André Hildbrand and his wife, Judith, of St. Albert, own Ontario’s best -managed dairy herd.
Farmers Forum staff
ALBERT — Rosenhill Farms Inc., of St. Albert, was Ontario’s best managed dairy herd in 2024 — and Canada’s fourth best — according to the latest annual ranking released by Lactanet (formerly Canwest DHI).
Founded by Swiss immigrants Andre and Judith Hildbrand, Rosenhill is a perennial top performer, often ranking among the top 10 best managed herds in the country. The operation topped Lactanet’s national list in 2021.
Two Southwestern Ontario farms placed second and third in the province (and five and sixth nationally): Embro’s Werkholm Holsteins Ltd., owned by Kevin and April Werkema, and Hamilton’s Summitholm Holsteins, owned by Carl, Dave and Ben Loewith.
In all, 15 Ontario dairy farms made the top 25 in Canada. In addition to Rosenhill, the elite group includes two other Eastern Ontario operations:
- Alexerin Dairy, of Manotick, owned by Judy, Todd and Erin Nixon (12th provincially, 20th nationally);
- Sunrise Holsteins Inc., of Clarence Creek, owned by Edgar and Ramona Kaelin (14th provincially, 22nd nationally).
Lactanet Canada collects data from farms enrolled in its milk-recording service to generate each operation’s herd performance index. Milk value, udder health, age at first calving, herd efficiency, longevity and calving interval all go into the number. Lactanet says the information tells a story about the sustainability and health of a dairy farm, as managed by the operator. Participating farmers receive useful data to help them strive for continued excellence.
“We use the herd summary reports and the yearly reports probably the most from DHI. It just helps us ensure that we’re maintaining all aspects of animal profitability year-over-year, and that we’re trending upwards and not downwards,” said Roger Haag, of Haag Farms Inc, in Brussels, which placed 10th provincially and 17th nationally.
The top three national were all in Quebec. Other high-ranking Ontario finishers include:
- Zethill Farms Ltd, of Hanover , owned by Russell and Joyce Zettler (4th provincially, 10th nationally);
- Heerdink Farms, of St. Mary’s, owned by Albert and Hans Borgijink (5th provincially, 11th nationally);
- Bruggert Farms, of Clinton , owned by René, Ivonne, Tys and Amy Brinke (6th provincially, 12th nationally);
- Oasis Acres, of Konoka, owned by Westerhof family (7th provincially, 14th nationally);
- Dalgetta Farms, of Parkhill, owned by the Hendrikx family (8th provincially, 15th nationally);
- Pfister Dairy Farm, of Mitchell (9th provincially, 16th nationally);
- Falaray Hill Farms Ltd, of Embro, owned by Emily and Braden Bertens, Steve and Teresa McKay (11th provincially, 18th nationally);
- Gamville Farm Ltd, of Embro — Ryan, Hayley, Gerard and Gerda Schryver (13th provincially, 21st nationally);
- Opsterlawn Holsteins, of Alma, owned by Marten and Margriet Bylsma (15th provincially, 24th nationally).
