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22 economist suntribune agriculture thursday oct 10 2002 fewer farms more developers in southern york region from page 1 oslo 02 ohicb a d chnb m7 00 thtt a b ehttb metre east irade centre vh r it k rd in pickering mini in jrl ffirrnmi 1 all jffinfft m m s s p or t s s h a w 9400 admission staff photosmike adler children meet cows last month at a pickering rally for those who want to protect farmland and nat ural areas of east markham and north pickering from develop ment r hsmusai mwlnfiiwi dontmiss our f ski snowboard 1 swap hosted by canadian ski patrol i rreme pftres to be ty incredible exhibitors exciting seminars live entertainment for more information please call 9054264676 ext227 sponsored by gfwteme ji i sw patro1 sk uuesto extreme jk eltnesswm pamoate tfcott himbfll racing academy desm w ffififtks todays homes the era banner rona lansing rona cashway coast mountain sports iga sobeys garden market sears the bay zellers michaels arts crafts lets celebrate remax executive wendell bonair shoppers drug mart mm meat shops marks work wearhouse hy zeis home depot canadian tire future shop best buy canada kfc region of york longos bouclair pizza nova weston produce markham mower n one delivers results like we do selecledareas tllfind out more about hovy to reach your target market and get the same great expropriation many local farm families faced in the 1970s we do not want to be enslaved into producing food the cheapest food in the world in perpetuity but it was men in blazers and suits lawyers and government relations con sultants that did most of the talking as the farmers pressed provincial mediator david crombie to drop a recommenda tion that the province enforce the ease ments even if pickering lifts them farmers who were provincial tenants paid 4000 to 4500 for most parcels on the pickering side of the former duffin rouge agricultural preserve an experi ment in holding back the urban wave that was cancelled by the tory govern ment mr crombie facilitating a land swap to develop land within another mainly agricultural area in pickering said the recommendation only reinforces cur rent zoning for the preserve lands the 5000 acres sold at prices kept low for intended agricultural use included easements and the farmers knew it added james mckellar a business farmers welcome provincial media tor david crombie to meeting expert assisting mr crombie many believe developers have secretly campaigned to rezone the pro tected land now subject to a pickering growth study they want the easements kept and want others placed on about 2500 acres of former preserve land in markham we the people own a wonderful strategic asset dont develop it markham farmer john kay urged mr crombie last week the future of the markham parcels officially for sale since 1996 is in limbo but tenant farmers want the right to buy those lands too and to sell them for development if need be many including markham mayor don cousens had thought mr crombies recommendation to keep the preserve agricultural also included the markham side last week mr crombie said it wasnt so to mr cousens relief im not about to stand by quietly and allow a pickering process to determine what happens in markham the mayor said mr cousens said he wants markhams preserve lands to stay agri cultural after they are sold but was uncertain whether easements or zoning is the best way to do that ive seen them both and im not sure which is really good farming seems to have more of a future in vvtiitchurchstouffville but its changing there too the local coopera tive and implement dealers arent as busy now that there are fewer farmers to the south said wayne forsyth a lot of its development land now and speculators said mr forsyth who recently sold part of his familys 10th concession home farm for develop ment so his father floyd could retire its amazing how many farmers in this area have a second job the family once had a dairy farm but now grows soybeans and winter wheat mr forsyth said he can sympathize with the cashcropping markham farmers hoping to sell at development prices farmers want their outs too he said though its a shame so much land ends up in speculators hands the days of the family farm are cer tainly gone in york region said rodney king owns a tim hortons in stouffville and cashcrops 1000 acres from uxbridge to hwy 7 in markham its amazing how many farmers in this area have a second job the economics of farming have changed for the worse in the last decade and the future looks no brighter he said stiiy ishbbsi