Dairy is where the succession question has its sharpest edges. If you milk cows in this country, you already know why. The question that decides whether a farm stays in the family usually isn't whether the next generation wants it or not; it is whether they can possibly afford to take it on.

Not many dairies rely on a ferry for supplies, parts and feed supplements. Not many dairies only have 200 feet of land separating the back of the barn from the Atlantic Ocean. Not many dairies milk 1,100 cows in Newfoundland. New World Dairy of Maidstone does.

I was at the Canadian Dairy XPO this year having some great mastitis conversations with progressive producers. In my biased sample of interactions, there were generally two strategies when I asked how they treated mastitis: either treat everyone or treat no one. Both approaches are understandable, but neither is optimal. 

Amid trade negotiations, political changes and a market shift, dairy producers are maintaining a progressive attitude through 2026. Progressive Dairy asked a few frequent authors what questions they are hearing and to summarize the state of the industry in their respective regions.

What was once viewed primarily as a tool for elite seedstock programs, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is now becoming increasingly integrated into commercial dairy operations focused on accelerating replacement quality, multiplying top genomic females and improving overall herd efficiency.

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