Grey Bruce Farmers' Week has been a main stay for the agricultural industry in Grey and Bruce Counties since 1966. The featured commodities have evolved as the area's agricultural focus has changed, but the mandate to provide information to producers and agribusiness has remained firm. Producers have supported our programming for 50 years, so the committee would like to give back to the community. With that mandate in mind, the Grey Bruce Farmers' Week Committee has established an annual $1000 Grey Bruce Farmers' Week Prize in conjunction with the University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), to recognize new veterinarians entering food animal practices serving producers in Grey and Bruce Counties. This award recognizes the individual's past accomplishments, but also encourages their future contributions, and commitment to our rural communities.
On June 16, 2017, at the Convocation Awards ceremony at OVC, Dr. Kelsey Milmine was the recipient of the GBFW award. Kelsey grew up in the the suburbia of Burlington, Ontario. Growing up, she always loved working with animals. Before getting into veterinary school most of her experiences were exclusively with small animals. She wanted to get some experience with large animals, so she approached a local dairy farmer about working on his farm. Kelsey commented that "Roland at Swiss Line Farm, and the rest of his family, were great for hiring a city girl to come milk their cattle". During her time there, she grew to love the dairy industry. She also started volunteering with large animal veterinarians and got to learn more about large animal veterinary medicine. Working and volunteering at different veterinary practices showed her how exciting and varied a veterinarian's job can be. What drew her to large animal medicine was the chance to work more with cattle and interact with farmers. Dr. Milmine is currently working at Paisley Veterinary Service in Bruce County. She looks forward to learning more about the dairy and beef industries, and how she can help improve cattle health.
The Grey Bruce Farmers' Week Committee congratulates Dr. Kelsey Milmine, and wishes her all the best in her future endeavours!
source: media release, Grey Bruce Farmers' Week
