Many research questions have been submitted into the Dairy Research Cluster’s Have Your Say campaign. When possible, the cluster team forwards some of the questions to Canadian scientific experts working in the area. An example of a question-and-answer exchange on mastitis follows:

One snowy day at a beautiful ranch home in southern Alberta around the expansive kitchen table, the farm team said, “Elaine, you should make a list of the top phrases you use in coaching.”

The increased concern of modern societies on the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has led regulatory institutions to minimize the number of antibiotics that can be used in food-producing animals for therapeutic and preventive treatment of infectious diseases.

Automated calf feeding is not new to the dairy industry, but it is gaining momentum as more research comes out on feeding calves.

Raising replacement heifers is one of the most costly aspects of a dairy farm. Heifers don’t bring a return for two years or more until they enter the milking string.

As summer temperatures creep up to more than 25 to 30ºC, heat stress can negatively impact calf health and performance.

On a pleasant day in March, I arrived in Red Deer, Alberta, for the annual Western Canadian Dairy Seminars. It is always a week where I know I am going to learn something, but heading in I don’t usually know what exactly it will be.