Silverholme swings open its doors to the public
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Luke Edwards
Abigail Chastney came to see the cows, have some ice cream and hang out with her friend Aubrey Terry-Clarke. She wasn’t expecting to get a science lesson in magnetism.
And yet, there she was, learning how farmers use magnets inserted into a cow’s stomach to keep any metal material the cow accidentally ingests from ending up somewhere it can do damage in the animal’s body.
“If there’s metal in the cow, they can collect it,” she said, shortly after the tour through the new robotic barn at Silverholme Holsteins.
They were among the thousands who visited the Smithville operation for this year’s Niagara Dinner on the Dairy event. The popular annual tradition sees one of Niagara’s dairy producers open their doors and show the public what goes into making the milk, cheese and ice cream they enjoy daily.
For John DeBoer, who runs Silverholme with his son Brandon, the event was both a culmination of months of hard work planning but also a chance to open people’s eyes about what dairy farming really looks like.
“They get to see where their milk comes from,” he said.
“We love our animals, we care for our animals,” added Brandon.
That care was on full display, as Silverholme’s new barn offers plenty of comfort for the 60 Holsteins they milk. An automated robotic milking system allows the cows to be milked whenever they want. The machine connects to the teats quickly and efficiently, milking the cow and then cleaning her off before she heads back out.
Robotic feeders ensure they’ve always got access to food, and another robot cleans up their manure.
Extensive ventilation systems and mist sprayers keep the cattle cool in the summer heat. Even during an extreme heat wave earlier in June, John said the temperature inside the barn remained quite comfortable, as much as 10 C cooler than the outdoors.
The DeBoers installed the new barn two years ago, and John said it’s been a wonderful - if expensive - addition. Like most farmers, John and Brandon remain extremely busy, but now they can focus on other aspects of the farm and be confident the cattle are in good shape.
Visitors to the farm also learned about the strict safety protocols in place to ensure the milk and dairy products that end up in their glasses or on their plates are healthy and safe. Devices on the property keep an eye out for any irregularities before it gets picked up by the dairy trucks. Traceability is also important, with careful records kept on both the animals and the milk they produce.
Despite some heavy downpours in the days leading up to the event, the skies cleared up for Dinner on the Dairy, allowing visitors to enjoy the outdoor country air as they chowed down on a burger after the tour.