Sometimes I wish I didn’t have real-life examples of how I make mistakes. One harvest, I was the combine driver who backed into the fuel truck while I was unloading my auger for cleanout to move to the next field.

The Canadian dairy industry will enter the 2019-20 dairy year having experienced a very stable and slow-growing 2018-19 dairy year, with monthly total quota levels (fluid and industrial milk) mostly ranging between about 30 to 33 million kilograms.

“If you’ve ever used the word ‘teat’ in a serious conversation, you are not the average Canadian,” Crystal MacKay told a packed room of dairy farmers and industry colleagues during the 2019 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar in Red Deer, Alberta.

The following data represents statistics and trends in Canadian dairy cattle breeding.

While Michael Barrett, president and CEO of Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd., admits he doesn’t particularly like Christmas, there is one tradition he enjoys. Every year on Christmas Eve, he sits down to watch a classic version of A Christmas Carol.

On Oct. 11, 1826, Theodore Jones of London, England, received a patent for what he called “wire wheels.” Jones found if he added wires, or what we now call spokes, to a circular rim, the wheel could bear greater stress while maintaining its round shape.

A heifer’s life can be divided into four main periods: newborn and colostrum; pre-weaning; post-weaning; and growing, puberty and pregnancy. Using key benchmarks and well-established protocols during these periods allow producers to find opportunities in replacement programs and allow them to concentrate on changes that will impact profitability.

A tremendous amount of focus and attention is given to trying to reduce sickness and death occurring in the preweaning period or the first 60 days of life. However, an even more deadly period in the calf’s life occurs in the first few hours after birth.