The Canadian Dairy XPO and Dairy Farmers of Canada are teaming up to encourage producers to embrace the Blue Cow symbol to show support for their industry. The Blue Cow Spirit Campaign will see gate admission to the CDX reduced to $15 and producers attending the show will be encouraged to wear Canadian Milk’s Blue... Read More

Introducing Fleckvieh genetics into holstein operations can significantly improve the strength, fertility and productive life of dairy animals, says John Popp of Big Bear Genetics. As one of the exhibitors at this year’s Canadian Dairy Xpo, Popp showcased the results of a few Fleckvieh/Holstein crosses, ranging from 50% – 87.5% Fleckvieh, as well as one... Read More

It’s an age-old question — which is the best dairy breed? Like most farming questions, the answer is rarely a simple A or B and is more likely to be a qualified “it depends,” but Elliot Currie, with the University of Guelph, headed up a project recently to try and answer the question of which... Read More

Cattle will give you signals as to their health and well-being, says director-owner of CowSignals Training Company, Joep Driessen. Driessen was one of this year’s Canadian Dairy Xpo speakers, where he hosted a Robot Feeding Signals workshop. In it, and in an interview with Bernard Tobin, he emphasized the importance of good food and rest... Read More

In the cattle industry, interest in new corn varieties stems from a desire to increase efficiency and production, whether utilized as a grain source, ensiled or left standing for winter grazing. Ensiled, corn offers high energy, a key to high milk production. And, although much of a silage's quality is determined by in-field management, harvest... Read More

Should you stick with silage specific hybrids or include a few (or more) dual purpose lines for good measure? Both strategies can work, says Aaron Stevanus, market agronomist for PRIDE Seeds, it simply depends on your management system. Leafy, highly digestible silage-specific lines are a great choice, especially near the barn on highly fertile ground,... Read More