18 DAIRY history


son David still lives on the property with his wife Janice. Hay has been the primary crop, however.


The farm is one of several


that have exited the dairy business in recent years. There are now approximately 39 dairies on Vancouver Island, and some of these are up for sale. The owners are older and the cost of acquiring any one of the operations is in the millions of dollars. That’s prohibitive for younger farmers and new entrants. The loss of farms has left


processors undersupplied. Closure of the Saputo plant in Courtenay earlier this year reversed that situation but it now means milk is trucked off island for processing. Having local, on-Island buyers for local milk reverses some of the losses. With milk once again being


processed on the Demar farm, the story affirms both the area’s long history of dairying and the potential for value- added production. “Being able to say, “All this milk comes from this particular farm, and it’s all a herd of Ayrshire cows,” is great for us,” says Spencer. “It’s a neat story. And honestly, it’s just really good milk.” Haltwhistle doesn’t pay a premium for his milk, but


nfrom pg 17


Oliver Balme says that’s not the point. The cheese is good, and it’s a way to showcase local milk as well as a local processor. “We not making more


money,” says Balme. “The main thing about him using our milk is the pride.” Demand is rapidly catching up with Haltwhistle, however. Production has increased


250% over the past two years to between 10,000 and 15,000 kilograms of cheese a year, and Spencer expects production to double again over the next three to four years. Thorarinson, who oversees farm administration and handles sales to farmers' markets, has cultivated local markets and the couple is working on a distribution agreement with a major grocer.


“I always expected the


ability to grow our sales to come from the cow’s side. Cow’s milk definitely helps, and there’s a lot of people that really prefer cow versus goat,” Spencer says. “[But] they basically only want our goat’s milk products because we’re producing something that no one else [produces].” Despite approximately 25


artisan cheesemakers in BC, Haltwhistle is the sole raw milk cheesemaker on


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • NOVEMBER 2019


The 130 Ayrshire cattle at Balme Ayr Farms in Cobble Hill supply milk for Haltwhistle Cheese Co. in nearby Duncan. PETER MITHAM PHOTO


Vancouver Island. It's also notable because its goat cheeses are typically firm- textured French-style cheeses rather than the chevres and other soft styles that dominate among Western Canada's goat's milk creameries. (Several cheesemakers produce goat's milk cheddars and Goudas, however.)


The demand is pushing up against the limits of the 1,000- square-foot cheesemaking facility, located adjacent to the parlour where he milks a dozen goats at a time. “We’re really facing the limits of our space right now,” he says. Haltwhistle doesn’t have


any immediate plans to relocate. Its long-term lease at


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Damar runs until 2034, which is far enough in the future that Spencer isn’t worrying about what comes next just yet. “We started making cheese


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