Over my 38-plus years servicing dairy farms in southwest Ontario, I have always been intrigued by what strategies make some dairy farms more profitable than others. For the fiscal year 2025, I came to the conclusion that five main factors really stood out.

How a dairy achieves their next increase in peak milk production is unique to their operation. We have many keys in our proverbial keychains that might unlock the door to greater peak milk, but it’s not always easy to know which key to use.

Dairy enterprises invest considerable resources to raise replacements. To capture the opportunities that raising programs offer to farm profitability, dairy operations should not only make efforts to control raising expenses but also to ensure the return of their investment by evaluating the resulting quality of their replacements.

Extra revenue is great, but remember to weigh changes in expenses between alternative plans.

The use of feed additives in livestock diets is part of many nutritional strategies to help optimize performance, health and the well-being of animals.

Data is a useful tool for all farmers to tap into when making decisions for their business. Learn how to better utilize data you have to make informed choices that will impact your bottom line.