THE ROSE LAND CARE ASSOCIATION:
A BRIEF HISTORY
The ROSE Land Care association was incorporated in November of 1991 for the primary purpose of preserving agricultural lands from development and speculation (click here to find a list of the organization’s objectives). A small group met almost weekly for many months to bring to completion the purchase of Sunnivue Farm and the approval of by-laws, as well as plans for a dairy farm to be operated on the farm. We were happy to work with the previous owners of Sunnivue, Norm and Ruth Smith, in acquiring the farm, and the Smith family have continued to be firm supporters of the land trust project.
From the beginning it has been hard to explain where the ROSE land trust ends and Sunnivue Farm begins. ROSE is a non-profit corporation that holds and protects the land, leasing it to farmers who are able to work the land in ways harmonious with the objectives of the land trust. The farming operation at Sunnivue, on the other hand, is a farming business designed to support the farmers who participate in it. Ownership of the land and buildings rests with the land trust, in accord with the principle that land is a common good belonging to the whole community. Ownership of the farm operation and equipment remains with the farmers.
For 25 years the farmers at Sunnivue were Alex and Ellinor Nurnberg. For fifteen of those years Dagmar Seiboth joined them in the farming operation. They operated a Holstein dairy business and a market garden, and in 1998 they added an on-farm store in its own newly constructed building. During the past few years there have been big changes: Alex and Ellinor sold their dairy herd and began building a water buffalo herd, and Dagmar left the farm to live and work in northern British Columbia, where in her spare time she is still producing beautiful vegetables.
The lovable water buffalo herd left their mark on the Sunnivue legend, and on the Internet you can still find videos of them in their special pond and of Alex and Ellinor extolling their virtues. But eventually the farmers realized that they needed to retire, so the herd was sold to a number of interested farmers and new farmers were sought to continue the Sunnivue tradition.
Today there are two farming operations working on Sunnivue. Jason O’Neil and Twan Peters have an organic dairy herd in the barn and grow organic crops in the back fields. Mike and Kristina Courey lead New Moon Community Homestead, a mixed meat, egg and produce operation which invites community participation in food production. New Moon’s community partners include the London Food Coalition, Hutton House and the London Waldorf School. New Moon also works in collaboration with At Last Forest Schools to offer Farm and Forest School programming.