative models for farming...the Hutterites colonies in Western Canada and US have grown over the years and of course the Israeli Kibbutz system...wondering if anyone else has some examples that work...

Joe
Permalink Reply by Ekandi on July 14, 2010 at 2:44am
Actually legal framework, social guidelines and construction suggestions for this type of living arrangement are quite extensively available. The "project model" originated in Denmark and Sweden in the 60s and can currently be found in communities throughout North America. There are many particularly in BC. For some reason there don't seem to be many here in Ontario, at least not near Toronto. Not all of these groups are farming communities but most incorporate some element of farm life and rural culture. There are many websites out there but this one I found just now seems to give a brief overview of some of the basic concepts. http://www.pcdf.org/meadows/cohousing.htm

The biggest challenges are:
1.finding a group of people with similar interests that are ready to put time, effort and money into starting a project like this
2.finding suitable land at a reasonable cost that can be rezoned to support multi-units and common facilities.

Ideally I was looking for a group that already had something like this underway but if that is not the case I would be happy to lead some discussions around the possibilities. Maybe someone has an existing farm that could accomodate a few more houses and could use additional investments and free labor! :)
Permalink Reply by Colin Lundy on July 19, 2010 at 3:35am
There are a handful of cooperative farms in Ontario that incorporate worker and housing coops. Some have been around a long time, some just getting started, most being very low profile. A good place to start for you would be the Whole Village not far out of Toronto
www.wholevillage.org/
Permalink Reply by Ekandi on July 19, 2010 at 3:42am
Do you have any other examples or names besides Whole Village? I went and visited them and I think its more of a retirement community for a small handful of people. They seem like awesome people but I am hoping for a more family-based environment.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

U.S. Opens Door to Additional Beef Imports in Bid to Lower Ground Beef Prices

U.S. has unveiled a temporary measure allowing additional imported beef into the United States without higher tariff penalties.

Crop Report for the Period August 11 to 17, 2026

Harvest progress remained slow last week, reaching four per cent complete as scattered rain showers and thunderstorms moved across the province. While the moisture was welcome in some regions, early-morning humidity shortened harvest windows and created poor desiccation conditions. Producers noted that warmer temperatures are needed to help advance crop maturity. Rainfall was variable across the province last week. Some areas reported receiving significant precipitation from scattered showers and thunderstorms, while others recorded trace or no rainfall, resulting in uneven moisture conditions across crop districts. The highest rainfall was reported in the Browning area, with 115 millimetres (mm) of rain, followed by the Enniskillen area with 106 mm and the Coalfields area with 102 mm. The Reciprocity and Meadow Lake areas reported 73 mm. Localized showers resulted in slight improvements to topsoil moisture conditions across the province. Cropland topsoil moisture is: 2 per cent s

Hail, harvest & inspection strips

With harvest fast approaching in some areas of the province, producers with hail-damaged crops are starting to wonder if Agriculture Financial Services’ (AFSC) claims adjusters will make it to their farm before they need to start harvest. “Our adjusters are working hard to assess hail damage,” said George Kueber, AFSC Claims Adjusting manager. “This year’s storm season is a bit unprecedented. We had two large scale hail events back-to-back on July 4 and 5. We haven’t had claims volumes like this since 2016. “We can’t get to everyone immediately,” said Kueber, adding that there are 2,951 outstanding hail inspections as of August 18. “We prioritize our work based on a number of factors and with harvest getting underway across the province, we will be asking clients to leave representative strips.” Producers with hail-damaged acres can harvest before the crop is assessed, provided they contact their preferred AFSC branch office for approval to leave inspection strips before starting a

Making memories with Meals in the Field

It started over breakfast. And by the time it was over, George and Gail Slusarczyk had welcomed a circle of their friends to their farm to share a meal, watch some live entertainment, and to catch up with one another. “I filled out the form over breakfast one day and submitted it, and walked away from the idea to never think of it again,” explained Gail, during a recent phone conversation. “Then one day, he (George) came in the house and said, ‘We’re getting company.’ And I’m going, ‘Who?’” The answer was the 840 CFCW Meals in the Field crew, including Jackie Rae Greening, Stella Stevens and Dan Davidson, as well as Agriculture Financial Services (AFSC) team members. In addition, Stawnichy’s Mundare Sausage brought a Ukrainian feast, and the Slusarczyks received prizes from Rig Hand Distillery, AFSC, and Meridian Manufacturing. George and Gail, who farm northwest of Warburg, had won the last spot for 2025 in the popular harvest season contest, and they could now invite friends and

Bertha Armyworms, Weeds and Sclerotinia

Bertha armyworm is a native pest so it has lots of natural enemies. If berthas are below thresholds, it may be best to avoid spraying and let these beneficials do their work. A few important beneficials:  –tachinid fly  –parasitic wasp (Banchus flavescens)  –fungus  –virus Among these beneficials, the virus is mostly likely to bring down an outbreak cycle. Infected berthas climb to the top of plants, go all gooey, and rain down virus on the worms below. It can spread fast. If a canola field has a lot of berthas on the pods, make sure they’re actually eating. A lot of them may be dead. Bertha loves quinoa (and a few weeds) Why are some fields overrun with berthas while nearby fields have so few? Timing of canola flowering and the attraction of alternate host plants (weeds in the crop) are possible factors. For example, fields with a lot of kochia, lamb's-quarters, wild mustard or quinoa could be more attractive to egg-laying bertha armyworm moths. (Quinoa is not that common but bert

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service