Cowshare College report from the first session at Glencolton Farms May 1, ’10

Canada’s first-ever cowshare college kicked off classes on May 1, 2010 in Durham Ontario. Here’s a brief report on what went down:

Kim Culkin makes announcement while Michael Schmidt and Tim Wightman wait at the front of the classroom to start teaching. Looks like this particular session was not taking place at the farm itself.

22 participants attended the first course of the Canadian Cow share College Saturday May 1, 2010 at Glencolton Farms. All of them received their certificate of completion which is required as part of the accreditation process of Cow Share Canada.

Tim Wightman, of Cowshare College U.S.A., in the Glencolton Farms yard

The day long course covered the following topics:

Safe Raw Milk Production
Farm Management
Cow breeding
Feeding
Animal Husbandry

Biology of Milk
Safe Handling of Raw Milk
cleaning procedures
testing procedures

Cow Share: a co-operative structure
legality
current legislation
Kowarsky cow share ruling
social responsibility

Cow Share member relations
how to connect
how to maintain
how to develop reliable partnerships
how to manage expectations

Accreditation Process
completion of courses
baseline testing
testing requirements of cows
inspection by independent dairy inspector
Final accreditation

Michael Schmidt and Tim Wightman (pioneer of the cow share program in the US) presented the course. Gary Lean, international inspector, outlined the inspection requirements.

Everyone toured Glencolton Farms to see a functioning cow share operation including the barn the bottling facility and security system.

Extensive written material was includet for follow up home study.

It was a great beginning for an important process, which will ensure that consumers can rely on standards when they connect with farmers who have been acreddited by Cow Share Canada.

We all enjoyed lunch together in the barn with the cows.

Lunch in the barn, with the cows

For more information contact Kim
csca@bmts.com

Thanks to Michael Schmidt for sending us the pictures. Not sure who took them.