Type: On the farm

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!”

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.

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.”

A stone’s throw from Holland, Man., is a quaint 200-herd dairy farm run by sisters Marianne and Isabelle Parvais. Their farm, Parmarisa, is a mashup of their names and a testament that sisters are a mighty force. The pair has worked on the dairy farm since it was formed by their father Raymond, upon relocating to Canada from Halle, Belgium, in 1978.

Marianne Parvais’ passion for dairy farming was instilled at a young age and she took great inspiration from her paternal grandmother Madeleine Lemercier-Parvais, who farmed until age 85.

“She was such a strong woman,” says Parvais. “Her whole life she was independent with her cows.”

Despite formative years during the harrowing interest rates of the ‘80s, Parvais remained committed, absorbing everything she could about dairy farming.

“You keep learning every day on a dairy farm,” she adds. “Technology is always changing; it’s an ongoing process and I love learning.”

In 1994, at age 19, she began her own farm with 15 dairy cows near the family farm. That experience gave her the confidence in 2001 to amalgamate with sister Isabelle, who also ran an independent dairy farm. Their biggest technological leap was in 2013 when they acquired two automated milking systems. With these systems in place, cows can come and go to the milking station as they please.

“I’m working so there is a land base ready for them,” she says. “I will be there for my girls, even if they want new technology, just like my dad was there for me.”

Each day as Parvais prepares for her daily chores, she admits with pride how grandma Lemercier-Parvais continues to serve as an ongoing mentor.

“I’m proud to be a dairy farmer and produce a nourishing food for people,” she says. “That’s what keeps me going. I owe it to my grandmother.”

 

Photos by Marianne Parvais

 

Kristy-Layne & Richard raise kids and cows on their Manitoba farm. Operating a dairy farm is time consuming work. They milk three times a day, 365 days a year – no exceptions.

Add to that raising four kids who are involved in sports, 4-H and other extra-curricular activities, and these young parents are as busy as it gets.

Learn more about their story and how they balance the needs of a growing family while managing the well-being of their herd, the success of their farm, and their desire to produce the highest quality milk possible.

 

 

There is no question that farmers, and dairy farmers especially, are passionate about the animals in their care and making a living from the land. That passion extends to making sure that land is sustainable for future generations.

So, when Manitoba Hydro’s Power Smart Solar Energy Program provided an opportunity to pilot a large solar energy project, Optimist Holsteins leapt at the chance.

Albert Gorter and Chelsea Enns

“The decision to move to solar technology was an easy one for us,” remarks Hans Gorter, who farms with his wife Nelleke, son Albert, and daughter-in-law Chelsea. “As farmers we are in tune with the land so it’s natural to implement sustainable operating systems when and where we can.”

Solar energy is a sustainable resource that is easy to access and creates very little carbon footprint to produce. It’s a clean form of energy that is renewable at no extra cost for the life of the solar panels, which can be up to 25 years.

Optimist Holsteins’ solar energy system sits on land that was only good for growing grass. Two and a half years later that space is now among the most productive pieces of land they own.

“The farm on average will use about 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) or more every day. The average solar production is around 750 kWh daily, year-round, which is equal to about 75 or 80 percent of our electricity needs,” explains Gorter. To put that in perspective, the average home in Manitoba uses less than 2,500 kWh of energy every month.

Optimist Holsteins’ environmental leanings are also influenced by Gorter’s European roots. Gorter and his wife moved to Canada from the Netherlands in 1987. He has many friends in Europe who use solar technology.

Optimist Holsteins’ system uses the same type of panels as many of Gorter’s European farming friends – but here in Manitoba, he is getting 20 percent more solar production.

“On average, we in Manitoba have more bright sunny days, making Manitoba an ideal place for solar energy systems,” Gorter adds.

While they aren’t the largest solar energy system in the province anymore, Optimist Holsteins is looking forward to the next big movement in solar technology – the day when solar-powered cars will be the norm and it’s their plan to be the first farm in their area to own one.

 

Photos by Cric Studios.