Over time the knowledge and ability necessary to get cows bred have taken tremendous strides forward, bringing with them greater on-farm success.

Reproductive success takes effort from every angle of the dairy and starts with an understanding of pregnancy rate and the factors which impact it most.

The first Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium, hosted by the University of Guelph and its Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, is an international three-day symposium dedicated to the welfare of dairy cattle.

On Sept. 11-13, the 19th edition of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) will be held at Canada’s Outdoor Park in Woodstock, Ontario.

The COFS team and its exhibitors have worked tirelessly planning demonstrations and events for the 40,000+ attendees – including two major field demonstrations.

Like most of the world, I spent most of last month with my eyes on the Olympic games in London. I made a point to watch the sports I love and even spent some time watching those I rarely see or perhaps hadn’t seen before.

What struck me the most were the sports like gymnastic vaulting, diving or short distance track and field events where the athlete has about 30 seconds or less to give it their all.

For a long time now, I’ve been telling audiences that farmers don’t retire, they just re-invent themselves. Each generation wants a comfortable lifestyle.

The founders’ roles change when they work to let go of the management and ownership reins. Sometimes they are still holding on far too long and just won’t get off their high horse of “needing to be in control.”