Designs unveiled for Canada’s first agricultural science centre planned near Listowel

CTV’s Scott Miller with designs for the new multi-million-dollar Ontario Agri Discovery Centre in Listowel.

Momentum is building with the release of design plans for what will become Canada’s first agricultural science centre, to be built on a currently vacant farmer’s field on the edge of Listowel.

“We’re elated that we’re at this stage,” said Steve Dolson, chair of the Ontario Agri-Food Discovery Centre. “We’ve got the land, and now we’ve got a design of what it could be.”

The Ontario Agri-Food Discovery Centre, formerly known as the Huron-Perth Ag Science Centre, is a multi-million-dollar idea aimed at highlighting the connection between science and agriculture that has made southern Ontario one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world.

Dolson says the centre would operate year-round, showcasing technological advances in food production. It would focus on education for schoolchildren and families from spring through fall, while hosting agri-business training sessions and conferences during the winter months.

“One in nine people in Canada are employed in the agri-food industry,” Dolson said. “That’s something very few people understand — that there are so many careers in agriculture and food. This centre is meant to expose young people to those opportunities, but it’s really for people of all ages to learn more about Ontario’s agricultural system.”

The project, however, comes with a significant price tag. What began as a $14-million proposal in 2020 has more than doubled in scope, with estimated costs now exceeding $50 million.

“If all goes as planned, the capital campaign could begin in 2027 and run for about two years,” Dolson said. “Once we know the level of support and how much of the phased development we can pursue, construction could start in 2029, with an opening targeted for the end of 2030.”

Dolson says funding from all levels of government, along with support from agri-food businesses, retailers and farmers, will be needed to move the project forward.

“We know it’s a big project,” he said. “But it’s intended to be a destination for people across southwestern Ontario, where they can learn through interactive exhibits about modern agriculture.”