Van Benthem Dairy in Alberta: History, What It Milks, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Van Benthem Dairy is a family dairy at Spruce View, Alberta, run by Roelof and Mary van Benthem. The couple milk about 120 cows with 150 young stock on 840 acres, use an automatic milking system and do their own embryo recovery and transfer. Their farm was recognized in Alberta's Outstanding Young Farmers program.
| Location | Spruce View, Alberta |
|---|---|
| Founded | The couple launched the dairy about nine years before a 2020 article; Roelof's family moved from the Netherlands in 2000 |
| Sectors | Dairy; alfalfa and wheat; embryo recovery and transfer |
| Scale | 840 acres; 120 milking cows and 150 young stock, as published |
| Why it is notable | Alberta Outstanding Young Farmers recognition; robotic milking; on-farm embryo work |
| Ownership | Family: Roelof and Mary van Benthem, with extended family involved |
| Official website | Farms.com announcement of the van Benthems as Alberta Outstanding Young Farmers |
History of Van Benthem Dairy
Roelof van Benthem's family ran a dairy in the Netherlands, on land in a nature preservation area where they could not expand. His father, Evert, moved the family to Canada in 2000. Roelof studied at Olds College and later learned embryo recovery and transplantation in the Netherlands, methods he has used on the farm for almost 20 years.
Roelof and Mary married in 2010 and launched their own dairy at Spruce View. They were nominated for Outstanding Young Farmers in 2018 and joined the program in 2020. Roelof's parents, Evert and Jannette, and his brothers Merein and Jos are also part of the family circle around the farm.
The farm has grown with the family. By 2020 the couple had four young sons and a herd of about 120 milking cows.
What Van Benthem Dairy Grows and Raises
The dairy milks about 120 cows and raises roughly 150 young stock, and the farm grows alfalfa and wheat across 840 acres. A genetic adviser helps guide herd improvements, with a focus on genetics and animal care.
An automatic milking system has raised production from about 36 litres per cow per day to 38 to 40 litres, according to the Western Producer. Roelof also performs embryo recovery and transplantation on the farm to improve production and conformation in the herd.
Dairy in Alberta is a supply-managed sector, in which farms produce milk under a national quota system, so growth tends to come from herd quality, efficiency and the way the farm manages labour rather than from price swings.
How Van Benthem Dairy Makes Money
Milk sales
Milk is the main revenue stream. Production per cow matters because a supply-managed farm earns on the quota it holds, so higher output per cow and per hour of labour helps the margin. The farm has not published revenue.
Genetics and breeding stock
On-farm embryo recovery and transfer allow the family to improve the herd and, where markets allow, sell animals with good genetics. Details of sales were not published.
Forage and crop production
Alfalfa and wheat from the farm's 840 acres support the herd and add a crop-based income line or cost saving.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Van Benthem Dairy
Robotic milking can pay in more than one way. The van Benthems saw higher production per cow and gained flexibility in labour, which helps a young family with small children run a dairy.
Skills that are rare locally become an advantage. Embryo work, learned in the Netherlands and applied in Alberta for almost two decades, gives the farm control over its own genetics and sets it apart in the herd improvement conversation.
A man who can recover and transplant embryos before breakfast and still make it to a school pickup earns the respect of every cow in Spruce View. At farm.FM, our farm satire team notes that the robot has taken over the milking, which leaves the humans free for the more demanding work of naming calves. Farm humor about dairy mostly concerns cows who decide when to be milked, so our ranch humor and farm jokes will stay as gentle as a 4 a.m. robot visit.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
How to Contact Van Benthem Dairy
Website: https://www.farms.com/ag-industry-news/van-benthems-named-alta-s-outstanding-young-farmers-779.aspx
No official Van Benthem Dairy website was found in the sources reviewed, so the page above is a published news announcement. No business phone or address was printed; confirm any enquiry or visit directly with the farm.
Van Benthem Dairy Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Van Benthems named Alberta's Outstanding Young Farmers - Farms.com announcement with farm facts
- Outstanding young farmers focus on Holsteins - Western Producer profile of the dairy and its robotic milking
- Dairy producers thrilled to join Outstanding Young Farmers family - Alberta Farm Express coverage
- Alberta's Outstanding Young Farmers Program - Program page for the Alberta region
- Dairy Farmers of Canada: Alberta bound - National dairy producer association story on another Alberta dairy family
Van Benthem Dairy FAQ
Where is Van Benthem Dairy?
Farms.com places the dairy at Spruce View, Alberta.
How big is Van Benthem Dairy?
The farm runs 840 acres with 120 milking cows and 150 young stock, according to published reports.
Who runs Van Benthem Dairy?
Roelof and Mary van Benthem, with Roelof's parents and brothers part of the extended family.
How can I contact Van Benthem Dairy?
No official website or phone number was found in the sources reviewed. Use the news profiles for background and contact the family directly.
Van Benthem Dairy shows what a young couple can do with technology, genetics and a fresh start in Alberta. For more Canadian operations, browse the Alberta farms guide and the other profiles in this directory.