Agriculture

Agriculture is the main industry in southern Alberta and SouthGrow has the oldest agriculture area in the province with extensive ranching and farming activities. Some of the largest ranches in Canada are operated in the region. There are over 3,200 farms in the area, showing breadth and stability of farm production in the area.

Supported by the strong agriculture economy, SouthGrow has a number of processing plants that distribute their value added products around the globe. This cluster is supported by a number of medium and small scale operations in the region as well.

Irrigation brings more than water to the region. It creates opportunities by bringing people, employment and economic stability. The total land assessed for irrigation is 578,705 hectares. SouthGrow’s region encompasses seven of the Province’s thirteen Irrigation Districts. This irrigation enables the region to produce 224,587 acres of specialty crops to fuel the value added agriculture cluster. SouthGrow produces 61% of Alberta's vegetable crop.

Alternative Energy

SouthGrow’s geography, climate and research strengths are well suited to a sustainable energy economy, with municipalities already participating in various solar, wind and bio-diesel initiatives.

Industrial, Machinery, and Equipment

Low cost land, highly trained people, affordable operating and utility costs and many choices for plant sites in the SouthGrow region provides many opportunities in the manufacturing sector. A study conducted by KPMG in 2004 identified the City of Lethbridge as one of the top ten cost-competitive cities in the world out of 121 cities. This sector generates more than 1.2 billion in annual sales in the region.

Metal Fabrication

SouthGrow is home to many large plants thriving due to a skilled workforce and good proximity to markets. Major products include architectural aluminum extrusions (Kawneer Company), sheet metal products (Charlton & Hill), ferrous castings (Lethbridge Iron Works), waste disposal equipment (Haul-All Equipment), and truck box and trailer fabrication (Southland Trailer Corp.).

Tourism

Tourism is strong in the region given the varied natural landscapes and exceptional natural attractions. The region attracts an average of 550,000 visitors annually. Seventy percent of those visitors are Albertans. In 2003 tourism generated more than $287 million in consumer spending in the Alberta South Region over a one-year period (Source: Alberta Economic Development).