A virtual day in the life of a dairy farmer

The Dairy Education Program, initiated by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, is a familiar feature of local fairs.

The Dairy Education Program, initiated by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, is a familiar feature of local fairs. Under the big white tent at the 2026 Maxville Fair, adults and youth had the opportunity to learn about dairy farming and its evolution in today’s world. Dairy educators also visit schools to teach and promote the dairy industry.

At the Maxville Fair, the big display offered insight and information in a fun learning environment, and had the best, free, cold chocolate milk donated by the Glengarry Dairy Producers Committee. The Dairy Educators display even had a virtual reality headset that runs a three-minute video about a day in the life of a dairy farmer. According to Dairy Farmers of Ontario, there are over 3,100 dairy farms in Ontario and almost all are family-owned enterprises.

These families support more than 85,000 jobs and contribute over $8 billion to the economy. There are approximately 220 dairy operations in Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry. Cutting edge environmental advancements are being made in agriculture, such as converting nutrient manure using anaerobic digesters that breakdown cow manure, capture methane gas to run generators that, in turn, supply electricity.

Farmers can choose to use the renewable natural gas generated or sell it to natural gas companies.