Allister and Mary McCarron receive their 25th Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia (DFNS) Excellence Award from agriculture minister John MacDonell at the DFNS annual meeting held Jan. 25 in Truro. (DFNS photo)

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Carrondale Farm of St. Andrews has won a first for a Nova Scotia dairy farm. The farm was awarded its 25th Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia Excellence award.
Allister and his wife Mary McCarron have been running the family farm since 1979 though McCarron was working with his father from 1975 until taking the farm over four years later.
Brian Cameron, manager with the Dairy Farms of Nova Scotia organization said that Nova Scotia dairy farmers were one of the first provinces to have all farms registered with that program. He adds that the award is based on the quality of production between August 2010 and August 2011 at the McCarron’s farm.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with the quantity or composition of the milk, like the butterfat and the protein, those are used for the basis of paying the producers but it’s all about the quality of the milk,” he said. “It all boils down to management.”
To be awarded on an annual basis for dairy excellence is one thing he said but it’s been the consistent attention to detail that has been shown by the McCarrons that sets the farm apart. Within a food production system, that in the case of dairy farms, is producing raw milk there are things that can malfunction with the stock, the equipment or through human error.
“There have been some five and ten year winners of this award and the other 20 year winners aren’t on the list because they are not milking cows anymore,” he added. Though some of the criteria for the award have changed over the years he said the bar has actually risen on what it takes to be given the award.
With dairy farms being a very hands-on operation with a daily routine there are greater chances for things to go wrong so troubleshooting is key to smooth operation noted Cameron.
McCarron said that meeting and exceeding standards is part of their dairy business. Supplying to Farmers Dairy they are granted a premium bonus for milk quality.
“We just try to keep our protocol the same, all the time, we are very strict in that respect, we are always in the parlour and there is always a family member there who oversees things,” McCarron said.
Producing high quality milk involves maintaining consistency with close herd management when it comes to livestock’s health.
“We very strict, we strip our cows, we visually see the milk before we wipe the cow off and if seeing any abnormalities like mastitis that milk is discarded and never enters the system,” he added, allowing the cow for recovery and healing time before bringing her back into the milking herd.
A treated cow is tagged with a red leg band, her treatment monitored on a whiteboard in the parlour as well as tracked on the farm’s computer system.
McCarron echoed Cameron’s comments when it came to the importance of equipment maintenance.
“We don’t go cheap on that, we sanitize before milking and the equipment is regularly monitored,” he added.
Milking 86 head, the McCarrons average about 36 kgs per cow, running over four percent butterfat and 3-3 on proteins resulting in a quality product.
“With good components and quality milk I think that goes hand in hand by having healthy cows,” he said.
Farming for the last 36 years McCarron has seen and made changes on the farm resulting in increased efficiencies. He is considering possible construction of a new milking facility as the changes in the dairy industry couldn’t be integrated in the existing barn. He did stress that good herd management is still key to success, innovations aside.
After investing the time and effort into making his herd productive he said he was driven to maintain high standards.
“We are the first to drink that milk out of the tank, so you want the best for your own family and if it’s good quality it’s good quality,” he added.
Mary and Allister’s second youngest son Ryan, a NSAC grad, is working on the farm with his father and according to McCarron, is showing a strong interest in running Carrondale Farm with him.
McCarron stressed that he and his wife Mary have always worked as a team when it came to raising their six children and keeping the farm running smoothly. She looks after all of the paperwork for the farm and in his words looks after the “stuff that is a headache” and was always there when they needed an extra hand in the barn.
When asked about receiving the award with his wife in late January, McCarron noted with some emotion, that it was a very proud moment for the both of them.