Reading Time: < 1 minute The Western Milk Pool, which represents dairy producers in Western Canada, will build a new dairy concentration facility. Construction of the Dairy Innovation West plant will begin in April and is expected to be completed by March 2021. The facility will be located near Lacombe and Red Deer. The state-of-the-art facility, the first of its […] Read more
New dairy-processing plant to be built in Alberta
New general manager for Alberta Milk
Reading Time: < 1 minute Freda Molenkamp-Oudman will be the new general manager of Alberta Milk. On Dec. 1, the former assistant deputy minister with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry will take over from Mike Southwood, who is retiring after 19 years with the organization. Molenkamp-Oudman has also been the general manager of the Alberta Agriculture Products Marketing Council, the oversight […] Read more
Nominations sought for dairy industry awards
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Milk is accepting nominations for the Dairy Industry Achievement Award and the Recognition of Service Award. The former celebrates individuals or organizations who have made substantial contributions to the leadership and development of Alberta’s dairy industry. The latter honours those who have served producers or the Alberta dairy industry with a high level of […] Read more
Breakfast on the Dairy Farm serves up another helping
Three more farms are hosting the popular event this year, which remains driven by volunteers
Reading Time: 2 minutes The idea was born — fittingly enough — around a kitchen table. And seven years on, the popularity of Breakfast on the Dairy Farm just keeps on growing. The first edition of the event, an idea hatched by some members of East Olds Dairy Farmers group during a kitchen conversation in 2012, attracted 348 people. […] Read more
Alberta Milk’s new-entrant program taking applications
The program, which ‘loans’ quota to new dairy farmers, has helped 17 operations start up
Reading Time: < 1 minute Until March 31, Alberta Milk will be accepting applications to its New Entrant Assistance Program. The program offers a quota loan at no cost to successful applicants who want to be dairy farmers anywhere in the province. Under the program, every kilogram of quota purchased by the new entrant is matched by two kilograms by […] Read more
Innovative dairy group wins sector’s top award
Reading Time: < 1 minute The East of Olds Dairy Farmer Study Club is the recipient of the Alberta dairy industry’s top award. “This year’s recipients are particularly special as they are fellow dairy farmers,” Alberta Milk chair Tom Kootstra said when presenting this year’s Dairy Industry Achievement Award. “This group truly is the essence of what the DIAA is […] Read more
USMCA fallout: Some milk producers looking to exit
Dairy leaders looking for a ‘way forward’ but many are questioning their future in the sector
Reading Time: 6 minutes Dairy farmers in Alberta and across Canada are considering whether there’s a future in their sector — or if they should get out of the business, say farm leaders. Some may do that before the year is out, said David Wiens, vice-president of Dairy Farmers of Canada. “Over the next few months as we look […] Read more
The milk in the middle of the high-stakes NAFTA drama
A new milk category thrust dairy farmers into a political firestorm — so what is Class 7 all about?
Reading Time: 3 minutes It seemed like a win-win — until a new milk category caught the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump and unexpectedly became one of the key sticking points in NAFTA negotiations. It’s called Class 7, which is milk protein isolates (dried milk powders high in protein). It was introduced in 2016 in response to diafiltered […] Read more
There were real cows too!
Reading Time: < 1 minute The first Breakfast on the Dairy Farm event of the season drew more than 700 people to the Van der Gun Dairy on June 23. In addition to a free breakfast, there was a bouncy house, face painting, a petting zoo, and barn tours. There are two more Breakfast on the Dairy Farm events this […] Read more
Skim milk blues — Alberta producing more than can be used
Butterfat is where it’s at in the dairy business and investment in plants to process skim milk has lagged
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta dairy farmers are watching their product — and their profits — circle the drain. “Some of our skim milk does not have a commercial value, and that compromises our prices,” said Tom Kootstra, Alberta Milk chair. “We do our best to find a use for this skim milk that has no place in the […] Read more
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