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April Spotlight – Beatrice Zueger’s “Trip Down Memory Lane”

Beatrice Zueger graduated from the Ag Program in 1988. Her “Trip Down Memory Lane” shows us how versatile Kemptville College grads can be.

I was born and raised in Switzerland on my parents small Dairy Farm, in 1979 my family immigrated to Canada where we continued Dairy Farming. When we arrived in Canada, Like a Lot of immigrants, we didn’t speak any English or French, so that brought its own set of challenges. I remember my Dad sitting by the phone with the Dictionary, writing down words on a paper to put together a sentence, so he could call the vet. We quickly adapted and made Canada our home.

I went to Kemptville College because I had planned to take over my parents Dairy Farm. After College, I worked as relief milker on different farms and I did 2 international Ag exchange programs through IAEA. I was working on a dairy farm in Australia for 8 months and spent another 8 months on a sheep farm in New Zealand.

I married a Farmer who had his own Dairy farm and I moved to his farm in Berwick, we had 4 children. But eventually we got divorced and I found myself raising 4 children on my own. I was trying to figure out how to navigate being a single Mom and finding a career that allowed me to spend as much time at home with my kids, which was not easy. One of the wonderful things of being on a farm is that it’s a family affair, farming and raising a family go hand in hand.

I made the choice to go back to college and become a Registered Massage Therapist with the goal of eventually having my own clinic. Raising 4 kids alone and going through college at the same time was not easy and there were times I felt like giving up, but it was my children who pushed and encouraged me to keep going. I graduated and became an RMT in 2013, I worked at a couple of different clinics, while also trying to build a clientele at home. When COVID started, we were forced to shut down for about 3 months. Once we were allowed to reopen, it came with a lot of new rules and regulations we had to follow, I knew I no longer wanted to work in another clinic, and I took a leap of faith and quit my job at the clinic and started working from home full time. Having that control again felt a little bit Like being on the farm. I was my own boss again.

l love my work and being able to control my hours, allows me to spend time my grown children. I Love traveling and I spend a lot of time birding.

Farming is something that is still part of me, even though it’s been 16 years since l left the farm. I still check what the corn and beans look like when I go somewhere and every spring when the neighbour starts making hay, that wonderful fragrance of the hay brings back wonderful memories of being on the farm.

Kemptville College has been a great part of my Lite and was a starting point to one of the best friendships I have still to this day. Even though I am no Longer part of that farming community I will always be a farmer at heart.

Jersey Canada Annual Meeting Farm Tours

Jersey Canada recently held their Annual General Meeting in Ottawa. This event included open house farm tours promoting the Jersey breed.

Therihof farm was one of the farms toured. Kevin Elshof a 2008 Kemptville grad ( far right) is pictured with his dad Theo ( L )– holding Olivia, Marleen ( Kevin’s wife ) holding Luke, Lydia, Stanley and Ella. After graduation Kevin worked in New Zealand and Australia, returning home to farm in 2010. In 2016 , Kevin married Marleen who is from Grand Valley ON. When Marleen arrived so did Rideau Arcott ewes, now numbering 120. The sheep are for meat since as Kevin stated, “Wool isn’t worth a dime “! A Holstein calf was also a wedding gift but Jerseys won out as the favourite.

Today the Therihof farm milks 80 Jerseys and 15 Holsteins. Thirty-five are milked in the parlor and the rest in a GEA 9500 robotic system installed in 2025. Theo, Kevin’s dad comes to the farm daily since he still enjoys spending time with the animals. The family crop 600 acres. With five young children, Kevin still finds time to be President of the St. Lawrence Valley Jersey Club. He is interested in the history of farming, enjoys collecting antiques which includes hay forks and also a Cockshutt 40 tractor. Marleen and Kevin both enjoy history so naturally donated to the Kemptville College Alumni Historical Building and were instrumental in having the St. Lawrence Valley Jersey Club donate as well.

Pictured below are some of the ewes and lambs and also a young Jersey calf who enjoyed the visitors.

Walnutlane, another Jersey farm owned by Ed and Victoria Cooper and their two sons, was also on the farm tour. Ed graduated in 2013 and farms in Cardinal ON. He is a third generation Kemptville grad milking both Jerseys and Holsteins.

Thank you, Kevin and Ed, for showing Canada what Ontario offers to the excellent Jersey breed.

Kemptville College Alumni Quilters

Kemptville College Alumni grads volunteered at the “Quilters of Eastern Ontario” display at the Ottawa Valley Farm Show at the EY Center.

The three ladies in the photo are part of a larger team, that put together the colourful quilt in the background. From left to right, they are Elaine Bradley ’65 grad, Nancy Gundry ’65 grad and Kathy Hardy ‘71 grad. This beautiful quilt will be auctioned at the 2027 Ottawa Valley Farm Show to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the Farm Show. All proceeds will go to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Kemptville College Alumni returns to the 2026 Ottawa Valley Farm Show

Kemptville College Alumni Board Members returned to the Ottawa Valley Farm Show on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 welcoming graduates. It was great to meet, reminisce and catch up with fellow grads. I have attached some pictures of grads that stopped in to say hi and grab a coffee.

John Greig from Farmtario newspaper stopped in to chat and wrote an article regarding Kemptville College Alumni. Please have a read, the article can be found on the Ottawa Valley Farm Show page on farmtario.com. Here’s a link to the page: https://farmtario.com/content/ottawafarmshow/

We look forward to welcoming grads with years ending in ‘1 and ‘6 at this year’s reunion which is being held Saturday, June 13, 2026 at the Lombardy Fairgrounds in Lombardy, Ontario. All grads from any year are welcome to attend. Board members in attendance were Cindy Dawson (Bradley ’83) President, Joe Krol ’80 1st Vice-President, Kim Link ‘69, Jennifer Chaplin ’76 and Don Good ’66.

See you in June!

Submitted by Cindy Dawson(Bradley, ’83)

LtoR Allan Stanley, '71 Ford Patterson, '59 Don Good, '66 — LtoR Allan Stanley, ’71 Ford Patterson, ’59 Don Good, ’66

Mark McGrath, '83 Cindy Dawson (Bradley) ''83 — LtoR Allan Stanley, ’71 Ford Patterson, ’59 Don Good, ’66

February Newsletter

Kemptville College Alumni Scholarships 2026

The Kemptville College Alumni is pleased to announce our two scholarship recipients for 2026.

Noah Haan, from Marysville ON, is in his second year studying Agricultural Management at Olds College in Alberta.

Noah is involved in church activities, 4-H. community events, refereeing youth soccer and one of the organizers of the local tractor pull. After graduation, he plans to go back to the family farm and help run the swine and cattle operation. He would like to continue to sell their hog and cattle products to local markets. When at home he is a full-time worker on the farm. While at Olds, he was on the Dean’s list while balancing work on farms near the college with his college courses and projects.

In five years, Noah will be applying his education to take on a larger leadership role in the swine and cattle operation while keeping the farm sustainable for the next generation. We know the local tractor pull will still benefit from Noah’s organizational skills.

Lindsay Weston, from Sydenham ON, is in her second year at Ridgetown Campus ( U of G ) in the Agriculture Diploma Program.

Lindsay is very involved in 4-H and Scouts Canada with the South Frontenac Group. When home, she is involved with every part of the farm operation from daily care to long-term management decisions. After graduation, she plans to work in the agri-food industry and continue working on Someday Farms, the family cow – calf operation.

In five years, Lindsay plans to be the third generation on the farm that has been operating since 1973. Enrolling in an agricultural program has built a strong foundation for her future. Securing a position in the agribusiness will broaden her industry knowledge. We know when Lindsay combines her passion, education and experience, she will reach her goals and contribute positively to the agricultural industry.

Congratulations Noah and Lindsay! Both recipients have a family or community connection to Kemptville College Alumni and each will receive $1,500.00. The Kemptville College Alumni wishes you both continued success in the future. The Scholarship Information for 2027 will be on the web site by the end of September 2026.