With post-COVID-19 regional shows done and more to come this fall, Holstein Canada is guardedly confident it can pull off a hybrid version of its national shows Nov. 17-20 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Martintown-area dairy farmer Nancy Beerwort, Eastern Ontario director to the Holstein Canada board, told Farmtario there was swift reaction from the nation’s dairy […] Read more
Tag Archives Dairy Cattle — page 14
National Holstein show moves to Saint-Hyacinthe
The show was moved after the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair was cancelled again in 2021
Maplevue experiences new kind of public event
Pandemic prevented Listowel farm from hosting in-person Manure Expo
The North American Manure Expo, hosted by the 75-cow Maplevue Farms near Listowel, brought attention to midwestern Ontario’s dairy sector and other farm operations. The event was delayed by one year for pandemic reasons and was attended by a small group of manure handling equipment operators and farm-sector stakeholders. Originally billed as North American Manure […] Read more
Modifying MUN testing in dairy cow milk
New calibration for milk can improve accuracy of milk urea nitrogen testin
Present in blood, urine, and milk, the chemical compound urea is the primary form of nitrogen excretion in mammals. Testing for urea levels in dairy cows helps scientists and farmers understand how effectively nitrogen from feed is used in cows’ bodies, with important economic implications for farmers in terms of feed costs, physiological effects for […] Read more
Dairy producers should get to know beef breeding tools
Profitability of cross-bred calves can be enhanced with available genetic tools
A term that might sound to some like scientific jargon – “expected progeny differences” (EPDs) – could become more well-known to Ontario’s dairy farmers as they pursue the breeding of a portion of their herds to beef genetics. That’s if they follow the advice of Brad Gilchrist, beef marketing and product specialist with the Semex […] Read more
Simplifying conservation programs
Researcher sees unnecessary overlap of funding options in southern Ontario
Many dairy farms in Ontario have a wide range of environmental programs available to them, but a University of Guelph researcher is wondering why the programs aren’t more streamlined. “Many organizations seem to put out similar resources or programs or overlap in program activities,” says Emily Sousa, who spoke to Farmtario about the work she […] Read more
StatsCan sees higher cattle, hog inventories at July 1
Full impacts of West's drought not yet counted
Nationwide head counts of livestock from the “early stages” of Western Canada’s ongoing drought won’t yet show the weather’s full impact, but showed slightly larger herds heading into this summer compared to last year. Statistics Canada on Monday reported the first year-over-year increase in the size of the country’s cattle herd as of July 1 […] Read more
Experts challenge understanding of transition dairy cow health
Science Notes: Conditions previously thought as indicating poor health may actually be normal, advantageous
For dairy cows, the transition period — the time between a cow giving birth and beginning to produce milk — brings the greatest possibility of health problems. The current widespread belief is that the effects of excess nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) in the bloodstream and the ensuing hyperketonemia during this period, coupled with low levels […] Read more
Dairy herd ID reporting enforced starting Sept. 1
The change is part of the traceability module for the proAction validation program
Compliance with the traceability requirements of the proAction dairy farming validation program should be straightforward if producers continue entering on-farm events in the nationwide database, says the organization in charge of administering the rules. “(proAction) validators will expect producers to have a traceability report on hand when they visit the farm,” said Melissa Hurst, DairyTrace […] Read more
Are dry cow diets decreasing colostrum quantity?
Specialists ponder trend of low yield from first and second milkings
A dairy nutritionist who reached out to farmers on social media wants to hear from farms not getting enough colostrum on first, second and third milkings. In an interview with Farmtario, Trouw Nutrition Canada’s Keith Schweitzer described it as a trend for fresh cows being “slow out of the gate” to ramp up production. “There […] Read more
Farmers build dairy plant to avoid additives
Thunder Bay area producers address their own concerns about dairy quality
Glacier FarmMedia – Ten years ago, Wilma Mol was frustrated. She had noticed a decline in the quality of yogurt, ice cream and cheese at grocery stores, mostly because of what she attributes to additives in the dairy products. Why it matters: Specialized, natural or niche products are popular with consumers, providing an opportunity for […] Read more
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