As reported in Small Farm Canada Lite, June issue, the Stevens Family of Wilmot Orchards, Newcastle, ON have partnered with the Ontario Farmland Trust to protect their farmland as farmland for the next 999 years.
The Farm History
Wilmot Orchards began when Charles Stevens purchased the farm in 1975 before graduating from the University of Guelph in 1976. After putting in a considerable amount of time and work to get the farm running, Charles and Judi, his wife decided to try their hand at trying to grow blueberries. The first blueberry bushes were planted in 1979, and in 1983 Wilmot Orchards opened for its first blueberry season. The Pick-Your-Own continued to grow, and in 1994, AppleBerries Café was opened.
As people became more aware of the health benefits of blueberries, the farm grew. Today, blueberry picking is drawing new customers every year and the baked goods from AppleBerries Café also keeps people coming back.
Small Farm Canada joined the Stevens family, business partners, Ontario Farmland Trust, other farmers, media and dignitaries in celebrating the partnership on May 31, 2025, at the Orchard. There is solidarity among this family and their partners to ensure that their Class A farmland will be in food production for the foreseeable future.
Congratulations to all involved! The province now has 2700 acres of farmland under the Ontario Farmland Trust and we look forward to providing more stories from across Canada on farmland trusts in future issues of Small Farm Canada magazine.
For more see: https://ontariofarmlandtrust.ca/protected-farms/stevens-farm/
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