PEOPLE

Christmas is a special time, but even more so on a dairy farm. There’s nothing quite like a quiet blanket of snow covering the pasture, with the lights of the barn during evening chores casting a warm glow that can be seen for miles. There’s a certain feeling in the air on Christmas Eve, causing all of us to slow down and be grateful for the incredible opportunity we have as Canadian dairy producers.

Lintfield Farms was started by Ben and Annemieke Brinke when they moved to Canada in 1990. They purchased a 40-cow tiestall herd in Granton, Ontario, and began construction of a double-5 parlour and three-row freestall barn.

When Remco and Karen Brinke decided to join his parents, Ben and Annemieke, at Lintfield Farms in Granton, Ontario, they knew the original double-5 parlour and three-row freestall barn built in 1990 wasn’t going to be big enough for the farm growth necessary to support two families. 

I have been active on the Veterinary Practice Sustainability Committee of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) for the past five years. 

Everyone has at least one definitive moment in his or her life. The moment when you must either persevere against the odds in hopes of achieving greatness or give up and spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been.

The ninth annual Robert “Whitey” McKown Master Breeder Award will be awarded to Wendon Holsteins of Innisfail, Alberta. This honour will be presented at the 51st World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.