Valuing our dairy farmers

of Canadian processing plants, at a lesser cost.

Countries that have transitioned away from supply management, such as Australia, have seen an initial spike in dairy production, then a steady reduction in production, farms and farmers.

Jeannie tells me that she writes 50 business cheques each month to local companies, a substantial contribution to the local economy. Her farm employs people from the community and hosts a student each summer, so future farmers have applied knowledge.

Being a dairy farmer is more than a job. It’s a way of life. The recent concessions in trade agreements are eroding farmers’ livelihoods, and thus that way of life.

Granted, it’s a challenging life. I often ask farmers why they do it.

The answer is always the same: love. Canadian dairy farms are not milk factories. They are collections of people who love what they do and the animals in their care. That gets them through 20-hour days in the summer.

Jeannie and her husband, John, are proudly mentoring their two sons into the management of the 600-acre crop and 300-head farm. They all showed me how incredibly innovative farmers are as well as their dedication to the welfare and comfort of their animals. Lellavan farms just installed a $2.2-million dairy barn designed around the principal criteria of animal welfare, comfort and safety. Jeannie knows every single animal. As we walked around, interacting with them, it was clear they knew her. They showed affection.

In the language of reports, the BCG report accurately states that the dairy industry “…contributes to the regional fabric and territory occupations.”

I’ll put it this way: you cannot separate farming from the fabric of rural Canada. The families, animals and land are fully integrated into the community and landscape. The survival of rural Atlantic Canada is dependent on this, and it is something we must keep in mind during all of our trade negotiations.

Agriculture is our future; it’s that simple.

Dr. David Gray

Professor of Animal Science Dean - Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University