From Farm to You: Dairy in our Community showcases some of the many farms and processors working hard to ensure that we have fresh, healthy and local milk and milk products available in our region!
This film and accompanying From Farm to You: Beef in our Community were made by Brian Mitolo, produced with support by Farms at Work and made possible with financial support from, Sunderland Co-op, Peterborough County Federation of Agriculture, Trent University, Peterborough Cattlemen, and the Province of Ontario.
Farmers!
Dairy farmers work hard! Many told us that they milk twice a day, every 12 hours, generally 6:30am & 6:30 pm everyday
In 2016, there were about 3000 dairy cows on 46 family dairy farms in Peterborough County. Along with beef cattle, they represented more than a third of the farm cash receipts in the County – more than $25 million
Read more below to get to know a few of our local dairy farmers, and the other important businesses that help get local milk from farm to you in our region!
Roaming Valley
Certified Organic Dairy Farm, Trent Hills ON
Laura Easter, along with father David Glover, and brother James, the trio is the sixth generation to farm in Northumberland, producing organic dairy, beef, pork and chicken on 900 acres in Warkworth.
To learn more find them on facebook or check out this article from Ontario Culinary featuring Laura Easter & the farm
Crovalley Holsteins
Hastings ON
John & Cynthia, Christina, Justin, Ryan & Vanessa Crowley run this family dairy farm, together they milk 120 cows everyday.
For more information, find them on facebook
Dalock Farms
Havelock ON
Dalock Farms is a fourth generation family owned and operated dairy farm milking Holsteins and Jerseys. They milk 56 cows daily. Every other day milk is picked-up and delivered to local dairies including Kawartha Dairy, Empire Cheese, FairLife.
In 2014 they were honoured as one of Ontario’s top farm families and received the BMO Ontario Farm Family Title.
To learn more about them, check out their facebook page
Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Dairy farming is the largest sector of Ontario agriculture, and Dairy Farmers of Ontario is the marketing group that represents them. It’s made up of the same farmers who run the farms, and who produce the milk and dairy that you put on your table.
‘Dairy Farmers of Ontario is run by Ontario dairy farmers and farm families. We’re dedicated to excellence in the production of Canadian dairy milk – of course! But we’re also committed to education and awareness about the nutritional benefits of Ontario dairy.’ (From DFO website)
DFO picks up milk directly from local farms (the ones mentioned above & many more!) From there milk is inspected and sampled before it’s pumped into insulated, stainless steel tanker trucks and shipped to a dairy processing plant, such as Kawartha Dairy. Read all about how milk is safely processed and used to make delicious products on DFO’s website.
Kawartha Dairy
2017 marked the proud 80th anniversary of the Kawartha Dairy Company, a 100% Canadian, 100% family owned company.
Like virtually all Ontario-based companies producing dairy products, Kawartha Dairy get all their fresh milk and cream through the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, a cooperative owned by Ontario’s dairy farmers. The milk that arrives at their location in Bobcaygeon typically comes from the same area farms, many of whom have been supplying us for decades. Almost 90% of the milk we use comes from farms located less than 100kms from our Bobcaygeon location.
Local milk is utilized to make milk, ice cream, sour cream, and even butter though Kawartha Dairy.
Local milk is used to make a diversity of other local products including cheese!
The Empire Cheese Co-op is the only cheese manufacturing plant operating in Northumberland County and the first one east of Toronto! Empire Cheese is owned by local dairy farmers who hold an election each year to vote in a Board of Directors to run the factory.
The majority of Empire Cheese is sold through our factory store and various outlets in the Peterborough region and beyond.
Farm Supplies:
Sunderland Co-operative Inc. is a Member based Co-operative that provides crop inputs, feed, petroleum, consumer goods as well as related products and grain marketing of selected grains within the East Central Ontario region. They have locations in Peterborough and Lindsay the head office is in Sunderland.
Buy Local Products!
Where to buy local dairy products? The following stores, are a few options to buy local products, let us know about others!
Jo Anne’s Place – Health food & more!
From Farm to You Video Series
To learn more, check out our From Farm to You: Beef in Our Community video, and other local food videos showcasing farmers and other members of our local food supply chain!
