How the Town of Hay River can best develop the former Northern Farm Training Institute (NFTI) property is the subject of a new survey.
The survey is available online, and takes about 15 minutes to complete.
“Help shape the future of agriculture in the NWT by sharing your thoughts on the old NFTI land,” states an update from the Territorial Agri-food Association (TAA), which has been commissioned to conduct the survey and present recommendations to Hay River’s town council by the end of March.
According to a short history of the facility posted by the TAA, the NFTI was founded in 2014 to help develop the territory’s agriculture industry.
Along with producing food, the institute also offered training and research opportunities for farmers looking to grow crops in cold climates.
Located about 10 kilometres south of Hay River along the Mackenzie Highway, the 260-acre property has an electrical connection, an access road and lots of arable land.
The institute was dissolved by the territorial government in 2019, it states, with the town terminating its tenancy soon after.
The site has sat empty since 2022 and remains prime agricultural land, despite sustaining damage during last summer’s wildfires.
If you have questions about the development process or would like to provide additional input, please contact Janet Dean, TAA executive director, at ed@nwtagrifood.ca.