June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023 Progressive Dairy-Canada digital magazine

June 1, 2023

Savannah Crack shares her intent for the future of the industry

May 8, 2023

Progressive Dairy recently interviewed Savannah Crack, a young dairy enthusiast to learn more about her accomplishments and goals within the industry.

3 Open Minutes: PJ Budler

May 24, 2023

Matti McBride

PJ Budler founded a successful cattle operation in South Africa and now consults on operations all over the globe. Learn from his international perspective in our latest article.

Progressive Events: British Columbia dealer hosts Dairy Women’s Summit

May 18, 2023

Dan Veeneman

Around 100 women participated in the event this year, which focused on celebrating women in the dairy industry and providing an opportunity for them to share their stories and connect with their industry colleagues.

Research Review: Can access to an exercise area improve your cows’ welfare?

May 10, 2023

Dr. Elsa Vasseur and her research team are exploring the effects of exercise in dairy cattle. They conducted a comprehensive review of six studies that enrolled 141 tiestall-housed Holsteins. Cow behaviour and number of steps taken per day were evaluated.

Dairy Farmers of Canada: New Best Management Practices Guide offers stewardship ideas for Canadian dairy farms

May 3, 2023

DFC released the Net Zero by 2050 Best Management Practices Guide to Mitigate Emissions on Dairy Farms earlier this year. This guide is a key part of the Net Zero by 2050 objective, and it is full of tips and opportunities farmers can use to reduce on-farm emissions.

A veterinarian’s unique vision provides encompassing reproduction services

What started as a reproduction service to local cattle producers has grown to international recognition in a few short years.

May 16, 2023

Katie Coyne

"Give Lehouiller an idea and it will happen" is how his colleagues describe this young veterinarian with big plans for the future of reproduction in the Eastern provinces.

Preventative maintenance on equipment, buildings improves farm safety

Servicing equipment and facilities on a regular schedule is a way to prevent serious failures and improve the performance and longevity of machinery and buildings.4

May 30, 2023

Cheryl DeCooman

One of the best things you can do to prevent injuries on your farm is to conduct preventative maintenance and ensure everything is it in good working order.

Conflict resolution 101: Tools to get better at fixing farm fights

Learn eight ways to communicate with farm family members to help minimize conflict and improve farm management.

May 4, 2023

Elaine Froese

Conflict is not bad. Unresolved conflict is hurtful, frustrating and diverts good management energy toward drama. It is time for new tools.

3 tips to control the cost of custom work

Fuel, labor and right-sizing the fleet are three considerations to control the cost of custom work.

August 24, 2022

Pauly Paul

When it comes to input costs, we are all aware of the rising price tag on fuel and labor. It’s no surprise that you will also likely see an increase in any custom services you hire out, such as manure hauling and harvesting.

How to properly test and clean parlor equipment

Creating a cleaning process that is efficient and effective aids in producing fresh, quality milk. Consider these steps to ensure the parlor equipment is properly working and sanitized.

March 29, 2023

Tony Spaeth

Keeping milking equipment clean is an essential part of producing the fresh, quality milk consumers expect.

Strategies to overcome heat stress

Understanding heat stress, preparing for it and looking at options to alleviate it will help keep production steady this summer.

May 16, 2023

Candace Schiestel

Scientific advances in animal nutrition have uncovered an array of ingredients that have been shown to help cattle cope with high heat.

A barn divided: How to get the most out of a separation pen in a robotic milking facility

The transition to robotic milking requires learning new approaches to things and the right tools can make the job a whole lot easier. Sort gates and separation pens can be the right tools to help care for cows in a robotic milking system.

April 17, 2023

John Gerbitz

The transition to robotic milking will require learning new approaches to things, and the right tools can make the job a whole lot easier. Sort gates and separation pens can be the right tools to help care for cows in a robotic milking system.

Designing freestall barns for automation

Cow comfort, barn flow and labour organization are some of the factors dairy producers should consider when retrofitting or designing a new freestall barn for automation.

May 10, 2023

Tony Brazda

With over 20% of farms in Canada utilizing automated milking, there are examples of both good and poor designs put into practice. Additionally, there are many options on the market to automate feeding and manure removal, which also impact barn design.

Manure management varies to fit Canada’s diverse industry

There is no catch-all solution to manure management, but there are several ways farmers can improve their systems.

May 4, 2023

Melisa Luymes

Now more than ever, manure management is critical for successful farming. Last year, Canada’s government set a target to reduce nitrogen emissions by 30%, and improving manure management will be necessary to reach that goal.

Using milking duration and milking speed to make and evaluate management decisions

Evaluating current milking settings can improve production in your parlor.

March 25, 2023

Derek Nolan

When is the last time you evaluated milking settings in your parlor? Read our latest article to learn more.

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Summer tips to prevent winter hoof health issues

Warm weather provides the perfect environment for pathogen activity and hoof damage. Address the dairy’s management now to prevent hoof health issues when temperatures drop.

May 11, 2023

Roger Olson

During the summer, cows face additional challenges due to heat stress and can become stuck in a negative cycle of lameness and ultimately decreased productivity.

Designing concrete floors for dairy facilities to reduce lameness incidences

Factors contributing to a flooring surface with good traction include concrete floor surface, bedding type used, manure removal system and facility layout. Here is how to provide a proper and secure walking surface for cows to use for a long time.

March 17, 2023

David W. Kammel and Karl Burgi

Lameness can affect anywhere between 8% to 55% of dairy cows worldwide. The contributing causes of lameness are poor cow comfort, long standing time, heat stress, poor stockmanship and poor flooring.

The Ovsynch story: How a question changed the course of modern reproduction

A question posed while chasing answers to a different question led to the development of Ovsynch – a protocol that has shaped modern reproduction.

March 30, 2023

Matti McBride

A look back at the original research methods used to develop today's synchronization protocols

Insider tip: Don’t overspend on sexed semen

November 11, 2021

Mandy Schmidt

Your sexed semen costs might be higher than they should be, but not because your A.I. sales representative is deceiving you. Many dairies overspend on the volume of sexed semen purchased.

7 tips for designing the right calf barn

Just like cow barns, calf barn design matters. Ventilation, space, layout and cleanliness are all key to successfully raising calves in a barn.

February 1, 2023

Bradley Biehl

Abundant information and opinions are available on design for cow barns; but there’s much less information available for designing calf barns – especially calf barns with group housing and automatic feeders.

Managing forage ratios this spring: Benefits of supplementing with liquid molasses

Liquid molasses added to feed can assist in DMI and rumen health if you are stretching forages this spring.

May 8, 2023

Sydney Moore

Supplementing feed with liquid molasses is one way to improve the nutrient density and digestibility of feed for dairy cows.

Feeding Mother Nature’s curveballs

Identifying and understanding feed variability and doing what you can to manage for it is key to keeping cows healthy and performing consistently at a high level.

January 18, 2023

Ben Saylor

Each unexpected weather event, drought, heat wave, cold snap or any other knee-buckling pitch has an impact on your crop. Yields, nutritive value and feed hygiene can all be impacted, making the product you get out of the field unique from past years.

Return over feed: What pays?

Four key questions concerning ROF are shared and answered.

May 11, 2023

Matt Groen

Answers to some of the top questions concerning profitability by pulling data from return over feed (ROF) databank from 3,600 dairy farms across eastern Canada to help you make strategic decisions.

Faber's Food for Thought: Bovine Olympics

April 1, 2023

Dwayne Faber

As a young child living on a dairy farm, there was a particular phrase that would spark fear and dread deep in the recesses of my brain. A phrase that once yelled through the front door would start a cacophony of shrieks from one child to another.

The Milk House: Farming the final frontier

April 19, 2023

Ryan Dennis

As they say, "They don’t make land anymore." The price and access to workable ground are some of the prohibiting factors keeping new farmers from entering the industry.

HERd Management: Choose your own path

May 25, 2023

"I've met many of the type of women that I want to be around. These women are driven, career-focused, smart, passionate and face challenges head-on."

Just Dropping By: Choose happiness

May 7, 2023

Yevet Crandell Tenney

OK – it is 2023 and I’m not perfect yet. That’s alright. No one would like me if I was. I found that out when I was perfect.

Testing your diagnostic skills – Stalling engines, tractor coolant leak, microswitches, battery charge

April 20, 2023

Ray Bohacz

The coffee group never agrees on stalling engines, tractor coolant leaks or anything else. Who's right?

Fortitude and farming, a salute to World Milk Day

June 1, 2023

Katie Coyne

As World Milk Day is recognized on June 1, may you take stock of where your dairy story began, how far you’ve come and what it truly means to celebrate this life we call dairy farming.

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