The Local Agricultural Landscape

Harriston sits in the heart of north Wellington County, an area recognized for its high-quality agricultural land and long-standing farming traditions. The countryside surrounding the community is dominated by field crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat, along with livestock operations including dairy and beef farming.

Agriculture here is supported by a network of agri-businesses, equipment suppliers, and service industries that have grown alongside local farms. This close relationship between farming and industry has helped shape Harriston’s identity, making it a place where agriculture is not only practiced on the land, but also supported through processing, innovation, and rural employment.

For agritourism visitors, the area around Harriston offers a clear picture of working Ontario farmland, active, productive, and deeply connected to community life. Seasonal changes are highly visible, from spring planting to fall harvest, reinforcing the town’s long-standing connection to the agricultural calendar.

And Here’s the Rest of the Story…

Every community has a few stories that don’t always make the guidebooks—this is one of them.

Harriston was once known as Minto Mills, a name that directly reflected its early dependence on water-powered industry along the Nottawasaga River. Long before electricity, the river drove sawmills and gristmills that supported both settlers and surrounding farms. The name eventually changed to Harriston, but the town’s industrial roots remain a quiet reminder that many rural Ontario communities grew not only from farming, but from the machinery, mills, and ingenuity that helped agriculture thrive.