St. Brigid’s Creamery – Brussels, ON

Bill van Nes and his family raise Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW) Jersey dairy cows at St. Bridgid’s Creamery in Brussels, Ontario. “I grew up on my family’s farm and descended from a long lineage of Dutch pastoralists on both sides of the Atlantic,” says Bill. “When the time came for me to start my own farm, I decided to raise Jersey cattle instead of Fresian Holstein and put Organic practices in place on my farm. I’ve been pushing for higher standards ever since.”

The van Nes family manages approximately 1,500 acres in Huron County in southern Ontario. The farm includes almost 600 acres in hay and pasture, over 200 in silvopasture systems, approximately 500 acres in crops and 600 in grains and annual forages.

The Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW Jersey dairy cattle are raised outdoors on pasture and at St. Brigid’s. For Bill, this type of management sets up the foundations for him to create and maintain the best possible conditions for their herds. “Our herd of Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW Jersey cattle are the best resource converters on grass—converting plant matter into high-quality and delicious high-fat milk that we process into our line of butters. The deep yellow color of the butter is from the high concentration of beta carotene that comes from the grass rich diet of our herd. I fell in love with Jerseys years ago and have never looked back.”

The van Nes family chose to certify with AGW as an added verification for their customers. “We wanted to work with a leader in the space in certifying our efforts and practices,” says Bill. “To give peace of mind to the consumer that when they choose us, they choose a producer that is not cutting corners at the expense of animal welfare.”

Looking to the future is an important part of the van Nes family’s farming principles. “We want to keep producing Canada’s best dairy, and we want our work to inspire a new generation of farmers and producers.”

Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW butter from St. Brigid’s Creamery is available at many retail locations as well as through multiple home delivery services throughout Ontario, including St. Brigid’s. Visit the AGW directory for more details along with St.Brigid’s online map of stockists. For more information, visit stbrigidscreamery.ca, follow the farm on Instagram, and get in touch at info@stbrigidscreamery.ca for any questions, feedback or comments.