He’s trying to pencil in a new barn but says "I can’t budget for $60 milk and end up getting $30."

He had 42 milking cows tied up in the barn, along with two heifers, two dry cows and 14 calves in pens and stalls. He lost them all in an afternoon blaze that is believed to have started in a nearby shed without electricity. Most of the herd was registered Holsteins.

"I lost 30 years of genetics," he said.

He says he’s under-insured and that will bring the farm under financial stress. But a greater problem would be buying quota to increase the paycheck so he could pay for everything. He had been producing milk for the optional milk export market until it was cancelled in December. To pay for everything, either he or his wife would have to go back to work.

The fire that now theatens his livelihood was brutal. At one point the flames shot 30 metres through the roof of the barn, warping and curling the metal. The loft was filled with straw.

The blaze spread to the silos, each about half filled with corn silage. Though one of the silos had the doors burn out, there appeared to be no buckling in either.

The farm had been in the family for two generations. He had bought an additional farm and had taken over the operation in 1989.

"I have no cash crops," he said. Consequently, there will be no cheques for a while.