Dairy farmers looking to expand must first get their land and people in place. That was a common theme from a cross-country panel of leading dairy farmers at the recent Progressive Dairy Operators triennial conference in Toronto. Gert Schrijver farms in Stettler, Alta., milking about 300 cows on 1,700 acres. He plans to build a […] Read more
John Greig
Stories by John Greig
New traceability reporting times raise concerns
An online consultation on livestock traceability came back with widespread support for the general premise, but with concerns about tighter timelines for reporting and tag retention. Last year, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency unveiled proposed changes to Canada’s national livestock traceability rules, including a shorter window in which producers are to report animal movements and […] Read more
Proper tagging seen as the easiest way not to lose them
Tags that go into cattle’s ears properly are more likely to stay there and not cause problems later on with traceability
The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency has launched a new campaign to provide more information to farmers on how to retain tags on cattle. The challenge with cattle tagging is that at some point in their life, animals can lose their iconic yellow button tags, and that’s a problem for the traceability system for livestock. The […] Read more
Consumer behaviour changes rapidly
Canadian consumers have dramatically changed their grocery-buying patterns in the past year as food prices and housing inflation squeeze their budgets. As a result, demand and product changes in the food supply chain will affect farm commodities. Grocery store sales are down in Canada, even with product value inflation, which means less demand for farm […] Read more
More BSE-era trade irritants may soon disappear
Two more remaining irritants from the BSE crisis of more than 20 years ago could soon go by the wayside. The United States has had to segregate a much smaller list of specified risk materials (SRMs) than Canada, which has resulted in more competitive challenges for beef processors. The loss of small and medium-sized processing […] Read more
Intensification seen as best option
New study finds that intensifying cattle operations has less impact on the environment than starting new elsewhere
A new study by the Breakthrough Institute shows that location of beef production operations can have a significant impact on the carbon footprint of the sector. Intensifying production where it makes most sense has the lowest impact, according to the study, and supports research showing that grain-finished beef has a lower carbon impact than grass-finished […] Read more
Colostrum can be used to treat diarrhea in calves
Transition milk, which comes from cows after initial colostrum production, has also been shown to improve calf health
Canadian dairy farmers are doing a better job of getting colostrum to their calves and making sure they have absorbed enough to create passive immunity. However, researchers are pushing the boundaries on uses for colostrum. Dr. Dave Renaud, a veterinary epidemiologist in the University of Guelph’s Department of Population Medicine, has found that colostrum can […] Read more
The future of high horsepower tractors
Practicality drives engine and power innovation in agriculture equipment. Companies are developing products suited for work on the farm, instead of depending on electrification. The near future will include cleaner diesel combustion engines, hydrogen and battery, and often a combination of them. There were many electric-power options of less than 100 horsepower at Agritechnica, the […] Read more
Milk data project brings field and barn numbers together
John Deere and DeLaval have created a way for dairy farmers to bring together data from across their entire farms, not just from crops or the barn. The companies have created the Milk Sustainability Center, which will consolidate data from dairy farmers for evaluation and decision-making around sustainability impact and efficiency. Farmers might manage their […] Read more
Slope adjustment can reduce grain losses
John Deere recently announced new innovations to its combine lineup at the Agritechnica machinery show in Germany. John Deere showed three new technologies available now or will be available soon. Harvesting grain, especially small grains, on slopes challenges getting the grain cleaned as it floats toward the down-slope direction. John Deere has its Hillmaster line […] Read more
