AV俱乐部

Amanda and William Vosman Class of 2010

Challenging, frustrating,聽gruelling,聽satisfying, rewarding, passion 鈥� these are some of the words Mandy and William Vosman use to describe their 鈥榳hy agriculture?鈥櫬�

鈥淲e aren鈥檛 sugar-coating it, the reality is agriculture can be challenging but at the end of the day it鈥檚 where we want to be,鈥漞xplained the Vosmans.

Mandy and her husband William both grew up on a dairy farm and were exposed to agriculture at a young age - surrounded by farmers and the lifestyle.

鈥淲e saw how hard our parents聽worked, which naturally instilled a strong work-ethic,鈥� explained Mandy.聽 鈥淒airy farming is something we both share a passion in, making it a聽natural fit.鈥�

Mandy and William own and operate Trivee Farms Ltd., in St. Andrews, Antigonish County, a 66-year-old dairy farm, along with their two young children Hayden and Mira.聽 The Vosman鈥檚 farm a total of 300 acres growing haylage and corn silage for their herd of Holstein and Jersey cows. They sell their raw milk to Agropur Cooperative and products are made available in all grocery retailers.

Mandy says running your own business is very rewarding and gives聽you聽the motivation to聽continue to push the bar and surpass benchmarks.聽 聽

鈥淲e are lucky to have a dedicated team of employees who allow the farm to run smoothly. 聽Along with Will鈥檚 father who is semi-retired, we have a full-time farmhand, five part-time relief milkers and hire extra help聽during cropping season.鈥�

William explained there was a steep learning curve when they officially took over the business in 2016. 鈥淭hings are a little different when you have to call the shots, he said.鈥� 聽Mandy has taken on the financial side of the business, while Will manages the herd and cropping aspects.

鈥淚t gives me an inside scoop on the financial picture of the business,鈥� she explained.聽 Recently I took a financial聽management course which聽expanded my knowledge even more and I believe will聽benefit the business聽financially.鈥�

Dairy farming is very complex and is more than just milking cows.

鈥淲e work with several professional advisors to assist in various aspects of farm management鈥� William explained.聽 These areas include soil and crop health, herd health, cattle nutrition, milk production efficiency and finance. 聽On top of the management challenges, the day-to-day operations also require a diverse skill set.聽 These include basic trade skills in welding, plumbing, electrical, heavy equipment operating, carpentry and mechanics as well as animal health and husbandry.

鈥淛uggling so many different tasks is one of the hardest parts of running a farm,鈥� William says.聽 鈥淏ut each year gets a bit easier as you find a groove, learn from your mistakes and improve your business.鈥�

When asked why she loves to farm, Mandy says it鈥檚 because she can be her own boss, which allows her to set her own business goals.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very rewarding to see your business grow and it鈥檚 a great place to raise a family. Lots of things to learn on the farm!鈥�

In their spare time Mandy serves as a Director for Nova Scotia Young Farmers, while William sits on the DFNS Milk Committee and is a Director for the East Nova Holstein Club and the NS/NL Holstein Branch.聽聽 聽