Dairy Knowledge at Your Fingertips

Atlantic Canada | June 2021
 
 

JUNE SPECIAL FEATURE

Heat stress : A Burning Topic! 🔥

Expert Advice - Steve Adam, agr., Dairy Production Expert in Comfort and Welfare - Lactanet 🎤

Seven Points to Consider for Minimizing Heat Stress for Your Cows!

1. Observe the cows: The effects of heat are felt from: A temperature humidity index (TIH) of 68 (equivalent to 22°C at 50% relative humidity) and a respiratory rate > 60 breaths/minute

2. Provide access to shade: Make sure that cows can protect themselves from the sun's radiation

3. Provide water quality and quantity: 15-20 liters per minute (4-5 gallons/min) and 9 cm (3.5 in.) of space per head at the trough

4. Provide fresh air: Minimum of 40-60 air changes per hour

5. Cool the animals: Expose the animals to a wind of 5.5-7 km/h (300-400 ft/min) on their bodies

6. Add water: sprinklers and misters

7. Continue to cool the animals at night so they can recover: If it was very hot and humid during the day, continue cooling so they lower their body temperature
 

DRY OFF AND TRANSITION

Thinking Outside the "Lactating Cow" Box

Milking cows are not the only group of animals on the farm that are affected by heat stress and, consequently, cooling strategies should be extended to the rest of the herd.

An increasing body of evidence is pointing out to dry cows and young calves as the next target groups to provide cooling and further reduce the negative impact that heat stress has on dairy production.

Learn more

 
 

GENETICS

Beat the Heat with Genetics

Producing milk is a metabolic process that results in internal heat being generated by the animal. As we select for higher producing cows, we also select for cows that have greater metabolic heat. While economically this is beneficial, increasing the cow’s internal heat production overtime means that she is less able to deal with the heat outside.

Learn more
 

MILK RECORDING

Milk Sampling in Summer Temperatures

Now that the heat of the summer months is upon us, we need to take special care and attention with the milk samples taken on test day to ensure the quality of the samples arriving to the lab are in good condition for analysis.

Refresh you memory with Important protocols to follow in regards to ensuring good milk sample quality for any milking system (tie stall/parlour/robot).

Learn more
 

June Challenge : Are your Dry Cows too Hot?

We challenge you to observe your dry cows and count their respirations. If they have more than 60 breaths per minute, strategies can be implemented to reduce the impact of heat stress.

Learn more
 

MILK PRODUCTION AND QUALITY

Fix a Quality Problem Quickly

Acting quickly when a milk quality problem arises is both a productive and profitable approach. A quality advisor can help you define the issue more clearly.

Stéphane, who owns Ferme Barsalou, shares his experience here.

Learn more
 
 

WHAT'S NEW AT LACTANET?

Connected to you

Connecting dairy farmers with innovative herd management solutions is what we do. We've developed new tech-tools and improved features of some of our very best applications to help your herd reach its full potential. Let our technology serve you and discover our latest and greatest applications and features.

Read more

Get to know MySite 
 

Get Started With the DairyTrace Mobile App 📲

DairyTrace provides a secure web portal and a FREE mobile app to help report animal birth, movement, death, and manage traceability events electronically. To have access, users must first have an account and access to mobile data or WIFI.

Watch the video and get started
 

Our Annual Publications (Progress Reports) Are Now On-Line

Lactanet publishes four regional annual Progress Reports across Canada. As our flagship publication, each edition showcases top managed herds, publishable herd data, statistics, benchmarks and articles from dairy experts. The publications are now posted on our NEW website.

View them on-line 
 

Careers at Lactanet

We have posted NEW employment opportunities across the country.

Join our team! 
 

🐄 Learn More about Lactanet's Projects 🐄

"Estimating the Cost and Value of Rearing Programs" is a recent project led by Rodrigo Molano, Ph.D., postdoctoral intern at Lactanet. With replacements contributing to the significant expense of milk production, the project will study the costs and strategies of heifer rearing on 100 Quebec farms.

If you would like have more information, email us at rmolano@lactanet.ca.