Generational farm could be impacted if Wilmot land assembly goes ahead
A family of farmers say their operations would be significantly impacted if the Region of Waterloo goes ahead with a land assembly project in the Wilmot Township area.
Mountainoak Cheese, a dairy farm founded by Adam Van Bergeijk in 1996, owns and rents land within the 770 acres the region is eyeing.
In March, land owners say they were approached by region representatives who were looking to buy land for large-scale investments that have not been made public. The land being considered is located between Nafziger Road, Bleams Road and Wilmot Centre Road.
“It was an offer that I would not accept for the value that they appraised the farm at. It’s unreasonable,” said Arjo Van Bergeijk, the current Mountainoak Cheese operator and Adam’s son.
“They said if we don’t agree upon their price, there’s a chance of expropriation.”
FAMILY FARMING
Adam started the farm after moving to Ontario from Holland, where he also ran a dairy farm.
“We processed a big part of our milk over there as well, and were making cheese. That’s what we do here now,” Adam said.
“We came here in ’96 to create a nice place for our family to farm and we had hope that this is going to be a nice place for the future of our children, as well.”
They started with 200 acres and milking just over 100 cows. That has increased significantly over the years as his sons took over and split the farm into two sections.
“The whole farm is milking over 250, and we increased the farm land as well,” Adam said.
“We own 700 acres.”
As Adam and his wife’s two sons and daughter grew up, they helped more and more with the farm until it was time to take it over.
“I was always there. After school, before school, all the time,” Arjo said.
The goal was always to pass the farm down through the generations, which Arjo’s 12-year-old son Jake is already looking forward to.
“I would like to take over the farm. Hopefully I’ll work for my dad for a little while, and then hopefully take the farm and be the next generation,” Jake said.
Unknown Future
On March 8, the future of Mountainoak Cheese, which was always so clear, became murky.
Arjo said they were approached by region representatives looking to acquire the land. He said they, and other land owners, are not interested in selling and losing farm land.
He said the region is looking at a significant portion of their land, which they currently use to grow crops to feed their cows.
“We’re all in a crop rotation we call that. We switch our crops around. We bought that farmland for security for our future,” Arjo said.
“The impact that [losing land] would have on our operation here is that rotations are going to be a lot tighter, manure management is going to be a lot harder because I do have to go somewhere with my nutrients, and all that is going to be a lot tighter to be able to apply it where it needs to be applied, and how much we can apply per acre. We’re going to be pushing everything to the max.”
Since the farm was initially approached, Arjo said they still haven’t heard any updates from the region about what’s happening.
“They don’t want to communicate. Even if we’re there as delegates at the council meetings, everybody has signed NDAs and nobody is willing to talk or speak or communicate with us which is extremely frustrating,” Arjo said, adding it’s been difficult to decide if they should seed or not this spring.
Ultimately, he said they are going to plant their crops and hope they don’t lose it.
Arjo said the lawyer representing area landowners is in talks with lawyers representing the region, and he hopes for updates to come soon.
The Region of Waterloo has also remained tight-lipped with the media throughout this process.
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson said the land assembly project for future large-scale investment remains ongoing.
“While the details of the negotiations remain confidential, we are committed to engaging with the landowners involved and it is our goal to reach fair and equitable agreements for all landowners,” the region said.
As they wait for more information about the future of their own land, the Van Bergeijks say they’ll continue on with what matters most: farming and family.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
Chemical spill could be cause of stinky water in Puslinch, Ont., new report says
People living in Puslinch, Ont. may have the answer to why their water smelled so bad last year.