Arian de Bekker of Neogen says that cleaning poultry barns down to the bare surface means that disinfection products will work better.
Cleaning poultry barns improves disinfection results
There are now on-farm testers to check for how well barn disinfection worked
Dairy LPI gets last minute updates
A dairy farmer figured out that the last index was over-weighted to milk production
The dairy Lifetime Performance Index will be updated April 1 and includes some changes in trait weighting, including milk production as a dairy farmer realized it was over-emphasized.
Herds eliminating feed pellets in milking robots
Cows shown to learn to be milked without pellets in the robot in guided traffic systems
Updated March 12, 2025 Feeding cows to entice them to visit milking robots has been a best practice since cows started being milked automatically in Canada about 25 years ago. Farms are questioning that rule and getting their cows to milk well without supplementing them in the robot. Why it matters: Lowering costs and simplifying […] Read more
New corn, soybean pesticides have no export concerns
Yearly review of 2025 launches protects against issues before products come to market
Three corn pesticides to be launched in the Ontario market in 2025 have been approved by a committee that makes sure there will be no export market concerns with those products being used in the province.
Top tips for successful dairy calf weaning
A step-down approach to weaning is critical as today’s calves consume more milk
Dairy calves weaned gradually are more likely to have greater gain, more feed consumption and fewer health issues than those weaned abruptly.
Tar spot continues on the move in Ontario corn
The disease can be controlled by timely application of fungicides
Tar spot spread across Ontario in 2024, skipping past Toronto and it was also found in Quebec. The fungal disease can have a 20 to 80 bushel impact on corn yields.
Dairy farmers preparing for Trump challenges on trade
Hamel re-elected, P10 pooling closer, from the Dairy Farmers of Ontario annual meeting
Mark Hamel was re-elected as chair of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario. Other topics at the DFO annual meeting included Trump’s pledge to renegotiate CUSMA and that national milk pooling, called P10, is close to being a reality.
Butterfat levels rise on dairy farms across Canada
High butterfat means easier management of the other solids in milk
Canadian dairy farmers continue to increase the butterfat levels in the milk they produce, which has helped decrease the surplus of solids-not-fat. The Canadian Dairy Commission reports that the average butterfat test in raw milk on Canadian dairy farms increased from 4.23 per cent to 4.3 per cent in 2024. This increase in butterfat production […] Read more
Nevin McDougall named chair of Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario
ARIO owns 14 agriculture research properties on behalf of the provincial government
Nevin McDougall was named chair of Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario replacing Lorne Hepworth at the head of the organization that owns 14 agriculture research locations in Ontario.
Agricorp report shows strong 2024 corn, soybean yields
Customers produced 204 bushels per acre for corn and 53 bushels per acres for soybeans in Ontario
Ontario crop insurer Agricorp says its customers averaged 204 bushels per acre for corn and 53 bushels per acre for soybeans in 2024.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
