This newborn calf appears to be bright and alert and soon ready to try nursing.

Get newborn calves breathing and eating

Events immediately following birth are important to future health of the calf

Two of the most important steps after a calf has been born are to make sure it breathes properly, especially if the calf had to be pulled. And then shortly after, make sure they find the udder. In most normal births, the calf will begin breathing within 30 to 60 seconds after delivery. If it […] Read more

Questionable water quality is not usually life-threatening, but it can impact a healthy cow’s nutrition and compromise essential nutrients needed for good milk production.

Beware of “things” in dairy cow water

Dairy Corner with Peter Vitti

A professor who once taught our nutrition class a long time ago (a long time ago) said the actual amount of water drunk by lactating dairy cows was important for milk production. However, she said it was the “things” that existed in their drinking water, which often limit their health and production during lactation. Even […] Read more


This proper mineral feeder is also mounted on a tire to keep it out of the wet and keep cows from stepping into it.

Make sure your mineral feeders for cattle are full

Minerals for the cow also help get the calf off to a good start

Beef cows cannot live without minerals and vitamins, which are often deficient or biologically unavailable in many overwintering forage. I advise people to put loose mineral on a regular basis for their gestating cows, so all essential mineral and vitamin requirements are supplemented. Unfortunately, some people don’t always feed enough mineral. With a little effort, […] Read more

Hutch-reared calves need good diet and TLC

Hutch-reared calves need good diet and TLC

Keeping them dry, out of drafts and well fed leads to a healthier calf

Each year, I literarily see hundreds of preweaned dairy calves overwintered in outdoor calf hutches. Most perform well, but there are also more “poor doers” than I care to see. I find that each poor calf tells a similar story. Some of the mediocre calves are shivering, others are skinny, a few calves are coughing […] Read more


Quebec diary farming family Christian Bilodeau and Annie Sirois and their family Kellyann, 14, Louis-Alexis, 13, Charles-Antoine, 10 and Lily, eight.

Quebec regional OYF finalists: Christian Bilodeau and Annie Sirois

This Quebec family runs a dairy herd, 360 acres, and an occasional maple syrup business

New facilities for their top performing Ayrshire dairy herd are on the agenda as Christian Bilodeau and Annie Sirois look at the future improvements to their southern Quebec farm. Working with older facilities now, with the milking herd, calves and dry cows housed in separate barns, the Quebec couple, who farm at St-Odilon-de-Cranbourne, south of […] Read more

Altantic Canada OYF regional nominees, David and Sara Simmons with daughter Felicity.

Atlantic OYF finalists David and Sara Simmons

This Newfoundland couple enlist technology to improve dairy farm efficiency

While there are some logistical issues involved being one of the further-most eastern dairy farms in Canada, David and Sara Simmons hasn’t let that stop them from developing a progressive and productive farming operation, and becoming a producer of high quality breeding stock. As the owners of Pure Holsteins dairy farm at Little Rapid, Newfoundland Labrador […] Read more


Alberta OYF nominees Patrick and Cherylynn Bos with their children, Amelia,12, Connor, 10, Justin, nine and Adelle, four.

Alberta regional OYF finalists: Cherylynn and Patrick Bos

As their goat milk and cheese business grew, this Alberta farm needed employees

After riding the lumps and bumps of the goat-milk industry over the past few years, Patrick and Cherylynn Bos have made significant changes to their farm operation leading to more stability, farm expansion and recognition as Alberta’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2015. Eight years ago the Boses added a milk processing plant to their farm […] Read more

With 1.3 million acres of soybeans in Manitoba it has not only become an important cash crop, but it can also be processed as an excellent protein source helping dairy cattle produce more milk.

The Dairy Corner: Soybeans have excellent fit in dairy diets

Sometimes more expensive, but they can put more milk in the tank

I am fortunate to travel across wide stretches of Manitoba and have observed the explosive growth of soybean acres over the last decade. From 2005, only about 100,000 acres were planted and this acreage has steadily increased to about 1.3 million acres, today. Recently, I asked many dairy/soybean producers, why they grew this crop. Most […] Read more


Maintaining good nutrition with products such as protein blocks helps cattle as they head into winter.

Keep cows fed heading into winter

Each thin cow will need an extra bale over winter just for maintenance, never mind rebuilding

Cows need higher-quality feed, and more of it, as pregnancy progresses. Nutrient requirements in early gestation are not much different from maintenance requirements, but as the fetus grows larger the cow’s nutrient needs increase. After calving, when a cow is lactating, she needs a much higher level of protein and energy than when she is […] Read more

Pay attention to post-weaning programs for dairy cattle

Pay attention to post-weaning programs for dairy cattle

You want replacement heifers to grow at an optimum rate, but not too fast or too slow

Almost every time I visit a dairy barn, I make a point of looking at post-weaned replacement heifers as well. Raising young dairy heifers can be one of the greatest challenges even on the best-run dairies. I believe implementing a good post-weaning heifer program makes good sense and contributes to their future success as high-milk-producing dairy […] Read more