Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta dairy producers take President Donald Trump’s threats against Canadian dairy seriously, but they aren’t in a panic, says the chair of Alberta Milk. “I think we need to take this threat seriously because what we’re seeing from the U.S. administration is an administration that is unpredictable,” said Tom Kootstra, who farms near Ponoka. The […] Read more
Alberta dairy producers concerned but calm over threats, says farm leader
Alberta Milk takes attacks from U.S. president seriously but its members aren’t panicking, says group’s chair
Trump wins support for possible WTO action on Canada dairy
Reuters – Australia and New Zealand dairy industry leaders say they would support moves by the United States to draw the World Trade Organization into a trade dispute with Canada, after President Donald Trump said existing rules were unfair. On a visit to the U.S. cheese-making state of Wisconsin on April 18, Trump said he […] Read more
Want to be a dairy farmer?
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Milk is accepting applications to its New Entrant Assistance Program until March 31. The program matches the quota purchased by the new entrant with a loan of quota from Alberta Milk up to 25 kilograms per day (about 20 to 25 cows) at no cost. New entrants can expand up to 70 kg/day of […] Read more
Drilling down on dairy costs
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture and Forestry is once again offering the Dairy Cost Study program to Alberta producers. The study is similar to the Agri-Profits program but offers business analysis for just the dairying aspect of the farm. This includes total costs, costs per cow, and costs per hectolitre sold. Data is used to create provincial averages, […] Read more
Make sure calves get the colostrum they need
University of Calgary animal health professor offers her tips on how to assess a situation and when to intervene
Reading Time: 2 minutes Many beef calves are not getting enough colostrum at birth, and the fallout can be drastic and last a lifetime. That’s why it’s important that calves consume some colostrum within the first four hours of life, said Claire Windeyer, assistant professor of production animal health at the University of Calgary. The probability that a calf […] Read more
Bocock Brothers receive top dairy award
Reading Time: < 1 minute John and Bill Bocock are the 2016 recipients of the Alberta Milk’s Dairy Industry Achievement Award. The brothers are trendsetters whose dairy careers have spanned decades, and among their contributions to the industry is a donation of 777 acres to the University of Alberta to create the St. Albert Research Station. The station is used […] Read more
Save feed costs by improving body condition scores, says expert
A body condition of 3 can boost pregnancy rates by a third and add 55 pounds to calf weaning weights
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you want to save some money feeding your cows this winter, maintain a good body condition score. “Prudent use of feed resources to maintain body condition on the cows to maximize efficiency reduces your feeding costs,” said provincial forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. The amount of fat a cow is carrying will influence how it […] Read more
Greig: Salmonella strain hard to treat in livestock
A strain of salmonella resistant to multiple antimicrobials is spreading in Ontario and Quebec cattle herds. There have been 23 cases of Salmonella Dublin in 15 herds reported in Ontario since 2012, but the numbers have been increasing each year. There were eight cases reported in 2015 and four in 2016 through August. Dr. Dave […] Read more
Body condition scoring pays dividends
Beef 911: Having a good handle on body condition allows you to fatten thin cows and feed less to fat ones to boost performance
Reading Time: 4 minutes Body condition scoring really means assessing the condition and fat cover on your cow to enable you to feed them for optimal growth and reproductive performance. It may mean separating the fat and thin groups from the main herd, which allows you to feed them separately to save feed on the fat ones and build […] Read more
New Zealand farm firm bans use of palm in feed
Wellington | Reuters — New Zealand farm company Landcorp said Monday it would ban its farmers from using palm kernel expeller (PKE), a feed supplement used for cows that environmentalists have linked to rainforest destruction. The state-owned company, which runs 140 farms, said it would end the use of the feed by June 2017 to […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
