Events

Lessons from the farm brought success in hockey

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The link between farming and professional sports isn’t always thought to be a linear relationship. The exception may be in Canada, where many hockey players grew up on the family farm and used some of that upbringing to define their careers.

Navigating the future at the 2026 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar

kimmi@agproud.com — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Nearly 900 attendees convened in Red Deer, Alberta, for the 2026 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar on March 10-13. Sessions covered a variety of topics, such as milk components, heat stress, feeding trace minerals, calf management, biosecurity and more.

Progressive Events: Lactanet addresses changes for 2026 at February open industry session

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:37:48 -0400

More than 120 producers and industry stakeholders sat in on Lactanet’s first open industry session of 2026 to learn of the organization’s directions relating to genetics and evaluations. Five presentations provided updates and research highlights geared to streamlining reporting processes and identifying quality- and trait-related trends within the industry.

En route vers l'Expo : le parcours de la Ferme Blondin vers la scène mondiale

jenn@agproud.com — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:54:19 -0500

Le chemin qui mène au World Dairy Expo peut prendre des années à parcourir pour les producteurs laitiers, qui doivent faire preuve de persévérance, de courage et de détermination pour marcher sur la litière colorée.

Progressive Events: Focus on efficiency and succession planning at the 2025 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar

matti@agproud.com — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

A dry and cool Red Deer, Alberta, welcomed the dairy industry March 5-7 for the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar. Students, producers and industry professionals gathered for the three-day conference and settled in to learn about topics relating to this year’s theme, “Excellence in efficiency.”

Progressive Events: Innovation and sustainability on the farm: A partnership for the future

lora@agproud.com — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0400

Sustainable farming has never been more important. Not only can prioritizing sustainability be beneficial to the environment and public perception, but also to your long-term success and the bottom line. Read how three Ontario dairy producers are implementing sustainable measures on their farms.

Progressive Events: Highlights from the 102nd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

lora@agproud.com — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The 102nd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair that took place Nov. 1-10 did not disappoint. Showcasing some of the best of the best dairy cattle in North America, three dairy breed associations took to the main stage for dairy enthusiasts from around the world to celebrate in downtown Toronto, Ontario.

Progressive Events: A focus on innovation at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show 2024

matti@agproud.com — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The annual gathering of agricultural enthusiasts in Woodstock, Ontario, at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show brought a week full of smiles, beautiful weather and insightful conversations. The Canadian dairy industry was well represented at the exhibition Sept. 10-12.

The basics of rumen feed efficiency

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

As with all areas of dairy operations, increasing efficiency – in this case of feed in the rumen – deserves attention because when it is improved, gains can be seen beyond the area of focus, not to mention in sustainability (this includes economically) as well.

What do dairy consumers really think?

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Instead of focusing on strengthening consumer trust, emphasis should be placed on consumer education in agricultural production practices.

Progressive Events: Third annual Dairywomen’s Summit encouraged attendees to persevere

dveeneman@inbarn.com — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The third annual Dairywomen’s Summit was held in March by West Coast Robotics, a Lely dealership in Agassiz, British Columbia. Around 125 women participated in the event this year, which is the largest turnout thus far.

Progressive Events: Net-zero and protein substitutes hot topics at this year’s Animal Nutrition Conference of Canada

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

At the annual Animal Nutrition Conference of Canada, conference speakers shared diverse perspectives on some of the most pressing issues facing the livestock feed industry, ranging from the emergence of lab-grown proteins to the quest for net zero and the role of trace mineral additives in sustainability.

Progressive Events: Lessons from the NHL, AI and Germany shared at inaugural CDX Business Summit

Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Speaking to a different kind of leadership, the event’s second presenter, Mohit Rajhans – a media and digital marketing consultant – offered his thoughts on the potential for those working in agriculture to become experts in artificial intelligence (AI) in the agri-food context. His session spurred numerous questions from the audience, notably: “How can AI improve communication with foreign workers?”

Beware of the status quo: Challenges on the horizon for Canadian dairy

Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Positive momentum will be key for the prosperity of the Canadian dairy industry, as it is approaching processing, innovation and policy challenges – compounded by the constant need to modernize facilities, systems and software – that will require integrated action from players across the industry.

From coast to coast

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

As some of you may know, I took some time off to complete my master’s degree and recently rejoined the editorial team at Progressive Dairy. Although I’ve only been back a few months, it is different from my first turn at this role in 2020 to 2022.

Progressive Events: Sustainability, longevity themes throughout Western Canadian Dairy Seminar

matti@agproud.com — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Whether new research was presented or different management tactics were discussed, one question was consistent throughout the conference: How will this affect the longevity of a cow?

Herd performance and profitability recognition awarded to top provincial herds

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Progressive Dairy asked the top herd owners from each province whether they focus on production or management benchmarks. Each dairy producer also gave us an indication of which of the six key performance index benchmarks they focused on in their herd.

Dairy farmers are working toward a sustainable future for the sector

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Sustainability’s role in building a robust, modern Canadian dairy industry for the future was a prevailing theme at Dairy Farmers of Canada’s 2024 Annual Policy Conference. Many speakers celebrated the progress of farmers while helping explain what the dairy sector can expect in the years to come.

Experience and discover: Volunteers drive spring events in Hamilton

katie@agproud.com — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

April will bring the excitement of the National Holstein Convention as well as the Ontario Spring Discovery Show. An active and dedicated group of volunteers have been hard at work as they strive to provide a week of farm tours, fine dining, social events and an elite show with several new competitions.

Progressive Events: October 2023 Lactanet open industry session

matti@agproud.com — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Industry members gathered online Oct. 10, 2023, to listen to Lactanet’s open industry session.

Introducing the Canadian Forage Analysis Green Cup

katie@agproud.com — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0400

The Canadian Forage Analysis Green Cup is a national forage competition with products raised in a farm field near you.

Speaking with one voice a key theme at Dairy Farmers of Canada’s 2023 AGM

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0400

The need for the dairy sector to speak with one voice and get in front of issues to tell their positive stories on how they are making an impact on climate change, food security and economic growth was a central theme at Dairy Farmers of Canada’s held in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Skill building and teamwork highlight YBS trip goals

katie@agproud.com — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0400

After winning a variety of competitions within their respective province, these youth have achieved a longtime goal of representing Canada in European competition where their marketing, judging and showmanship skills will be put to the test.

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

dveeneman@inbarn.com — Thu, 18 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Progressive Dairy Operators tour California

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400

PDO tour participants observed rotary parlours and robots in response to labour shortages in California.

McConnell, Finstad on 'The Dynamic World of Agri-Food'

katie@agproud.com — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400

From technology to sustainability to land ownership to youth to the mature crowd, Kim McConnell and Diane Finstad kicked off the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar with a dynamic talk about the dairy world.

Canadian Dairy XPO is back for 2023 and better than ever

karen@agproud.com — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:25:53 -0400

Three years have passed since the dairy industry last came together for the Canadian Dairy XPO (CDX) in Stratford, Ontario. Much of the event will remain the same, while enhancements will provide an even better experience for the record-breaking crowd anticipated to attend April 5-6.

Take a 360-degree approach to the new Dairy Code of Practice

katie@agproud.com — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0500

“Don’t think that we can educate our way out of consumers not knowing how we care for our cows – we can’t just say, 'Trust us.'”—Dr. Kelly Barratt

Ten California dairies featured on Progressive Dairy Operators tour

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 20:31:30 -0500

Progressive Dairy Operators are heading to California on their first international educational tour in several years, and they are focusing on some of the key issues the industry faces across North America.

Continued worldwide efforts address Johne’s disease

Wed, 06 Aug 2014 07:00:00 -0400

The 12th International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis (ICP) was held June 22-27, 2014, in Parma, Italy. It was also a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the International Association for Paratuberculosis (IAP), the sponsoring organization. The ICP brings together veterinary and human medical researchers, educators and livestock industry representatives to share current work on paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease).