Nation Vale Farms in Ontario: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Nation Vale Farms is a family dairy in Chesterville, in eastern Ontario, run by Jim and Carol Ann Byveld with their son Dan. A Purina Canada profile reports 84 milking cows, 1,000 acres of cropland and a new barn with three robotic milking units.
| Location | Chesterville, Ontario, south of Ottawa |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1958, when Jim's parents immigrated from Holland and bought the farm (as published) |
| Sectors | Dairy; soybeans, corn, hay and wheat |
| Scale | 84 milking cows and 1,000 acres of cropland (Purina Canada profile) |
| Why it is notable | Multi-generation dairy with a new robotic barn and a Purina Leaders Council profile |
| Ownership | Jim and Carol Ann Byveld, who took over in 2000; son Dan returned in 2013 |
| Official website | Purina Canada Leaders Council profile of Nation Vale Farms |
History of Nation Vale Farms
The farm's story began in 1958, when Jim's parents immigrated to Canada from Holland. They first worked on a farm in New Brunswick, then bought their own farm in Chesterville and began milking cows in a tie-stall barn.
Jim and Carol Ann took over from Jim's parents in 2000, and their son Dan returned to the farm in 2013. Dan manages breeding, herd health and herd management, Jim oversees feeding, and Carol Ann raises the calves. Dan's wife Jen runs an equestrian riding school and helps on the dairy. In December 2025 the cows moved into a new six-row barn with three GEA milking robots.
What Nation Vale Farms Grows and Raises
The herd is 84 milking cows. The profile lists a production figure of 40 litres per cow per day in its quick facts, while the article says the cows gave about 38 litres in the old barn and the farm is working toward a 40-litre average, so the higher number is best read as a target.
The farm crops 1,000 acres of soybeans, corn, hay and wheat. Rations are a partial mixed ration of corn silage, haylage, dry corn and roasted soybeans with a custom Purina supplement, plus a Purina robot feed fed through the milking units.
Feed supply comes from Murray Link and Dundas Feed & Seed, which have worked with the farm for seven years according to the profile.
How Nation Vale Farms Makes Money
Milk sales
Milk is the core product. In Ontario dairy farms ship under the supply-managed system, so the business focuses on quality, components and cost control rather than chasing volume.
Home-grown feed
Growing corn, soybeans, hay and wheat on 1,000 acres supplies much of the ration. Home-raised feed is a major cost lever for a dairy herd.
Labour-saving technology
Three robotic milking units spread across the herd cut the hours spent in the parlour, freeing family time for breeding, herd health and cropping.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Nation Vale Farms
A robotic barn works best when the family also has clear roles. At Nation Vale, one person leads feeding, one calves, and one breeding and herd health, which matches the data and alerts robots produce.
The farm also pairs the move to robots with a tested ration and trusted feed suppliers, a reminder that new technology still depends on feed quality and strong advisors.
A robot that milks cows while a riding school runs next door is the sort of detail that farm.FM files under perfect material. Real farm satire would admit the cows probably learn the robot schedule faster than the humans do. Farm humor says every dairy has one cow who treats the robot like a drive-through, and ranch humor would point out nobody gets a drive-through in a tie-stall. These farm jokes salute a family that went from one barn in 1958 to a robotic one in 2025.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
How to Contact Nation Vale Farms
Website: https://agripurina.ca/species/dairy/purina-leaders-council/nation-vale-farms/
No official farm website or direct business contact details were found in the sources used for this page, so the link above is the best verified public page about the operation, checked November 2026. Confirm any enquiry directly with the operation.
Nation Vale Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Purina Canada: Nation Vale Farms - Profile with herd, crop and barn details.
- Purina Canada: dairy - Industry dairy resource page.
- FarmFood360: dairy cow farms - Industry virtual farm tours for Ontario dairy.
- Statistics Canada: Canadian Agriculture at a Glance - Official Census of Agriculture figures on Canadian farms, including Ontario sectors.
- Foodland Ontario - Provincial program promoting Ontario-grown food and farm stories.
Nation Vale Farms FAQ
Where is Nation Vale Farms?
It is in Chesterville, Ontario, south of Ottawa.
How many cows does Nation Vale Farms milk?
A Purina Canada profile reports 84 milking cows.
How is the herd milked?
In a new six-row barn with three GEA robots, which the family moved into in December 2025.
Who runs Nation Vale Farms?
Jim and Carol Ann Byveld, with their son Dan, who returned to the farm in 2013.
Nation Vale Farms shows how an immigrant family's tie-stall dairy can grow into a robotic, multi-generation business with its own cropland. For the programs, markets and technology choices that matter to Ontario dairy farmers, see the Ontario farms guide and the other profiles below.