Response so far from farm and agribusiness organizations to Tuesday’s pre-election budget suggests the federal government has managed to find at least one line item for everyone in the ag sector. Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s budget pledges compensation for supply-managed sectors facing financial hits from international trade pacts, funding for a new federal food policy […] Read more
Tag Archives dairy — page 25
Farm groups see something for everyone in federal budget
Aim for consistency in mixed dairy cow rations
Avoiding variations in feed timing and TMR make-up means happier cows
Feeding dairy cows too little protein can be a problem if total mixed rations (TMR) are inconsistent batch-over-batch. That was one of the findings from a 2014 study of eastern Ontario farms, highlighted by University of Guelph Animal Biosciences Professor Trevor DeVries during a recent dairy farmer information session hosted by Wallenstein Feed and Supply. […] Read more
Easing concern about CUSMA dairy concessions
Al Mussell sees potential for some Canadian ingredients to continue crossing border
Once the dust has settled on the ratifications of the Canada-United States-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA), access to U.S. markets for certain Canadian dairy ingredients could meet or even exceed what previously existed. At least that was the assertion made by Al Mussell, research lead at Guelph-based Agri-Food Economic Systems, during a recent dairy producer information […] Read more
Canada’s Saputo to buy major U.K. dairy firm
A major British dairy company is poised to become the property of one of Canada’s biggest dairy processors in a $1.7 billion all-cash deal. Saputo Inc. announced Friday it has an agreement in place with Dairy Crest Group — the maker of Cathedral City cheese and Country Life butter among other major U.K. dairy brands […] Read more
More work needed to put dairy data gathering to good use, say researchers
Dairy Focus: University of Guelph researchers say cow health events can be predicted with data
The proliferation of artificial intelligence in today’s dairy barns should eventually lead to the ability to predict a daily disease probability for lactating animals, says University of Guelph researcher Meagan King. However, one of her University of Guelph compatriots Stephen Leblanc noted that “we’re not there yet.” King, a post-doctorate animal biosciences researcher and Leblanc, […] Read more
Getting more milk per cow nets environmental bonus
A study shows that increasing productivity on dairy farms decreases their environmental impact
Dale and Aaron Smith started focusing on improved herd health and feeding efficiency to boost milk production on their Mt. Hope, Ontario dairy farm — and they succeeded. Milk production increased 15 per cent, from 34 litres to 40 litres per cow per day from 2011 to 2016. What they didn’t expect to find was […] Read more
How to tell the sustainability story
Professor says production efficiency increases are legitimate argument
Increases in farm production efficiency continue to reduce the environment impact per unit of production. However, such messages are often technical. How well do they resonate with consumers looking at agriculture as an environmental villain? Why it matters: Farmers are trying several ways of telling their story about environmental impact. The bottom line is that […] Read more
Dairy genomic project closer to feed efficiency number
The Canadian portion of the project hopes to gain more funding to complete its work
The Efficient Dairy Genome Project (EDGP) is looking for another year of funding so it can complete its work and create breeding indices for feed efficiency for Canadian dairy farmers. The project recently held an international symposium in Guelph to check in with the co-ordinated research around the world being done on dairy feed efficiency. […] Read more
Looking ahead to dairy farming in 50 years
Genetic advancement, whole herd DNA management and new farm collaborations could be coming
Specialization, attention to the whole-farm biome, and moving genetic advancements away from individual animals toward the herd as a whole — these are some of the transformations in the dairy industry envisioned by the keynote speaker at the recent Dairy At Guelph Research and Innovation Day. Veterinarian Dr. Jack H. Britt, professor emeritus in reproductive […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus to exit dairy by mid-2019
Paris | Reuters –– Louis Dreyfus Co. said on Wednesday it would sell or wind down its small dairy business by the middle of this year as part of an overhaul to revive growth at the agricultural commodity giant. Privately-held Louis Dreyfus had previously earmarked dairy as one of several activities to be sold or […] Read more
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