Dave Fortier and Sophie Bédard enjoy the freedom with their children that robotic milking offers them.

Managing through a dairy barn retrofit

Human factors were the most challenging part of dealing with a change from a tie-stall to freestall with robotic milking on this Quebec farm

Dave Fortier and Sophie Bédard found that human factors were the most challenging part of a major dairy barn renovation which changed the barn from tie-stall to freestall and robotic milking.



Contemporary knowledge about wind and snow loads on buildings, and the size and scale of buildings now common on farms, calls for heavier and more complex roof trusses, wall studs and bracing.

Farm building costs could rise on code changes

Updates to the national building codes will affect on-farm construction, say builders

Costs to erect modern-scaled farm buildings in Ontario could increase in 2025 due to planned updates of national codes regulating construction, fire safety, energy safety and plumbing.




A map shows where international attendees come from at the World Dairy Expo 2024.

VIDEO: World Dairy Expo 2024: Final wrap up

More long-term implications of the dairy beef trends, and is it AI, AI or AI?

It’s the final day of the World Dairy Expo 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin and John Greig, Glacier FarmMedia’s senior livestock editor wraps up his time spent at the event. He talks about the long-reaching ramifications of more dairy cows bred to beef bulls, talks about event attendance and… is it AI, AI or AI?




In indoor group housing of calves, one of the dangers is disease. That's why ventilation is so important.

Why group calf housing continues to grow

Labour efficiency, strong growth and socialization are reasons why farmers choose group housing of calves

More dairy farms are turning to group housing. In this second article on housing young calves, how group housing is working on farms. (Read the first article here)The content of this article comes from a video podcast produced by the Dairyland Initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is hosted by Courtney Halbach, extension specialist, […] Read more