dairy cattle Archives - Page 10 of 14

Proper rations can help prevent (and correct) deficiencies which can lead to milk fever.

Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, The Dairy Corner

Key tips to reduce milk fever cases

Incidence of the calcium deficiency can be sporadic, but hurt when they hit 

By Peter Vitti January 22, 2018

Clinical milk fever is a particular insidious metabolic disease in freshened dairy cows. I have witnessed on some dairies, it’s not a significant problem, while next-door neighbours are plagued with downer cows one calving after another. In other dairies, milk fever doesn’t show up for months and then it shows up with a vengeance. From […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Does it pay to put weight on cull cows?

To decide best time to sell, pencil out the cost of feeding for a couple of months

By Peter Vitti January 16, 2018

Most producers have walked through their cow herds after the weaning season and picked out candidates for a cull group. Many of these are first-calf heifers and cows that were preg-checked and found open, while a smaller group were culled due to poor feet, legs and other structure defects. Even a few cows destined for […] Read more

Pierre Lampron, president of Valacta and Dairy Farmers of Canada. (John Greig photo)

Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Dairy organizations partner to manage risk

By GFM Network News January 15, 2018

A partnership among Canadian dairy service provider organizations should help position Canadian producers to take advantage of rapidly changing technology and make the sector more efficient, the groups say. Why does it matter? The number of Canadian dairy farmers continues to drop and the need for more efficient services is growing as the price of […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Provide first-calf heifers with nutrition and TLC

But first-calf heifer rations need not be fancy

By Peter Vitti December 7, 2017

I was talking to a retired beef producer who owned a purebred Charolais herd back in the 1970s. He reminisced on how winter-hardy the breed was compared to more traditional breeds of the time and how the cows calve out huge white calves. Eventually, he got rid of these cows and replaced them with easier-calving […] Read more

Lee Hart’s brother Mark, in front of the original Hart family dairy farm.

Columns, Dairy Cattle, Hart Attacks

They sure don’t milk cows like they used to

Hart Attacks: The original Hart dairy farm was nothing like the high-tech operations running today

By Lee Hart December 4, 2017

I know I am the crop and livestock expert for Grainews (NOT) — fact is I’m just old, and no expert on anything — but every time I write a story about a dairy farming operation today, I can’t help but recall some childhood memories, growing up on an Eastern Ontario dairy farm. This past […] Read more

Gary and Marie Baars and their children built their diversified dairy operation from scratch.

Dairy Cattle, Features

Canada’s OYF: Nominees from British Columbia

Gary and Marie Baars started with a dream,  then realized it through hard work

By Geoff Geddes November 29, 2017

Wanted: Energetic, inexperienced couple to work long days with few days off and no assurance of success. Interested? If not, you’re not alone, and you’re definitely not Gary and Marie Baars. The 2017 Outstanding Young Farmer Award winners from Chilliwack, B.C. didn’t let long odds and a shortage of experience hold them back, and now […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Maintain forage fibre in a dairy diet

Dairy Corner with Peter Vitti

By Peter Vitti October 19, 2017

I recently visited a dairy producer running 200 cows having problems maintaining butterfat at 3.9 per cent in his 35-kg milk producing herd. He asked me to walk the lactation barn and see what I could find out. It took about 20 minutes to walk the feed bunk and cows, and in the end, I […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, The Dairy Corner

Know your lactating dairy diet costs

Look to find a balance between very expensive and very cheap rations

By Peter Vitti August 21, 2017

Occasionally, I talk to dairy producers about the financial aspects of operating a barn, aside from dairy nutrition. All producers wish to reduce their lactating feed costs. One producer I know wants to switch to a notorious cheap protein supplement, while another wants to hire a private dairy consultant and tender out all dairy feed […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, Reuters

Cattle disease outbreak under control: New Zealand ministry

By GFM Network News July 28, 2017

Wellington / Reuters – New Zealand’s first outbreak of a serious bacterial cattle disease was well under control, the Primary Industries ministry said on Friday, with stock movement restrictions in place and testing continuing. News of the discovery of mycoplasma bovis earlier this week on a single farm in the world’s largest dairy exporter briefly […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, The Dairy Corner

Avoid giving your baby calves gut aches

It takes time for a calf stomach to develop to handle certain feeds

By Peter Vitti July 25, 2017

I visit literarily hundreds of dairy farms across Canada each year. On most, pre-weaned dairy calves are raised away from the main lactation barn or older replacement heifer facilities. Whether these baby calves are housed in hutches, group pens or brand-new calf barns, when I find a group of calves that are sick and not […] Read more

GFM Network News

Canadian trade data delayed by U.S. government shutdown

Sigurdson applauds Alberta farmers

U.S. grains: Soy, corn dip on farmer selling; U.S.-China trade talks in focus

Tag Archives dairy cattle