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NATURALLY
Vice family carries on
the organic farming
traditions practiced
by their grandfather
The pristine farm situated on the scenic rolling hills of the
Oak Ridges Moraine looks like many other typical Ontario
farms. But there’s a major difference: Birchwind Holsteins is
a 100% organic dairy operation, and a member of the Organic
Meadow Co-operative.
“We farm the way my grandfather did,” says Ron Vice. No
chemicals are used. Antibiotics are forbidden. Synthetic herbicides and fertilizers are banned. There’s no GMO.
“We go with nature, not against it,” explained Ron, who is
a third generation farmer. His grandfather Clarence purchased
a farm near Solina in 1941, and his dad Murray took it over in
1966, and started to register Holsteins.
Birchwind Holsteins’ 40 dairy cows are fed certified organic
grain and hay, and they graze in green pastures abundant with
fresh grass and sweet clover.
“The cows are healthier and happier,” says Ron’s wife Deb
Vice. “They enjoy the summer sunshine, fresh air, exercise and
socialization.”
Birchwind Holsteins’ cows spend two hours inside of the
barn in the summer, and two hours outside of the barn in the
winter.
Please turn to page 68
Deb and Ron Vice of Birchwind Holsteins, are a third
generation family, carrying on the farming traditions Ron’s
grandfather Clarence started more than 50 years ago.
Photos by Lynn Campbell
FOCUS - JULY 2014
67
Continued from page 67
There are seven pastures, so they can rotate the cows
for grazing. Combined, the land the Vices own and
rent totals 400 acres. Growing organic hay and corn is
an important part of their farm. They have a machine
to scuffle corn for weeding, as a natural alternative to
using chemicals, for example.
Ron and Deb, their 25-year-old son Sean, and 10year employee Adam Taylor, all work together to run
the dairy operation.
Deb was the first to get on board with the idea of
organic farming.
A founding member of the community group Protect
the Ridges, Deb has been concerned about environmental issues for a long time, especially the controversial practice of spreading sludge on agricultural land.
Going organic on their own family farm was a controllable way for them “ to make a positive difference,” she
pointed out.
Deb’s dad, Roy McLaughlin, farmed in Blackstock.
He would come in from the fields smelling strongly of
chemicals, Deb recalls. Although her father believed
that the sprays were safe, Deb suspects that his exposure to toxins led to his early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Roy has been in a nursing home for many years.
Deb is confident that their cows and their family are
“healthier” now that Birchwind farm is 100% organic.
Ron described the transition from conventional
farming methods to organic farming as “a real learning
curve.”
“It was a big leap of faith,” Deb commented. “Now
we trust Mother Nature to look after the animals.”
In the year 2000, the Vices decided to take the
plunge and go organic, with guidance by mentor Harry
Peeters of Organic Meadow Co-operative. November
2, 2007 was the landmark day that Organic Meadow
Co-operative officially welcomed Birchwind Holsteins
into their family of 100 certified organic farmers. Photographs were taken to commemorate this historic day,
when they sent off their first shipment of organic milk.
Deb and Ron agree that their decision to switch to
organic farming has been “the best decision for our
land, our hearts and our souls.” The health of their
herd has dramatically improved since organic farming
Deb and Ron Vice, of Birchwind Holsteins.
Photo by Lynn Campbell
practices have been adopted. The cows are in heat all
the time, and problems such as mastitis, twisted stomachs and milk fever are rare now.
In 2011, Birchwind Holsteins won the prestigious
Organic Council of Ontario’s Dairy Producer of the
Year Award. The Vices are proud to be a member of
the successful Organic Meadow Co-operative, which is
celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2014. A premium is
paid to organic milk producers, Deb noted.
The line of Organic Meadow products includes
milk, cream, sour cream, eggs, yogurt, cheese, kefir,
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ice-cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, butter and frozen
vegetables. Some of these products are available at Vos’
Independent in Port Perry.
Only 2 percent of farmers in Ontario are classified as
organic, Deb said, but with the consumer demand for
organic products growing, there’s a movement to attract
more farmers to do business the organic way. Promoting
organic farming and organic products at trade shows is
another activity the Vices enjoy doing together. Jennifer
Valentyne of Breakfast Television fame visited Birchwind
Holsteins one day, and milked a cow on TV. Media attention broadens public awareness of what organic farming
is all about, Deb pointed out.
“Consumers are more educated and knowledgeable,”
she added. “There’s a growing demand for this niche
market.”
When asked why the Vices enjoy being a member of
Organic Meadow Co-operative, Deb had an enthusiastic
response.
“Organic Meadow has made us fall in love all over
again,” she said of her relationship with her husband
Ron. “It has opened so many doors and offered so many
opportunities for us to do things together. We are passionate and proud of what we do. Our journey into organic
farming has been a healing and learning process for both
of us. Instead of fighting to protect the environment, we
are learning to work with nature and protect our part of
the Oak Ridges Moraine the best way we can. Our farm
is more healthy, and the future more sustainable, the
sunsets over our fields more magnificent. Thanks to
Organic Meadow, we are making a difference.”
Ron and Deb have come a long way since they
met at the Durham East 4-H Dairy Club and Junior
Farmers when he was 18 and she was “sweet 16.” Ron
claims it was love at first sight. Deb’s calf won and
went on to compete at the Lindsay Fair. Ron can even
remember what Deb was wearing! The year was 1975.
At a dance at Cartwright High School in Blackstock, Deb noticed Ron’s brown- checkered shirt.
“Ron was an ‘outsider’ from Courtice, which was
a big attraction when you went to a school of 100
students,” Deb recalls.
Love blossomed, and Deb and Ron were married
at Blackstock United Church on May 30, 1981. They
are proud of their three children, Emily, Rachel and
Sean. Granddaughter Taylor, age 11, is the apple of
their eye.
A happy photograph of Ron and a younger Taylor,
pictured against the idyllic backdrop of the sunlit
pasture, appears on one of the Organic Meadow
brochures. And that’s what it’s really like at Birchwind Holsteins. There are fluffy baby kittens in the
barn, pretty red hens laying organic brown eggs in
the yard, serene looking cows out enjoying the fresh
air…. It’s like a storybook about an old-fashioned
family farm. Only it’s real.
By Lynn Campbell
Focus on Scugog
48 Water St., Port Perry, ON (905) 985-3767
70
FOCUS - JULY 2014