ML Burke of www.delta-optimist.com attended the Kee Philosophers' presentation recently, titled Greenhouse Growers - Is Agriculture Sustainable? The presenter was Ron Moes from Windset Farms who gave an informative overview of this developing industry. Burke had ample time to ask questions, which Moes answered in a straightforward manner.
It costs about $1 million per acre to set up the infrastructure for a greenhouse operation. There are 60 greenhouses in B.C., ranging in size from two to 109 acres for a total of 755 acres. Canada has greenhoused 3,300 acres compared to the U.S. with only 1,300 acres.
Although Ontario has the highest number of greenhouses, Moes said Delta has the best growing conditions of anywhere in Canada. It's all about sunlight and length of the growing season.
Windset sells internationally to the U.S., Japan and Saudi Arabia. It is a $1.3 billion industry in Canada.