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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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) ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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, ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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
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