Connie McLellan

Connie McLellan

Blending love of cows with environmental sustainability

Connie McLellan grew up on a dairy farm in Nova Scotia, farming with her parents and brothers. Eight years ago, though, she made the big decision to move to her partner’s dairy farm near Québec City, where they milk 100 cows using a robotic system that enables cows to choose when they’re milked. She has a degree from Dalhousie University in Environmental Horticulture, and said that from the time she was young, she has always had a passion for preserving the environment. “I love being outside. I love hiking and scuba diving and everything about nature. Knowing how it works and how to preserve it is important to me.” So when she saw a job posting by Ducks Unlimited (DU) for a dairy lead, she knew it was the perfect opportunity to combine her two passions: dairy cows and the environment. DU is funding initiatives across Canada that help dairy farmers to enhance and protect biodiversity. Dairy Farmers of Canada has a goal of the sector reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050, and this work will help with achieving that target. Projects include wetland restoration, grazing of animals on marginal land, and providing alternate solutions to wastewater coming from milk houses.