Andrew McClelland
The Advocate

Great farmers are not born, they’re made. And that may be the best way to describe how 20-year-old Aidan Velthuis became the confident young dairy producer he is today.

“One of my earliest memories of being introduced to agriculture was pushing in the cow feed with a little snow shovel as a little 4- or 5-year-old kid, and asking my dad to be able to help in the milking parlour,” said the Macdonald Campus student. “I remember standing on a milk crate to be able to reach the cows in the parlour, although I was undoubtedly less effective at my tasks back then.”

Velthuis remains grateful to his dad for patiently showing him the ropes of dairy production. Teaching the next generation has been part of the family legacy since Aidan’s grandparents left The Netherlands in 1955 to settle in Canada. Through hard work and determination, Bert and Ann Velthuis purchased their farm in Osgoode, Ont., about half an hour south of Ottawa. That’s the farm the Velthuis family still operates today.

When Aidan’s father, Paul, and uncle, Steven, took over the farm, expansion was the name of the game. By 2003, the brothers had built a new free-stall barn and grew the herd from 85 milking cows to as high as 250.

“The farm’s grown to decent scale in both cash crop and dairy operations,” Aidan said, humbly describing the 240 cows and 2,000 acres in cropping the family now manages. “We’ve ventured successfully into genetic based breeding, and the production of stud bulls for Semex and Select sires, namely Maple Downs I-GW Atwood, and Boldi V Gymnast.”

A 4-H kid

Young Velthuis clearly knows his stuff, as you might expect from a lifelong 4-H kid who grew up showing cows and hearing about the awards the family’s cattle were winning at the Ontario Summer Show and National Holstein Show.

“The amount of independence and experience gained in the 4-H program has been valuable in so many ventures in my life,” Velthuis said. “Through travelling to judging competitions, and shows across Ontario, 4-H has provided experiences that I will carry with me forever.”

Upon graduating high school, enrolling in Macdonald Campus was a pretty easy choice for Velthuis, who’s now in his third year of college.

“Mac was close enough to home for me to be able to still work on weekends, as well as providing a very well-rounded education when it comes to farm management,” he said. “It’s exceeded my expectations.”

Velthuis’ time at Mac has been educational and successful. Last fall, he was one of five students to be awarded a Warren Grapes Scholarship by the Quebec Farmers’ Association, for agricultural and silvicultural students pursuing higher education. The Warren Grapes fund enjoys a great reputation among McGill students; Velthuis had heard of it multiple times through past recipients and from being encouraged to apply by Mac faculty and staff.

Honoured by award

“Learning that I was chosen as a recipient was a feeling of honour as well as gratitude,” he said. “The Warren Grapes award has been an extremely helpful gift to young farmers in my program, and I cannot express how grateful I feel to be a chosen recipient this year.”

Velthuis plans to move back to the family farm upon graduating. He has a strong family legacy to carry on. And his time away has made him into an articulate young producer very aware of the trials agriculture is facing.

“Farming as a whole faces many challenges in the near future, with rising tensions between Canada and our southern neighbours. Weathering these ever-changing times is bound to produce significant uncertainty within the agriculture industry,” says Velthuis.

Looking to the future

“Farming today also faces environmental challenges, with a need to produce more and more food for a growing global population. It’s imperative to determine the most efficient ways to produce, while being conscious of the environment and ensuring a sustainable set of agricultural practices. That’s crucial to ensuring a future for agriculture as a whole.”

But the Velthuis family will be able to overcome those hurdles better than most. And Aidan’s gratitude to his parents and grandparents for instilling him with a work ethic and founding a farm is boundless.

“My plan is to succeed the home farm. And I am extremely lucky to have a farm to call home, and that is ultimately what I hope to provide in the future for my future children.”