On Thursday, Jan. 25, the B.C. Dairy Expo seminar will be held in the BMO Room at the Tradex from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There is a $20 registration fee that includes a three-day pass to the Pacific Agriculture Show, access to the dairy seminar and the dairy producers’ luncheon from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Scotiabank Tent.
This year’s seminar will focus on cropping and manure management with a full lineup of speakers.
Tracy Hueppelsherser
On the cropping side, Tracy Hueppelsheuser, entomologist, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, will address two new forage pests found in British Columbia – armyworms and corn rootworms. Hueppelsheuser’s work focuses on biology and pest management of established and invasive insect species that impact British Columbia agriculture.
This includes: pest identification, outreach and extension activities, policy and regulation development, and some surveillance. She will provide an update on British Columbia surveys for armyworm and corn rootworms, as well as discuss how to monitor for these pests, ways to manage them and program plans for 2018.
Jeremy McNeil
Jeremy McNeil, Ph.D., University of Western Ontario, will further expand the discussion on armyworms. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from University of Western Ontario and Ph.D. at North Carolina State University. He also served a long tenure as a professor at Laval University in Quebec.
McNeil has an interdisciplinary and international research programme in chemical ecology working in a number of different areas including insect migration and insect-host plant interactions. His talk will focus on the seasonal biology of armyworms, including their ability to tolerate cold and its migratory behaviour. He will also discuss the use of light traps and pheromone traps for basic biology work and pheromone traps for armyworm activity monitoring.
(Editor’s note: McNeil will also be a keynote speaker at the Islands Agriculture Show Trade Show and Conference Sessions featuring “The Changing Face of Agriculture” on Feb. 2 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Cowichan Exhibition Grounds in Duncan, British Columbia. For information on this event, go to Islands Agriculture Show)
Greg Stewart
Focusing on the corn plant, specifically the roots, Greg Stewart, agronomy lead, Maizex Seeds Inc., will address nutrient and soil management strategies. Stewart was born and raised on a farm near Peterborough, Ontario. He attended University of Guelph and completed a Master of Science degree on tillage and soil compaction.
He worked eight years in research at the university on projects involving tillage, crop rotations, corn planter performance and fertility management. Stewart worked in the farm equipment industry, then as a corn specialist with the Ontario government participating extensively in corn research and demonstration projects across Ontario.
In 2015, he joined Maizex Seeds Inc. Stewart will present a wide range of nutrient and soil management strategies to improve corn performance, but in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner.
Trevor Hargreaves
Switching to the manure management topics, Trevor Hargreaves, BC Dairy Association, and Tadhg O’Leary, safety adviser, AgSafe, will look at hydrogen sulphide exposure during liquid manure agitation.
They will present the findings from a joint two-year BC Dairy Association, AgSafe and WorkSafeBC research project that involved 50 dairy farms. The objective of the study was to clarify existent H2S gas exposure risks for producers during liquid manure agitation.
Matt Dickson
Lastly, Matt Dickson, Hallbar Consulting Inc., will provide an assessment of phosphorus extraction from dairy manure using a centrifuge. Dickson is a sustainability professional with more than 13 years of experience helping to drive renewable energy and nutrient management technology adoption in British Columbia’s agriculture sector.
Currently, he works with the Research Institute of Sweden to bring world-leading expertise and knowledge to agricultural clients in British Columbia and beyond. Some dairy farmers in the province are experiencing a gradual buildup of surplus phosphorus in their soils.
This presentation will discuss how useful centrifuge technology could be in extracting phosphorus from dairy manure and what this technology could mean for nutrient management planning for dairy farms.
For more information on the seminar, visit www.bcdairy.ca or contact Tom Droppo, dairy industry specialist, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture at tom.droppo@gov.bc.ca or (604) 556-3144.
50th anniversary of farm tours
The 50th annual B.C. Dairy Expo Farm Tours will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at seven different farms. It is a self-guided tour and 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.
Owners, building contractors and equipment suppliers will be on hand to answer questions at each stop.
A complimentary lunch will be available from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Corners Pride Farms, Eagle Acres Dairy and Hoek Holsteins.
For more information on the farm tours, see the following two pages or visit BC Dairy Industry Conference
—Compiled by PD staff from event-supplied materials
EcoDairy
Abbotsford
Host: Bill Vanderkooi
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Canada’s first HydroGreen automated hydroponics system (grows seed to feed in six days and produces 20 acres of feed in 800 square feet per year)
- BC’s first CalfRail automated feeding system (two Foerster Technik rail systems via CF 1000 DeLaval feeder to 64 calves housed in individual Artex calf pens)
- Artex positive-pressure fresh air tubes, Faromor sidewall curtains and ridge curtain
- Grass-fed beef (Angus-Holstein bull calves) feeding and production unit
- EcoDairy in partnership with Science World provides year-round, authentic farm experiences to inspire agricultural advocates of all ages (free admission to Milking Barn to Farm Tour), including: DeLaval VMS robot, conveyor bedding delivery, anaerobic digestion, Houle scraper, SunNorth ventilation, NW rubber flooring, ProMat air beds, Artex stalls and headlocks
Eagle Acres Dairy
Langley
Hosts: Brian and Erin Anderson
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Eagle Acres is dedicated to Educate-a-kid (public education), new education overhead viewing theatre and three-stall demonstration parlour
- CF 1000 Smart Calf Feeder
- DeLaval cow brush and mini-brush for heifers
- Joz alley scrapers, Loewen electric raceway agitator
- DeLaval Voluntary Milking System reinstalled into new facility
- Artex positive-pressure air tubes, Faromor sidewall curtains and 55-inch Breeze fan
- Artex J2K stalls and self-lockers, J&D gates and fencing, Pasture Mat topped with 1.5-inch foam
- Pasture gate (access in and out of barn to pasture) and cow protection gate on the computer feeder stalls
Hesdon Holsteins
Delta
Hosts: The Hessels family
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- 140-stall outside drive-through barn, close-up calving pack and calf section
- GEA Magnum 90i double-10 parallel parlour and RPC oil-less vacuum pump
- GEA CowScout ID, activity and health monitoring system with three-way sort gate
- AlleyKing hydraulic alley scrapers, Super Comfort stalls, headlocks, stainless steel tip water troughs
- CST Slurrystore storage with 904,000 U.S. gallon capacity and GEA Houle agitation system
- Rollomatic curtains for sidewall, Faromor peak curtain
- Faromor 5-by-40-foot Solar Vu panels for calf barn exterior wall
- NV4 Weather Station – wind and rain sensor for climate control
- Reclaimed barn wood on parlour front gable from heritage barn that was previously on-site
Corners Pride Farms Ltd.
Chilliwack
Hosts: Bernie and Yvonne VanderMeulen, Brandon and Janel Bisschop, and Justin VanderMeulen
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
*Construction will limit some farm access
- New 340-by-120-foot, six-row freestall barn and 340-by-104-foot, four-row freestall barn
- 20 Lely A4 milking robots, with plans to install 11 more
- Lely Walkway automated footbaths, Juno feed pushers and custom swinging feed rail
- Artex Y2K stalls and headlocks
- Nedap cow id system and chain disk feeding system
- Joz scrapers with folding option and sand flex scrapers
- DariTech Bio Link manure flush system with Slurrystore, primary and secondary separation systems
B & L Dairy Farm Ltd.
Abbotsford
Hosts: The Dykshoorn family
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
*Farm access is limited to new facilities
- Three-row sand barn with bedded pack
- Lely A4 robotic milking system (weigh floor, MQC-C SCC detection, QWes heat and rumination detection)
- West Coast Stabling stalls, headlocks and stabling
- Secco double roll-down curtains
- Mueller bulk tank
- GEA Houle alley scraper, flume and transfer automatic pump
WestGen – Bovitech West
Abbotsford
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- New 28,800-square-foot facilities and barn
- Heated IVF collection room
- Housing for up to 40 donors and 90 recipients
- Artex Breeze fans, Faromor chimneys, CSL headlocks and heifer headlocks
- Sidewall curtains with NV4 weather controls
- Hospital facility with three treatment pens
Hoek Holsteins Ltd.
Agassiz
Hosts: Vander Hoek family
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- British Columbia’s largest GEA Monobox robotic milking system with one-step attachment, 3D time- of-flight camera, clean to post-dip in liner
- WeCover clearspan 400-by-140-foot barn, six-row perimeter feed, head-to-head stalls, sand bed and 120-foot sand lane
- Jourdain headlocks, Artzen lights, magnetic drive fans and automated curtains
- GEA alley scraper system, barn cleaner system, manure pumps, roller press and DariTech separator
- CowScout Herd Health and Activity system monitoring by PDC
- Grain bin and chain disk auger system
