JANUARY 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC The rocky road of water buffalo in BC


Farm sees new opportunities in niche markets


By SEAN HITREC


LANGLEY – Local water buffalo milk products are finding their way into more niche markets in the Lower Mainland, thanks to a growing farm in Langley. This fall marked a new buffalo milk gelato flavour from Uno Gelato in Vancouver as well as the potential for the first break-even year for its supplier, Tesfa Farms. Brad Bennik, who owns the farm with business partner Matt VanRookhuyzen, has spent the last six years growing his herd to 100 head. Bennik processes the milk


at Mt. Lehman Cheese Co. in Abbotsford and sells various cheeses and yogurt under his own brand.


Since he bought his first small herd six years ago, it’s been an uphill struggle for Bennik, a common story when it comes to raising water buffalo in BC. About a third of Bennik’s


herd descends genetically from the original herd at Fairburn Farm in the Cowichan Valley, the first water buffalo dairy in Canada. The sale is still fresh in the mind of Anthea Archer. She cared for the animals with her husband Darrel for 18 years before reluctantly selling in 2017. “Even talking about it now,


talking about the beautiful animals, it all comes back. We definitely miss them,” she says. “The product was good and the fact we had to let that


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Dog-friendly (but a little stubborn), water buffalo were a fit for former dairy farmer Brad Bennik in Langley. SEAN HITREC PHOTO


dream go is in some ways heartbreaking, but you have to carry on.” Archer fondly remembers getting to know the unique animals almost 20 years ago. “As soon as they arrived


[from Europe], we just loved them straight away,” she says. “They are like dogs. They are friendly – just so easy to have around.”


Then suddenly, everything changed for the worse. After the Archers imported their herd of prime milking water buffalo, a mad cow scare sent them to their deaths. The only


survivors were the calves born while the Archers fought the decision in court. “There was typical political panic that this was going to destroy the cattle market,” she says. “It was a cow [that was infected in Europe], not a water buffalo. It's never been in water buffalo, ever.” In following years, half the


herd left with their son for Quebec where processing and distribution is much better. They’re still there today. The other animals


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