You’ll find we’ve embellished our statistical information from last year’s copy. This year, in addition to the national and provincial production information, we’ve included data on imports and exports, breed registrations and production, and per-capita consumption of dairy products.

Lee karen
Managing Editor / Progressive Dairy

Plus, this four-page poster is printed on glossy paper, which can be removed from the centre of your magazine and kept around for a while longer.

Feel free to put it in an easy-to-access space on your desk or hang it on your office wall. Just don’t get rid of it, as you won’t get a new copy until next year.

This month I had the opportunity to talk with Richard Doyle, executive director for Dairy Farmers of Canada, as he prepares for his upcoming retirement. Listening to him reflect on his 38-year career and how the Canadian dairy industry evolved during that time was fascinating.

Many of you most likely lived through those changes, and I encourage you to take a trip down memory lane as you read the article 3 Open Minutes. It is also a good read for the newer generation, as “you can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been.”

The Canadian dairy industry is certainly going places. An article (click here to read) outlines a new research initiative aimed at combating infectious diseases that are a detriment to dairy farmers across the country.

Dr. Herman Barkema from the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will lead this endeavor to improve the control of Johne’s disease and mastitis and reduce the limiting effects they have on the productivity of the industry.

Don’t miss out on some of the industry’s hottest topics. Click here to read, Emily Metz Meredith with the Animal Agriculture Alliance discusses how to communicate and market to the newest consumers on the block – the millennial generation.

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Attendees of the latest American Dairy Science Association Discover Conference share what they learned in regards to animal welfare, view it here. Plus, Ashley Hall with Grober Nutrition imparts some ideas to make the most of incentive days in her article "Are you ready for dairy incentive days?".

If that isn’t enough material to digest, there are a couple of articles from the neighbours to the south to help spur some thought. A look behind the hide at one of the U.S.’s largest dairy cull cow processor plants (click here to view) might have you considering your cows’ second career while they are still carrying out their first.

Once you’ve decided it’s time for them to make that career change, read what Arizona dairyman Paul Rovey is doing to eliminate market problems click here to read.

I hope you enjoy this annual opportunity to take a deeper look at what is happening in the industry you are involved in each and every day.  PD

Karen Lee
  • Karen Lee
  • Editor
  • Progressive Dairyman magazine Seed