ZETHILL FARMS LTD.

Russell and Joyce Zettler

“I have been visiting Zethill Farms for many years and have always been in awe of the care and commitment that both Russ and Joyce, as well as their son Joel, have put into maintaining excellent quality milk and an exceptional dairy facility. No matter when you visit this dairy facility, there nothing out of place, tasks are always done, animals are well cared for, and of course milking equipment is clean both inside and out. Even after five years in their new dairy barn, it looks like they just moved in. This family has overwhelming pride in doing the job the best that they can.”

—Betty-Anne Elliott, FSR

Q& A

1. What steps do you take to ensure consistent, high-quality milk production on your farm?

The biggest thing is the time spent on the stalls. We have a robot barn but we kept our routines from the old tie stall barn. The time we used to spend milking is now spent cleaning and focusing on cow care.

Location

Hanover, ON Bruce County

Breed of Cow Milked Holstein

Number of Milking Cows 50-55

Barn and Parlour Freestyle sand bedded with 1 Lely robot

Farm Established 1979 with new robot barn built in 2017

2. What is the most important factor that influences milk quality on-farm?

Aside from the time spent cleaning and on general cow care, the biggest factor is monitoring teat health. When we first started the robot, we had some teat issues and focused on getting that better with the right milk liner and milk settings for the robot and it’s been great ever since.

3. What does this award mean to you?

It’s nice to be recognized for all of the hard work we put in.