Milking Holstein cows has been part of our farm since we began in 1972. In 2005, we built the current tie-stall dairy barn which houses 148 milking cows in large, well-bedded tie stalls in addition to 16 spacious box stalls for transition and extra care cows. The barn is naturally ventilated with temperature controlled window panels on the walls along with five large overhead fans pulling air from chimneys in a center skylight. It is a daily priority to keep the cows clean, clipped and comfortable. The cows are fed baleage and dry hay throughout the day  along with a TMR twice a day at milking times. Our herd is 100% pure bred and is classified by Holstein Canada classifiers and milk recorded through DHIA. Our first time being classified was in 1978. We currently have 70 Excellent, 104 Very Good and 19 Good Plus cows scored. Average production per cow is 11,500 kgs of milk with 4.1% butterfat and 3.2% protein in a 305 day record. Exhibiting our cows at local and national shows and fairs has been an enjoyable way for us to market our cows and also improve public opinion of the dairy industry. During our years of showing cows, we have earned Premier Exhibitor and Premier Breeder at the Perth-Waterloo Holstein Show 12 times. We also exhibited the winning Breeder’s Herd 11 times and the winning Junior Herd 6 times. We even bred a HM Grand Champion of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair! Another highlight of our show career was placing 2nd Breeder's Herd at the Royal and going on to receive Reserve All-Canadian Breeder's Herd for 2016.  Our breeding program focuses on elite type, strong production and a cow that will last many lactations. We have received three Master Breeder shields from Holstein Canada in 1993, 2001, and 2015. The Portrait family is a prime example of the type of cows we are breeding towards. Some of the other prominent cow families in our herd include the Lustre, Barbie, Atlee, Shane, Tootsie, Elise, Diana and Tiffany families.