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NOTE: In 2005 the Agricultural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador created the “Century Farm Award” to honour farm families across the province who had farmed their land continuously for one hundred years or more and were still actively farming. Heritage NL agreed to post these listings on our website. Please note that these farms are NOT designated by Heritage NL. The listings are commemorative only. All content and images © Agricultural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador and used with the permission of award recipients.
Information below was current as of 2006-2007.
Glenview Farm
John Walsh was born in 1833. A fisherman on the Southern Shore, he came to Kilbride late in the nineteenth century and established a farm. It was a mixed enterprise farm and included dairy. The sale of this twenty-five acre farm from John to his son Richard (born 1876) was recorded in 1904. Under Dick’s management, dairy became the primary focus of the farm. When Dick passed away in 1948, the farm passed to his three sons Patrick, Richard (Rich) and Leo. Eventually, Patrick’s son, Robert, became a partner with his father on the farm. Today, four Walsh siblings own and operate Glenview Farm: Robert, David, Wayne and Denise.
Glenview has kept its tradition of dairy and its tradition of quality. The farm won the Daphne Taylor Milk Quality Award of Excellence in 1997. Always alert to innovation, Glenview Farm has recently ventured in a new direction: Glenview’s Finest. This product is scald cream. David and his wife Stephanie are guiding this development. Robert has served as Chairman of the Dairy Farmers of Newfoundland and Labrador for a number of years.
The Walsh family is taking dairy into its second century at Glenview Farm. Today Glenview Farm carries a herd of 450 head. An average of 6,800 litres of milk are produced daily from 220 cows milked. There are approximately 380 acres of forage and plans to expand the land base to maximize forage production.
The Agricultural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador is mandated to collect and honour the history of agriculture in this province and to raise public awareness of agriculture as a theme in the story of the province. In 2005 the Society created the Century Farm Award which is meant to identify, recognize and honour any farm family who have continuously farmed the same land for one hundred years or more and who continue to farm it at the present time. This award represents the pioneering agricultural history of the province: some farms supplied the growing town of St. John’s with milk, produce, meat and forage for livery stables; other farms supplied vegetables and butter to fishing communities by coastal boat; and others sent produce and dressed poultry by rail to the new resource towns, such as Grand Falls. Some of the early farmers came directly from the British Isles and others came to Newfoundland from earlier settlements in Nova Scotia. From their early beginnings these farms have survived as productive agricultural businesses by adapting successfully to changing market demands and changing economic circumstances and by adopting innovative technology. They have kept their land in good heart through as many as half a dozen generations. The Century Farm families have earned the Century Farm Award in recognition for their contribution to the history of our province and for their commitment to agriculture in the province’s future.
