Steenholl Dairy Farms Ltd.
Norwich Norwich, ON, Canada

I need your help. My friend Kelsey is an amazing person and talented farmer. Her passion for growing pumpkins is legendary. Sadly, she was diagnosed with a can...cerous brain tumour so she had to make the heart wrenching decision to not grow any pumpkins this year at her Laural Lee Farm. On a positive note she is taking the time she needs to fight her her battle and rest up for next years crop. This is where you can help. If you have the space please grow a pumpkin on her behalf to show your support. At the end of the season I will be inviting you to take a selfie with your pumpkin for her to see. It will mean the world to her so please show your support. If you need any pumpkins growing advice I’m sure that she would love to help you out so reach out for advice #PumpkinsForKelsey https://kelseybanksca.wordpress.com//pumpkins-2020-covid-/

Even with our wide open spaces and fresh air, social distancing still applies to farms. We are under strict orders not to approach our milk truck drivers or be ...in the same room as them. Breaking those rules can result in not having your milk picked up. It makes sense; drivers are responsible for grading the milk, taking samples and getting it to the processor. We need to keep the supply chain moving. We’ve gotten similar notices from feed companies, veterinarians and technicians. We need to alert each other of any travel in the last 14 days and we need to maintain our distance. Biosecurity is always a priority on a dairy farm but even more so now. Stay safe everyone. This morning’s milk will be on the shelves very soon #BuyLocal See more

Third cut getting put into the bunk

The #DairyDoneRight radio ad this morning said that you need to understand cows before you can care for them. It’s easy to care about animals but caring FOR ...them is whole different story. Some of what you need to know you can learn from text books but much of that needed knowledge comes from hands-on experience passed on through the generations. The information that you need to know to be a farmer is mind blowing. I’m still learning even after four years of studying animal science at university and a life time of working with cows ...and don’t get me started on growing crops! In some ways farming is an art. I can tell if a cow is unwell just by the way she looks, stands, walks or eats. I can diagnose most ailments before I even call the vet. Only experience has given me the confidence to correct calving positions and know when to call for help when needed. Sometimes all it takes is for me to feel a cow’s ear or smell her breath to know that she is unwell. I can judge a cow’s wellness by monitoring the subtle changes in her body condition throughout her lactation. I can even notice very slight variations in the way a cow walks or stands which may indicate lameness or other discomforts. Milk production is monitored daily and since I’m the one doing the milking it can be one of the easiest indicators of cattle health. I know when a cow is being a bully or if they are just looking for love. There are times when it’s just the look in the cows eye that tells me if she is content or if she needs attention. I’m with my cows seven days a week. I know their unique personalities and needs. Some shy away from a scratch on the head while others come looking for attention. Yes, farmers use their animals to make a living but that doesn’t mean that we don’t care about them. In fact, we have a vested interest in their well being. That’s why we work so hard to care FOR them not just about them.

Hi folks...I have to say I am pretty proud to be Canadian ....we have a generally great life despite our annoyances over potholes in the spring and a PM who i...s disappointing right now. Otherwise we have a great country when we remember what we have instead of focusing on what we haven’t. I have read and seen many articles about Fairlife milk these days in the Canadian media. While I am over the moon pumped that so many of our fellow Canadians are supporting the little blue cow campaign and they are supporting our Canadian dairy industry by purchasing milk from Canadian cows, I’m a little saddened by a couple of things ..... 1. Many folks are slamming Fairlife milk that is being sold in Canada and while I appreciate the support this isn’t altogether good because Fairlife is building a processing plant in Peterborough, On and when it is ready to go it will use Canadian milk!!!! ...please be patient, you don’t have to buy their milk now....wait until it’s Canadian milk and buy it then!! Hopefully by 2020. 2. If this company can’t sell their product once it is 100% Canadian because of all the prior backlash then this doesn’t help Canadian farmers at all. 3. We forget that there is more at stake then just farmers and consumers. This project has likely brought construction jobs to this part of the province, they are purchasing local materials....their construction workers eat in local restaurants and shop in local stores. 4. This project will provide jobs for local families ....maybe only 30 jobs but those are 30 families who are grateful for the opportunity....let’s not take that away. 5. The drivers who pick up the milk from farms in this province drive ALL over Ontario to deliver milk to be processed. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a local option sometimes? These drivers miss Christmas and birthdays with their families because they are taking our milk to a plant 4 hours away after already putting in extremely early mornings (often up at 2:30 am to start their days). 6. These milk trucks travel a lot of highways and use a lot of fuel to arrive at their destinations. Wouldn’t it be great if they could drive fewer kms? That would be great for the environment and better for the highways. 7. We need to stop slamming US farmers. Period. They are no different than my family in that they are just trying to eek out a living in an industry that no one finds very popular these days. We are attacked in social media by activists who know nothing about the realities of farming. We are under extreme pressure due to ever changing weather which dictates much of our success or failures in this business and then we are disappointed by our government leaders. Please don’t belittle and degrade American farmers who are doing the best they can as well. Not all American milk has artificial hormones in it. In fact I expect very little does ...I don’t truly understand the rules and regulations in the US but I expect their consumers demand high quality products the same as Canadians do which is why I expect there milk is just as good as ours. 8. Milk is a fresh product with a short shelf life and needs to be sold domestically (meaning it has to be sold locally and consumed quickly.....we no more consume milk from BC or PEI than we do from the US). 9. Did you know that mental health issues are on the rise in farmers? I read a statistic the other day and it stated that farmers have the highest rate of suicide these days than any other industry or sector of society. We live where we work and we work where we live....and there is never a break or pause from the stress. We all do this job because most of us were raised on farms...there is a sense of pride in carrying on a legacy of a family business for generation after generation. Not for the glory or the money but because it’s the only way most farmers know how to live. It’s ingrained and not as simple as a job...it’s an identity, it’s in your DNA. I would compare it a little how those in our armed forces feel whom serve their country ....it’s a need to fulfil in life not a pay cheque. Anyways...I’m just a mom of farm kids and a wife of a dairy farmer and daughter of a retired dairy farmer .....I’m not a politician, an economist, a blogger or activist. These are just my two cents on how I see the benefits of this Fairlife plant in our own little community. We are all in this life together. We all succeed when we support and understand each other. just sayin’

Good things grow, in Ontario...and in Canada. Next week (Feb 12) is Canada's Agriculture Day. How will you celebrate? Perhaps whip up a tasty homegrown burger?

I (Shannon ) am currently attending the Advancing Women Conference in Niagara Falls. Currently listening to Kay Kuenker speak and she shared this story. Thought it was great to share! https://www.linkedin.com//20140817172015-254040822-how-one

Wow. Who knew that you could get drunk on dairy?!?! Just another innovative way to enjoy Canadian dairy products It might make a great stocking stuffer gift as well. Christmas isn’t far away #DairyDistillery #Vodkow https://www.cbc.ca//moo-ve-over-smirnoff-this-ontario-dist

Canada made concessions on dairy in the USMCA trade deal, essentially allowing for more American dairy products into Canadian markets. How will this hurt dairy... farms in Quebec, the nation's largest producer of dairy, and the rest of Canada? To find out, we spoke with Jason Erskine, owner and operator of Erskine Farms, a dairy farm in Quebec.

Finally! Something that we can do! So many of you have asked how you can help. Please sign this petition and share the heck out of it! Your local dairy farming families thank-you https://www.thepetitionsite.com//canadian-consumers-suppo/

It’s been a busy couple of days on the farm with corn silage. Here is a picture of our youngest waiting to deliver a meal to daddy.

#theFacesofSupplyManagement NAFTA. It appears that Mexico and the US have come to an agreement on trade terms, and now intense scrutiny is on Canada as our nego...tiators attempt to come to an agreement as well. Dairy is once more front and center in the news. I’ve read comments that our industry and farmers should just be sacrificed in order to get this deal done. Just give in to Trump’s demands. As a Canadian dairy farmer, my farm and family are directly in the crosshairs in this fight. That cold sick feeling in the pit of our stomachs has returned yet again as we wait to hear what the future holds for us. Will we survive this latest attack on our livelihood? President Trump’s tirades against our country’s dairy supply management system and his demands to dismantle said system are frankly quite frightening. But what is most frustrating is the lack of background or real facts in his claims of unfair trade practices in dairy between the US in Canada. Supply management means that our Canadian dairy farms produce enough milk for Canadian consumers. In order to keep this balance between demand and supply, our government has trade barriers in place in the form of tariffs on dairy imports. Foreign countries are able to import milk to Canada, but they will be charged a high tariff (up to 300%). This cost is often prohibitive to imports and so Canadian processors usually rely on domestic dairy supply. But... Canada does allow some tariff free imports - about 10%. This percentage has been increasing in recent years; CETA and the new TPP have whittled away a sizeable chunk of our dairy market. But get this: this 10% is more than double the amount that the USA allows. Say what??? Yes, you read that correctly. The US caps tariff free imports at about 2.75%. So, the US ALSO protects their dairy industry. Ironic, huh? Yet, President Trump has attacked our system. You see, American dairy farmers are in dire straits. They produce much much more milk than is needed in the States and export a rather significant percentage to other countries, Canada included. The global dairy market is saturated, there’s simply too much milk. This has driven the price paid to American farmers below the cost of production, pushing many farms out of business. It’s understandable then that Trump would look for ways to alleviate these problems. But expecting entirely free dairy trade with Canada to fix this problem is ludicrous. With a population 1/10th the size of the States’, our market is too small to make a very significant dent in their current surplus. Wisconsin alone produces more milk than all Canadian farms combined. The US needs to manage their own issues with over supply rather than expecting us to fix their problems. Our own farmers do a fine job of supplying our citizens with dairy products, thank you very much. And if the border were opened, what would be the cost? Our current system ensures a fair price paid to farmers that covers the cost of production. American dairy farms are already producing milk at a loss, and Canadian farms would soon follow suit. Small farms unable to compete with the economies of scale present on mega dairies with tens of thousands of cows would be the first to go. Farms like ours. Family farms. Our rural fabric would be forever changed. Is that what Canadians want? If you want the dairy products you enjoy to be produced on Canadian farms, under the strictest animal welfare, milk quality and food safety standards in the world, it’s time to speak up. Let your elected officials know that your Canadian dairy products and dairy farmers are important to you. Reach out to your MP. Send an email to the Prime Minister’s office. Do anything you can to encourage our government to stand firm, to not give in to Trump’s bullying tactics. If they don’t, this photo may one day be one of the only reminders of the farms that used to dot our countryside. Let’s work together to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Our community lost a very special person and friend of mine. Enough is Enough! #ilivebecauseyoufarm