OUR FARM
Saugeen Country Dairy — Supporting Responsible Farming
We farm about 700 acres of rolling land in Grey County between the towns of Durham & Markdale, Ontario. The landscape was formed by the last ice ages and when the glaciers receded they left behind a good amount of stones that we still have to deal with every time we till the land. The elevation (about 370 meters above sea level) makes for a fairly short growing season with the last frost around the 20th of May and then the first killing frost of the fall at about the 25th of September.
Also, there are a lot of areas that are too steep, rocky or wet for cultivation. The combination of these factors make this part of the country less desirable for modern large-scale farming, but at the same time left it ecologically more intact than many others. Our land is about one-quarter each used as pasture, hay, field crops and forest and wetland. There are many miles of treed fence rows bordering the fields, which help support the abundant wildlife.
We grow various grains for feed or food including oats, barley, spelt, rye, corn, peas, hay and pasture. The hayfields and pastures contain many different species of grasses, legumes and herbs, and the cows like to browse on the trees and shrubs which line the fields. We believe that the inherent balance and health of the farm are greater the less we rely on outside inputs.
“We intend to continue this work for a long time to preserve this land for future generations”
A Natural Cycle
The base of the land's fertility comes directly from the cow herd in two ways. Alfalfa hay in the crop rotation is a great benefit for increasing organic matter and the prevention of soil erosion. Then the return of composted manure from the animals to the land adds another dimension to the eternal cycle of soil building. We, as stewards of the land, have the task of nurturing this cycle.
Another important tool for us is the use of bio-dynamic preparations: specially prepared composts from medicinal plants or materials, which are used in very small quantities, like homeopathic support for the land.
We use fairly common equipment to grow and harvest the various crops. We have a few tractors, a moldboard plow, disc, cultivator and all the hay tools to make the best hay we can.
Tilling the land, growing crops, feeding the harvest to the animals and returning the manure to the land is an ongoing cycle, which is very rewarding for us as farmers and certainly necessary to feed the world.
150 Years of Farming History
Our farm was settled in the 1870s when this part of southern Ontario became open to homesteading. The settlers came up the Saugeen River, which is how we chose the name for our farm.
We started farming here with two families in 1989 on 400 acres and milked cows and raised a small beef herd following bio-dynamic principles. We certified the farm organic from the very beginning, though there was no economic incentive for the milk or beef produced. Coming from Germany, where the organic farm movement was already far more established, we thought about processing our milk to make organic foods more available to customers and we decided to use our quality milk to make the best yogurt we can. At that time a couple of producers in Quebec and Pennsylvania were starting to do this so we visited their farms in 1991 and 1992.
The idea took shape and after working through plenty of red tape and much soul-searching we started digging the foundations for the yogurt house. The plant opened for production in September 1994 with very modest beginnings, but as the years went by we have seen major additions that allow us to utilize now all of our own milk.
As our children have grown up and we are getting older the process of handing over the farm to the next generation has begun, with our oldest son and his wife now having taken over full responsibility for the milking herd. They, in turn, already have two young boys, who know the cows by name. A new barn was built in 2011 and you can read more about it when you click Dairy Barn.
We have been at it for well over 30 years now and the incredible loyalty we have seen from you, our customers, has been very gratifying for us.