1. A Landscape Teeming with Life – The Grey Bruce of the Late 20th Century

For much of the last century, Grey Bruce was a landscape of meadows, wetlands, pastures, and diverse farming systems – a landscape which quietly supported a rich and interconnected web of life. In the rolling pastures where cattle graze, deep-rooted perennial grasses and legumes hold the soil together, feeding a below-ground world of microbes, fungi, and earthworms that cycle nutrients and store carbon. Such pastures act as living sponges, slowing down rainfall, filtering water, and allowing it to seep into aquifers, sustaining the flow of creeks and wetlands long into the summer.

Above ground, these same pastures hum with insect life. On summer evenings, the air is thick with fireflies, moths, and bats, while the mornings bring the sight of cabbage whites, monarchs, and swallowtails flitting between wildflowers and clover. Bumblebees and honeybees, critical to our orchards and vegetable crops, find refuge in flower-rich meadows and hedgerows, their colonies surviving on the steady nectar flow from diverse, unmanaged fields. The abundance of insects sustains a wealth of birds—Bobolinks, Meadowlarks, and Savannah Sparrows nest in tall grasses, while swallows and flycatchers swoop over fields, hunting for airborne prey.

Wetlands, scattered throughout the region, connect this living landscape. They function as nurseries for amphibians and aquatic insects, while also storing spring runoff and slowly releasing water through the dry season. Birds—from herons to bitterns, from mallards to sandpipers—depend on these shallow water bodies, as do dragonflies that patrol the edges, keeping mosquito populations in check. Even grain fields, when harvested with care, leave behind valuable food sources for migratory birds, whose long journeys depend on safe stopover sites rich in leftover seeds and insects.

Beneath this landscape lies karst topography, a porous and fractured bedrock that makes groundwater particularly vulnerable to contamination. Unlike areas with deep clay or thick topsoil, karst landscapes provide little natural filtration, making surface land use critical to water quality. When deep-rooted pasture plants and perennial cover dominate the land, they stabilize the soil, slow water infiltration, and reduce nutrient runoff, protecting the groundwater that rural residents, farmers, and entire communities depend on.

This was the quiet beauty of the sleepy late 20th century, when Grey Bruce remained a forgotten corner of Ontario, its landscapes gradually recovering from the devastating wildfires of the early 1900s and the post-war grain boom that had reshaped so much of the province. Pastures had settled into their rhythms, wetlands refilled, many fields regrew into dense cedar bush, or loose stands of crap apple. Woodlots thickened, hedgerows along fence lines became majestic. It was a land where agriculture and nature had intertwined. This biodiverse landscape was shaped as much by tradition as by the slow passage of time. But today, those who live here are witnessing profound and rapid changes.

2. A Landscape in Transition – Modernizing Grey Bruce

Change of land use between 2005 and 2023 shows the rapid conversion of pastureland into annual cropland, converting habitat for grassland birds and insects into lifeless fields for feed and ethanol production.

Agriculture in Transition

Farming has always been a challenging profession, but today, the pressures are greater than ever. Input costs—fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, machinery, software—have skyrocketed, while market prices for crops and livestock remain volatile. Net profits per acre fluctuate around $100/year, driving farmers into ever-increasing scale. In an effort to become independent from hired labour, many farmers have invested into larger and more efficient equipment, which reduces labor costs but requires a different kind of land to be fully utilized. This equipment was designed for the open Prairies and is not suitable for our region’s mosaic of rolling hills, hedgerows, wetlands, and bush. So excavators make our landscape suitable to the equipment.

At the same time, land prices have soared, driven in part by speculative investment. Investors—some local, others from urban centers or even foreign markets—have realized that land earns them more as a investment asset that increases in value than by working the land. So they leave farming the land to the ever-larger tenant farmers, or to large corporations who just hire locals as equipment operators and as drivers for their chemical tanker trucks, delivering hundreds of tons of fertilizers and pesticides. Yet, the economics of these large operations remains volatile: after paying for inputs, land and equiopment mortgages or rental, unpredictable weather, and an evermore volatile global market that sets crop prices. If weather or markets don’t play well, financial disaster lurks around the corner. There’s no room for long-term thinking.

Fields are being expanded, tree lines removed, and wetlands drained to accommodate ever-larger tractors, combines, and sprayers. In some places, the landscape of Grey Bruce is coming to resemble the Prairies—fewer fences, fewer windbreaks, fewer pastures, and fewer pockets of wild habitat. And when it snows like it does in the snowbelt, snow drifts are an almost insurmountable burden to municipalities, making traffic a danger to life, leaving schools closed, and burdening rural life. Where hedgerows once held snow, open fields carry snow for miles. Where pastures once held moisture and slowed runoff, tile drainage now moves water quickly off fields, reducing groundwater recharge and increasing the risk of downstream flooding.

The loss of hedgerows, pastures, and wetlands is changing not only the look and function of the landscape but also its ability to support life. The fields may be larger, the rows straighter, and the machinery more efficient, but the underlying resilience of the land is slowly unraveling. Topsoil, once held in place by deep-rooted perennials, is more vulnerable to erosion. Without the natural storage of pastures and wetlands, heavy rains send water rushing across fields and into ditches, carrying sediment, fertilizers, and pesticides into creeks and the Sauble and Saugeen rivers. Spring melts, once a slow and steady release, now lead to flash flooding in some areas, while in dry summers, groundwater levels decline because less moisture is retained on the land.

These shifts are not happening because farmers don’t care about the land—they are the result of an economic system that rewards short-term efficiency over long-term resilience. Many landowners feel stuck, navigating thin profit margins, rising debt, and uncertainty about how to sustain their operations for future generations.

Yet all of these changes make the region more vulnerable, not just ecologically but socially. As farms consolidate and rural populations shrink, fewer young families can afford to take up farming. Schools close, local businesses struggle, and community ties fray. At the same time, larger farm equipment and more frequent long-haul trucking strain rural roads, making maintenance a costly burden for municipalities. In winter, the loss of hedgerows and windbreaks turns roads into corridors of drifting snow, creating hazardous conditions for travel, school closures, and disruptions to daily life. What was once a stable, slow-changing, resilient landscape is becoming brittle, unable to absorb the shocks of economic downturns, climate extremes, or the rapid shifts in global markets.

3. Can We Imagine Another Way?

Despite the rapid pace of change in Grey Bruce, many individuals and organizations are working to preserve the landscape, restore habitat, and integrate conservation into agriculture. Across the region, farmers, landowners, and conservation groups are stepping up, investing time and resources to protect biodiversity, soil, and water. Some landowners are placing portions of their land under conservation easements to ensure long-term ecological value. Others, through legacy donations, are giving their land to trusts or conservation organizations for permanent protection.

Programs like ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services) and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) provide funding for habitat restoration, riparian buffer zones, and regenerative agriculture. Some farmers are already replanting hedgerows, restoring wetlands, and implementing rotational grazing to enhance biodiversity and water retention. Conservation groups work to preserve wildlands, acquire ecologically significant properties, and maintain wildlife corridors.

These efforts are essential—but they are not enough. After COVID, the local food movement has largely stalled as many eaters have moved away from home cooking—for a myriad of reasons, including the return to busy work schedules, convenience-driven habits, and the lure of cheap, processed foods. This shift has undermined the momentum that once supported small-scale, ecologically responsible farming. If ecological farming is desired for our region, there will need to be non-market efforts to strengthen this sector that has proven itself as central to the resilience during the pandemic, but then was quickly abandoned.

The speed of development and agricultural industrialization far outpaces conservation progress. For every pasture restored, more are converted into crop fields. For every wetland protected, another is drained. For every hedgerow replanted, many are removed. Individual efforts, while valuable, cannot compete with the forces of speculation, land consolidation, and short-term economic pressures. Grey Bruce must act now to remain a livable, resilient, and ecologically vibrant region.

A Shared Vision for Grey Bruce

Newcomers as Partners in Conservation: The Role of Land Trusts and Easements

New arrivals in Grey Bruce—whether retirees, urban migrants, or investors—can play an essential role in conservation. Without guidance, some may contribute to land fragmentation. However, with incentives and awareness, they can become stewards of the landscape.

Newcomers can support conservation by:

• Understanding the local ecology. Learning about Grey Bruce’s karst groundwater systems, perennial pastures, and wetlands fosters responsible land use.
• Celebrating and supporting local food systems. Engaging with farmers’ markets, food cooperatives, and regenerative agriculture strengthens the local economy and preserves working landscapes.
• Using conservation easements to protect wetlands, pastures, and woodlots while allowing sustainable land use.
• Maintaining ecosystem corridors by preserving tree lines, wetlands, and hedgerows for wildlife movement.
• Investing in ecological farming land trusts to secure affordable farmland for new farmers and ensure long-term conservation.
• Exploring cooperative land ownership models that cluster housing while conserving larger portions of land for farming and habitat protection.

Organizations like the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy could expand their scope to support ecological farming, integrating biodiversity and soil health into working landscapes.

A shift in how land is valued and managed could allow Grey Bruce to develop in a way that supports both human needs and ecological health, rather than choosing one at the expense of the other.

Policies That Could Shape a More Resilient Future

If Grey Bruce is to counterbalance the pressures of industrialized farming, the influx of outsiders with little connection to land and community, and speculative development, policy tools must be put in place to guide land use toward sustainability and resilience.

• Educating for Landscape Resilience: Expand public awareness of wetlands, pastures, and soil health through education, farmer training, and community engagement.
• Strengthening Local Food Systems: Support institutional procurement of local food, improve access for marginalized communities, promote regional food culture, and invest in food processing and distribution.
• Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES): Reward farmers for restoring hedgerows, pastures, and wetlands to enhance biodiversity, store carbon, and protect water resources.
• Minimum Water Retention and Habitat Protection: Require developments and farms to maintain water retention and wildlife corridors by restoring wetlands, installing retention ponds, and preserving habitat areas.
• Zoning and Land-Use Planning: Cluster rural developments to prevent fragmentation, support land trusts to protect farmland, and implement policies incentivizing ecological farming and landscape conservation.
• Strengthening Local Food Systems: Expand local food access through procurement policies, food programs, and infrastructure. Promote food culture and ensure fair access to ecological food for all communities. Expand local food through procurement policies, food access programs, cultural initiatives, and infrastructure investments.

Food Systems as Stewards of the Landscape

A thriving local food system sustains the land by supporting farmers who use regenerative methods. Well-managed grazing preserves grassland bird habitat, while agroforestry and perennial crops protect water sources and reduce erosion. Strengthening food infrastructure—such as processing, distribution, and farm-to-table markets—ensures consumers access food grown in ways that sustain the landscape. Expanding institutional procurement and regional branding provides stable markets for regenerative farmers, making conservation economically viable.

Food Culture that Celebrates Landscapes

Food reflects the land, people, and traditions that shape a region. A strong local food culture fosters appreciation for the landscapes that sustain it. Seasonal eating, farm-to-table initiatives, and regional food festivals highlight the connection between food production and ecological stewardship. When communities celebrate local food, they support the farmers and landscapes that make it possible, reinforcing the need to maintain diverse farming systems that enhance biodiversity.

If we imagine a future shaped by stewardship rather than unchecked expansion, Grey Bruce could become a model of conservation-oriented rural development:

• Retirees and new landowners could become partners in long-term preservation, investing in land for its ecological value as well as its beauty.
• Farmers could be recognized and supported as stewards of the biosphere, protecting water, biodiversity, and soil health while producing food for local and regional markets.
• Land trusts could expand their role, not just preserving wilderness but supporting farms that integrate conservation into agriculture.
• Innovative ownership models—ecological farming land trusts, cooperative land tenure, and conservation easements—could ensure land remains both productive and ecologically sound.
• The landscape itself could function as an integrated system, where pastures prevent erosion, wetlands buffer floods, and hedgerows shelter pollinators and wildlife.
• A dynamic and diversified economy could emerge, where sustainable food production, eco-tourism, and conservation investments maintain the region’s rural character and ecological health.

None of this is impossible. The challenge is not whether Grey Bruce can hold onto its landscapes and biodiversity, but whether the people who live here—old and new—will work together to protect it.

The land does not have to be lost to speculation, short-term profit, and industrial expansion. With the right vision, policies, and partnerships, Grey Bruce can remain a beautiful, biodiverse, and resilient region—not just for today, but for generations to come.

The question is: will we act in time? What if – we just did it?