Stationed in Teeswater, a small town in Ontario’s southern region, is Belmoral Farms, owned and operated by the Kieffer family. Among the recently announced list of Canadian Master Breeders, Belmoral’s 2022 Master Breeder shield is their second since 2008.
Give a brief history of your operation along with how you got your start in registered dairy cattle. Who is involved on the farm now and what is their role?
Belmoral Farms is currently owned and operated by Mitchell Kieffer, along with his parents, David and Annamae. David’s father, Mike, started registering the farm’s cattle in the 1960s. David took over in the late 1980’s. Mitchell joined the operation full-time in 2011, making him the third generation to be involved with the dairy and the fifth generation on the farm. David handles the feeding, Annamae looks over the calves and Mitchell takes care of everything else.
In 2022, Belmoral converted to a new sand-bedded freestall barn complete with Delaval robotic milkers.
Which cow families have influenced your herd the most in terms of contributing points for the Master Breeder Shield?
There are four main families that contributed to this Master Breeder shield. They are:
The “A” family – Belmoral Astre Allie EX-3E 9* (contributed many points for our first shield as well)
The “J” family – Belmoral Goldwyn Juno EX-92-2*
The “N” family – Belmoral Lee Nikole EX-94-6E-8*
The “T” family – Belmoral Allen Tisha EX-92-2E-6*
These families have produced generations of functional cows excelling in both production and type, in addition to a few famed stars in the show ring. From our “J” family is Belmoral Control Jezebel (EX-95). She was 2nd 4-year-old at World Dairy Expo in 2021 and nominated All-American that same year. From the “N” family, Belmoral Apple Crisp Nediva (VG-89) was 3rd Sr. 3-year-old at World Dairy Expo, 4th at the Royal and nominated All-Canadian and All-American in 2022.
Who are a few of your herd favorites today that represent the ‘complete cow’ in your mind?
- Belmoral Control Kokomo (EX-93-2E). She’s the dam of Balmoral Kamasutra Master, the 2022 All-Canadian and Nominated All-American Spring Yearling.
- Belmoral Sanchez Joesey (EX-91-3E)
Both are mature cows that continue to excel. A few younger animals we are excited to work with are:
- Belmoral Master Ames (VG-86)
- Belmoral Impression Andreescu (VG-87)
How has the operation and your goals changed overtime? What are some management strategies you’ve implemented that have had the most positive impact on your herd?
One of the bigger adjustments we’ve made recently is moving from a tie stall operation to a robotic freestall barn just last year. Although the facility has changed, the management has not. We’re always aiming to be more efficient with both time and labor. We focus on doing the little things right everyday with high attention to detail. The cows are always top priority, so producing high quality forages is another top goal of ours every year.
Describe what this honor means to you.
We’re very proud! The recognition of our family’s time and effort is always nice.
What’s next? Tell us about the short- and long-term goals you have for the future of your operation and herd.
With the addition of the robots, we’d like to continue to grow the herd as well as increase production in the future.
Belmoral’s quick stats
- The herd consists of 80 milking, 15 dry and 80 heifers
- Classification average: 10 ME 5EX 40VG 20GP
- Production average: 38KG 4.4%F 3.1%P
- Sires currently being using: Master, Doc, Lemagic, Loyall