Less time standing on concrete, less time in headlock gates, less stress and more time expressing natural instincts are the modern-day keys to what is an evolving understanding of cow comfort for dairy cattle. “Let them eat without stress, let them rest without stress, and let them calve without stress,” said world-recognized cow behaviour specialist […] Read more
Tag Archives Dairy Cattle — page 16
Just let them be cows
Cow comfort has evolved to include natural behaviours
Holstein breeder puts focus on milk in new barn
Comestar Holsteins aims to fill 1000 kg of quota from cows in 586 stalls in the automated milking barn
The evolution of elite dairy breeder Comestar Holsteins is a good indicator of the future of Canadian dairy farming, with greater focus on milk production instead of genetics. Comestar, the Victoriaville, Que. dairy farm, has been a prodigious provider of top dairy females and bulls around the world over the past 30 years and recently […] Read more
Dairy sector adjusts to butter debate fallout lessons
Now that the rhetoric around butter hardness has settled down, farmers look to managing without palm fat supplements, while research continues
As the Buttergate social furor and ensuing questions around transparency settles into a dull roar, where does dairy go from here? “What this conversation is about is – what is the way forward in light of some of the challenges thrown at us over the past few weeks?” said David Wiens, Dairy Farmers of Canada […] Read more
Rosenhill achieves top spot on provincial herd list
St-Albert dairy maintained top-flight status through 2017 transition to robots
André and Judith Hildbrand may view Lactanet’s Herd Performance Index (HPI) as just one tool in operating a successful dairy farm, but the results over the past two decades at their Rosenhill Farm is proof they’ve perfected the use of that tool. Why it matters: Recognizing top performing herds rewards producers and spreads awareness about […] Read more
Dairy farmers asked to pass on palm byproducts in rations, for now
Seek out other ingredients while hard-butter issue under review, DFC asks
Canadian dairy farmers whose feed rations include supplements made with palm byproducts are being asked to consider other options while consumer complaints over butter are probed more closely. Dairy Farmers of Canada on Thursday asked its farmer members to “consider alternatives to palm supplements” pending the outcome of a review of “issues that have been […] Read more
Higher protein levels suggested for dairy calf starter
Science Notes: University study looks to find a winning combination
Dairy producers know early nutrition for young calves has far-reaching impacts, both for the long-term health and productivity of the animals and for farm profitability. With the goal of increasing not just body weight but also lean tissue gain, a new University of Illinois study finds enhanced milk replacer with high crude-protein dry starter feed […] Read more
Hoof care in dairy barns requires a multi-prong approach
Reducing stand times and quickly addressing inflammation and lameness are key
Improved hoof health, limited standing time and immediate lameness mitigation goes a long way towards increasing dairy cow comfort and profitability. Travis Busman, program director and hoof health consultant for Sure Step Consulting Ltd. told attendees of the Grey Bruce Farmers Week Dairy Day that inflammation, regardless of the cause, is the prelude to lameness. […] Read more
Riding the wave of change in milk products
COVID-19, consumer expectations, buyer standards mean changing directions in dairy
A rise in consumption of fluid milk for the first time in many years is just one example of the changes wrought in the dairy market by the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s the first time fluid milk sales has been up in I don’t know how many years… but decades,” said Michael Barrett, president, Gay Lea […] Read more
On-farm processing dream perseveres through adversity
Mistyglen revived plans to process milk during the pandemic, and after a tornado wrecked its barn
A venture that had been set aside “indefinitely” by a Belmont-area dairy farm several years ago received a full reconsideration during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result Mistyglen Creamery now aims to sell its first on-farm processed milk and yogurt in late 2021. Why it matters: An increase in interest […] Read more
Sherk re-elected Dairy Farmers chair
Lactanet appointed as quality assurance validator
Dairy Farmers of Ontario has signed on Lactanet as the independent validator of the proAction quality assurance program in the province. DFO had been using its own customer service people to validate the program, but there was concern that would be seen as not independent enough for validation of a quality assurance program. Indeed, in […] Read more
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