When Ryan and Romy Schill purchased Ryan's grandfather's farm at Mapleton, Ont., in 2008, the young couple decided to add 25 ewes to round out their mixed operation, which also included cattle, hogs, and chickens. The Schills admit that the ewes were simply a side project at the time but 18 years later they've built... Read More
Category: Livestock
With a 20-year track record in agricultural construction, Ontario's Wolf System Canada is looking to expand to the U.S. market. In this report from the American Dairy XPO in Burlington, Vermont, Wolf System's Theresa Lanz says the company is committed to quality construction and design. Barns are built using laminated wood and galvanized steel posts... Read More
Ryan and Romy Schill of Circle R Livestock Ltd and Revolution Wool Company located at Wallenstein, Ont., and Pierre-Luc Barré and Virginie Bourque of La Ferme Yves Barré Inc located at St. Damase, Que., were named national winners from six regional farms at Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer (OYF) Program’s national event held in Toronto, Nov... Read More
Farming has always been a risky business. Regardless of how carefully chosen a variety or fertility rate, Mother Nature always gets the last laugh. Now, with globally-integrated supply chains, market disruptions, and ever-higher stakes for input costs, Canada’s business risk management (BRM) programs are being pushed to evolve. But is the current public delivery model... Read More
A comfortable cow makes more milk. It's a simple concept that began shaping dairy cow management in the late 1990s and continues to evolve, says Agri-Comfort product manager Martin Folkema. "The better the cow feels, the more productive she is," says Folkema. "Cow comfort started on the floors, but now it's the stalls, it's everywhere.... Read More
About 90 per cent of dairy cows will suffer from lameness in their lifetime and each incidence will cost producers an estimated $336, according to Penn State University research. HoofStrong hoof specialist Joey Aldana says lameness isn’t just a welfare issue, it’s also a bottom line issue and there's no silver bullet when it comes... Read More
North American cattle markets have entered a new phase of uncertainty, with prices falling on both sides of the border and growing concerns over demand and trade disruptions compounding the pressure. “This week was a tough one,” said Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange, in this Beef Market Update. “The market certainly has had... Read More
Bedding dairy cows in smaller or older dairy barns can be a challenge but Teagle says its compact Tomahawk 6100H bale processor and spreader makes it easier to manoeuvre and work in those spaces. Teagle North American sales manager Jean-Sebastien Beland says the processor is designed for farms where every bit of space counts. In... Read More
A new environmental assessment of chicken production in Canada shows the country's farmers continue to reduce their carbon footprint. Chicken Farmers of Canada has released the results of its latest lifecycle assessment, confirming that producers have made measurable improvements in reducing their environmental footprint over the past seven years. The assessment, conducted by Groupe AGÉCO,... Read More
Times are good for the U.S. dairy industry as producers enjoy strong momentum created by demand for crossbred dairy calves to fill up beef feed yards, a growing appetite for dairy and dairy protein products and unprecedented expansion in processing capacity. There's also an expansion of dairy trade shows with the inaugural American Dairy XPO... Read More