Ontario Family Farm, Wilmot Orchards, claims to be the first in the region to protect farmland against urban development — for the next 999 years!
The family-owned, female-led blueberry farm located in Newcastle, Clarington, announced Wednesday the protection of its 164 acres of farmland with a farmland easement agreement in partnership with the Ontario Farmland Trust, marking a pivotal step toward land preservation in Ontario for future generations.
With Ontario farmland succumbing to urban sprawl and development at an alarming rate of 319 acres lost daily, Ontario Farmland Trust aims to protect and preserve farmland, and enable a strong and sustainable food production system recognized as an integral part of a thriving economy, said the announcement.
This farmland easement agreement (also known as a conservation easement agreement), protects the land’s natural and agricultural features and preserves ecosystems. The easement agreement supersedes municipal and provincial land use planning, prohibiting any future non-agricultural use and ensuring land use is solely dedicated to food production for the next 999 years.
This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change.
“Our partnership with Ontario Farmland Trust represents Wilmot Orchards’ commitment to stewardship. Our farm does more than produce blueberries. It employs our dedicated workers, provides a quiet escape for the larger community, and represents the legacy my family and I have worked so hard to build,” says Courtney Stevens, Owner and Chief Creative Officer at Wilmot Orchards and seventh-generation farmer.
“Wilmot Orchards is situated on Class 1 soil, some of the most productive farmland in the country,” says Martin Straathof, Executive Director of Ontario Farmland Trust. “With only 0.5 percent of Canada’s total land mass considered Class 1 soil, and more than half of it located here in Ontario, preserving the farm’s acreage is essential to the future of Canada’s agricultural industry and our ability to produce local food for Ontarians.”
Wilmot Orchards, Ontario Farmland Trust and its tight-knit community are set to celebrate this milestone on May 31.
As a staple in the community for almost 50 years, Wilmot Orchards continues inviting guests to experience nature’s bounty on its now-protected, picturesque farm.
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