The Canadian government said on Monday it would compensate the country's dairy farmers for increased European imports allowed under a pending free trade deal. | File photo

Canada to compensate dairy farmers for Europe trade deal

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 2 (Reuters) – The Canadian government said on Monday it would compensate the country’s dairy farmers for increased European imports allowed under a pending free trade deal. The government will meet with the dairy industry within the next 30 days to discuss compensation, said Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and International Trade Minister […] Read more

A Manitoba dairy farmer says Canadians need one more dairy alternative: non-genetically modified milk. | File photo

Is there a benefit to GMO-free milk?

Consumers have plenty of options in the dairy aisle, whether it is whole milk, one percent, buttermilk, organic, lactose-free, soy, almond or coconut. However, a Manitoba dairy farmer says Canadians need one more alternative: non-genetically modified milk. “We’re just seeing a demand coming, and there are (Manitoba) processors that have been echoing the same comments,” […] Read more

Marjorie Atkins is congratulated by Christian Roberge. This mature cow named Lakefield Dundee Janice was the grand champion of the Westerner Dairy Showcase Holstein Show. Marjorie and her husband Norman Atkins own Continental Holsteins at Leduc, Alta.
|  Barbara Duckworth photo

Awards pile up for dairy farm

RED DEER — The accolades for Continental Holsteins are numerous, but every award has been gratefully received. Long-time Holstein breeders Norm and Marj Atkins of Leduc, Alta., won the grand champion rosette at the recent Westerner Dairy Showcase with a mature cow born in 2007. Named Lakefield Dundee Janice, this Canadian born and bred cow […] Read more


Dairy product takes aim at yogurt market

WOODSTOCK, Ont. — A new dairy product has hit Ontario and may soon be on grocery store shelves elsewhere. Rob London, senior product manager with the Gay Lea Foods Co-operative, said its Nordica Smooth cottage cheese products were two years in the making. “It’s a brand new innovation in North America. We haven’t seen it […] Read more

Patrick and Loretta Herbert used this tractor-mounted backhoe to place a steel ground current shield around their barn. |  Jeffrey Carter photo

Farmers blame stray voltage for cow deaths

THAMESVILLE, Ont. —Tears came to Patrick Herbert’s eyes, and a choke to his voice, when he revealed the latest victim on his farm. The cow had recently birthed its second calf. It had since gone off its feed, and it struggled to stand. Its udder and splayed legs seem strangely distorted. “It gets to you. […] Read more


Program changes to the quota loan program will allow new entrants to increase their herd by 20 to 25 cows.
|  File photo

Alberta Milk extends new farmer quota repayment plan

Alberta Milk extends new farmer quota repayment plan

Merein and Kelsey Van Benthem believe they would not have been able to start farming without Alberta Milk’s quota loan program. They’re also convinced that the most recent changes will ensure their success as dairy farmers. “We feel pretty confident now we will succeed as farmers,” said Kelsey. The couple from Spruce View, Alta., struck […] Read more

At Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ont., this summer, Nancy Charlton, veterinarian and herd management specialist for DeLaval, described its Herd Navigator program 
for dairy barns.
Each parlor is equipped with a milk-sampler box that provides diagnostic tests on issues of ketosis, urea and progesterone.  |  Robin Booker photo

Video: Herd Navigator collects data, enables quick medical attention

On-farm diagnostic lab | Information helps producers with management decisions

WOODSTOCK, Ont. — Herd Navigator can help producers by automating the busy tasks of laboratory style tests. It can asses the health of the herds by examining the milk of each cow. “It’s a lab on the farm,” says Nancy Charlton, a veterinarian and herd management specialist for DeLaval. “When the cows arrive to our […] Read more

Trade, supply chain challenge dairy producers

There are 12,500 dairy producers in Canada, who provide milk to three major processors, who in turn supply product to four main retail chains. Who has the power? Alberta Milk chair Tom Kootstra says the dynamics of the dairy industry require producers to co-operate if they want to achieve their goals in relation to powerful […] Read more


Cody Nicolay of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., bought a robotic milker as part of his succession plan. | Mary MacArthur photo

Robotic milker reinvigorates Alta. family farm

Next generation | A son’s investment in the family farm has improved family and herd health

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE, Alta. — What started as a joke ended as a farm succession plan. Cody Nicolay didn’t know how he could join the family dairy, beef and grain farm until he saw a YouTube video of a robotic milker. “I kept putting the idea into Dad’s head,” said Nicolay, who believed buying a […] Read more

Casey Morey of Rochester, Alta., waits outside the barns for her classes in the Alberta 4-H provincial dairy show to begin. Her heifer calf never left her side as she checked her phone messages.  |  Barbara Duckworth photo

Jerseys show staying power

Summer Synergy | Jersey breed performing well at shows alongside Holsteins

OLDS, Alta. — Jerseys ruled for the second year in a row at the Alberta 4-H dairy show in Olds. Lee Morey of Rochester, Alta., won supreme dairy animal with his entry of a two-year-old bred heifer that has never lost in the show ring. His sister, Casey, won the same award last year. “I […] Read more