We have gotten used to avoiding the milk transport drivers, as per instructions from Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO), however after nine months of farmers hiding from them, they must be feeling unwelcome at every farm they enter, pandemic or not!
All other farm delivery and sales persons visiting the premises honour the social distancing requirements with conversations being held in raised voices, at least six feet apart. Don’t knock it, it works, and we are all still safe and healthy.
Our dedicated egg customers still buy our brown eggs, though most call now before arriving. Whereas in the summer I would leave their orders on a step stool beside the lane, I now run out with them, wearing a mask of course, and don’t hang around to talk.
Another welcome change coming Feb. 1will see a long-overdue alteration to the farmgate pricing of milk. While it does not affect the store milk prices, and the overall payment for milk to the farmers will not change, the allocation will.
At long last those of us milking what are commonly called “the component breeds” – cows with higher butter fat, protein and SNF (Solids Not Fat) content such as Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, etc., will see an increase reflecting the fact our cows do not contribute to excess skim milk powder, which can be so much problem to dispose of.
Naturally, if the overall price paid doesn’t change and our payment goes up, many Holstein farms will see a decrease.
Here also is another change that will bring happiness to many.
Dairy Distillery in Almonte, Ont., has a method for turning the excess, unused milk sugars from the Parmalat milk plant in Winchester into liquor! By its process, it can ferment these sugars into vodka – Vodkow as it is called – and bottle it in what resemble old-time glass milk bottles to honour its heritage.
Vodcow is described as much smoother than regular vodkas, very unique and supporting the Canadian dairy industry. It’s been available for several years now.
The distillery has also developed a Vodkow cream liqueur to complement its straight vodka, whereby Vodkow is combined with sweet Canadian cream for a delicious liqueur. Both are available in 750-millilitre and 250-millilitre or “sampler size” and are both available in multipack boxes and gift packs.
The best thing of all though, is that these products both carry the well-known blue cow symbol indicating they are 100 per cent pure Canadian milk!
I am still waiting for a reply from Cornwall’s LCBOs, asking if they sell it, so I cannot confirm or deny its local availability right now. Both can, however, be order online for curbside pickup at the Dairy Distillery in Almonte’s industrial park at 34 Industrial Dr.
Check out the Dairy Distillery’s website at www.dairydistillery.com/pages/our-story for more information and to order.
The future of Canadian dairy is in good hands!
Cheers!
