Barvel Farms
Quick Facts
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120
Milking Cows
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2.8
Average Number of Lactations
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410
Acres Farmed
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Farm Set Up
Free stall with Double 7 Herringbone Parlour
At Barvel Farms Ltd., their passion is farming, their focal point is family, and their faith is at the cornerstone of everything the Veldhuizens do. Following in the footsteps of previous generations, Bart and Peter are the third generation to farm Barvel Farms Ltd. In the 1950s, Bart and Peter’s Opa emigrated with his family from the Netherlands to Canada in search of greater opportunities.
After some time, the family purchased this farm just outside of Burgessville, ON, starting with just a few cows and a wide selection of other livestock. Eventually, Bart and Peter’s father took ownership of the farm and focused on increasing the herd size. He built a new bank barn in the 1970s to house the herd which had grown to 30 cows. In 2002, Bart officially took ownership of Barvel Farms. In 2008, Peter returned to the farm after working in agricultural construction. The two brothers have worked together ever since, and the results have been nothing short of outstanding.

Today, the 1970’s bank barn stands as a hub from which newer buildings branch out. The main dairy barn is located on the west side of the bank barn and houses
the 120 milking cows and 20 dry cows. The heifer barn, constructed in 2014, sits to the south, the implement shed is to the north, and the new feed centre (“mixing shed”) sits to the east. Considerable thought and research have gone into each build to ensure that the facilities will work best for the family’s long-term goals.
Bart and Peter both set daily routines to ensure all chores are completed in an efficient manner. Bart does most of the milking, manages the reproduction and health programs, and keeps the books. Peter takes care of all the feeding, manages the calves and heifers, and maintains the facilities. Their mother, while no longer actively involved, is always current on what is happening on the farm. The family employs part-time help for evening milking chores and thereby involves extended family members. This gives Bart and Peter more flexibility in their day and provides an excellent opportunity for the next generation of Veldhuizens to play an active role at Barvel Farms Ltd. When it comes to fieldwork, they rely on a local custom operator for planting and harvesting, but continue to do their own manure spreading, cultivating, and spraying.

As you walk into the main dairy barn at Barvel, you cannot help but notice the large-framed, mature milking cows moving comfortably through the free stall. Cow longevity has always been paramount to Bart and Peter, and their approach has been multi-faceted. From an emphasis on feet and legs in their breeding program, to the detailed care of their calves and heifers, to modifications of stall size, flooring and improving heat abatement strategies, it has all paid off. Almost 55% of the herd is in their 3rd+ lactation, which easily puts them in the top 10% for Herd Longevity, not only in Ontario, but across Canada! While ‘fancy’ cows have never been a priority for the Veldhuizens, they received their first homebred EX cow in 2022 and this same cow has now achieved ME status, showcasing the ideal balance of longevity and strength.
When it comes to nutrition and general management advice, Bart and Peter have been working with the team at Nature Feed Centre for many years. In fact, they estimate that their family has been feeding with Purina for over 40 years. Most recently, they have been working closely with Marius Klop and appreciate the ideas and feedback they receive to make continuous
improvements to their operation. The main milking group is fed a TMR that consists of haylage, corn silage, dry corn, straw and a custom Purina supplement. Fresh cows and first lactation heifers are grouped separately and are fed their own TMR with a similar forage and grain base, but with a different custom Purina supplement. This ensures they receive the optimal
nutrient balance while accounting for their lower intakes. Their focus on forage quality, grind size of corn, cow comfort, along with sound nutrition has this herd
consistently producing over 36kg/d with an annual average milk fat of 4.2% and milk protein over 3.3%.
The focus on cow longevity at Barvel Farms, along with a low herd turnover rate has meant that Bart and Peter can be very selective about the number of replacement heifers they raise. They use sexed semen on all 1st lactation heifers and have moved to breeding the bottom 30% of their herd to Angus bulls to take advantage of the additional revenue that can be generated through
livestock sales. Their attention to detail on reproductive performance has helped to maintain consistent days in milk across the herd. Activity monitors are utilized to help identify heats, enabling much of the breeding on natural heats. When needed, programmed breeding protocols are used. Bi-weekly herd health, along with DHI records and DC305 are all used to track herd performance, and to make culling and breeding decisions. This quickly identifies issues to further improve the profitability of the operation.
Looking to the future, Bart and Peter are continuously looking at ways to make Barvel Farms Ltd. more efficient. Their new feed centre will reduce time spent mixing feed and create more flexibility around ingredients. A new system to monitor electrical usage is being installed on the farm to identify areas of risk and opportunity. Both Bart and Peter are always reading and open to learning about new ideas to increase the productivity of their operation. In all their decisions, they use a team approach. As in past generations, their focus on being family oriented, faithful stewards of what God has given them has been the cornerstone to the success of Barvel Farms Ltd.