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
Tag Archives Dairy Cattle — page 5
Ontario dairy start-ups win big in New York State
Winners receive mentorship and access to large herds as well as cash
Milk data project brings field and barn numbers together
John Deere and DeLaval are the first partners in the Milk Sustainability Centre
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
Canola meal shows benefits for milk production, lower emissions
New study reviewed 20 years of nutrition research
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
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. Now they are pushing the boundaries further on uses for colostrum and finding value in feeding transition milk. Why it matters: Heifers that don’t receive […] Read more
Lactanet to publish sexed semen fertility ratings
Farmers will now have access to information previously only sent to bull line-up owners
Canadian dairy farmers will soon have access to fertility ratings for sexed bull semen. Lactanet recently announced it plans to publicly release the ratings, previously provided to artificial insemination service providers only, in early 2024. Dr. Gerrit Kistemaker, the national organization’s manager of genetic evaluations, gave an update on the process during Lactanet’s Open Industry […] Read more
Many factors affect milk frothing problem
Lactation length, milking frequency, prechilling and filter replacement all contribute to higher free fatty acids
A frothy problem identified by Starbucks baristas in British Columbia does not have a simple solution. Elevated levels of free fatty acids in milk can result in cheese coagulation issues, milk with poor taste and shorter shelf life, and a lack of frothing ability, which is the big concern for coffee chains. Why it matters: […] Read more
Taking the human out of dairy cow classification
Canadian start-up eyes artificial intelligence-based dairy cow evaluation
A Canadian start-up company says results from its artificial intelligence-based classification of dairy cows come within two per cent of human results. Animal science specialist Ghader Manafiazar, one of three co-founders of iClassifier, says through the analysis of approximately 30,000 images collected from Canadian dairy farms, an accuracy rate of 98 per cent was achieved […] Read more
Lactanet embarks on LPI modernization process
Predictive production index has become cumbersome, complicated
A long-standing tool for predicting the milk production performance of dairy cattle daughters will be “modernized” to make it more user-friendly and reflective of contemporary knowledge about feed efficiency. During Lactanet’s recent open industry session, Chief Services Office Brian Van Doormaal gave a presentation entitled “Modernizing LPI (Lifetime Performance Index)” and later said he had […] Read more
Methane breeding tool’s developers look to long-term adoption
Uptake has been slow among producers, but the discussion on methane efficiency has begun
Uptake by Canadian dairy producers of a new breeding tool aimed at decreasing their herd’s methane emissions hasn’t been overwhelming, representatives of Semex Alliance admitted recently. However, given the potential long-term interest, neither Semex nor the organization with which it partnered on developing the tool is concerned. Why it matters: The Canadian dairy sector’s commitments […] Read more
A Canadian option for managing dairy data
A new herd health record-keeping app will join CATTLEytics ‘Moo To Do’
CATTLEytics is creating a dairy data software program designed to streamline barn management regardless of operation size. Data is generated to various degrees on many farms, ostensibly to help farmers make decisions. However, the journey to those answers often needs clarification. Why it matters: Data from sensors is becoming more available to many Ontario dairy […] Read more
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