Can robots effectively milk cows on large U.S. dairy farms? That’s a question Plymouth, Indiana farmer Brian Houin is determined to answer at his family-owned Homestead Dairy operation. Canadian farmers have had tremendous success using robot milkers in smaller dairy operations, but Houin is putting the milking machines to the test on a whole new level. In… Read More
Category: Milking Equipment and Tech
Anaerobic digesters have popped up on farms across Ontario in recent years, but there are none quite like the digester Rob McKinlay has installed at Harcolm Farms at Beachville, Ontario. What makes it unique is its size – at 20 kilowatts, it’s 10- to 20-times smaller than the other 42 digesters currently operating on Ontario… Read More
Attendees of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, at Woodstock, ON, were treated this week to North America’s first look at DeLaval’s VMS V300 in action. RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin was there, and spoke with Francisco Rodriquez, DeLaval marketing manager, robotic milking/feeding, to get a full run-down on what the new voluntary milking system has on offer. Rodriquez… Read More
Look for more Canadian milk to be passing though Kiwi-made milking parlours in the years ahead. That’s according to New Zealand-based Waikato Milking Systems’ CEO Dean Bell, who brought his company to Stratford, ON, this month to exhibit for the first time at the Canadian Dairy XPO. The New Zealand dairy industry currently supplies one-third of… Read More
Milk cooler sales can tell you a lot about the state of the North American milk industry. As U.S. dairy farmers continue to struggle with low prices resulting from oversupply of fluid milk, sales of cooling systems reflect these challenging times in the marketplace. Mike Kelley, regional sales manager for Mueller Dairy Farm Equipment, says… Read More
The countdown to the sixth annual Canadian Dairy XPO is on as the dairy industry showcase readies to open its doors at the Stratford Fairgrounds on April 4th and 5th. Show attendance topped 16,000 in 2017, with 350 exhibitors representing 30 countries. CDX general manager and founder Jordon Underhill says a key driver of the show’s growth… Read More
No matter where you run a dairy farm, the key is to get the milk out of the cow. Canadian and American dairies live under different marketing schemes, but there are many more similarities than differences. At the MILK Business Conference in Las Vegas, Mike Opperman, editor of MILK Magazine, chatted with Shaun Haney about… Read More
A new software platform from Valley Agricultural Software (VAS) gives dairy producers real-time access to critical data and reporting from anywhere with an internet or cellular connection. The California-based software company unveiled its new VAS Platform at the recent World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. In this video, senior software developer James Moger explains that… Read More
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 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 Quality Inc. and its mobile milk testing device was the big winner at Ontario’s 10th annual Premier’s Awards for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. Premier Kathleen Wynne presented the Premier’s award – the province’s highest honour for outstanding contributions in innovation to the agri-food sector – to the Newmarket-based company. Its mobile testing device helps dairy farmers… Read More
A new mobile app from Newmarket, Ontario-based Dairy Quality Inc. is turning iPhones and iPods into microscopes for dairy farmers. The company’s new Dairy Health Check device includes milk sampling slides that plug directly into the phone. This, combined with somatic cells count (SCC) and ketosis testing apps that analyze the samples, turn the phone… Read More
The Canadian Dairy XPO enters its fifth year in 2017 with plans to create a better experience for both dairy producer and show exhibitors. In 2016, the CDX opened the doors to a new permanent Cow Coliseum at the Stratford Rotary Complex, its permanent site, and welcomed more than 15,000 visitors. This year the show… Read More
Dairy milking robots have found their niche in Canada, but where do they fit on U.S. dairy farms? The popularity of robots in Canada can be linked to the fact that the technology fits well into this country’s smaller farms and because our supply management system provides a financial footing for farmers to invest. But… Read More
When Monkton, Ontario-based dairy producers Rick and Theresa Portena planned their recent expansion they decided that a 40-stall herringbone rotary milking parlour would anchor their operation. The Portenas considered milking robots but they’re big fans of parlours. They like to get the milking done as fast and efficiently as possible and they don’t like to… Read More