AUGUST 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Dairy farm breakfasts


welcome public Popular events pull in plenty of volunteers to engage with visitors


by TAMARA LEIGH


DUNCAN – BC dairy farmers are embracing the opportunity to open their barns to people in their communities and let them touch, smell and even taste the full dairy experience. “You like to be proud of


your industry and this helps people understand that what they see on the Internet isn’t really what’s happening on a day to day basis,” says Margie Van Boven, who hosted the Breakfast on the Farm in the Cowichan Valley along with her husband, Ben, and their family. VanValley Farm features a


robotic milking system and automated feeder in a modern, open-air barn. In addition to breakfast, served by the local Lion’s Club, guests could go on self- guided tours of the barn, or jump on the hay wagon for a tractor-powered tour of the forage fields. Crafts, agricultural group displays and the Mobile Dairy Classroom were also on hand to engage and inform. “I’ve never seen anything


like this before. It just blew me away,” say Blair Wood, a Cowichan-area resident who brought his children. “I like


gadgets, so it was really impressive to see all of the robotics and technology that is involved.” While the Van Bovens opened their farm for the event, other members of the Vancouver Island Milk Producers and supporting industries donned blue t-shirts and volunteered to help educate the more than 800 people who attended. “It’s interesting just to walk


by and hear people talking to each other,” says Margie. “You almost learn more about what they are thinking that way than if you actually had a conversation with them.” This is the second year for


Breakfast on the Farm on Vancouver Island. In the Okanagan, the Kamloops Okanagan Dairy Association, North Okanagan Dairy Extension Advisory Committee and BC Dairy Association hosted their third annual event at Serene Lea Farms in Enderby. “The public are


increasingly interested in where their food comes from, how regional farm animals are treated and what our daily on-farm practices are like,” says Enderby-based dairy producer Ralph Van Dalfsen.


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BC Dairy Association facilitator Anita Driessen, above, had a captive audience at Breakfast on the Farm, hosted at Serene Lea Farms in Mara in June. CECILIA HO PHOTO


The event was popular at the outset, and has gained momentum over three years. It has generated positive coverage from mainstream media and at least 1,000 visitors per year. It also gets strong support from regional producers and volunteers. “The intent is for this to be a full family event with something for everyone,” says


Van Dalfsen. “We do not have a breakfast on the farm or event without all the amazing volunteers. Food people, nutritionists, crop specialists, cow comfort specialists, producers. Everyone gives up their Saturday to do this as a large group and it’s really good of them.” It’s an experience that Van Boven encourages producers


beyond the dairy industry to consider. “You don’t have to go to


this extent but I think it’s a good thing to do and it keeps you accountable. When they ask you those questions like, ‘Why do you do that?’ it makes you question if you do need to do it or not.” With files from Trevor Hargreaves


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A pint-sized photographer at Breakfast on the Farm at VanValley Farm in Duncan. TAMARA LEIGH PHOTO


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