Deep Roots, New Roles: Stephanie Susz on Agriculture in Wilmot Today
- Mar 26
- 4 min read
By Scott Dunstall
In a region where farmland often tells the story before people do, Stephanie Susz’s story runs deep. Generations deep.
With family roots in Waterloo Region stretching back over seven generations, Susz comes from a lineage that helped shape the land itself. From the Snyder family farms near what is now the Westvale subdivision to dairy operations and grain trading, her family history mirrors the evolution of agriculture in this region.
But what makes her perspective compelling is not just where she comes from. It is how she has chosen to stay connected to it.
On paper, she didn’t remain on the farm. She built a career in agricultural finance through several awards and promotions with TD Bank and now serves as vice-president of agricultural and commercial banking at Kindred Credit Union. In practice, it is less a departure and more a continuation in a different form.
“I always felt like I had a foot in both worlds,” she says.
She found it interesting that the family home was in New Hamburg while the farming operations were on the outskirts. Growing up, she worked on the farm, milked cows, drove tractors and showed cattle through 4-H, while also living in town. That dual perspective shaped how she sees agriculture today.
To Stephanie Susz, agriculture is not simply an industry. It is a community.
It is built on relationships, trust and a shared understanding of something fundamental. “We are working with the land and animals to make food to feed people,” she says. “There’s something so foundational about that.”
That grounding is what ultimately pulled her into agricultural banking. A 4-H scholarship led to a summer internship with TD in agricultural lending. What began as an opportunity quickly reframed her understanding of what a career in agriculture could be.
“I didn’t even know that was a career,” she admits.
Farming itself has become harder to enter. The barriers are higher, the capital requirements steeper and the margin for error thinner. Since she grew up, the number of ways to be involved in agriculture has expanded.
Finance, technology, logistics and advisory roles now play a critical part in supporting farmers. It is why Susz encourages young people, including her own children, to look at agriculture not just as a production, but as a broader ecosystem.
That evolution has been accelerated by technology. From robotic milking systems to GPS-guided equipment and data-driven decision-making, modern farms are increasingly run as businesses as much as they are lived as a way of life.
But technology, she says, is a tool, not a replacement.
“It doesn’t replace intuition. It enhances it.”
Her commitment to agriculture extends beyond her professional role. As a leader with the Wilmot Agricultural Society and the New Hamburg Fall Fair, she sees firsthand how much these traditions depend on community involvement.
Volunteers remain the backbone of the fair. While participation has grown in recent years, the need is constant. Not just for hands, but for people who see value in preserving what the fair represents.
“These things don’t happen on their own,” she says. “If you enjoy coming to the fair each year, perhaps think about how you can contribute to ensure its continued success?”
A quieter challenge sits alongside that. Despite being an agricultural fair, there is often limited direct agricultural representation during the event itself. Fewer animals. Fewer demonstrations. Fewer opportunities for people to connect with the source of their food.
It is something she hopes to change, though she understands the realities. Farmers are busy. Liability is a concern. Time is limited. Still, without that connection, something important risks being lost.
Then there is the issue she does not speak about lightly.
Land.
Ontario has been losing approximately 319 acres of farmland per day. At that pace, the long-term implications are difficult to ignore.
“We are already a net importer of food,” she notes, a reality that feels at odds with the quality of farmland in this region.
Closer to home, the proposed land assembly in Wilmot brings that concern into focus. Even setting aside her personal connection, her question remains simple.
Why here?
It is not opposition to development. Growth is part of any healthy community. But when some of the most productive farmland in the province is on the table, the decision carries weight.
For Susz, this is about more than acres. It is about identity.
She describes driving home and cresting the hill near New Hamburg, where farmland comes into view. That moment signals something deeper than geography. It signals belonging. And it feels like home.
To imagine that landscape replaced is not just a visual change. It is a shift in how this community understands itself.
Because agriculture, as Susz sees it, has never been just about the past.
It is about whether communities like ours still recognize its value enough to protect what comes next.
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