40 Pulling together


It’s the age-old question: where did the time go? As I prepare this article, we’re rapidly moving away from 2018 and into 2019 but not only that, we’re nearly 20 years


Wannabe Farmer


by LINDA WEGNER


from the uncertainty re the move from 1999 to 2000. Again, I ask, where did the time go? A recent occurrence in my personal life is the setting for my thoughts this month. Here goes:


Though not the way I would have chosen to visit the Prairies, I headed back to Winnipeg for a family funeral this fall. Following the interment of a dear brother- in-law, I spent a few days with our son and his family in Saskatchewan. Be assured, I am not using the privilege of writing this column as an excuse to garner sympathy; rather, there really is a point to these introductory remarks. Three points, in fact. First, intersections on long stretches of


lonely road. Naturally, my thoughts immediately turned to that fateful corner that will forever be remembered as the site of the crash between a semi-truck and the Humboldt Broncos sports team. Though never as dramatic as that, while living in that province I recall near collisions due to an almost hypnotic drive along a straight- as-an-arrow dirt road, only to be startled by what was another straight-as-an-arrow dirt road about to cross my path. One always had to be alert – remoteness and little traffic are no excuses for carelessness. Next, it was the culture of rural farming communities that I will never forget. Be it harsh weather, needed help in sowing or reaping crops or a local tea and bake sale, you can be sure that folks will turn out in


force to lend the hand that’s needed. I was fortunate enough to be in town for one of the latter events and though a stranger, I was made to feel totally welcome. Third, the challenges faced by farmers


are staggering. Here again, weather plays a major role: snow, rain, sunshine – they need them all but in their proper season. As unpredictable as those factors are, national and international trade prices and agreements also have the power to boost or wreck havoc with finances. In fact, most of the farmers and/or their partners have second jobs to support their love of farming. If this sounds familiar, that’s because they are factors common to agriculture no matter when or where it is taking place. In summary, there’s the need to be


prepared, as much as possible, for the unexpected. Be they massive commercial enterprises or smaller but essential plots of food production, forethought regarding possible emergencies is essential. Even then, the need to remain alert is constant. Whether it’s unexpected family situations, shifts in provincial, national or international trading conditions or natural disasters, adequate preparation can be called “using wisdom.” After all, who knows what intersections the agricultural industry will face in 2019? Who knows how much individual communities are going to need to display even more support for unexpected crises? And as always, who knows what the weather will be like over the next twelve months? Will climate change result in prophesied disasters? Weighty thoughts, perhaps, but musings


I’m seriously considering in my personal and family life. I’d like to think that everything will be hunky-dory and if it is, yahoo! If it isn’t, though, I believe that the farmers of every province will be there for each other.


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JANUARY 2019 WATER buffalo


mainly stayed on Vancouver Island until Bennik came along. Fourteen years ago, Bennik


moved to the Fraser Valley to be with his wife and her family. He had grown up on a dairy farm near Rimbey, Alberta, a town northwest of Red Deer. The move to BC meant he would need to pass up the opportunity to take over his parents’ farm. However, as time went on, Bennik began to think about building something for his family and hopefully future generations.


Buying quota to run a traditional dairy would have cost him millions of dollars he didn’t have, so he opted for water buffalo. “That was my thinking going into it, but having to develop a market from scratch, if you calculate costs of your time and lost income while you’re doing it, just buying quota is probably the cheaper way to go,” he says. “I went out on a limb and purchased the first animals and regretted it many, many times along the way.” In the early days, he didn’t


know whether he would be selling, dumping or freezing the milk. Other times, distributors would undercut his prices, something that doesn’t happen in the highly regulated marketing system for cow milk. Then there were the animals themselves. Water buffalo and cows are very different, he says. “I don't know if it's a good


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thing or a bad thing to have dairy experience because you have expectations and assumptions that come with 20 years’ experience with dairy cows,” he says. “[Water buffalo] milk a lot less, they're way more stubborn and they have a lot of personality.” Both Archer and Bennik describe milking and other activities as a team effort between the buffalo and themselves. After learning the individual animal’s routine, Bennik says small things can lead to a bad milking day. “These girls, if a smell is


different, if a person's voice is different, it throws them off,” he says. But now that he knows his


herd, it’s finally starting to pay off. He’s entering new markets and looking at his first break- even year (if all goes well, he quickly adds). He still supplements his income with a second job, however. Another thing that’s


apparent by the way he interacts with his animals is that water buffalo have captured his heart. “They're such soothing animals that anybody that works with them just feels like it's a treat,” he says, adding that some farmhands don’t even want to be paid. In some places in the world, water buffalo are used as therapy animals and Bennik wants to share the experience with others.


The name for Bennik’s business comes from the Ethiopian language Amharic word “tesifa,” and means “hope.” He says the name is synonymous with his mission for the business and because he has a special connection to Ethiopia – three of his six children are adopted from there. “It’s about offering hope to people that work with us, people that have the product and people that can experience the animals,” he says.


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make bufala, a real, short- shelf-life mozzarella that few cheesemakers in the world have perfected. The challenge will be getting the quality right, so his brand attains a high reputation. “We don’t want to jump into it before we have it nailed down,” he says. Meanwhile, Anthea Archer is building a new place to live in as her farm is now sold but hopes to reconnect with Bennik when the project is finished. “As soon as we're settled again, then definitely I want to see how he's doing. I hope we'll go over and see him when we have the opportunity,” she says. “I hope Brad will be [successful]. We really want success in British Columbia. That was our plan.”


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