Friday, July 16, 2010
Smith Farm Honoured
NATASHA JONES
Hedgerows of blackberry fronds, a copper beach and the occasional evergreen hug
the straight, narrow road, its centre line, if there was one, blurred by the detritus dropped
by farm vehicles.
Only feet from the noisy, choking traffic of Glover Road, Smith Crescent and the
farms that flank it are bathed in sun. The air is warm, still and noiseless, and it’s hard to
believe that beyond the escarpment to the west lies the ever-enroaching development of
Willowby.
Smith Farm is on the right. The hay on the field has been cut. Beyond the
immaculate heritage home, goats graze, oblivious to a single llama, its head raised in
curiosity at a visitor’s arrival.
Further up the hill is a field of gold, its harvest of hay safely stored from the next
showers, whenever they come, as they inevitably will.
This blissful, pastoral scene has unfolded for farmers and family and visitors for 137
years and, despite the threat from encroaching urbanization, Smith Farm continues to
thrive and its longevity has now been honoured by the provincial government with a
Century Farm Award.
The accolade was announced on Tuesday by Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA Rich
Coleman on behalf of Agriculture and Lands Minister, Steve Thomson.
“While trying to maintain a part of the heritage, agricultural and rural fabric of
Langley, it’s an honour to be recognized with the Century Farm Award,” said Glenn Smith of
Smith Farms.
“We all come from various backgrounds, and in our case we can reflect on our local
heritage- how our families worked the land, built their home and raised their families.”
Century Farm Awards honour pioneers whose farms or ranches have been in
families for 100 years or more, and agricultural organizations that have been active for at
least a century.
The award celebrates the rich heritage of farming and ranching families and
organizations in B.C. and, as a farm in the heart of what was once the expansive Hudson’s
Bay Farm, the Smith Farm couldn’t be more deserving.
The Fraser Valley has a long, proud history of farming, Coleman said, noting that the
region is one of the most intensively farmed areas in all of Canada.
Family farms like the one run by the Smiths are continuing the legacy of food
production and agriculture that began in communities across B.C. more than 200 years ago,
he added.
The Smith family farm is located on a portion of the former Hudson Bay Company
farm in Langley and was settled by John Smith during the 1880s after he homesteaded on
adjacent land above the current farm. Over the years until the 1950s, the site was home to a
mixed farm operation which included dairy cattle, broiler breeder and laying chickens, and
potato and forage crops.
During the final half of the last century, dairy farming was the mainstay of the
operation, In more recent years, the land has been worked for forage crop production for
hay and silage.
Most recently, in continuing with the farming tradition, family members have
established a farmstead goat dairy operation with a new processing facility to produce
handcrafted cheese and associated products from milk produced by animals raised on the
farm.
A farmgate shop featuring artisan farm products and specialty cheeses under the
Milner Valley Cheese label is scheduled to open later this year.
A focal point of the property is the heritage style farmhouse John Smith built in 1911
and which is designated with a Historic Site plaque by the Township of Langley. Privately
maintained, it is currently occupied by Gregg Smith, the fifth generation Smith to live in the
farmhouse.
As it embarks on its farm-gate shop, the Smith Farm adds to B.C.’s claim as the most
diverse agricultural industry in Canada. The agri-food industry is an important contributor
to the provincial economy with more than 225 food commodities produced in B.C., totalling
more than $22 billion annually in consumer sales and supporting more than 305,000 jobs.
The Smith family has a long history in Langley. Their relatives have been farming in
the Fraser Valley since 1873 when John Smith, a descendent from Winchester, Ontario,
travelled through California before settling in Langley in 1873, buying a piece of the
Hudson’s Bay Farm.
In 1885, Smith married. He then set about building the property’s original
farmhouse. Farming continues after 137 years on 50 acres on Smith Crescent in Milner.