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1. Ash contamination in silage results in more than just energy loss: (Feed & Nutrition); When a crop is harvested to be ensiled, it’s a race against time to minimize losses and preserve a majority of dry matter and nutrients in the form of digestible fibre, protein and energy. In order to ...; Created on 30 March 2018
2. I quit: (Editor’s Notes); That’s right, I’m a quitter. I always thought I’d be ashamed to admit that because I firmly believe in following through on commitments and finishing what I start, but I am actually pretty excited about ...; Created on 29 March 2018
3. Dairy Farmers of Canada: DFC hosts a successful Annual Dairy Policy Conference: (Management); On Feb. 7, Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) held its Annual Dairy Policy Conference at the Chateau Laurier in Canada’s national capital. This was an excellent opportunity to discuss the challenges faced ...; Created on 28 March 2018
4. Protect your hearing: Be aware of noise on the farm: (Management); We sometimes forget that, for the most part, hearing is damaged over time, and constant exposure will quicken the hearing loss process. Noise on the farm is inevitable, and there may be very few times ...; Created on 28 March 2018
5. Putting on a show: How to create a Disney culture on the dairy: (Management); Each and every day, Walt Disney theme parks put on a show for millions of guests across the globe. People dream of experiencing the ultimate Disney vacation, and cast members are taught from day one it ...; Created on 28 March 2018
6. Top 3 reasons why workers leave your dairy: (Management); If your farm experiences high turnover on a constant basis, it may be time for a self-evaluation to address the reasons why this is occurring. I recently took to social media and asked employees what was ...; Created on 28 March 2018
7. Common mistakes that harm family businesses: (Management); Family businesses don’t always fail because of poor business. Instead, it is due to turmoil amongst the family owners and operators. In a presentation at the 2017 Advancing Women Conference, Jolene Brown ...; Created on 28 March 2018
8. Two countries, two couples: Excited for what the future holds: (Management); With turmoil brewing between Canada and the U.S. in ongoing trade talks, it is important to remember the foundation of each industry: dairy producers. Here, Progressive Dairyman takes a look at two ...; Created on 28 March 2018
9. Tips for producers in times of economic resets: (Management); Minnesota farmer Paul Zimmerman extended a firm handshake and greeting on behalf of his daughter to David Kohl, professor emeritus, Virginia Tech. Zimmerman’s daughter is a likely successor to their farm. ...; Created on 27 March 2018
10. Dairy data detective tips: Solving a rise in DOAs: (Management); Most dairies I work with utilize dairy software to help organize daily activities such as what cows to breed, treat, etc. While this can be extremely helpful in staying organized, what can make data even ...; Created on 27 March 2018
11. Siri, Alexa meet Ida – the AI dairy farmer: (Management); What if you could ask your smartphone to tell you which of your cows were lame? Or which cows were most likely to get sick in the next day or two? Or whether a switch from feeding last year’s silage to ...; Created on 27 March 2018
12. More handy than hands – the automation of your dreams is coming: (Management); Don’t tell me you’ve never done this before: It’s a cold, wet day and you’re standing in the farm store parking lot. You ran into town because you just needed that one part to fix a pump or a gate. Now ...; Created on 27 March 2018
13. Exploring opportunity feeds: (Feed & Nutrition); Every November, the Ruminant Feed Industry Days provide learning opportunities for feed industry professionals. Jointly held by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) ...; Created on 27 March 2018
14. Life is better by the forage fibre pool: (Feed & Nutrition); Forage and fibre in the diets of dairy cows is critical for their optimal health and milk production. How the fibre in forages ferments, digests and is metabolized is an ongoing subject of discussion and ...; Created on 27 March 2018
15. Balance for individual amino acids or balance for metabolizable protein?: (Feed & Nutrition); When diets were balanced for individual amino acids rather than metabolizable protein, net income increased and nitrogen balance decreased, implying an overall better usage of nitrogen on the farm. A ...; Created on 27 March 2018
16. Chromium supplementation increases insulin sensitivity and milk production: (Feed & Nutrition); Traditionally, it has been assumed practical diets fed to dairy cattle provide sufficient chromium to meet their requirements. However, research conducted over the past 20 years has shown chromium supplementation ...; Created on 26 March 2018
17. Time to rethink ‘silage safety’: (Feed & Nutrition); As another growing season approaches, now is a good time to start preparing for a safe silage season. Unfortunately, when most producers are asked what silage and safety mean to them, their answer usually ...; Created on 26 March 2018
18. Optimize dairy cow fertility through nutrition: (Feed & Nutrition); A successful breeding program starts with good, early lactation nutritional management. Getting cows off to the best possible start in early lactation is critical on every dairy farm. It is essential to ...; Created on 26 March 2018
19. Calculate inventory to feed a growing herd: (Feed & Nutrition); With a growing dairy industry comes the need for individual dairies to closely monitor their feed inventories to ensure enough feed is available. This can be a bit of a guessing game, and intakes will ...; Created on 26 March 2018
20. Centrifuges: An option for dairy manure nutrient management: (Manure); Some dairy farms in British Columbia produce more manure phosphorus than is required by their crops, resulting in the gradual buildup of surplus phosphorus in their soils. The reason for this buildup ...; Created on 26 March 2018
21. Prevention and treatment of neonatal calf diarrhea: (Calves & Heifers); A recent study demonstrated approximately 23 percent of calves were treated for diarrhea during the pre-weaning period. Calves that have a case of diarrhea during the pre-weaning period are not only at ...; Created on 26 March 2018
22. The first 15 minutes of life: How can we best help calves?: (Calves & Heifers); The more we learn about the birth process and what happens when calves enter the world, the more we realize how critical those first moments of life are. Mother Nature does an excellent job of transitioning ...; Created on 26 March 2018
23. Key design features to consider before building a new calf barn: (Calves & Heifers); Proper barn planning saves time and money. For every decision, it is important to understand its associated ramifications. In calf barns, housing style and pen configuration decisions impact ventilation ...; Created on 23 March 2018
24. Comparing milk replacer feeding strategies: Performance and cost of gain: (Calves & Heifers); Whether we’re talking about a kid with one 4-H calf or a calf ranch with tens of thousands of calves, the key questions about feeding calves are the same. How do you minimize cost of production? What ...; Created on 23 March 2018
25. 5 decision points for culling heifers: (Calves & Heifers); In this day and age, producers are great at making heifers. Reproductive and calf raising management practices have dramatically improved through the years, resulting in an abundance of replacement heifers. ...; Created on 23 March 2018
26. Ask a Vet: Scours identification and prevention: (Herd Health); Scours is the primary cause of calf death before weaning. It can be a devastating disease infecting many animals, resulting in expensive treatments and negatively impacting the animal’s long-term health ...; Created on 23 March 2018
27. Vaccination 101: Set your animals up for success: (Herd Health); You vaccinate your cows and heifers, but are they immunized? Not necessarily. To get a good immune response, you need to set your animals up correctly. During his presentation at the 2016 American ...; Created on 23 March 2018
28. Mycoplasma mastitis: An emerging disease concern: (Herd Health); Changes in dairy herd management, primarily herd expansion, have turned mycoplasma mastitis into an emerging disease. The U.S. National Animal Health Monitoring Service conducted a recent survey, which ...; Created on 22 March 2018
29. Maximizing profit through proactive herd health management: (Herd Health); It’s no secret managing the transition period (three weeks before and three weeks after parturition) is a critical determinant of productivity and profitability on the dairy farm. During this time frame, ...; Created on 22 March 2018
30. Equip your toolbox for managing mastitis: (Herd Health); Mastitis remains the single-most costly dairy herd health issue in terms of lost productivity, profitability and compromised product quality. Overall, the dairy industry has made great progress in reducing ...; Created on 22 March 2018
31. How to maximize your regular monthly vet visit: (Herd Health); For many dairy operations, the vet bill is a line item often considered a necessary evil. It has been established by generations that the veterinary expense is not questioned, pushed or reconsidered. Today, ...; Created on 22 March 2018
32. New machine replaces expensive and ongoing medical waste removal fees: (Herd Health); Medical waste removal costs livestock producers and veterinarians thousands of dollars every year. Due to the monopoly in the medical waste removal industry, prices are increasing considerably and regularly, ...; Created on 22 March 2018
33. Why cows develop clinical mastitis in early lactation: (Herd Health); The transition period for a dairy cow has traditionally been defined by the dairy industry as the period three weeks pre-calving to three weeks post-calving. An expanded period including the entire dry ...; Created on 21 March 2018
34. 5 key metrics for dairy goat operations to improve profitability: (Management); The dairy goat industry in Ontario is an exciting and dynamic industry that has experienced both growth and difficulties. In comparison with other agriculture markets in Canada, the dairy goat market ...; Created on 21 March 2018
35. The scoop on sand-laden manure and soil health: (Manure); An ideal bedding for dairy cows is clean, provides a certain degree of cow comfort and doesn’t readily support bacterial growth. Sand fits that bill to a tee. Sand-laden manure, however, is the less attractive ...; Created on 21 March 2018
36. Office Solutions: Avoid feed-mixing pitfalls: (Technology); This month’s VAS tip is on feed management. Feed accounts for more than 50 percent of the cost of milk production – even the slightest variation in the process can swing milk production if inconsistencies ...; Created on 21 March 2018
37. Just dropping by ... Money isn’t everything: (Yevet Tenney); Recently, I finished my book Burn the Boats – Finding the Treasure in Marriage and Family Life. It was ready for publication when I realized I did not have a chapter on one of the most important aspects ...; Created on 20 March 2018
38. Dietary fatty acids and how they affect reproduction: (Feed & Nutrition); Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with and provide technical support to numerous dairies in the U.S. and internationally. One of the most common questions asked pertains to feeding fats, ...; Created on 19 March 2018
39. Equipment Hub: Problem: Repeat tripping of the auto wrap: (Facilities & Equipment); The auto wrap system is a mechanical operation, and if you understand how the process works, you can tackle repair jobs easier. Here’s how it functions. As the bale grows, the take-up arm rotates. ...; Created on 19 March 2018
40. The Milk House: Quick, overly simple explanation of global agricultural politics: (Ryan Dennis); The world is smaller than it was several generations ago. It is often said: If a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, it could cause a tornado in Texas – suggesting just how globally connected our existence ...; Created on 19 March 2018
41. HERd Management: Why we’re all just diamonds in the rough: (Guest Blog); I was unloading the dishwasher a few days ago and paused to ponder my husband’s coffee cup. It stuck out like a sore thumb among the other dishes, all scratched and dented, looking like something that ...; Created on 19 March 2018
42. Colostrum, transition milk and maternal impact: There’s still a lot to learn: (Calves & Heifers); Recently, there has been a resurgence in calf research, with producers, academics and industry professionals developing an interest in techniques to improve the health and welfare of newborn and pre-weaning ...; Created on 12 March 2018
43. DHI Herd Management Score: A report card on your performance: (Management); By now, producers across Canada will have received their annual reports package from CanWest DHI and Valacta. This package contains a summary of how the herd performed for the year 2017 in a number of ...; Created on 12 March 2018
44. Progressive Events: Canadian Dairy XPO continues to offer more in 2018: (Event Coverage); The Canadian Dairy XPO (CDX) to be held April 4-5 in Stratford, Ontario, continues to offer the latest in international technology, equipment, education and innovation. This year, CDX is offering several ...; Created on 08 March 2018