Every time a cow takes a lame step or stands for a long period of time she’s sending a signal. Farmers who read those signals and respond with efforts to improve cow comfort are rewarded with increased cow longevity and more profit in their pocket. That’s the return on investing in Cow Signals, according to Agribrands… Read more »
Category: Feeding
Canadian Dairy XPO Attendance Tops 16,000
Dairy producers from across Canada and around the world helped the Canadian Dairy XPO (CDX) establish a record attendance earlier this month. Overall, attendance at the Stratford, Ont., dairy industry trade show surpassed 16,000, breaking the attendance record of 14,900, set last year. Those are huge numbers considering there are about 15,000 dairy farms in… Read more »
The Cost of Mycotoxin in Feed, Plus Feeding Strategies to Ease Heat Stress
Summer may feel a long way off, but being prepared to manage heat stress in dairy cattle goes a long way in warding off the production losses that go along with it. We’re also well into the 2016 feed crop, and there are reports of several farmers struggling to keep mycotoxin (specifically DON/vomitoxin) levels low enough… Read more »
Global Innovation Touches Down at Canadian Dairy XPO April 5 and 6
The Canadian Dairy XPO (CDX) returns for its fifth year at the Stratford Rotary Complex April 5 & 6. This year the show coincides with the Spring Discovery Show in Ancaster (April 3 to 6) and the National Holstein Convention in Markham (April 5 to 8). With three national dairy events happening in southwestern Ontario during… Read more »
Dairy School: The Lowdown on Low-Lignin Alfalfa
Ontario dairy farmers had their first opportunity to plant low-lignin alfalfa in 2016. In this episode of the Real Agriculture Dairy School we visit with Elmira, Ontario, dairy farmer Dale Martin and PRIDE Seeds market agronomist Aaron Stevanus to get the lowdown on low-lignin alfalfa. Martin harvested his first crop HarvXtra low-lignin alfalfa with Roundup Ready… Read more »
Beef School: Ep.1 — Supercharge Forage With Silage Inoculants
Do you inoculate your silage? If not, you could be losing out on added digestibility or leaving the bunk or silo open to added spoilage. In this very first episode of the Beef School, we meet with Dr. Tim McAllister, principal research scientist, ruminant nutrition & microbiology, with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, to learn more… Read more »
Agrimatics Bringing Weighing and Data Platform to Feed Mixers
A Saskatoon-based company known for its wireless grain cart (or buggy, if you prefer) weighing and data management system is bringing the technology to feed mixers in feedlots and dairies. Agrimatics will be introducing its Libra TMR (total mixed ration) system shortly, explained co-founder and CEO Ian Meier, as we caught up with him at… Read more »
Camelina Vying for a Place in Dairy Rations
Last January, camelina, a drought-tolerant oilseed high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, was approved as a feed ingredient for broiler chickens. Now, work is underway to see the approval for inclusion in laying hen rations and dairy animal diets. Camelina Approved for Broiler Chicken Feed “Can you imagine a day when all our eggs… Read more »
Feeding Flax to Reduce Pregnancy Losses in Dairy Cows
Flax could have an important role in improving reproductive performance in dairy cattle. Research studies looking at including flax oil in dairy rations in Alberta, BC and Oregon showed “mixed results, but in all three studies we found reductions in pregnancy losses,” explains Divakar Ambrose in the interview below. Ambrose, a dairy research scientist with… Read more »
New Cow Coliseum Ready For 2016 Canadian Dairy XPO
They’ve built it, now it’s time to come. With the 2016 Canadian Dairy XPO just two weeks away, show organizers are getting ready to unveil the new WeCover Cow Coliseum and pedestrian bridge that will connect the building to the Stratford Rotary Complex. The steel bridge will carry the more than 15,000 visitors expected to… Read more »
How Does Canola Meal Fit Into a Dairy Ration?
The 20 million acres of canola that blooms yellow every summer is a pride of the prairies. So what does that have to do with dairy? Canola and soybeans duke it out in the oil market, but also the meal market. At the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar, I searched out some answers on this canola versus soybean… Read more »
New Canola Seen as Substitute for Soybean Meal in Poultry and Swine Rations
A new canola trait launched by Dow AgroSciences this week has the potential to expand the market for canola meal and change rations used for hog and poultry production. After 15 years of research, Dow has developed canola that yields canola meal with significantly higher protein content — a product more comparable to soybean meal than traditional canola… Read more »
Dairy Robots — 25 Years Later
North America’s first dairy milk robot was installed in 1999, less than 50 kilometres from Jack Rodenburg’s Woodstock, Ontario office. The long-time OMAFRA dairy specialist was sceptical at first, but he quickly realized that robot technology could revolutionize Canadian dairy farms. He says early models had their issues, but he quickly realized the potential for… Read more »
Dairy Feed Refusals — Waste or the Cost of Doing Business?
Every year in the US, feed left in the bunk costs dairy producers $2 billion. That’s about eight percent of all the feed placed in front of dairy cows, says J. W. Schroeder. The North Dakota State Extension Dairy Specialist told a packed presentation room last month at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin,… Read more »