“More than a number on a spreadsheet:” Farmers concerned about future land loss

CTV’s Jeff Pickel hears from a farmer who says the future of his land is uncertain as urban sprawl encroaches on rural areas.

A housing proposal in Cambridge is renewing concerns about the loss of farmland in Waterloo Region.

On Tuesday, Cambridge City Council rejected an application to build 3,800 homes on roughly 500 acres of farmland north of Hespeler.

During the council meeting, owners of a farm north of the proposed development site spoke about the potential impacts of further urban expansion.

“What is being presented here as progress carries devastating consequences for the people and places rooted in this land,” Sarah Bechtel said. She and her husband, Mike Bechtel, farm 118 acres of land on Kossuth Road. Along with the land, they have almost 20,000 broiler chickens and 60 dairy cattle that produce roughly, 1,500 litres of milk every day.

“The thing I want people to understand is this land that we’re on, this is way more than a number on a spreadsheet to us,” Mike said while speaking to CTV News at the family farm.

A legacy in jeopardy

The Bechtels have been farming in Waterloo Region since the early 1800s and have been at the property on Kossuth Road since 1929.

“It’s an asset, yes, but the time it takes from generation to generation to nurture that growth and to treat it well, to plant trees, it’s more than simply an economic calculus,” Mike explained.

Currently the Bechtel’s farm is outside the urban boundary of Cambridge, but they believe it’s just a matter of time before they are forced off.

“We’ve seen the cities of Cambridge and Kitchener keep growing towards us, and every year it gets more and more difficult to find land to rent for additional acres to spread manure to grow feed,” Mike said.

In Ontario, the Bechtels are far from the only famers with fears for the future.

Data from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture says between 2016 and 2021, 582,392 acres of farm land were lost, averaging around 320 acres lost everyday. That’s more than double the amount of farmland lost 20 years previously between 1996 and 2001, when 281,000 acres were lost.

The Bechtels said their two children, who are 13 and 15, are interested in farming, but they are not sure they’ll have a farm to pass down.

“They are both passionate about agriculture, and to know that because of decisions made in far off boardrooms that is at risk is extremely painful for us,” said Mike said.