January 1, 2023

January 1, 2023 Progressive Dairy-Canada digital magazine

January 1, 2023

From the Journal of Dairy Science: Farm size correlation to animal welfare; and colostrum as a treatment for calf diarrhea

January 1, 2023

This review, from German researchers, addresses the criticism often heard regarding large farms and how they supposedly have a negative effect on animal welfare.

Dairy Farmers of Canada welcomes federal compensation for CUSMA

December 14, 2022

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) welcomes the compensation announced in early November by the federal government to mitigate the impact of concessions made under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

Crunching your machinery costs is more important than ever

With increasing equipment and machinery operating prices, know all the options and all the facts before investing in machinery.

December 20, 2022

John Molenhuis

Fuel costs, repairs, labour and interest rates are all factors to consider when investing in machinery. With rising costs, be sure to look at all of your options ahead of time.

Stop, look and live gratefully: Managing chronic stress

Stress management is an essential business practice, and gratitude is an important way to reduce and better manage chronic stress while building resiliency.

October 21, 2022

Michele Payn

Increasing feed costs. Weather. Mastitis. Working with family. Sick calves. Changing contracts. Paperwork. Bad silage. Your brother-in-law. The list of stressors on a dairy farm is long. Unfortunately, most of them are also chronic.

Don’t let the cold weather bite

Tips for preventing cold stress, hypothermia and frostbite for your family and employees as temperatures drop this winter.

November 7, 2022

Amber Adams Progar

In 2021, 33% of all workers in the U.S. were exposed to the outdoors while conducting work. One can assume the percentage of dairy workers exposed to the outdoors is much higher than 33%.

New Year: New safety resolution

There's no time like the present to make or renew your farm's commitment to safety.

December 28, 2022

Cheryl DeCooman

Having a well-thought-out dairy farm safety program is an undervalued asset to any operation. Not having one in place can result in injuries or illness. It can also have a negative impact on mental wellness and the financial bottom line when something goes terribly wrong on the dairy.

When it is hard to honour Mom, what can I do?

Having conversations with Mom is one way to better understand what is driving her decision-making, or maybe lack thereof.

December 28, 2022

Elaine Froese

I have seen many farm women live out giving and serving the needs of their families over seasons of hard times and good times. The issue I want to address is: What if? What if you have a difficult mother who is stalling decision making for transferring assets to the next generation?

Protect calves with a solid BRD identification plan

Learning how to properly identify symptoms of BRD, performing routine checks during feeding, keeping detailed records, and monitoring the type and duration of antibiotic therapy can aid in the protection of youngstock from BRD.

December 28, 2022

Geof Smith

With the arrival of cold weather comes the increased threat of bovine respiratory disease (BRD), or calfhood pneumonia, that often comes with it. Having a plan to prevent, diagnose and treat this common yet serious disease is key to help protect your dairy’s future.

5 things to stop doing if you want to get serious about your calf program

While a “good enough” mindset might work in some areas, it does not work in the calf program, where clear protocols are key to achieving excellence.

October 3, 2022

Bobbi Kunde Brockmann

While a “good enough” mindset might work in some areas, it does not work in the calf program, where clear protocols are key to achieving excellence.

‘Are they big enough?’: Monitoring dairy heifer growth and development

July 12, 2021

Adriana Toste

Just as more is less, bigger is not always better when it comes to the growth and development of dairy heifers. The nature and growth of dairy cattle has vastly changed from decade to decade, and as traits have been genomically bred out of cattle, often the idea of “bigger equals better,” has become a misjudged trend.

Helping heifers become healthy mothers

While calving will always be challenging for heifers, there are key steps producers can take to mitigate this. These include feeding quality colostrum right away, vaccinating them effectively and managing animals holistically.

October 24, 2022

Stephen Foulke

Calving is a stressful time for all cattle but especially for heifers. The entire experience is new to them and, on top of that, most heifers haven’t reached mature weight by the time they calve. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it does mean we need to be thoughtful about how we can help heifers have a successful transition into motherhood.

New research for feeding with automated milking

The pellet fed at the milking robot and the partial mixed ration (PMR) must be equally evaluated in an automated milking system.

December 20, 2022

Katie Coyne

More programmed pellet does not always mean more pellet intake, and that is just one factor in a carefully balanced AMS nutrition program.

Managing nutrient absorption: Dealing with poor absorption, antagonisms

Focusing on maximizing nutrient availability and absorption is critical to develop and maintain a cost-effective nutrition program.

December 9, 2022

Stephen B. Blezinger

Millions of cows around the world consume diets that have been formulated as optimally as possible.

How often are you performing a milk quality audit?

Continually analyzing milking protocols can prove to aid in profitability.

November 8, 2022

Jason Reid

How often should you do an audit in your milking parlor and adjust your protocols? Let's analyze a few different dairies around the country and consider the success they saw when conducting an audit.

Time your manure applications and use cover crops to maximize ROI

Think of manure management as an opportunity, rather than expense, to maximize an investment that has already been made on the farm.

November 15, 2022

Brian Dougherty and Melissa Wilson

Protect your bottom line by timing your manure applications closer to crop nutrient demand and keeping the ground covered with a living root year-round.

Footbath design: Is yours getting the job done?

February 25, 2022

Chip Hendrickson

Footbath protocols are vital to ensuring hoof health in your herd. Over the years, dairy producers across the globe have adapted their operations to have footbaths on the farm to help ward off infectious hoof disease such as digital dermatitis.

Unlock your parlor’s potential with data

Data can help drive optimal parlor performance. Knowing what numbers to review using simple reports makes it an easy daily task.

September 27, 2022

David Reid and Craig Walter

Whether your parlor is five or 25 years old, there is always room to improve. Data can help unlock parlor potential and take performance from good to great. The key is understanding the data and reviewing it routinely.

Timing embryos with high-quality, prepared recipients

Analyzing donor and recipients, viewing IVF as an extension of your current protocol, accurately confirming pregnancies and working with your veterinarian can ensure a successful IVF program.

October 21, 2022

Bruce Derksen

Most dairy farmers labor under a strict routine they feel comfortable with. This comfort reaches well beyond daily milking parlor tasks and affects cattle breeding programs, likely touching on some variations of heat detection, estrus synchronization, artificial insemination (A.I.) and potentially in vitro fertilization (IVF), followed by embryo transfer (ET).

How does animal welfare tie into your genetic plan?

Fertility, antibiotic use, touchpoints and social sustainability all play into the status of animal welfare on your dairy. Being cautious of each of these topics and understanding their effect on your herd's performance is a crucial management practice.

October 22, 2022

Mandy Schmidt

In modern society’s regulatory climate, the public increasingly influences day-to-day management procedures. Your “Big Brother” managers have hardline opinions. Their operating guidelines come in the form of propositions, government-led regulations and processor demands.

Tips and tricks for feeding transition cows in robots

A strong transition cow feeding and management plan plays a huge role in the success of a cow’s lactation.

September 27, 2022

Travis Palen

Starting transition cows strong in a robotic milking system goes a long way toward maximizing milk production. Use these feeding strategies to get your fresh cows started right.

Microbiome 101: More than just the rumen

A healthy reproductive microbiome in the vaginal tract is key to leading transition cows to fewer health challenges, enabling faster rebreeding and improved performance.

September 27, 2022

Edward Robb

A healthy reproductive microbiome in the vaginal tract is key to leading transition cows to fewer health challenges, enabling faster rebreeding and improved performance.

Is selective dry cow therapy right for me?

Six considerations to determine if selective dry cow therapy is right for your herd and which cows to treat.

September 30, 2022

Brittany Core and Matt Gough

Six considerations to determine if selective dry cow therapy is right for your herd and which cows to treat.

Do you hear what your cows are telling you?

Use data to manage cows by exception and decrease ketosis incidence.

September 27, 2022

Tara Bohnert

Don’t rely on just your eyes to catch signs of trouble. Utilize herd monitoring technology to track cows' actions all day, every day to support and enhance herd health.

Consider brown midrib corn silage as an option in transition cows

Brown midrib corn silage has the potential to increase DMI throughout the lactation when fed in the transition period.

December 20, 2022

Katie Coyne

Each individual dairy can work with their crop team and their nutritionist to see if brown midrib is an option for their ration and for their crop system.

Tim the Dairy Farmer: My 2022 year-end review

November 25, 2022

Tim Moffett

I spent a lot of time traveling around this past year, and I need to share some of what I’ve heard and learned along the way.

The Milk House: The mythological cow

November 25, 2022

Ryan Dennis

Mankind owes a lot to the cow. The first animal to be domesticated, humans began capturing the large and aggressive auroch 10,000 years ago and selectively breeding it for more docile behavior.

HERd Management: Creating community for farm women

August 23, 2022

Annaliese Wegner

When I think about what it means to be a modern-day farm chick, I think about all the women in agriculture who wear so many different hats. Today’s farm women are more than farmers, more than mothers and more than someone’s employee.

Leading the Way: Herdsmanship – key to looking and showing your best

Showing dairy cattle isn't just about what happens in the ring. Showing off your animals the entirety of the show is an important part of marketing your genetics to potential buyers.

November 23, 2022

Katie Coyne

We often hear youth talk about showmanship as their favorite part of a show because that outcome is determined by how hard they work, not on the conformation of the calf.

Farm Machinery Digest: Testing your diagnostic skills – Hydraulic fluid, cylinder exhaust

September 27, 2022

Ray Bohacz

You are ready to perform the first hydraulic fluid change on your 2-year-old utility tractor.

Just Dropping By... Bullheads in the family garden

August 23, 2022

Yevet Crandell Tenney

When Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden for eating the forbidden fruit, the Lord told Adam that the earth would be cursed for his sake.

Build to get better, not bigger

January 1, 2023

Katie Coyne

As I look around my neighbourhood, in a right-to-farm community, there is one word that comes to mind as we begin a new year – build.

Our Publications

Progressive Dairy Canada

Digital edition

News & business

Management

Topic articles

Departments

FREE NEWSLETTERS

SUBSCRIBE to Leading Industry Magazines

I'm looking for ________