[UPDATED: Apr. 18, 2023] The third annual Calves for a Cause fundraiser April 5 resulted in $285,00 in total sales and a donation of $65,000 to the Children’s Health Foundation. Held in honour of Brooks Markus, the three-year-old son of an Ingersoll-area dairy farming family who recently underwent his ninth surgery since birth, Calves for […] Read more
Family’s healthcare journey inspires dairy fundraiser
Calves for a Cause benefits London children’s hospital
United response needed to supply management threats
Outgoing Gay Lea CEO says there will continue to be opportunities for Canadian dairy
Recently retired Gay Lea Foods Cooperative CEO Michael Barrett believes opportunities will open up for the Canadian dairy sector as farmers in other parts of the world feel pressure from governments to limit their environmental impact. Dairy supplies into the global marketplace from New Zealand and the European Union are going to be limited due […] Read more
Tackling feed requirements through breeding
Lactanet publishes new body maintenance index for bulls
Lactanet is introducing its Body Maintenance Requirements (BMR) evaluations for bulls this month as part of its ongoing work to help dairy producers maximize production per kilogram of dry matter intake. Speaking at Lactanet’s recent Open Industry session, geneticist Dr. Allison Fleming said the BMR is not directly related to feed costs per litre of […] Read more
Canadian dairy carbon-neutral guidebook released
Kitchen table meetings may be the next step for the introduction of the guide to farmers
There are no financial incentives and the adoption of practices isn’t mandatory to continue shipping milk, but Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) insists there are strong reasons why the country’s milk producers should get on board with a just-published Best Management Practices Guide to Mitigate Emissions on Dairy Farms. The new document forms the cornerstone […] Read more
More dairy drying capacity needed
Michael Barrett sees it as investment for future of dairy processing
Additional drying capacity should be a top priority for Ontario’s dairy sector, according to recently retired Gay Lea Foods CEO Michael Barrett. “If we had another dryer, I would not be afraid to say we could sell everything that we put through that facility,” Barrett told attendees during his Feb. 22 keynote presentation at the […] Read more
Poultry sector resumes vigilance over avian influenza
Highly pathogenic strain resurfaces for Wave 3 of outbreak
The spring run of highly pathogenic avian influenza has started, but a year of experience managing the disease has Ontario farmers ready with new knowledge and tools. As of March 23, there were two confirmed cases in Ontario in domestic poultry and numerous suspected and confirmed deaths of wild birds. Why it matters: More than […] Read more
Calves for a Cause to host first in-person fundraiser
Family’s healthcare journey inspires dairy fundraiser
The third annual Calves for a Cause fundraiser is set for Wednesday, April 5 during the Canadian Dairy XPO. Held in honour of Brooks Markus, the three-and-a-half-year-old son of an Ingersoll-area dairy farming family who just underwent his ninth surgery since birth, Calves for a Cause raises money for the Children’s Health Foundation of London. […] Read more
New Lactanet breeding index tackles methane emissions
World-first approach uses mid-infrared milk data to estimate individual cow emissions
Aworld-leading approach to creating a methane-specific breeding index has been developed by Lactanet and will launch next month. Not content to wait until “sniffer” technology for measuring bovine methane emissions eventually becomes more affordable, the Canadian dairy data collection and genetics analysis organization developed the index based on milk samples. Ahead of the index’s official […] Read more
Is processing at a tipping point?
Labour, capacity and access to capital make Ontario processing a challenge
The inability to achieve production-line capacity was cited for the recent closure of two Canadian-owned food processing facilities serving the country’s densest population centres. The closures, combined with soon-to-take-effect closures of two further-processing pork factories in Quebec, leave primary producers of both vegetables and livestock hoping this isn’t a sign of things to come. Pickle […] Read more
TruHarvest closes doors on beef processing plant
Plant was one of only three federally inspected options for Ontario producers
TruHarvest Meats, one of three federally inspected beef processing facilities in Ontario, has closed its doors, citing a continued inability to achieve financial goals. “Unfortunately, the ownership paused operation at the end of January for financial reasons,” said TruHarvest vice-president Chuck Oulton, when contacted at the Toronto plant in early March. “It’s tough. The team […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
