After listening to the speakers and enjoying the producer luncheon, attendees can see the Pacific Agriculture Show, which runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. Read on for more information about the BC Dairy Expo events.

Seminar

The 2020 BC Dairy Expo seminar will focus on gut health in calves and success with silage. Registration is from 9 to 10 a.m. on Jan. 30 at the Tradex entrance, with the seminar from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the BMO Room.

The registration fee is $25 per person and includes free parking, seminar, luncheon and three-day entrance pass to the Pacific Agriculture Show.

This year’s speakers include:

Michael SteeleDr. Michael Steele
Associate professor and NSERC industrial research chair, University of Guelph

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and

 

Eric DorrEric Dorr
North American silage specialist, Chr-Hansen Animal Nutrition and Health.

Here is a glance at their presentations:

 

Nutritional regulation of gut function in calves: Colostrum and milk

Steele’s first talk will focus on the management of gut development and function in calves through nutrition. One of the most critical management factors in calf survival and health is feeding a sufficient amount of high-quality colostrum in order to improve passive immune transfer.

However, further benefits to gut function and health are now being recognized and will be reviewed in this presentation. In addition, some of the newest strategies for transitioning calves from colostrum to high planes of milk nutrition in the first weeks of life will be discussed.

Nutritional regulation of gut function in calves: Weaning and beyond

Steele’s second talk will address challenges in transitioning calves off a high-milk diet onto solid feed. For calves consuming high quantities of milk, it is essential to develop and apply an optimal weaning strategy. In this talk, some of the key factors that determine the success of the weaning process such as age at weaning and the step-down method will be reviewed. The presentation will conclude by discussing strategies for feeding calves after weaning.

Strategies for silage success

Dorr’s presentation will focus on a number of strategies to achieve success in silage harvesting, storage and feeding. Key areas to be addressed include packing protocols to achieve desired silage dry matter density, selection and proper application of silage inoculants, silage cover options, sizing of bunks and piles to facilitate optimum silage face removal during feedout, silage face management during feedout and workplace safety when working around silage bunks and piles.

Contact Tom Droppo, DIREC committee member and dairy industry specialist, BC AGRI, for more information on the seminar.

Farm tours

The B.C. Dairy Expo farm tours will be held on Jan. 29 at six different farms. It is a self-guided tour throughout the day. Owners, building contractors and equipment suppliers will be on hand to answer questions at each stop.

Producers are welcome to stop by during the times listed for each farm. Everyone is asked to wear the biosecurity boots provided at each location as well as follow instructions and obey signage at each farm. Used boots should be discarded in containers to ensure any winds don’t blow them around the farm site.

A complimentary lunch will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Peterson Farms and Wenlay Dairy Farm Ltd.

Information on each of the farm stops follows.

For more information on the tours, contact Carla Soutar, at BC Dairy Association, or (800) 242-6455.

Cordine Farms

Cordine Farms
Agassiz, British Columbia
Host: Cornelis Hertgers
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • Four types of silage face management systems. They include: Triomaster Big Bite, Trioliet Block Cutter, Triotrac self-propelled and AP silage bite systems.

  • Technical experts to answer questions and present information on silage packing protocols, silage inoculant selection and administration, bunk face management and its impact on silage face temperatures, dry matter losses and herd dry matter intakes.

Holberg Farms

Holberg Farms Ltd.
Agassiz, British Columbia
Host: Holger Schwichtenberg
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • New barn with three DeLaval V300 robots with on-board somatic cell counter lab

  • DelPro activity meters

  • T100 front milk tank monitoring system with auto dose for tank washer, including proAction data collection

  • 5,000-gallon Mueller milk tank and FreHeater heat recovery system

  • Flex feed fronts

  • Artex calf zone suites

  • Traction rubber in feed lane and crossovers, rubber in stall base

  • Joz alley scrapers and Moov Pro feed pusher

  • Faromor EZ roll curtains and ridge curtains

  • Artex Storm fans with environmental controls

Jalyn Farms

Jalyn Farms
Rosedale, British Columbia
Host: Geoff Sache
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • Two Lely A5 milking robots

  • New 120-stall cow barn with close-up pack and calf barn

  • Jamesway manure system with sand-specific alley scrapers

  • Sand lane for bedding recovery

  • Secco curtains and chimneys

  • 24 breeze fans from West Coast Stabling

  • Lely Juno automatic feed pusher

Mount Shadow Acres

Mount Shadow Acres
Rosedale, British Columbia
Host: Tony and Cornelia Neels and Jason Neels
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • GEA Monobox robotic milking system with in-liner clean, prep, fore-strip, post-dip

  • Unique barn layout with milk-first cow flow on one side and free traffic with the maternity pen on the other side

  • GEA CowScout herd health with rumination and activity system monitoring

  • GEA scraper systems and manure pump automatic flush flume and transfer system

  • Four-row barn with mattresses and sawdust

  • New grain bin and auger system

Peterson Farms

Peterson Farms
Agassiz, British Columbia
Host: Gordon Peterson
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., lunch 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Farm was completely lost in a fire over a year ago

  • Valmetal/US Farm Systems flush system, sand lane and manure separation system

  • Two Lely A5 milking robots

  • Lely Juno automatic feed pusher

  • Holme and Laue Milk Taxi, calf pasteurizer and milk dispenser

  • Automatic footbath

  • Artex sloped feed rail, Aqua Dumps, calf zone suites and ventilation tube for calves

  • J&D custom gates and fencing

  • Faromor EZ roll curtains and ridge curtains

Wenlay Dairy Farm

Wenlay Dairy Farm Ltd.
Chilliwack, British Columbia
9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., lunch 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • GEA Mag 90i parallel double-24 parlour with Apollo teat dip and backflush system

  • GEA automated footbath system

  • GEA CowScout herd health with rumination and activity system monitoring

  • Westwaard heavy-duty crowd gate

  • Joz alley scraper

  • Nuhn flush pumps, AgPro flush valves, VFD flush controller in the parlour, Loewen electric raceway agitator

  • Faromor MaxAir curtains and ClearVu panels

  • Artex lockers and Aqua Dumps

  • J&D gates and fencing  end mark

PHOTOS: Courtesy photos.

—Compiled by PD staff from event-supplied materials