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It doesn’t happen often but, when it does, these are some of the most difficult conversations to have and difficult situations to manage. As an employer, especially on the dairy, we put our faith and trust in those we choose to help us care for and raise our animals.
A new brand of milk has entered the Canadian market. As fairlife awaits the completion of an $85 million processing plant in Ontario, it is establishing the criteria to source Canadian milk.
It has long been recognized forage fibre is an essential component of the lactating cow diet, and inadequate fibre intake can lead to depressed milkfat and low rumen pH that can further lead to health problems such as sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) and laminitis.
Forage quality is one of the most important factors that determines the level of milk production and profitability of a dairy farm. Traditionally, forage quality has been defined by the nutrient content and digestibility of the nutrients in a forage.
From an economic perspective, once we have invested in a robot or automated milking system, the goal should be to maximize the milking capacity of the robot. Because of its limited capacity of milking time, we should concentrate on maximizing the milk yield per cow because we cannot increase the number of cows per robot.
The transition period is challenging for the dairy cow since the cow needs to adapt very quickly to the calving process, the sudden change from a non-lactating to a lactating stage and to the preparation for the next breeding period.
In conjunction with the 2019 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar, three Alberta dairies opened their doors on March 5 to showcase newly constructed facilities featuring exciting technologies, including automated bedding, feeding and milking.
Farm Credit Canada’s Faith Matchett posted a tweet that caught my attention: “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time” from Harvard Business Review October 2007 by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy.
Tom Robinson grew up in Nova Scotia. Although his dad had left farming, Tom wanted to get into the business after he finished high school, so in 2003 his dad purchased a farm in Prince Edward Island, as quota could be obtained there at much less expense. This farm had old buildings, which were demolished to make room for a new facility, and a freestall barn with a double-six parallel milking parlour.
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