Sitting atop Nelson Hill and overlooking the communities of Milford and Shubenacadie, the Veno Family of Huybers Dairy Farm are celebrating their 50th year dairy farming! Alex Veno is the fourth generation to be active in the family farm. He farms with his parents Scot and Stacy, wife Annie and young daughter Athena.
The Veno’s milk 75 cows with 150 animals in total. They grow grasses and corn to feed their cows. They farm about 350 acres in total. Their milk is shipped to Agropur Cooperative and is locally sold under the Farmers brand.
Alex is a graduate of Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture. When he returned home to the farm, he helped to transition their cows to robotic milking. They installed two Lely A5 robots into their existing barn. Alex believes efficiency is important no matter how big or small your farm is. Using new technologies is one way to help be efficient.
Additionally, Alex also runs a YouTube Channel as “The Atlantic Dairyman” where he makes and shares videos about dairy farming in Atlantic Canada. Stacy is also busy outside of farm activities. She is a talented artist who draws, paints, and makes leather goods. Stacy recently completed her first cookbook called “Farm to Table at Nelson House”. It features gluten free recipes developed by Stacy.
Farming is very much a lifestyle and not a job for the Veno’s. They blend family, creativity, food, and technology into their farm and every day.