Coombs Hill Farm
Ten generations
Karen Herzig grew up on her family’s Coombs Hill Farm, where her Scottish ancestors first settled in 1752. She and her husband, Charles, took over from Karen’s parents, Russ and Sandy, making them the ninth generation. Their son, Eric, makes the proud tenth generation. He is deeply committed to the family farm, finding something to appreciate in every season. “Nothing better than some second-cut alfalfa being ground up with a hint of spring in the air,” says Eric.
“Love our ladies”
Karen still takes care of the cows and does much of the milking. She knows each of the animals personally. “I know when any of our cows are a bit off or not feeling well,” she says. “We love our ladies on the farm, and we make sure they live in a safe and clean environment and that they get the best feed possible.” Eric focuses on crops, fieldwork and general maintenance while his dad, Charles, works full-time as a machinist and pitches in evenings and weekends.
Slice of farm life
Like so many other farm families, the Herzigs welcome groups from schools to scouts on tours of the farm. Karen welcomes the chance to show off her lifelong home and the farm. “We love to have visitors and show them a slice of dairy farming,” she says. “It builds support for the industry and lets people know just how much work goes into bringing safe and nutritious dairy products to their supermarket.”
