|
All our Feed produced right here |
Welcome To The Bos Farm and Rock Ridge Dairy!
- Where it really is from farm to fork
We have started a new blog to tell people about our operation. We hope you find the pages informative.
|
It's Milkig time |
Patrick and
Cherylynn Bos own Rock Ridge Dairies in Ponoka.
Rock Ridge Dairies is one of only four goat milk processing companies in Alberta. Rock Ridge Dairies provides goat milk and
goat milk products to Western Canada under
Happy Days and Oak
Island brand names.
|
Our large feta table |
Patrick and
Cherylynn began farming in 1998 with 50 heifers. Cherylynn worked as a Technologist at
Lacombe’s Field Crop Development
Center with the Centers’
plant pathologist. Patrick worked
briefly at a feedlot and then as a custom relief milker. After researching new opportunities, they
acquired a herd of 50 goats and began milking while both working full
time. They purchased older milking
equipment and installed it themselves. . In 2004, the plant that they milked for
declared bankruptcy and that led them into a chain of events that changed their
farm forever. They began shipping to Crystal
Springs Cheese farm and investigated the value added industry. The owner planed to retire in a year. They decided that they wanted stability for
their farm so they became processors themselves. Cherylynn began learning how to make cheese
and worked at Crystal
spring for free in exchange for their expertise. After Crystal Springs Cheese was sold, they
rented a cheese facility until they found another processor to take their
milk. They formed an alliance with Happy
Days, a goat milk company in BC to bottle fluid milk under the Happy Days brand
name.
Patrick and
Cherylynn were married in 1997 and now have four children. Amelia is 9 years old, Connor is 8 and
Jocelyn is 6 years old and Adelle is 2. The Bos farm
has been host to many school field trips from kindergarten to university
students. Two hundred people tour their
farm every year to see the goats and try some goat milking and cheese. Patrick and Cherylynn are active members of
their church and work hard to encourage the youth of their community and
increase their understanding of food production. Patrick and Cherylynn are involved in an
international youth agricultural-tourism and work experience program coordinated
with the University
of Ecuador. They have hosted 10 students over the past
five years.
Rock Ridge
Dairies now processes goat milk from five farms. Now with a recently completed addition Organic Cow milk will be added to the product line up for 2013.