Automated equipment, improved environmental controls and more space are just some of the improvements a local dairy farm is realizing after a large-scale upgrade to its operations.
Veumount Farms received nearly $225,000 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation to go towards the cost of a new barn that opened up in March 2026, said Joel Veurink, one of the farm’s owners and operators.
“It was a big learning curve for the cows because the cows had to learn this whole system,” he said. “The first two months, it was tough, but with the help of family and some good employees and even help from the local community — some other farmers came in and helped — and it went well.”
The new barn is about 25,000 square feet in size, Veurink said — roughly double the size of the old facility — and features automated milking stalls. Feed pellets are placed inside to lure the animals in, and the equipment not only boosts milk production, but also gives the owners information about the cows and their health.
“The cows have access to them 24 hours a day,” he said. “The cows get milked whenever they want, which also boosts milk production, and there's a lot of information we get from the robots with animal health, with milk quality.”
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