In early October, I was sitting in a meeting at World Dairy Expo with an organization our publication works closely with as partners in this great industry.
One person uttered a four-letter word, and ...
Canadian dairy producers will meet with representatives from environmental, animal care and health NGOs, financial associations, retailers and food services at DFC’s Building a Sustainable Dairy Industry ...
A research project financed in part by Dairy Farmers of Canada and its partners under the Organic Science Cluster investigated sustainable alternative sources of bedding for dairy cows.
The research ...
Getting more involved on social media provides the dairy community with numerous benefits, but can be daunting at first. There are more than a billion people around the world consumed by social media every ...
People issues can be a make-or-break proposition for your dairy. How do I know this? I’ve spent more than 38 years in the dairy industry. Wow, the time has gone by fast. I still have a desire to go to ...
There are family members and employees who use their cellphones too much these days. They are texting everyone, watching YouTube videos or getting up-to-date with their Facebook feed instead of doing what ...
A reader asked me to write about the emotions of quitting farming. Let’s take the approach of identifying the farm culture attributes farm founders appreciate. Imagine what it might feel like when the ...
You can know cows. You can know crops. You can know the markets. But experience has shown me a dairy owner’s real success is rooted in his or her ability to manage people.
As farm numbers decrease ...
Good management requires good observational powers. You’ve got to see and hear, and sometimes even feel, taste and smell, to ascertain whether or not things are going as planned.
Technology makes it ...
Thank goodness football season is here again.
On Sunday afternoons, highly trained players will coordinate their activities as precisely as they can against the onslaught of the other team.
If all ...
Dealing with both managing and non-managing owners will take extra time, patience and energy, but it can unlock additional growth capital for a dairy business.
Any one of these close or far-flung family ...
Booker prize-winning novelist and art critic John Bergen said, “What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary materials are light and time.”
Snapping a picture may seem simple and, ...
If you’ve headed home from a dairy meeting full of excitement from talking with friends, meeting new people or discussing technology, you’re not alone.
The excitement when meeting with like-minded ...
I have been the Quebec dairy specialist for DuPont Pioneer for two years. My primary role is to support the company’s sales representatives technically with forage and inoculant knowledge.
My days ...
The involvement of women in agriculture isn’t new. It has probably occurred since the beginning of food cultivation.
“What is new, though, is how we recognize and appreciate women’s contributions,” ...
“By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be boss and work 12 hours a day.” —Robert Frost
We may have our daily schedule written down or have a good idea of what it looks ...
I have been active on the Veterinary Practice Sustainability Committee of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) for the past five years.
The members of the committee have been great ...
Cold temperatures are here and winter is quickly approaching. As temperatures drop, calf barns are closed up and the ventilation rates are turned down. As an industry we do this reflexively, but is it ...
You’ve probably heard or read it 100 times or more – cows love consistency.
Numerous research studies and on-farm experiences show dairy cows perform better with day-to-day sameness in their care and ...
Puberty in dairy heifers can be defined as a measurable increase in blood progesterone with the presence of a corpus luteum (CL) on an ovary, and heifers begin actively cycling.
Dairy heifers reach ...
The crude protein (CP) concentrations and sources used in calf starters and growers are frequently questioned and debated today.
Thirty-five (or more) years ago when the understanding of rumen-degradable ...
Dairy managers and consultants focus on feeding and managing the lactating and dry dairy herd. This is logical since mistakes become readily apparent in substantial lost income, increased expenses or poor ...
As animal welfare issues continue to become more prominent, automatic comfort brushes for calves are becoming a necessary tool for farmers to improve calf comfort and well-being. However, did you know ...
Time and time again, research shows there are multiple different risk factors that result in a cow getting lame. From cow housing and bedding to manure management, nutrition, cow hygiene and trimming schedule, ...
Digital dermatitis (DD) is often referred to as “mastitis of the hoof.” When it comes to milk production, hoof care can be just as important as udder care.
A lame cow won’t be able to stand on its ...
Few things hurt a dairy producer more than sending a pregnant cow milking 45 litres of milk a day on a trailer to slaughter because she is severely lame, but in herds that battle thin soles.
However, ...
It is well-known digital dermatitis is the most widespread infectious disease causing lameness in our herds. The infection sets in as a result of weakening of the skin, an injury for example.
The main ...
Finding cows with a locomotion score of “3” could be the magic number that transforms lameness levels within a dairy herd, according to Neil Andrew, Northeast account manager with Zinpro Corporation.
During ...
A large audience of hoof trimmers listened attentively to a guest speaker who was addressing the important topic of lameness prevention at the Hoof Health Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, in February 2016. ...
Digital dermatitis (DD), known as hairy heel warts, strawberry foot rot, raspberry heel, Mortellaro’s disease and foot warts, has become the most common foot lesion on many dairy herds throughout North ...
Acknowledged as a leading cause of lameness in the dairy industry, digital dermatitis (DD) is a widespread problem. Also known as hairy heel warts, this costly and highly contagious disease progresses ...
Lameness can be the most costly disease on dairies, even more so than mastitis. This is due to the high incidence of lameness on dairies. It is not uncommon to find 30 percent yearly incidence or higher ...
Understanding the many components that make up a milking vacuum system and recognizing how vacuum function integrates with the entire milking system is key to achieving an optimal milk harvest.
Subtle ...
Dairy farmers usually don’t have trouble caring for their animals, but sometimes they have trouble taking care of themselves. From working in the industry, and now being a dairy farmer myself, I have seen ...
A few Sundays ago, I spent some time in the nursery at our church with my two granddaughters, Hazel and Darcy. Hazel is 1, and Darcy is 2.
Like the other six or seven children in the nursery, their ...
My father started transitioning the same time as Bruce Jenner. It aroused the curiosity of the other farmers. Was the process difficult? How long would it take?
What should they call him afterwards? ...
The dairy industry has seen a large trend towards high-level milk feeding programs for calves in the past decade. This has allowed producers to realize the growth potential of young animals and improve ...
As some efforts that effect Canadian dairy policy are making an impact, others are just at the starting point.
In presenting to the Progressive Dairy Operators at the group’s annual banquet on Sept. ...
When we talk about calf barn ventilation, there are as many ventilation options out there as there are calf facilities. Many people promote positive-pressure tube ventilation, while others suggest tunnel ...
Created on 02 June 2017
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