Competitive Advantage
Local Resources
Water
The Claresholm Regional Water Treatment Plant, upgraded and opened in 2010, is gravity-fed water from the Pine Coulee Reservoir and has a capacity of 6,912,000 litres per day. The Town can divert over 1.3 million cubic metres of water annually and has the capacity to supply industrial and residential development well beyond the current requirements.
Land
The Town of Claresholm completed an annexation that added significantly to the available land bank for development. As of May, 2017, there are 595 acres zoned agriculture transitional that are slated for commercial/industrial development and 400 acres slated for residential development within municipal boundaries. At a rate of 25 new housing starts per year at 5 houses per acre, the available residential land will be of sufficient supply for 80 years.
Farming & Ranching Production
The 2011 agricultural census for the surrounding MD of Willow Creek #26 reported 437,293 acres of crops and 9,877 acres of summerfallow. 163,658 acres are tame and seeded pasture, 484,387 acres of natural land for pasture, 15,977 acres of woodlots and wetlands and all other land amounting to 15,176 acres. Highway No. 2 forms a rough north-south division line, with ranching to the west and farming to the east. There are 37,330 acres under irrigation.
There are approximately 772 farms and 550 acreages in the district. In addition to grain production, 502 farms report having cattle, 21 report having pigs, and there are sheep and goats on 39 farms. There are also 17 farms with dairy cows, 17 egg and poultry operations and 83 farms report the horse industry as their main enterprise involving 5,547 horses (MD of Willow Creek Agriculture Service Board Business Plan excerpt).