When the Stobbe family moved from Abbotsford to Mara, BC, in 2003 they immediately had a problem to solve. Thank goodness farmers are problem-solvers and see every challenge as an opportunity to improve efficiency.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 important to cool raw milk as quickly as possible,91裸聊视频� explains AJ Stobbe. 91裸聊视频淢ilk grows bacteria when it91裸聊视频檚 warm. The longer it91裸聊视频檚 warm, the more bacteria it grows.91裸聊视频�
In Abbotsford the Stobbe family used electricity to rapidly cool their raw milk from 38 degrees Celsius to 2.5 degrees Celsius and natural gas to heat their barn and other buildings. However, their new farm in Mara didn91裸聊视频檛 have access to natural gas, and they didn91裸聊视频檛 want to use propane to heat buildings. So they followed the lead of cutting-edge farmers in Europe and installed a geothermal system - not only does it draw heat from the milk, it also repurposes that heat to warm the barn, offices and their family home.
91裸聊视频淥ur primary goal was to invest in our cows, keeping them healthy and productive. But it91裸聊视频檚 a real source of pride that we91裸聊视频檝e found a way to use this technology to heat the floor in the barn and other buildings as well,91裸聊视频� Stobbe says.
Today, the farm doesn91裸聊视频檛 use any fossil fuels other than diesel in its tractors. They91裸聊视频檝e also recently started a blueberry farm, and are committed to keeping it insecticide-free so it91裸聊视频檚 a safe place for pollinators.
91裸聊视频淪ustainability is a balance. We91裸聊视频檙e still running a business, so if we don91裸聊视频檛 make a profit we91裸聊视频檙e not sustainable long-term. If creation around us dies or our cows are unhealthy, that91裸聊视频檚 not sustainable either,91裸聊视频� Stobbe says. 91裸聊视频淎nyone who comes to our farm for a tour immediately sees how much we care. We love showing people everything we91裸聊视频檙e doing.91裸聊视频�
Sustainable farming for future generations
On the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, is also focused on longevity through sustainability.
91裸聊视频淲e still have cows in barns my great-grandfather built. Preserving that family heritage is pretty big for us,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淢y family91裸聊视频檚 been farming for four generations, and I would love for the family to continue farming here for another four generations. We can91裸聊视频檛 do that if we don91裸聊视频檛 take care of the land and the animals.91裸聊视频�
They91裸聊视频檝e dug ditches to capture rainfall reducing erosion and preventing flooding while also providing a source for irrigation. They have plans to add solar panels, and plant fast-growing Empire apple trees that will sequester carbon dioxide and support pollinator populations.
91裸聊视频淲e won91裸聊视频檛 have any food if we don91裸聊视频檛 have any bees,91裸聊视频� Mickey says. 91裸聊视频淭here are a lot of really cool sustainable practices I would love to do, but it takes time to fulfil them all.91裸聊视频�
Caring for the environment, the people and the cows
Back on the mainland in Agassiz, is also a careful steward of the land. When his parents started in 1960 their dairy farm was rural, but now houses have sprouted nearby. So he91裸聊视频檚 worked with the community to plant hundreds of native trees and shrubs and install a walking trail on the farm91裸聊视频檚 perimeter that91裸聊视频檚 free for his neighbours to use.
91裸聊视频淭his is a beautiful place to live, a great place to raise kids,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淵our farm environment should be about contented animals and contented employees, who are fairly compensated, well treated, and where educational opportunities are encouraged. You take care of the environment, you take care of people, and you take care of the cows.91裸聊视频�
Learn more about sustainable farming practices at and on , and .