Celebrating Karen Versloot: A Woman Shaping the Future of New Brunswick Agriculture
2026 is the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer, a year dedicated to recognizing the important contributions women make to agriculture, food systems and rural communities around the world.
For Stanley Mutual, this is a particularly meaningful opportunity to celebrate the women who help make New Brunswick’s farming communities strong.
Founded by farmers in 1937, supporting the people and communities that make up New Brunswick’s agricultural landscape has always been part of our heritage. This year, we’re proud to recognize Karen Versloot, a longtime Stanley Mutual client and dairy farmer at Combination Holsteins in Keswick Ridge.
As a Stanley Mutual client, Karen has entrusted us to help protect her farm and the life she has built there.
We’re truly honoured to have the opportunity to protect something so meaningful: a farm that represents decades of hard work, family, resilience and dedication to New Brunswick agriculture.
More Than 30 Years on the Farm
Karen has spent more than 30 years working in the dairy industry. Together with her late husband, Arthur, she purchased the family farm in 2001 and continued building the operation they had created together.
Today, Combination Holsteins has 87 milking cows, and the farm’s dairy quota has doubled over the past 25 years.
After Arthur’s passing, Karen made the decision to continue farming and took on an even greater leadership role on the farm. At the time, their four children ranged in age from just 12 to 4 years old.
It was a significant decision, but one that allowed Karen to continue the work and life she had built with her family while looking toward the future of the farm.
You can hear Karen talk about that decision and her experience of continuing to farm after Arthur’s passing in this interview with Barnyard Language:
Watch Karen’s Barnyard Language interview on Instagram
A Changing Dairy Industry
Farming is constantly evolving, and Karen has experienced many of those changes firsthand.
From advances in dairy production to changing consumer preferences and the logistics of getting milk from the farm to the marketplace, today’s dairy farmers are navigating an industry that looks very different from the one Karen entered more than three decades ago.
Karen spoke with the Centre of Excellence for Health about her days on the farm, her pastimes and the realities of the dairy industry.
Watch Karen’s interview with the Centre of Excellence for Health
One of the biggest changes Karen has seen is the growing consumer interest in protein. Dairy products such as cottage cheese, milk and other dairy-based foods continue to play an important role in meeting that demand.
In a recent CBC feature, Karen spoke about the changing dairy industry and the importance of having the processing capacity to support future growth.
Read the CBC story about Karen and Combination Holsteins
Looking Toward the Future
Despite the challenges that come with farming, Karen is still looking ahead.
After doubling the farm’s quota over the past 25 years, she hopes to see that growth continue. As New Brunswick’s dairy industry adapts to changing consumer demands and new opportunities, farmers like Karen are helping shape what comes next.
Her story is one of resilience, dedication and commitment to agriculture. It is also a reminder that the future of farming is built not only on the land, but on the people who choose to keep working it.
Celebrating New Brunswick’s Women Farmers
Karen is just one of the many women across New Brunswick who contribute to the strength of our agricultural communities.
Women farmers are raising livestock, managing farms, making business decisions, supporting their families, contributing to rural economies and helping build the next generation of agriculture.
At Stanley Mutual, we’re proud to celebrate these women and the important role they play in keeping our farms, families and communities growing.
Karen, thank you for trusting Stanley Mutual to be part of protecting the farm you and your family have worked so hard to build. We are truly honoured to be your insurance provider.
Happy International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, Karen, and to all the women helping shape the future of New Brunswick agriculture.
Together, We Are Stronger.