Agrifoods Cooperative chair Tim Hofstra on March 11, 2020 announced a licensing deal with New Zealand’s a2 Milk Co. (CNW Group/Agrifoods Cooperative)

Agrifoods gets license for A1 protein-free milk brand

Dairy co-op to bring New Zealand's a2 Milk brand to Canada

A major Canadian dairy co-operative specializing in organic and grass-fed products is entering the market for A1 protein-free milk with a license for a major international brand. Agrifoods Cooperative announced Wednesday it has an exclusive licensing agreement with New Zealand-based a2 Milk Co. to process and sell dairy products under the a2 Milk brand in […] Read more

Dairy cows need a proper “dry” period with good nutrition in order for their body’s to recover before the next lactation.

Faraway dry cow program provides important break

High-producing cows need time to recover before next lactation period

As a young dairy nutritionist years ago, university research taught me that once a lactation cycle is completed, the dairy cow should be dried off, dry-treated and put onto a 60-day dry cow feeding program — an initial faraway stage of 40 days, and followed by a 20/21-day close-up stage. As a result many metabolic […] Read more



(Toa55/iStock/Getty Images)

Ex-B.C. milk board CEO to head CDC

An ex-executive with the B.C. Milk Marketing Board and Monsanto Canada has been named to lead the Canadian Dairy Commission through 2021. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday named Bob Ingratta as the commission’s chairperson for a term ending Dec. 16, 2021, replacing Alistair Johnston. Ingratta, originally from Ontario, has degrees in botany and […] Read more





A rendition, by Genitique, of the planned biomethanization plant to be built at Warwick, about 65 km southeast of Trois-Rivieres. (Groupe CNW/Energir)

Quebec ag co-op to power up on dairy cattle manure

About a dozen Quebec dairy farms will be getting their collective manure together next year for the province’s first-ever ag co-operative devoted to renewable natural gas. Coop Agri-Energie Warwick, launched Monday, plans to start construction this spring on a $12 million biomethanization plant which will take in slurry and manure from dairy cattle mixed with […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Cattle producers get longer phase-in on new transport regs

New federal livestock transport regulations, due to come into force in February, will now roll out on a longer timeline for the beef and dairy cattle sectors. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has announced a “two-year transition period” for bovines, which is meant to provide “time to gather more data on effective solutions concerning the […] Read more



(ThornloeCheese.com)

Gay Lea buys northern Ontario cheesemaker

Ontario’s first producer of verified-grass-fed butter and cheeses is set to become part of the province’s biggest dairy co-operative. Gay Lea Foods said Monday it has completed a deal to buy Thornloe Cheese from its current owner, Guelph-based dairy genetics firm EastGen, for an undisclosed sum. Thornloe Cheese on its website says the business takes […] Read more