Whether living and working in a farming community, or watching a harvest sunset while travelling a rural highway, Ontarians take great pride in their agricultural heritage.

The story of Ontario is rooted in agriculture. With a landscape as diverse as the people who have cultivated it, the province’s farming past is rich with stories of success, hardship, innovation and community spirit.

The Archives of Ontario is proud to hold an important key to the province’s agricultural heritage through the documents it acquires, preserves and makes accessible to the public.

This exhibit celebrates the farming way of life as it is captured in private and government documents, focusing on the settlement of the land, its use, and the people who have made agriculture one of the province’s greatest assets.

Click to see a larger image (83K)
Farmhouse and load of pumpkins, September 1905
Marsden Kemp
Glass Plate Negative
Reference Code: C 130-6-0-12-2
Archives of Ontario, I0013550

Click to see a larger image (224K)
Woman and two young children standing in a farm yard, with chickens, [ca. 1900]
Photographer unknown
Black and white negative
Rowley Murphy collection
Reference Code: C 59-2-0-0-2
Archives of Ontario, I0013795

Follow the links below to explore Ontario's agricultural heritage.

	Settling the Land
	Farm Business and Daily Life
	Strength in the Community
	A Collection of Agricultural Images
	Sources and Resources
	Background Images