Event will feature visits with dairy cows, free poutine, hot chocolate and cheese samples.
Open house runs from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 27 at 1399 Powerline Rd. W. farm.
Copetown’s Loewith family will once again open the doors at their Powerline Road West dairy farm for their annual open house.
The event, which will run Wednesday, Dec. 27, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., has become an annual holiday tradition for many, said Ben Loewith, who co-owns the farm with his father Carl and uncle Dave.
Last year’s open house was the largest-ever, with an estimated 1,400 attendees and the Loewiths are again expecting a big crowd — particularly after opening Summit Station Dairy and Creamery earlier this year.
“We expect a nice big crowd,” said Loewith’s wife Jennifer Howe. “The day is so fun and people are so positive — they just really appreciate it.
“That reminds us why we do it each year.”
“That had always been the vision,” said Howe of offering their own products. “It’s pretty cool.”
The event is put on in partnership with the Hamilton Dairy Committee and local dairy farmers from the area will be on site to help explain how the farm — which has a herd of more than 1,000 dairy cattle and milks approximately 450 — operates.
Howe said the open house will be slightly different this year compared to years past, after opening Summit Station. In years past, visitors have had to line up and join a tour, but as they expect a bigger crowd it will be a true open house and visitors will be able to tour the farm and farmers — identified by blue Dairy Farmers of Ontario hockey jerseys — will be in different areas to explain the operations.
She said there will still be controlled access to the milking parlour, because it is a small space. While visitors will still be allowed to enter the milking parlour, they may have to line up for a while.
Howe noted there are no tickets needed for the free event, adding the forecast is calling for mild and rainy weather, so people should prepare for mud and wear boots.
“Dress for the elements,” she said.
The entrance to the open house will be at Summit Station, located at 1399 Powerline Rd. W., and vehicles will then exit from the farm driveway.
The Summit Station store will also be open during the open house and will have fresh cheese curds and eggnog for sale — as well as whole milk, chocolate milk and strawberry milk. However, Howe cautioned customers it may not be the best day to return milk bottles, due to how busy they expect to be.
Loewith said the farm is also highlighting sustainable practices — from no-till farming, and solar panels that will be installed next year to power the farm and creamery, to glass milk bottles.
“None of them are home runs, none of them are silver bullets to solve problems, but collectively they add up,” he said. “Agriculture absolutely has a role to play in doing better, just like every other industry.”
Summit Station — which offers home milk delivery in addition to selling its products at the farm and in various stores, has been open for 10 weeks and currently sells whole milk, chocolate milk, strawberry milk and eggnog, as well as cheese curds. In the new year they expect to begin selling yogurt.
“Everyone has reacted so positively to the product,” Howe said. “The whole family has been a bit shocked — we knew what kind of product we could put out — we know what great milk tastes like and now for everyone else to find that and be so excited about it is so rewarding.”
