Animal-Well Being

As farmers, and as humans in general, we are totally responsible for the well-being of any animal we domesticate. We see our relationship with the animals we care for as a contract; we supply the animals with safety, shelter, good feed and health care. In exchange, the animal supplies us with milk, wool, eggs and meat. On our farm we try to give the animals the opportunity to express their natural and social behaviour as much as possible. This means our cows go out on pasture in the summer where they graze. In winter they are turned loose everyday so they can exercise and socialize. Our pigs are
raised on straw and in small groups while our free-range chickens live outside in the summer and indoors in the winter.

All of these measures reduce animal stress, which, in turn, leads to a healthy immune system and therefore fewer health problems. Mapleton’s Organic cows live 50% longer than the average Ontario dairy cow. The oldest cow in our herd, “Grandma”, is 14 years old, healthy and pregnant for the 11th time. She has produced over 100,000 litres of milk so far.