New future pondered for historic Langley farm

A historic Langley farm could become a space for community learning and agriculture, if council approves a new concept plan for the old dairy.

In the late 1800s, Langley was growing from its fur-trade roots into a place where farmers could settle down. (You can read more about the fur-trade history of Langley here.) John Walter Berry, a teacher from Ontario, was one of those who moved to Langley to settle.

In 1897, he and his friend David Coulter opened a pair of general stores in Fort Langley and Murrayville. Berry ran the store at Murray’s Corners for several years. But farming called to him. And although his name was Berry, he started the Belmont Dairy Farm on 135 acres of land in Murrayville.

Berry operated his dairy farm for many years afterwards, helping found the Fraser Valley Milk Producers Association in 1910. Berry died in his home in 1943, and his farm remained in the hands of the family until at least the 1990s.

Seven years ago, the Township of Langley bought 55 acres of Belmont Farms. The land includes a number of buildings and agricultural fields, and currently has an on-site caretaker.

Now, a coalition of environmental and food security groups are hoping to bring the property back to prominence in Langley—turning it from an underused farm to a hub of learning and agriculture.

The coalition includes the Langley Environmental Partners Society, Encompass Support Services, Foodlands Cooperative of BC, and Langley Meals on Wheels. All have been working together to develop their vision of what the property could become.

Specifically, the coalition wants to use the farm to promote local agriculture, provide education to residents, address food insecurity, and begin to build a sustainable food system in Langley.

The goal would be to create a community space to help residents connect with food.

The group is still sorting out what exactly that would look like. In a recent presentation to Langley’s Agricultural Advisory Committee, the coalition said the future of the farm would include community gatherings and events. It would likely host field trips, showcase small-scale agricultural businesses, support new entrant farmers, and provide space to cultivate traditional medicines and foods.

The farm is located across Fraser Highway from the Derek Doubleday Arboretum, which local agricultural groups already use to promote local food sustainability and agriculture. The Langley Community Farmers’ Market is held at the arboretum in the summer. The arboretum is also home to the Langley Learning Farm, which introduces high-school students to agriculture, with hands-on applications for biology and chemistry. (That farm is a joint venture between the Langley Sustainable Agriculture Foundation and the Langley Environmental Protection Society.)

(The Current wrote about the learning farm in 2021.)

It’s not clear how the proposed plans for the Historic Berry Farm would intertwine with the current activities at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum—or if the Township will even approve the idea. Although the Agricultural Advisory Committee supported the idea in principle, the proposed concept and its specific details has yet to come before council.