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On Feb. 2, Pierre Lampron, president of Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), announced that DFC is committing to a goal of net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from farm-level dairy production by the year 2050.
Dairy cow longevity is a key aspect of achieving a sustainable dairy industry. The longer cows remain productive in a herd, the more profitable the herd will be because cows only become profitable after the third lactation, which is when the revenue from selling milk up to that point breaks even with all the costs associated with the rearing period.
Susan Forward, author of Emotional Blackmail, gave me a key phrase for coaching that is life-changing: Where is it written … (insert issue)? As a farm family coach who is currently in her third succession/transition journey, I would like to challenge you with “Where is it written that transition planning has to be tough?”
Have you ever heard a neighbour say, “If I used every new product that claims to add a kilogram of milk, I would be at 60 kilograms”? This is usually said sarcastically to express hesitations over some new additive, and there may be some truth in the statement.
The past two years have made it difficult to get excited about anything. Cancellations, closures and restrictions have impacted all of us in one way or another, but the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been all bad.
Over the last 25 years, animal production has improved significantly to have more milk and meat production per animal. To support our ability to feed and manage modern animals, technology to better analyze feed ingredients has also changed to keep up with production.
In the last decade, there has been a trend toward adding straw to nutritional programs as a strategy to manage energy density, increase rumen fill, slow the rate of passage of feed from the rumen or increase the level of effective fibre for enhanced rumination.
When evaluating the influencers of profitability on dairy farms, the cost of feed is typically at the top of the list for large expenditures. However, when evaluating feed costs, it is important to not overlook feed losses, which are often termed “shrink.”
Automated milking systems have been around long enough to no longer be considered “new,” yet adopting these systems still comes with a learning curve and some questions that remain unanswered.
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