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Alongside his seven siblings, Norbert Rey was raised on a family farm in St. Claude, Manitoba. His father had been raised in an orphanage since the age of 9 and working on a dairy farm for room and board before moving to St. Claude where he met and settled with Norbert’s mother. “I had an uncle there who owned the Portage creamery in Portage la Prairie for a number of years,” Norbert explains, furthering the context of his dairy farming lineage.
In 1978, Norbert married his wife Donna, and two years later, they built their first dairy barn together and created what is now known as Noreydo Dairy Farm. The name was born out of a combination of the names Norbert, Donna, and Rey.
“We milked 17 cows for our first milking in November when our firstborn, Kevin, was 9 months old,” says Norbert. Their other children – Krista, Ryan, and Shari – were born in 1981, 1986, and 1989. As the kids grew older, they began to help on the farm alongside their after-school involvements with hockey and music. “Over the years, whenever Donna and I would be milking, the kids would play in the middle of the barn. We made a ‘playpen’ with hay bales.”
Over the years, Norbert and Donna increased their herd to 50 cows, and then worked with their sons, Kevin and Ryan, to continue to grow their farm. “In 2010, we added a new barn and milk house. Presently, we milk 90-100 cows and crop 1,000 acres plus rented land. We do this with one employee and family help.”
“The children learn how to work
and be responsible. They can see
the results of their work, but they
also learn they can have fun too.”
Their son Kevin and his wife Lisa now have 3 children—Owen, Kali, and Liam. They help with milking, feeding calves, yard work, and any other farm chores. Ryan and his wife Micheline have 3 children as well—Eli, Taryn, and little Sadie. “They also help around the barn by feeding calves and whatever other chores they can manage,” Norbert explains proudly. “And when they’re not helping here, Owen, Kali, and Liam are involved in hockey. While Eli and Taryn play hockey and baseball.”
In Norbert’s eyes, working on a dairy farm at a young age is an important asset. “They can take what they learn wherever they go and apply it to whatever they want to do. When my kids were small, they would come in the tractor or the combine with me, now the grandkids do. We would sometimes have meals together in the field, something we still do, with the grandkids and everyone! The children learn how to work and be responsible. They can see the results of their work, but they also learn they can have fun too. All in all, a dairy farm is a good place to raise a family!”
Dairy Farmers of Manitoba is proud to support the local restaurants we all love.
Local restaurants have been there for us, now we’re here for them.
Local restaurants are small businesses that have helped shape the communities they serve. From birthdays and anniversaries to date-nights and game-nights, local restaurants have always been there for us – and now it’s time for all of us to be there for them.
To show our support, we’re helping to promote them! Working with each restaurant, we’re creating custom advertisements and donating media space so more people can learn about these amazing local food hangouts.
And remember to keep an eye on our social media because we’re teaming up with local influencers to host exciting gift card giveaways so Manitobans can eat at their favourite local restaurants or try something new!
It’s a plan that’s as simple as it is delicious. So let’s all come to the table, and make a difference to the local restaurants that make Manitoba so special.
We’re proud to announce our new campaign: Milk Helps Make You.
We know that milk contains calcium and protein that are key for growth, development, and energy. Our campaign explores the many different ways milk helps people achieve greatness in whatever they’re doing!
We’re also excited to announce the launch of our new social channels, it’s the perfect way for you to stay in the loop! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for fun content and tasty recipes!
Where there’s help, there’s hope. That’s why we’ve partnered with Harvest Manitoba to help provide all Manitobans with nutritious dairy products. Join us and let’s be #HereforCanada.
Find out how you can donate to Harvest Manitoba here.
What do you get when you mix a group of eager students and a real-life learning kitchen? A whole lot of education, practical skills, and fun memories!
SuperChef Academy and Cooking Quest are two hands-on cooking programs making positive connections between kids and the kitchen. These programs, hosted by Nüton – a team of registered dietitians from Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (DFM), give children the chance to learn about food through hands-on participation while building cooking confidence and lifelong skills. More than 400 kids attend each of the two programs. SuperChef is geared toward Grades 2-3 children, while Cooking Quest is aimed at Grades 4-5 students.
Not only does Nüton teach kids practical skills, but it also equips Manitoba teachers with knowledge. Prior to a program, teachers attend a Nüton workshop where they learn how to teach about food and nutrition. It’s a positive, inclusive environment to work directly with registered dietitians about nutrition and, in turn, empower their students.
“It’s a primer to positive messages around food and nutrition before they engage in the actual field trip,” says Amanda Hamel, a Nüton nutrition programs educator. “This provides teachers with an understanding of how to talk to kids around and about food.”
SuperChef Academy
SuperChef Academy participants are split into small groups led by a Nüton dietitian. Students learn the ground rules of kitchen and food safety before getting a chance to use the stovetop, oven, and skillets, while also having a chance to blend, chop, grate, slice, dice, and mix ingredients.
“We’re giving kids a sense of independence and ownership around food,” explains Hamel. “We try to get them to build confidence around eating by exposing them to a variety of foods. We can help them develop eating competence, which helps them navigate the complicated food system we live in.”
Hamel says the helpful connections made through collaborative preparation and consumption of food are invaluable for children. Even better, the program introduces the kitchen apprentices to new foods such as avocado, couscous, or even something as simple as a red pepper.
“Teachers are looking for exciting ways to provide fun food opportunities for kids – and I think SuperChef fits the bill,” adds Hamel.
Cooking Quest
One Winnipeg foods and nutrition teacher who immediately fell in love with the program is Stephanie Fehr. Her Grades 4-5 students attended Cooking Quest in 2019 – and she was left in awe of the program.
While SuperChef Academy introduces kids to the kitchen, Cooking Quest takes it a step further. The field trip pairs two on-site classes with two remote classes to complete educational food quests. In person, students investigate a mystery, and the remote groups communicate back through iPads, sharing the information they have researched for their team.
As students fill in the blanks, they earn points, which are ultimately converted into real dollars and put towards nourishment programs in that school’s community.
“The way it was organized, it was inviting and inclusive,” says Fehr, who described the entire experience as a perfect intersection of theoretical and practical. “Kids sometimes don’t want to be talked at, they want to do. It provides a really authentic experience.”
Fehr was delighted with Nüton’s organized event, which allowed her to stand back and watch the dietitians provide a time of education and entertainment.
“Students are laughing, making lasagna with hands in the water to soak noodles. They’re all having fun, waiting their turn, and being patient,” explains Fehr.
For the Nüton team, smiling faces of both students and teachers underscore the importance of both programs.
“The memories that kids walk away with will last them a really long time,” says Hamel.
Photos by Daniel Crump Photography
Did you know you can support Canadian-made products even at the grocery store? Look for the Blue Cow logo and you’ll know the product is made with quality Canadian milk.
Watch to find out what the Blue Cow logo stands for.
Video courtesy of Dairy Farmers of Canada
Growing up on a dairy farm in Landmark, Manitoba, Matt Plett had everything he wanted before him—fresh air, family, and a farm. He loved working with animals and being a part of his tight-knit rural community.
However, at 12, his father sold the dairy farm and within a few years the family made a decision to move to the United States. His stepmother had accepted a job as a nurse in Central Point, Oregon – following an American campaign to attract Canadian nurses. So, Plett, who only ever knew Landmark and his farm community, began life anew with his family at age 15.
“It was very challenging,” says Plett, now 40. “I had grown up in the same town my whole life. My baseball team, hockey, Sunday school—it was the same dozen guys and we were all very, very close.”
However, with the benefit of time, Plett did grow to appreciate his two years spent stateside, explaining how it made him grateful in a new way to what his childhood in Manitoba was all about.
“It was good to expand my horizons and see something different and experience different cultures,” he says. “At the same time, my sense of appreciation for time, people, [and] places were heightened.”
And, just as he planned, upon high school graduation, Plett returned to Manitoba and enrolled at the University of Manitoba to study agribusiness and animal science. He quickly landed his first job at Landmark Feeds in 1999.
He had a great job, a romantic relationship, and was back with his childhood friends and family. There was just one nagging void in his life—a farm.
It’s a great way to raise a family and it’s a rewarding way of life
Plett had a secret dream that if his old family farm ever came up for sale, he would buy it back.
Every couple years, Plett stopped in at the farm owner’s property to remind the landowner that should he ever want to sell, there was a buyer all ready.
The benefit of time was on the side of young Plett and, one fall day in 2006, he received a phone call. The owner was approaching his golden years and inquired to see just how serious Plett was. As it turned out, plenty serious. The two worked out equitable terms and made a sale.
Within nine months, Plett and his wife Tanya went from no farm to owning a 45-cow dairy farm. Oh, and they also had their second child during this chaotic period.
“It was a busy season of life, but it all turned out and I’m glad we did it,” says Plett.
Initially, their dairy farm had limited space with limited cash flow. So, their heifer calves (young cows) were sent to another farm to be raised until the Pletts slowly got their feet under them. The family was thriving, and the children were learning all about life on a dairy farm with a 24/7 education.
Another opportunity arose less than five years later as Tanya’s parents offered their nearby dairy farm at Blumenort to their daughter and son-in-law. Although initially not interested, after time spent in conservation with friends and family, they took the plunge.
“But because the opportunity fell in our lap, we felt that maybe that first chapter was done,” says Plett.
The barn setup has allowed them to efficiently produce milk, while continuing to maintain a high level of animal care through three milking sessions each day.
Through farming, Plett is grateful for the opportunity to provide his family with a lifestyle he believes in and where thousands of Canadians can enjoy the fruits of his labour.
“I didn’t look at farming as a get rich quick scheme, because it’s not,” he says with a laugh. “It’s a great way to raise a family and it’s a rewarding way of life. Our work in getting milk to the marketplace is obviously very important and it’s been quite rewarding.”
What Plett finds most rewarding of being a dairy farmer are closely related to the values he holds and ultimately want to pass on to his children, like how a farm is a great place to teach children the value of work, building something, and the value of being productive as a family.
“The fact that farming has been in our families for generations gives our children, and us, a sense of time, place, and purpose. They can see the connection to land and buildings that their ancestors used to make a living, which are still being used by our family today,” he says. “Many of our cow families still descend from a brood cow that my father-in-law purchased 40 years ago. To see the cycle of life from a heifer calf being born, to standing beside her great granddaughter in the barn is a constant reminder that rewarding things take time.”