Jersey cows wait to enter a milking robot on an Ontario farm.

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




Cow in a dairy farm

Western milk concentration plant closer to completion

Farmer-funded milk plant will help make western Canadian milk more competitive to transport

Glacier FarmMedia – A first in Canada new milk concentration plant will reduce transportation costs for dairy farmers in western Canada by about $15 million per year. Western Milk Pool chair Henry Holtmann said a tour of the under-construction Dairy Innovation West facility this summer a “day of celebration.” Why it matters: A lack of […] Read more


As employee numbers increase on dairy farms, farmers have to learn to communicate the process improvement that has been part of their own way of working.

Make your dairy processes lean and clean

Stopping and observing are the first steps to efficiency

Dairy farmers work through similar processes every day, but taking another look at ordinary tasks can yield significant time and financial savings. Process evaluation has many names, including lean, Kaizan or Six Sigma, but the concepts are similar: constantly improve, find bottlenecks and reduce waste, says Dr. Chris Church, a master’s student at the Lang […] Read more

Panelists discuss their diversified dairy farm operations at the Canadian Dairy Xpo’s Canadian Dairy Business Conference. They included Korb Whale, left, Joel LePage, Gilbert Matheson, Bonnie den Haan and moderator Dan Matheson.

Diversifying dairy means more than milking

Here’s how four dairy farms grew their businesses beyond milk production

Farmers who diversify their dairy operations can make it work with luck, great planning and a willingness to take risks. The Canadian Dairy XPO’s new Canadian Dairy Business Conference brought together four farmers who have diversified so milking cows is just part of what they do. Why it matters: Dairy farmers who want to grow […] Read more