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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to cool raw milk as quickly as possible,鈥� explains AJ Stobbe. 鈥淢ilk grows bacteria when it鈥檚 warm. The longer it鈥檚 warm, the more bacteria it grows.鈥�
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 didn鈥檛 have access to natural gas, and they didn鈥檛 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.
鈥淥ur primary goal was to invest in our cows, keeping them healthy and productive. But it鈥檚 a real source of pride that we鈥檝e found a way to use this technology to heat the floor in the barn and other buildings as well,鈥� Stobbe says.
Today, the farm doesn鈥檛 use any fossil fuels other than diesel in its tractors. They鈥檝e also recently started a blueberry farm, and are committed to keeping it insecticide-free so it鈥檚 a safe place for pollinators.
鈥淪ustainability is a balance. We鈥檙e still running a business, so if we don鈥檛 make a profit we鈥檙e not sustainable long-term. If creation around us dies or our cows are unhealthy, that鈥檚 not sustainable either,鈥� Stobbe says. 鈥淎nyone who comes to our farm for a tour immediately sees how much we care. We love showing people everything we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Sustainable farming for future generations
On the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, is also focused on longevity through sustainability.
鈥淲e still have cows in barns my great-grandfather built. Preserving that family heritage is pretty big for us,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y family鈥檚 been farming for four generations, and I would love for the family to continue farming here for another four generations. We can鈥檛 do that if we don鈥檛 take care of the land and the animals.鈥�
They鈥檝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.
鈥淲e won鈥檛 have any food if we don鈥檛 have any bees,鈥� Mickey says. 鈥淭here are a lot of really cool sustainable practices I would love to do, but it takes time to fulfil them all.鈥�
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 he鈥檚 worked with the community to plant hundreds of native trees and shrubs and install a walking trail on the farm鈥檚 perimeter that鈥檚 free for his neighbours to use.
鈥淭his is a beautiful place to live, a great place to raise kids,鈥� he says. 鈥淵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.鈥�
Learn more about sustainable farming practices at and on , and .
