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Dairy — page 15

Some feeds and milk handling can influence the colour and odour of milk.
Dairy

Udder health influences kid mortality, milk quality

A veterinarian reviews its importance and how producers can ensure udders stay healthy

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Udder challenges such as mastitis are ongoing concerns for dairy and meat goat producers.  According to Dr. Rosie Busch from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, healthy udders ensure proper milk production but can also affect meat goat kid performance. Why it matters: Attention to udder health and milking conditions are critical in assessing […] Read more
Udders of two dairy cows
Cow health, Dairy

Preventing lameness in dairy cattle

Experts weigh in on useful strategies

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Cow comfort is king in the battle against lameness. That’s the opinion of Mark Gerber, Zinpro dairy technical sales and master trimmer. He was a panelist at the Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week Dairy Day held earlier this month, and spoke on the importance of dairy cow hoof health. “If that cow doesn’t have a comfortable […] Read more
Murray Sherk retired from the Dairy Farmers of Ontario board after three years as chair and 12 years as a board member.
Dairy, News

Hamel new leader of Dairy Farmers of Ontario

Murray Sherk retires as chair after 12 years on the board of directors

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Mark Hamel has been elected the new chair of the board for Dairy Farmers of Ontario. The Bruce County dairy farmer and representative of Region 11 moved up from first vice-president when Murray Sherk stepped down at the Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) annual general meeting this week. Sherk, who farms near Plattsville, had been […] Read more
Paul Larmer led the Semex Alliance as CEO for 17 years, through significant growth and 13 straight years of record revenues.
Dairy, Genetics, News

Paul Larmer – the retirement interview

The CEO of the Semex Alliance led the organization during 17 years of growth into a global entity still owned by Canadian dairy farmers

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Paul Larmer retired as chief executive officer of the Semex Alliance on Dec. 31, after growing a farmer-owned Canadian company into a leading global player. Over 17 years as CEO, Larmer led the organization to become one of the top five dairy genetics companies in the world, and saw it through dramatic change driven by […] Read more
SomaDetect has developed a sensor and software system that provides farmers with reliable milk-based data from every cow at every milking.
Cow health, Dairy, Livestock, Milking equipment, News

Ontario dairy start-ups win big in New York State

Winners receive mentorship and access to large herds as well as cash

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Two Ontario-based dairy start-ups were recently named among the winners of a prestigious $3 million business competition in New York State. SomaDetect won $500,000 and Cattle Scan received a $250,000 prize in the fifth annual Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Competition. It is focused on growing a food and agriculture innovation cluster in Central New York […] Read more
This is the main barn at Denfield Livestock Exchange north of London, Ont.
Dairy, Livestock, News

Denfield Livestock Exchange gets new owners

The Middlesex County sales barn serves farms from surrounding counties

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Stanton Farms and the Van Soest family have purchased the Denfield Livestock Exchange, giving new stability to the Middlesex County sales barn. “It’s a sale we’ve always sent our cull cows and drop calves to, and we knew it was a strong, successful sales barn,” says Jeff Stanton of Stanton Farms. “We were driven by […] Read more
Benjamin Buechner, of John Deere, and Laurine Hetterscheid, of Dairy Data Warehouse, talked to farmers about the Milk Sustainability Centre at Agritechnica in November.
Dairy, Forage and crops, Milking equipment, News

Milk data project brings field and barn numbers together

John Deere and DeLaval are the first partners in the Milk Sustainability Centre

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Two large industry players have come together to create a way for dairy farmers to consolidate data across their entire operations. John Deere and DeLaval have created the Milk Sustainability Centre, which will bring data from dairy farmers for evaluation and decision-making around sustainability impact and efficiency. Why it matters: The Milk Sustainability Centre system […] Read more
An automated milking system implemented at a Devon farm. Castlewood Dairy farm, Musbury, Devon.
Cow health, Dairy, Milking equipment

How individual cow personalities affect milking performance in dairy cows

Research shows there is a link between cow behaviour and how they perform in automated milking systems

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This was first published by Dairy at Guelph. Some cows can be more curious than others, while others more shy and some may even be quite aggressive. Researchers at the University of Guelph are looking at the connection between a cow’s personality and her milking performance. Dr. Trevor DeVries, a professor in the Department of […] Read more
Canola meal’s protein and amino acid values showed increased cow maintenance and milk production efficiency compared to soybean meal.
Dairy, Livestock, Nutrition

Canola meal shows benefits for milk production, lower emissions

New study reviewed 20 years of nutrition research

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A new review in the journal Advances in Dairy Research indicates canola meal provides numerous dairy ration benefits. The international journal review examined 20 years of canola meal studies in dairy rations, revealing it’s a high-quality protein feed capable of boosting milk production and reducing dairy herd methane emissions.  Why it matters: Decades of research […] Read more
Keeping the calf off cold, wet concrete is another important factor in minimizing cold stress.
Calf health, Dairy

Taking the bite out of cold-weather livestock care

Strategies for keeping calves warm and healthy

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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 and suboptimal growth rates, says Dr. Sarah Morrison, a research scientist with the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute in Chazy, N.Y. She was the […] Read more

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