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.