Ontario’s agriculture community has a lot to look forward to with the launch of the Canadian Poultry XPO scheduled for fall of 2020, and the next Canadian Dairy XPO set for April 1-2, 2020. Last year’s attendance surpassed 16,000 people. “I think the most rewarding part is the quality of the audience coming. They’re actually… Read More
Whether or not a cost can be considered an expense or an investment often comes down to not just the return, but also the length of time an expense can offer a pay-back. While hoof care may seem like a cost, Brad Ingram, sales manager for Vettec Animal Health, argues that a cow serves the… Read More
Chances are, if you’re the cook in the family you might have looked at the grocery store flyer at some point before hosting people for a big meal — especially a holiday dinner. One person who looks at the flyers on a frequent basis is Kevin Grier, of Kevin Grier Marketing and consulting. Why you… Read More
Dairy milking parlour maker DeLaval has taken a new approach to moving cows efficiently through the milking process. DeLaval’s P500 parallel parlour showcases the company’s efforts to reduce the size of parlour footprints, making it a strong choice for both new builds and retrofits, says DeLaval market solutions manager Pat Wiltzuis. Last week at the… Read More
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is a man of the people. There was no better evidence of that than this week when he sat with dairy farmers at the World Dairy Expo to listen to their concerns. Quite simply, U.S. dairy farmers are in a tough spot. After five years of depressed milk prices, producers… Read More
We are less than six months away from new federal livestock transportation regulations coming into force, and significant clarification is still needed surrounding the implementation of the rules. The existing rules for livestock transport within Canada have been overhauled from all sides, including: the angle of loading ramps, hours allowed in transit, restrictions on movement… Read More
Visual assessments are not enough to gauge feed quality, and a feed test is an economical way to protect against under or overfeeding certain critical components of a feed ration, such as protein or energy, says Andrea Hanson. Hanson is the beef extension specialist with Alberta Agriculture & Forestry, and says that feed testing all… Read More
Last week, the federal government announced it would be compensating supply-managed dairy producers $1.75 billion over eight years, for market losses expected through the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Much like many industry issues, there are divided opinions and viewpoints on the… Read More
We now know the terms of dairy farmers’ compensation: each Canadian will give $46 each to dairy farmers over the next 8 years while paying exorbitant retail prices for many dairy products. Eggs and poultry are coming next. And don’t hold your breath because more money given to dairy farmers won’t change much of anything… Read More
The Senate Finance Hearing on United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) took place in Washington, D.C., this week. Discussion centred on the importance of North American free trade to U.S. agriculture and the economy as a whole. Agriculture was well represented on the panel by former USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, who is the current president… Read More
Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd., a cow, and goat milk dairy processor will receive up to $16.9 million through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Dairy Processing Investment Fund (DPIF). With this funding, Gay Lea Foods is expanding its Teeswater, Ont., facility and will install advanced… Read More
Highline Manufacturing has released the first North American designed and manufactured self-propelled feed mixer on the market last week at Ag in Motion at Langham, Sask. The AccuMix 1000 was designed for feeding cattle in all conditions — including extreme ones. “It’s a thousand cubic foot tub, 300 horsepower CAT engine,” says Bob Cochran, general… Read More
Most by now are aware of the risk of Lyme disease, a bacterial diseased transmitted through deer ticks. But a relatively new tick has been found with increasing frequency in Canada — and the fallout of its bite is also serious. A bite from the Lone Star tick — named for the single white dot… Read More
Lameness is the dairy industry’s leading and most visible animal welfare concern. It’s also among the top three health challenges, along with mastitis and reproductive problems. Veterinarian Dr. Laura Solano, dairy cattle extension specialist at Calgary, Alberta-based Farm Animal Care Associates, says that despite the negative impacts to lameness, studies show that 15 to 30… Read More
Dairy Distillery, the Almonte, Ont.-based processor turning waste milk sugar into vodka, recently received an Excellence in Agriculture award from the province. Made from milk permeate, a byproduct of milk processing, Dairy Distillery’s Vodkow product was launched in 2018. Most milk permeate is currently disposed of, at a cost to dairy farmers. “Ontario’s agri-food sector… Read More