Waterloo Region destroyed 160 acres of corn on land it bought this summer as part of its drive to assemble 770 acres for industrial development.
The destruction has enraged residents who were already opposed to the land assembly in Wilmot Township.
The region said it needs the land cleared so it can conduct studies.
But Mark Reusser, vice-president of the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture and recently vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said “Everyone should hold them accountable.
“This is food, for goodness sake.
“Thia is what people eat. This is what people subsist on. We shouldn’t treat land that produces food so lightly,” he told CTV news.
The people opposing the project said local farmers were approached, but refused to clear the crop and plow it down, so the work was contracted to someone outside the region.
A forage harvested chopped the corn, blew it on the ground that was then plowed.
A group of angry people showed up outside Wilmot Township offices to voice their anger.
Kevin Thomason, vice-chairman of the Grand River Environmental Netw ork, estimated the crop’s value at $160,000.
The region has said it expects to complete it drive to acquire the 770 acres by October; given the opposition of some of the land owners, that will probably mean expropriation.