It has become a nightly game in my farmhouse to “get the bugs.” My 2-year-old serves as the bug spotter while myself or my husband is the bug squasher. In the game, my daughter points and exclaims, “Bug! Bug!” until we see the fly and go after it. She then usually lets us know whether or not we were successful – even though she’s not always accurate in her proclamation.

“I wasn’t able to talk for over two years about what happened with my grandfather,” a young farmer confides as he describes a bitter battle over the transition of land titles from his father’s father to him.

I am concerned about the many threads of conversations across farm audiences this winter that weave a sad tale of loss, grief and exasperation with those farmers who are over 80 and are not finishing their farming careers well.

“You cannot get out of trouble using the same thought process that got you into trouble.”
—Albert Einstein

Over my 28 years as a hoof trimmer, 23 have been dealing with digital dermatitis and its effects on my clients’ cows.

For the international dairy industry, digital dermatitis (DD), more commonly known as strawberry foot, is one of these disease problems that has gone from a nuisance on a few cows in the late 1950s and 1960s to becoming the leading cause of lameness in dairy cattle in the world.

The average cost of DD per cow case is more than $105. However, when I do a farm analysis for a producer and we review the number of cows infected to examine herd costs, nearly all producers say that financial figure is too low.

Canada’s Farm Progress Show, previously known as the Western Canada Farm Progress Show, is celebrating its 35th Anniversary this summer. The annual event is set to take place June 20-22 at Evraz Place in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Displays at Canada’s largest trade show include companies that manufacture agriculture equipment, crop inputs and ag services, including financial services. The show attracts visitors from the Prairie provinces, Eastern Canada, the U.S. and 45 other countries.

Calf management has become increasingly important for many dairy producers, as scientific evidence suggests that the early stages of a heifer’s development can have long-lasting effects on her future production. As such, more attention has been given to adequate colostrum feeding soon after birth.

On many farms, it is not uncommon to supply calves with large quantities of milk or milk replacer, in some cases consuming 10 to 12 litres per day, which has shown to have positive effects on a heifer’s future milk production.

Lameness is a common on-farm reason for culling cows. About 20 to 30 percent of cows in a herd are expected to become lame in any given lactation.

A cow that is lame may not immediately show symptoms but eventually lies down longer, eats less and consequently produces less milk.

 Many producers report problems rearing calves without disease. First off, it is important to understand that they are living beings and, as such, some will get sick. Second, these are babies, so they are more susceptible to disease than adults. 

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the world is green again. Springtime is the perfect time to throw those barn doors open – but not just to make milking more pleasant. While attending a presentation analyzing society’s changing perception of agriculture, I heard a producer ask, “What are ways to engage the public?”