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Mom’s coloured cow fascination has rubbed off on their girls. Alyssa with her Reserve Champion (Guernsey) heifer and Chloe with Champion (Brown Swiss) heifer at the 2023 Agassiz Fair Rainbow 4-H Club Achievement.
Alyssa and Chloe seemed to adapt to the Saskatchewan winters with a good attitude!
classify – they complement one another,” she shares.
Currently, Alyssa works full time at home and occasionally as a brand inspector, while Chloe is also working at home, primarily looking after all the calves. “I would love to see the girls stay here and farm, but they have to want to – it’s their decision.”
What advice does Ashley offer to other
women? “Don’t be discouraged as a woman
in dairy...physically it can be hard - but
there are ways to do it. Just because
The couple were just 23 and 25 years old when they took on their own farm in Saskatchewan with their very little girls.
when they returned to Chilliwack. “When Chloe was in her first year, she was Reserve Champion Showman in Rosthern. She’s always had that ability,” mom shares with reserved pride. Like their mom, both girls enjoy the different colours in the barn. Alyssa showed two Jerseys, two Brown Swiss, five Holsteins and in her just-completed final year, she was thrilled to show a Guernsey heifer purchased from the Tamis Lindrian herd dispersal in late 2022. “Both girls chose their own heifers to show – they asked my opinion, but the decision was theirs.”
Most recently, Chloe and Ashley participated with seven other producers on a Greenbelt Roundtable panel on Calf Management – sharing and learning among the best managers to stimulate even better results.
“I’ve always tried to participate in industry functions, but there just isn’t enough time for everything – and there’s definitely not much time for holidays!” Besides their honeymoon in New Zealand, Richard and Ashley took a three-day John Deere factory tour in 2009 and followed up with a five day cow-holiday to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in 2022! “The trip to the Royal was special. The girls ran the farm on their own – they were really pleased with themselves and we couldn’t be
Richard and Ashley take pride in and responsibility for being Proud Canadian Dairy Farmers.
have one Holstein that has a white head from her Monte granddam – she’s 88 points.” Their experience with Flekvieh wasn’t the greatest and Ashley says she appreciated the fat production of her Swedish Reds when crossed with Holstein and Brown Swiss, but it eventually became impossible to sustain the multi-crosses. She’s happy with the current range of breeds and has concluded her cross-breeding phase. She admits to using beef on the lower end of the herd, especially the Jerseys to enhance the value of male calves.
Challenges, Lessons,
Opportunities
Ashley isn’t a complainer...her method seems to be one of ‘get on with it.’ Her only significant negative experience was in 2010 when their robot installation did not pan out as hoped. “We had to buy two liners of cows to replace all the cows we lost in the mess. We recovered, but it took a long time,” she admits stoically. On the other hand, Ashley loves the birth of every new live calf! “A healthy new calf represents hope and possibility – that’s what I’d rather focus on.” Speaking of calves, Ashley began using winter calf coats their second year in Warman. “We break out the coats when we get down to 5C and use them for 3-4
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productive and classify well. I’ve done some
Bleed: n/a
genomic testing in the past and I think it
Safety: n/a
could be a good tool. We milk test and
to respect – everyone should realize that
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women can do everything on farm that
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There’s not been much travel opportunity in their schedules since their 2002 honeymoon holiday to New Zealand.
For cropping or Richard’s away times, Ashley has had to become proficient operating most of the barn and field equipment.
prouder of them,” Ashley beams with deep mom- pride.
Experiences with
the Coloured
Cows
Currently, the herd consists of 285 cows total - 130 Holsteins, 85 Jerseys, 40 Brown Swiss, and a handful of Guernseys, which they hope to see increase in the coming years. “We tried Shorthorns in the past – they weren’t my favourite. Montbelliards are solid cows; we still
weeks age. Our calves are stronger when they don’t have to fight the cold on their own.” For the last five years, they have participated in Greenbelt’s Calf Program which monitors serum total protein and ADG to deliver better calf results based on real data.
While the herd currently averages 1.6 kg daily fat, Ashley wants to see them reach 2 kg. The Holsteins and Jerseys already have comparable daily fat yield, while the Swiss cows lag behind just a little. They milk 220 cows today, with a goal to reach 300 perhaps in five years.
Perspectives, Advice and
Future
“My thing is cows,” Ashley states firmly. you’re a female doesn’t mean you can’t be
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“I want good balanced cows that are ascapableasanyman.Anditcomesdown
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