All winners will be celebrated during the 2017 IPM
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
A dairy farming family from Frontenac County is one of 11 winners of the 2017 Bank of Montreal (BMO) Farm Family Awards.
Members of the local community nominated Orserdale Farm for the award, which makes it even more special, according to owner/operator Lloyd Orser.
“It’s just an honour to be nominated by our community,” Orser told Farms.com. “And then to win an all-Ontario award with other farming families is a very neat thing to have happen.”
Orser’s dairy farm consists of between 45 and 50 cows, and each cow is milked three times per day.
The winning families were chosen for their dedication to family farming and rural communities.
The Orser farm itself has been active since 1867 and received a century farm sign in 1967.
“Our family has been at it for more than 150 years in the same location,” he said.
And the family is active in the community.
Lloyd is a 20-year volunteer with the Frontenac 4-H club and his children are working to become the next generation of dairy farmers.
“Three of my sons are involved in the farm full time and other children are part time as needed,” he said. “My youngest daughter is still in high school. She’s very involved in 4-H and showing her calf and she really likes that aspect of it.”
Orser’s parents are still involved in the farming operations, too.
And it’s Ontario farm families like the ones being honoured that make the province great, Orser said.
“Farming has always been a family project, and future generations make it possible for farms to continue,” he said. “And it looks like it’s going to carry on for a while yet.”
The other 10 award-winning families are:
Family Name | Farm Name | Area |
Crowley Family | Crovalley Holsteins | Peterborough |
Cull Family | Cull Family Farm | Renfrew |
Flynn Family | Flynn Farms (Clinton) Ltd. | Huron County |
Gamble Family | Gamblelane Farms Ltd. | Grey North |
Jennen Family | Jennen Family Farm Market | Chatham-Kent |
Kniaziew Family | Orangeline Farms Limited | Essex |
Maitland Family | Maitland Meadows Farm | Grenville |
Oosterhof Family | Jobo Farms Inc. | Leeds |
Spoelstra Family | Roy-A-Lea Farms Ltd. | South Wentworth |
Trask Family | Sunlane Farms | Wellington |
The winning families will be honoured during the 2017 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo on Saturday, September 23.
Farms.com extends its congratulations to all of the winning families!
Top photo: Lloyd Orser, right and his daughter Courtney/4-H Ontario