By Kristen Kelderman
While the great Walt Disney was a man with a big heart and an even bigger imagination, I would argue against the famous tagline that Disney World is the most magical place on Earth.
For me there is nothing more magical then a trip home to the farm. The birth of a new born calf, the tiny seed that grows into a nine foot corn plant and the sweet smell of fresh cut hay on a warm June afternoon are some of the magical every day experiences happening on farms across Canada.
Don’t get me wrong. The Disney experience ignites a nostalgic feeling of childhood memories and my inner kid at heart begins to show. But the spark that lit up my magical moment at Disney this year was a behind the scenes tour at my favourite park, Animal Kingdom.
A team of nutritionists at the Animal Kingdom spend their days managing the meals of 250 species of animals living at the park. Two of the nutritionists studied at the University of Guelph
As luck would have it, our schedules synced up and we were able to go behind the scenes to tour the park’s incredible nutrition and veterinary facilities.
Eduardo and Shannon graciously took time out of their day to discuss the daily happenings and challenges of raising animals both in captivity and in the public eye.
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Posted by Farm and Food Care on May 7th, 2013 :: Filed under
Animal care,
animal handling,
careersTags ::
animal care,
Animal Kingdom,
animal welfare,
animals,
Disney World
Guest blog by Stewart Skinner, sixth generation Ontario farmer
“While what we are about to show you is from one farm in one community, we’re told this can happen and is happening across the country,” stated Lloyd Robertson to a prime time audience on Saturday night. I don’t know if I’ve ever had such a strong motivation to start writing…that night I was tempted to sit down at my computer and bang out an angry retort. In the end I decided to give myself a cool down period to make sure that I didn’t say anything stupid in the heat of the moment (not that I’ve done that before).
I am a 6th generation Canadian farmer; my family has fed Canadians almost as long as Canada has been a country. Like my predecessors, I have a strong respect for the livestock I care for and the land that I farm. But one thing transcends this level of respect, the call to feed the world. It is impossible to explain this call – it is an intense feeling of responsibility to feed people while making sure that we are doing it in the most sustainable way possible so that coming generations will be able to grow food. If farmers fail at their job, people starve. It is a heavy burden.
In Canada today most people get out of bed never worrying about going hungry, there is always a meal around the corner at the grocery store. This strong sense of food security is what allows Canadians to worry about paying for a house, a car, university tuition, or the welfare of the animal they are eating. If the vast majority of Canadians didn’t know how they were going to pay for their next meal do you think they would worry about sows being confined in a gestation crate? No, they would want to make sure that they could buy a piece of pork as cheaply as possible so that they could feed their family.
To read the rest of Stewart’s blog, visit his website at: http://modernfarmer.wordpress.com/
Posted by FFC on December 13th, 2012 :: Filed under
Activism,
Animal care,
animal handling,
Animal welfare,
Canada,
careers,
Farm life,
Misconceptions,
Pigs,
PorkTags ::
activists,
animal care,
animal welfare,
Canada,
Media,
misconceptions,
pigs,
Pork
By Patricia Grotenhuis
I’ve always known farming is in my blood. Recently, I found out how far it goes in my bloodline is while my parents were going through the family tree.
In two lines of the family tree, one from Mom’s side and one from Dad’s side, I am the sixth consecutive generation of Canadian farmers. In all likelihood, if you were to go back further into my family history and look at what type of work my ancestors did before coming to Canada, my family’s farming history could go back even further.
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Posted by Farm and Food Care on July 12th, 2012 :: Filed under
Canada,
careers,
Family vs factory farming,
Farm life,
Feeding the world,
Future of FarmingTags ::
Canada,
farm,
farm family,
Farmers,
sustainability
by Patricia Grotenhuis
A musician who became a farmer seems like an unconventional path, but David Murray, a boy raised in small town Ontario, eventually found his dream job owning and milking a herd of cows.
He has embraced the industry, taking on a number of roles on local, provincial and national levels. With a background including music, retail and restaurant work, many people would question why Murray decided to farm.
“I liked milking the cows. I still do,” says Murray.
David Murray's photo in the 2012 Faces of Farming calendar
It is a simple answer, but a truthful one. His commitment to the industry has earned him a spot in the 2012 Faces of Farming Calendar published by the Farm Care Foundation. His page is sponsored by Gay Lea Foods, a farmer-owned dairy cooperative that David and his wife Annamarie have been members of for many years. The photo, one of the most unique ever taken in the calendar’s history, combines David’s love of music and cows and shows him out in a pasture field playing the piano while his cows appear to enjoy the concert.
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Posted by Farm and Food Care on June 1st, 2012 :: Filed under
Animal care,
animal handling,
Barns,
careers,
Dairy cattle,
Family vs factory farming,
Farm life,
milk,
Sustainability of the family farmTags ::
animal care,
dairy cattle,
farm,
Farmers,
milk
By Patricia Grotenhuis
A love for cows can lead someone to many different jobs and places. For Abbie Medwell, it led to a career of travelling around Canada going from one dairy farm to another.
How does this cow measure up against her herd mates? A classifier could tell you.
Medwell works for Holstein Canada as a “classifier”. She has had the job for 10 years now, and loves the opportunities it gives her. She also appreciates being able to see cows from all different breeding programs and genetics.
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Posted by Farm and Food Care on May 2nd, 2012 :: Filed under
Canada,
careers,
Dairy cattle,
milkTags ::
careers,
dairy cattle,
Farmers,
milk
By Kristen Kelderman, Farm Animal Care Coordinator
As the spring breeze starts to warm and winter wheat fields showcase a lavish bright green hue across the countryside, I begin to notice myself missing the farm more and more. Summer is my absolute favourite time of the year to work and visit my home farm; it’s a whole different world… with an endless to do list. While it is not every day that I get to enjoy this anymore, I had the pleasure of accompanying hoof trimmer Vic Daniel to a family dairy farm in Ontario, recently.
Hoof trimmer Vic gives a dairy cow's feet some close attention and care
Vic invited me to tag along to a farm with him, after we met at Eastern Ontario Dairy Days, where he presented a wealth of knowledge on dairy cow lameness. On average, a dairy farmer will ensure their cows” hooves are trimmed twice a year. Proper foot care is an important component of a farmer’s herd health program.
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Posted by Farm and Food Care on April 12th, 2012 :: Filed under
Animal care,
animal handling,
careers,
Dairy cattle,
Farm life,
Research,
UncategorizedTags ::
animal care,
animal handling,
animal welfare,
careers,
dairy cattle,
Research,
technology
by Kristen Kelderman, Farm Animal Care Coordinator, Farm & Food Care Ontario
Deciding on your career path fresh out of high school at the ripe young age of 18 is a difficult decision for many young adults. The options are endless and the stakes are high. Four years ago, my heart was set on becoming a physiotherapist; I was fascinated with anatomy and wanted to help people through the recovery process. But on my first visit to the University of Guelph campus I felt an instant connection and came to the realization that my true calling was agriculture. I have never looked back since and have no regrets.
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Posted by Farm and Food Care on February 16th, 2012 :: Filed under
Agriculture Education,
careers,
Education and public awareness,
Future of Farming,
Speaking outTags ::
agriculture,
careers,
education,
misconceptions
