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In 1947, Joe Loewith purchased 100 acres in Copetown, Ontario. The location known as ‘Summit’ was the highest point along the railway line between the cities of Brantford and Hamilton. Joe milked 15 Holstein cows and ran the farm with the help of his wife Minna and one farm hand. In the 1970s, Joe’s sons — Harry, Carl and David — each returned to the farm to work, after completing their university degrees. Harry eventually left to work in cattle sales, while Carl and Dave took over management and ownership of the farm business. Joe passed away in 1999. Minna continued keeping scrapbooks of the farm’s achievements until her passing in 2017. In 1999, Carl’s son Ben returned to the farm. Ben now oversees the farm operation, his wife Jen has joined the business as General Manager of Summit Station Dairy, and their son Will is fourth generation of the family to be working at the farm.

Joseph Loewith & Sons dairy farm was awarded the Ironman Award from the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce in 2008. The farm is consistently named one of the Top 10 Best Managed Dairy Herds in Canada. We currently milk 450 Holstein cows – all descended from the original 15 cows that started it all.

The History of Summit Station

The Loewith dairy farm is situated close to what was once the location of the “Summit” station along the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo (TH&B) railway. Stations were placed strategically along the railway to provide visitors with transportation to the Niagara Region; the Summit stop was the highest point between Brantford and Hamilton. The local dairy farmers would bring their metal cans of fresh milk to the station where they would be loaded on the train to be taken to the dairies downtown.

In the 1990s, the rail line was converted to a biking and hiking trail. The Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail is now managed by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. At the turn of the century, most railroads used water towers trackside to supply the steam locomotives. Today, the only remnant of Summit Station at the location is the foundation of the water tower (seen off the lookout platform). The original Summit sign and other artifacts are kept at Westfield Heritage Village.