A generous donation from a Lethbridge area cattle herd arrived in BC.
The Green Acres Holstein Club (GAHC) has jumped into action to help dairy farmers after the November 2021 floods shook their industry and donated 41 bred heifers to needy people in the Abbotsford area.
Richard Bosma is one of those manufacturers who will never forget the day the floods started.
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It was early in the morning on November 16 that he was notified to vacate his farm and spent the day moving cows and calves, with the help of many neighbors and milk producers.
“That night, Tuesday night, was a night where I did not know what I would get the next morning,” Bosma said.
The floods affected milk production for many Abbotsford area dairy farmers, including Bosma.
Through Holstein Canada, Bosma connected with several members of the GAHC, including Gys Van Den Pol.
It was Van Den Pol who came up with the idea to help devastated farmers and a committee was formed that reached out to the community.
“Within three days, we had 36 heifers pledged for this project,” said Tim Hummel, president of the GAHC.
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“We finished with 41 in total, because that is all that could fit on the lining. We eventually turned down a few farms because we had too many. ”
Once the Coquihalla Highway opened, the heifers were rounded up and eventually shipped to their new homes.
“They were pregnant for about seven or eight months, so they have to calve at the end of January until somewhere in April. Thus, they have time to acclimatize to the area before calving. They will therefore be in milk fairly quickly [farmers] can recover lost production, ”said Hummel.
Industry partners donated about $ 5,000 to cover the bill to transport the animals.
The donation was distributed to affected BC dairy farmers with the help of a committee that assessed the need for heifers.
Bosma finished with four bred heifers and said the quality of the donated animals was incredible.
“We were just blown away by their generosity,” he said.
Eleven farms received the donation of heifers from 25 farms in southern Alberta. The 41 heads are valued at $ 85,000 to $ 100,000.
“It was farmers who helped farmers in the best way they knew was possible,” said Bosma. “This act of generosity will not be forgotten, and we can only hope to pay for it in advance.”
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