Dairy Co-op In Campo 4 Had Rocky Start But Is Doing Better

Mennonite Central Committee
Monday, 7 May 2001

WINNIPEG, Man. -- Two years after Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada helped set up a dairy co-operative on Campo 4 colony in Mexico, the dairy's fortunes are taking a turn for the better.

"We're into a more hopeful phase with the dairy. For a long time we were unsure whether it would be financially profitable," said Abe Peters, director of the Kanadier Concerns program for MCC Canada, which works with Mexican Mennonites.

In the last two years, co-op manager David Friesen, together with John Enns, a dairy farmer from Winkler, Man., have been improving feeding and overall management of the herd. Milk production has improved to 22 to 24 liters per cow on average, almost double the original amount.

The dairy co-op got its start in April, 1999 when farmers on the Campo 4 colony, near Cuauhtemoc, purchased 200 heifers from New Zealand. With the assistance of Mennonite and Amish investors, MCC helped finance low-interest loans through the Mexican Mennonite Revolving Loan Fund for 29 of the 43 shareholders in the co-op.

The dairy's milk production was to help overcome several years of drought-induced hardship for the Mennonite colonies in Mexico. However, the heifers, purchased with high recommendations from the Mexican government, were undersized and produced poorly. "There was much disappointment when they initially saw the herd," said Peters.

In the fall of 1999, members of the dairy co-op purchased 78 heifers from Manitoba with further loans from the loan fund. They have produced much better than the original heifers.

The co-op shareholders are hopeful they'll be able to start repaying the loans in September. "If the price of milk stays somewhat stable they'll be doing quite well," said John Enns, who returned to Winkler from a three-month MCC assignment to Mexico at the end of March. "There's more optimism than there has been until now," he continued.

Enns said the modern dairy, called Lecheria de Sierra, is attracting regular visitors, both from on and off the colony. It boasts a milking parlour with capacity for 16 cows, which can be expanded to 32, as well as corral space for 600 animals. The co-op sells the milk to a local cheese plant.

Peters said the co-op has helped build a new level of trust and co-operation among colony members. "They've had to do a lot of planning together. They've had to work hard together at bringing up the milk production," said Peters. "Everyone is benefitting from learning about better management and better animal care."

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org