Include Breakfast on the Farm in Canada Day weekend activities on July 2. A breakfast prepared by the Bayfield Lions Club will be served from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Steenbeek Dairy Farms 38968 Mill Road, just east of Varna. Self-guided tours of the 300 milking herd operation will take place whenever people wish to tour the barn facility that morning. Numerous display boards and several people will be along the route to answer any questions.
Pets and smoking are not allowed on site. Shoes or running shoes are recommended when going through the barn.
Some tickets will be kept in reserve at the event site for people who decide to come at the last moment or they can be purchased in advance from Stonefield Garden Centre, or calling 482-3020, or ordering through info@bayfieldfair.ca. The cost is $7 for anyone older than 5 years of age.
The parking will now be in the field in front of the shed where the breakfast will be served. Guides will be on site to direct drivers where to park.
The event will be a learning experience as well as a nourishing one. Behind that dairy barn door each cow gives an average of 30 litres of milk a day. Can you imagine providing each cow 11 kilograms of hay, 16 kilograms of silage and grain, 2 kilograms of protein supplement, minerals and salt, as well as 80-180 litres of water a day? Samples of the supplements will be on display. The size of the milk tank in the barn to hold milk from 300 cows is only dwarfed by the milk truck which will be on site also.
There will be many display booths set up from commodity groups, agricultural boards, and producers of our local food. There will be a bouncy cow for the children to play in and papers and booklets for them to colour and read later. Parents can pick up a sign that can be placed at their gate saying “Childen at Play”.
July 2 is an opportunity to celebrate our rural community by learning about the dairy industry in the most productive county in Ontario, eating a hearty breakfast, and meeting neighbours and friends at Breakfast on the Farm.