DFC | PLC: Paths to On-Farm Excellence

A recent study investigated the presence of biofilms in dairy facilities. Researchers swabbed surfaces at dairy farms and cheese plants in Ontario and Quebec to better understand the formation, structure, and type of biofilms that were present.

Antibiotics are one of the main tools we currently have as producers to manage on-farm infections, which is important for ensuring animal health and welfare. However, with the rise of antibiotic resistance and concerns about human health, our access to these tools is becoming more controlled and limited. So, how do we begin to tackle this challenge, and what role do dairy farmers and the Canadian...

Dans ce balado, les Producteurs laitiers du Canada se sont associés à Lactalis Canada pour discuter du concept de mouvement et d'exercice chez les bovins laitiers.

In this episode, DFC has partnered with Lactalis Canada to discuss the concept of movement and exercise in dairy cattle.

Janet Harrop is a dairy farmer in Fergus, Ontario. She is a fourth-generation farmer and runs the farm with her husband, son, and daughter-in-law. In this episode, Janet sheds light on managing soil health, biodiversity, and the Environmental Farm Plan from her perspective as a producer milking about 120 purebred Holstein animals on her family’s 300-acre farm.

Josh Dillman is a dairy farmer based in Prince Edward Island, Canada. He is a father of three working on his wife's family farm, and together they milk about 180 cows and manage around 800 acres of land. Josh is passionate about environmental stewardship and strives to be as self-sustaining as possible on the farm.

Karen Clark is a policy analyst in the strategic policy branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She works on policies to support environmental sustainability and resilience of the agriculture sector. Julia Buckingham is a former Sustainability Manager with Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC). She oversaw the creation of DFC’s Best Management Practices Guide, as well as other initiatives related to D...

Marla Riekman is a soil management specialist at Manitoba Agriculture. With over a decade of experience in the field, she is passionate about soil health and works closely with farmers to implement practices that improve soil quality and productivity.

Sylvain Laquerre est producteur laitier dans le comté de Portneuf au Québec depuis plus de 40 ans. Il exploite maintenant la ferme familiale avec sa femme, ses deux fils et sa bru. Ils ont 200 vaches en lactation en stabulation libre avec robots et cultivent environ 1000 acres.

Marie-Élise Samson est professeure au Département des sols et de génie agroalimentaires de l’Université Laval (Québec, Canada). Elle a d’abord été formée comme agronome, puis a fait une maitrise en sols et environnement, un doctorat en agronomie et un postdoctorat en biogéochimie des sols. Sa passion pour la santé de sols se traduit en plusieurs initiatives, dont une école d’été en santé des sols...

Healthy biodiversity, which encompasses all living things and their interactions, is essential for creating a sustainable ecosystem. In this episode, we chat with Connie McLellan from Ducks Unlimited Canada about the significance of biodiversity and best practices for commercial dairy farming.

Holger Schwichtenberg is a second-generation dairy farmer in the eastern Fraser Valley of British Columbia. He runs a dairy farm with his wife and three sons, milking 150 cows with a robot system. Holger is actively involved in environmental stewardship and has implemented various practices to improve soil health, biodiversity, and water management on his farm. In this episode, Holger shares his t...

Maria-José Maezo est conseillère en agroenvironnement et coordonnatrice du programme ALUS pour l’Union des Producteurs Agricoles de l’Outaouais et de Laurentides. Biologiste depuis près de 15 ans, elle travaille maintenant à soutenir le développement d’habitats et l’augmentation de la biodiversité en agriculture. Elle travaille aussi pour Agri-Climat dans le but de supporter les producteurs dans l...

Successful milk production in Canada relies on high-quality forage, which is often stored as silage. The objectives of this project were to identify silage management practices that were associated with producing high quality silage, and to examine annual costs and gross margins across different silage systems across Canada.

Successful milk production in Canada relies on high-quality forage, which is often stored as silage. The objectives of this project were to identify silage management practices that were associated with producing high quality silage, and to examine annual costs and gross margins across different silage systems across Canada.

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about animal health and welfare in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need to continue to demonstrate our commitment to our animals to maintain public trust, and we know decisions aren’t always straightforward. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those...

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about animal health and welfare in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need to continue to demonstrate our commitment to our animals to maintain public trust, and we know decisions aren’t always straightforward. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those...

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about lameness in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need to improve cow comfort and we know decisions aren’t always straightforward. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those that are looking for extra guidance. This short podcast series reviews the m...

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about lameness in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need to improve cow comfort and we know decisions aren’t always straightforward. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those that are looking for extra guidance. This short podcast series reviews the m...

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about lameness in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need to improve cow comfort and we know decisions aren’t always straightforward. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those that are looking for extra guidance. This short podcast series reviews the m...

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about injuries in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need to improve cow comfort and we know decisions aren’t always straightforward. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those that are looking for extra guidance. This short podcast series reviews the m...

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about animal health and welfare in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need to continue to demonstrate our commitment to our animals to maintain public trust, and we know decisions aren’t always straightforward. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those...

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about safe and low stress handling in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need all of our animal care team properly trained to safely and humanely move and handle livestock. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those that are looking for extra guidance....

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about lameness in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need to improve cow comfort and we know decisions aren’t always straightforward. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those that are looking for extra guidance. This short podcast series reviews the m...

The focus of this project is to try and help Canadian dairy producers make informed decisions about animal health and welfare in dairy cattle. As an industry we know we need to continue to demonstrate our commitment to our animals to maintain public trust, and we know decisions aren’t always straightforward. So we’re developing a toolkit or a series of educational tools and resources to help those...