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For Adam Petherick, farming is a family tradition that stretches back more than four generations.
Petherick farms alongside his wife Amy and his parents, Evan and Marilyn. The family currently milks 75 Holsteins and one Jersey, operates a robotic facility and farms about 300 acres of land to support the cattle. His family has been farming in the area since 1842.
Some of Petherick’s most meaningful memories come from working alongside his family when he was growing up.
He says that connection continues today as he works the same land and builds on what previous generations started.
For Petherick, the family farm is more than a business. It’s a lifestyle built around working with the people closest to him and carrying forward a tradition.
The future of that farm will ultimately be up to the next generation, but Petherick says there are plenty of opportunities ahead for Canadian agriculture.
Technology is already changing the way the farm operates. A robotic facility has improved efficiency, and Petherick sees potential for more artificial intelligence, solar power and electrification in the years ahead.
Petherick says he couldn’t have imagined 20 years ago where the farm would be today, making it difficult to predict where it will be another two decades from now.
But that’s part of what excites him.
He hopes the stability of the dairy sector will give his children—or whoever eventually takes over the farm—the opportunity to make their own choice about whether they want to continue the family tradition.
For Petherick, the connection between generations is ultimately what makes farming special.
And for the Petherick family, that means the future of the farm isn’t just about what happens next—it is about continuing something generations before them began.
