Dairy farming is a family affair for Julaine Treur. Together with her husband Johannes and their five children, she owns and operates Creekside Dairy in Agassiz, BC. Although the farm has only been in the family for 7 years, both Julaine and Johannes have deep farming roots. In addition to the Canada-wide ProAction initiative, Creekside Dairy is SPCA and Organic certified. Like other dairy farmers, they are committed to treating their cows with “respect, affection and compassion each and every day”.

Our farm is in the beautiful Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. In total we farm about 350 acres and milk 120 Holstein dairy cows. We are 3rd generation dairy farmers and together we have been farming since 1995 at the current location. We farm with Dave’s brother Will and his wife Heather. As well, both of our sons (4th generation) are currently working on the farm and we hope their children (5th generation) may want to someday take what we have done and make it even better.

Putting the cows first is a priority for Aretha Westenenk. Benco Holsteins, located in beautiful Chilliwack, has been in the family for over 60 years. One of the things that Aretha finds most satisfying about farming, is the interconnectedness. She loves planting seeds, watching the crops grow and then harvesting high quality feed for their animals. Like other Canadian dairy farmers, she has a love for animals and agriculture, and is proud to produce safe products for BC families to enjoy.

Morris Hanson’s farm is located in Creston within the Kootenay Region of BC. Morris first moved to Creston from the Fraser Valley over 45 years ago when it was remotely populated. Today, Morris and his two sons Jeff and Trever along with their families, live and work together on the farm they have established in the region.

Fraser Valley dairy producers, the Kerkhoven Family, have been farming in Deroche, BC since 1955. Dairy farming is a 365-day job and one of various responsibilities: tending to the animals at 3am for their first milking and ending the day around 8pm finishing up farm chores including seasonal tasks such as corn planting and hay cutting. John, a 2nd generation dairy farmer, keeps himself busy on the dairy farm but that isn’t all he does, he’s also a flower grower!

After moving back to her dad’s farm during maternity leave, Laura Hunter had the chance to ignite her career in farming. Not only was she able to experience the wonders of working on a farm, but also take in the pleasures of living on a farm. Since then she has taken over the farm operation and Laura says living on a farm is peaceful, magical and a wonderful place to raise kids.

The Van Keulen family has been dairy farming in Surrey since 1955. Donia Farms is a third-generation farm with about 1000 acres of land and around 1000 cows. Stan and Patricia Van Keulen, along with their 3 sons (Jon, David, Nico) and their families are all involved in keeping the farm strong and sustainable.

Growing up on a dairy farm, it was inevitable that Tony DeGroot would start his own dairy farm. In 1981, he started Tonesa Holsteins and now relishes in the pride that comes with running a successful business producing a healthy product for the local community. Being his own boss isn’t so bad either.

A third generation dairy farmer from the Fraser Valley, Jeremy Wiebe grew up on Rosevale Farms and has been farming full-time for the past seventeen years.

When Sarah Sache was growing up, a life as a dairy farmer was never something that she imagined for herself. Now with her husband Gene and their family, they farm in Rosedale, BC. Raising two young boys, she knows what it is like to be focused on making the right grocery choices for your family. She’s a producer of food, but she’s also a consumer too! That’s why Sarah is so passionate about sharing the stories of what they do on West River Farm through channels such as Instagram. She believes it is important to be accessible to consumers who have questions about how their food is produced.