To the Editor,
As a multigenerational dairy and cash crop farmer in Prescott–Russell, I find it astonishing that we are contemplating sacrificing some of Eastern Ontario’s most productive, and irreplaceable farmland for the proposed Alto high-speed rail project.
Consider this remarkable statistic: Prescott–Russell accounts for 24 per cent of Eastern Ontario’s agricultural cash receipts and agri-food GDP, despite representing just 5.5% of its population. [1]
Let that sink in. A region with barely one-twentieth of Eastern Ontario’s population generates almost one-quarter of its agricultural economic output.
According to the Ontario government’s 2021 agricultural economic snapshot, Prescott–Russell’s 870 farms generated approximately $401 million in annual farm cash receipts, while the region’s agri-food sector supported an estimated $879 million in GDP across Ontario. [1]
Our farmland is also among the most valuable in Eastern Ontario. A University of Guelph survey reported a median value of $18,000 per acre in 2025, the highest surveyed in Eastern Ontario. [2] And the October 2026 Farmers Forum highlighted Prescott–Russell’s exceptional potential for corn and soybean yields. [3]
This is not marginal land. Prescott–Russell is home to some of the most economically significant agricultural land in Eastern Ontario. Our farmland is worth fighting for.
Alto threatens to divide working farms, disrupt drainage systems, complicate agricultural operations and permanently remove productive acreage. We cannot simply relocate a farm field or replace generations of investment in fertile soil and agricultural infrastructure.
I am not opposed to better passenger rail; I would welcome it. But surely, we should be asking whether the benefits of a high-speed railway justify compromising a region that contributes so disproportionately to Ontario’s food production and agricultural economy.
Before any route is approved, we deserve an independent assessment of what Alto could cost our agricultural sector—not simply in acres acquired, but in lost productivity over generations.
Farmland is not vacant land waiting for a better purpose. It already has one.
Prescott–Russell punches far above its weight in Ontario agriculture. We should be protecting that extraordinary contribution, not putting it at risk.
Sincerely,
Andrew Barton
East Hawkesbury
