In the ever-changing world of global supply, cattle producers regularly face inconsistent supplies of critical animal health products. This makes it necessary for producers to be in close contact with […] Read more
Calf health
Managing veterinary medicine shortages
Cattle producers often find bare shelves when they need animal health products
Purple coneflower can aid calf immunity
Humans have taken purple coneflower, or echinacea, to manage colds and infections
A University of Guelph study shows that feeding purple coneflower to dairy bull calves has positive effect on immunity and inflammation levels. Purple coneflower, known by the scientific name echinacea, […] Read more
Carrier status for two dairy defects available soon
Lactanet will publish evaluations for defects affecting Holstein and Brown Swiss
Lactanet says dairy producers will soon have access to genetic information on tested bulls and females that carry the defect for muscle weakness (Holsteins) and the BH14 haplotype (Brown Swiss). […] Read more
Extended colostrum feeding can improve calf health
Calves fed colostrum for up to 14 days after birth had better weight gain and reduced disease
This was first published by Dairy at Guelph. Feeding enough high-quality colostrum soon after birth is critical for calf health and has long-term effects on their performance. But could there […] Read more
Taking the bite out of cold-weather livestock care
Strategies for keeping calves warm and healthy
The youngest calves on the farm are the most sensitive to different environmental temperatures. In the case of cold weather and falling temperatures, producers can have problems managing morbidity, mortality […] Read more
Colostrum has value for sick calves
Colostrum testing and feeding frequency has risen on Canadian dairy farms
Researchers say Canadian dairy farmers are doing a better job of getting colostrum to their calves and measuring to make sure those calves have absorbed enough to create passive immunity. […] Read more
U.S. researchers uncover emerging Holstein genetic defect
Affected recumbency calves unable to stand after birth
The North American dairy breeding sector is providing early-stage advice to protect herds against a newly discovered and potentially fatal genetic defect affecting Holstein calves. The first official word on […] Read more
New research will look at dairy welfare and technology
The use of artificial intelligence to help farmers improve dairy animal care will be studied on Ontario and Quebec farms
A new research collaboration at McGill University and the University of Quebec in Montreal will explore the role of artificial intelligence in promoting dairy cattle welfare. The project aims to […] Read more
Increasing veterinary capacity in Ontario to receive $15 million in funding
To help address veterinary shortages in rural and northern communities, the Ontario government is investing more than $15 million to establish anew Collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program with the […] Read more
Updated Dairy Code of Practice released
The updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle is now available from the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and the Dairy Farmers of Canada […] Read more