Efforts continue to bring Huron Perth Agricultural Science Center to Listowel

For Steve Dolson, the now multi-year long effort to build the Huron Perth Agricultural Science Center in Listowel is all about educating visitors on an industry he feels is misunderstood.

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“Agriculture (has) been put under a lot of pressure by society that doesn’t really understand the importance of our (industry’s) environment and taking care of our soil and taking care of our animals, which is paramount in our profitability and sustainability, ” he said. “So we have to do a better job of telling that story.”

While there are organizations that currently make an effort to educate Ontarians on the industry, including the Guelph-based outreach organization Farm and Food Care Ontario, and Agscape, which provides curriculum resources to schools, they only reach people at certain times of the year, Dolson said. Something more tangible – in a building – would change that.

“We are hoping that this is the third piece of the puzzle that would be available year-round for people to come and see and enjoy, to know more about agriculture in this format,” the former chairman of the Gay Lea Foods’ dairy co-operative added.

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Still in the planning stages, the idea of ​​bringing the science center to Listowel has been in the works for several years and originally started with a group of residents looking to build a children’s museum in the area. The group then engaged Toronto-based Lord Cultural Resources to do a feasibility study, but the firm quickly suggested a pivot to the science center. Both the municipality and the original group of volunteers embraced the change, said Dolson, the center’s board chair.

“They all looked at it, said, ‘wow, that would be cool to have that in North Perth.’”

The science center also received a vote of support from Perth County in 2021. According to Dolson, there isn’t a facility like the one proposed anywhere in Canada.

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“It’s education, it’s agriculture, it’s tourism. It covers all three areas of structure. So, it will provide some jobs on a year-round basis as well.”

The group is taking inspiration from the Food+Farm Exploration Centre in Polver, Wisc., and the Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana, Dolosn said. Closer to home, Dolson pointed to the Dynamic Earth museum in Sudbury, which focuses on the mining industry as another reason for the need for building the agricultural centre.

“HASgriculture is much larger than our mining industry in employing people throughout the ag and food industry,” he said.

That original study suggested a 1,950-square-meter site at the cost of $13.8 million, which would attract an estimated 42,000 visitors a year based on the catchment population area of ​​Perth and Huron counties. However, a second study done last fall by Jennifer Martin, former vice-president of visitor experience at the Ontario Science Centre, suggested a 3,251-square-meter facility at a cost of about $22 million that could attract up to 70,000 visitors annually.

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According to Dolson, the group is waiting on a decision from North Perth regarding a potential location and is looking for financial support to complete concept drawings and conduct yet another feasibility study before it starts a capital fundraising campaign. While the local support for agriculture is strong, it is still very early, Dolson added.

“We do feel there’s going to be a good amount of support, but we do need to do (those) two things that we need funding for right now.”

Dolson noted the fundraising campaign, which will take about two years, could start as early as next year in a best-case scenario. Construction would then begin sometime in summer or fall of 2027 with the target of opening in 2028. Despite the potential of a four-year wait and ballooning costs, Dolson remains optimistic.

“It’s pretty wild, isn’t it? I’ve got dairy friends that put up new buildings, and it costs them tens of millions of dollars. We’re in a different world. The numbers are different than they’ve been before. If you don’t try, you’ll never have (it). Is there a need for such a facility? I think there is.

“We’re also in a community where it’s a great volunteer base for agriculture, and a lot of communities don’t have that.”

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