On Thursday, Jan. 26, 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 which includes entrance to the Pacific Agriculture Show, access to the dairy seminar, a dairy producers’ luncheon from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and an afternoon hoof trimming demonstration.
The morning seminar will focus on nutrition and reproductive management strategies for enhanced herd health and production.
The first keynote speaker is Matthew Lucy, professor of animal sciences, University of Missouri – Columbia. After receiving his bachelor’s degree at Cornell University, Lucy went on to obtain a master’s degree from Kansas State University and a doctorate from the University of Florida.
Matthew Lucy
He has received numerous awards and honours for his research on the reproductive physiology of high-producing dairy cows as well as his instruction on the topic. At the seminar, Lucy will speak on “Reproductive Management Strategies – Past, Present and Future.”
The second keynote speaker is Tom Oelberg. After receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees from South Dakota State University and a doctorate from Ohio State University, Oelberg worked in the upper Midwest dairy industry for 31 years in several roles.
Tom Oelberg
He led research efforts in the development of many animal nutrition products for dairy, beef, swine and poultry that impacted U.S. and overseas operations for a regional feed company.
Oelberg spent 13 years with Monsanto Dairy Business leveraging his expertise in cow cooling, stall comfort, feedbunk and silage management. He has been working the past eight years with Diamond V.
In 2008, Oelberg introduced the TMR audit on large dairies in the U.S. Since then, he has conducted many training sessions, has written many articles and has given presentations on TMR audits at numerous nutrition conferences.
At the seminar, Oelberg will discuss “Auditing Your TMR – for Better Results.”
Following the luncheon, a new afternoon demonstration will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Scotiabank Tent.
This hoof trimming demonstration will be delivered by two DTC-certified trimmers from the Western Canadian Certified Hooftrimmers Association. It will address animal welfare requirements and hoof trimming techniques.
For more information on the seminar, email Tom Droppo, dairy industry specialist, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture or call (604) 556-3144.
Self-guided farm tours
Preceding the seminar, self-guided farm tours will take place on Jan. 25, wherein those interested can pick from one to nine host farms to visit. Producers are welcome to stop by during the times listed for each farm and are asked to wear the biosecurity boots provided at each location.
Lunch will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Van Gard Farms, D&M Verwoert Farm, Fraser Edge Farms and Lorenzetti Acres. Owners, building contractors and equipment suppliers will be on hand to answer questions at each stop.
For more information on the farm tours, see the following two pages or email John Luymes, farm structures engineer, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture or call (604) 556-3114. 
—Compiled by PD staff from event-supplied materials
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Karen Lee
- Editor
- Progressive Dairyman
- Email Karen Lee
2017 B.C. Dairy Expo Farm Tours
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2017 B.C. Diary Expo Farm Seminars
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D&M Verwoert Farm
Chilliwack
Hosts: Don and Myrna Verwoert
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Highlights:
- Robotic milking system with onboard somatic cell counter, milk diverted to convenient access room, backflush incorporated into milking units
- Automatic footbath, sort area
- Rubber with sawdust in stalls
- Rubber alley by feedbunk for cow comfort
- Swinging cow brush
- Curtains and 6-foot-diameter ventilation fans
- Manure alley scrapers
- Flush flume system
Lorenzetti Acres
Hope
Hosts: John and Gerald Klop and families
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Highlights:
- Double-16 parallel parlour with in-liner automatic post-dip and integrated wash and hygiene system
- Activity and health monitoring system with neck tags for ID
- Sand bedding
- Rubber flooring
- Dual manure flush flumes with pumps fitted with automated hydraulic valve controls
- Sand-settling lane incorporated for solids removal
Fraser Edge Farms
Deroche
Hosts: The Stoker family
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Highlights:
- Three milking robots with milk quality control to monitor fat, protein, milk colour, temperature and milk speed
- Somatic cell count testing, weigh floors, feed presence sensors and liquid feed dispensers
- 176 sand-bedded freestalls, sawdust pack for 24 close-up cows
- Activity and rumination for milking herd and heifers
- Cow brushes, automated feed pusher and automated footbaths
- Sand-saver mats
- Curtains and chimneys adjusted with controls
- V-Blade chain and box automatic alley scrapers and pump
Driessen Farms
Deroche
Hosts: Fred, Rose, Brad Driessen; Ben, Tracy, Noah Driessen
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Highlights:
- Double-15 all-stainless herringbone parallel parlour
- Parlour automated with meters that monitor milk weight, conductivity and blood measurement
- Claws incorporate automated dipping
- Heat detection monitoring
- Automatic stainless steel footbath
- Four-row, tail-to-tail layout barn with automated feed pusher and swinging cow brush
- Alley scrapers and pump for flush flume and manure transfer
- Ventilation includes a new heavy- duty motorized roll-up curtain product and 6-foot-diameter ventilation fans
Van Gard Farms
Chilliwack
Hosts: Jim and Karen Van Garderen
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Highlights:
- Two robotic milking units with 3D time-of-flight camera, one-step attachment and in-liner cleaning, prepping, forestripping, quarterly discarding of milk, conductivity per quarter and post-dipping
- New fan concept includes HVLS fans with magnetic drives (no gearboxes)
- Robotic feed pusher that uses floor magnets for propulsion
- Mobile cart for manual washing and treatment of hooves
- LED lighting system
- Alley manure scrapers
- Milk mixer and transport cart for feeding of calves
- New freestall bed made from 100 percent virgin rubber
Cedar Valley Farms
Abbotsford
Hosts: The Vanderwal families
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Highlights:
- Three new barns all of rigid steel-frame construction with 32-stall rotary milking parlour; activity and rumination monitoring, automated dipping milking claws, automated footbath
- New freestall system has stalls with a flexible mounting system, floating neck rails and deep sand bedding for greater cow comfort
- Manure flush system includes a 2.9 million-gallon bolted steel tank, agitation system, floating flush pump, direct-drive vertical electric pumps, stainless internally fed rotating screen separator, 48-inch roller press and custom programmable flush controllers
- Ventilation system with fans, curtains and chimneys
Vyefield Farms
Abbotsford
Hosts: Ed and Larry Kielstra and families
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Highlights:
- 32-stall robotic rotary milking parlour
- Teat liners incorporate 3-D camera attachment, pre-milking preparation, milk discard per quarter, conductivity per quarter and in-liner post-dip
- 8,000-gallon milk tank with chiller system
- Activity and health monitoring system with neck tags
- Oiless vacuum pump, high-bay LED lighting
- Existing cattle housing layout includes one five-row barn and one two-row barn with barn alley flush and solid/liquid manure separation
- Automatic feed pusher
- Exhaust fans with automatic controls
Golden Gate Farms
Abbotsford
Hosts: Martin and Sarah Yoder
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Highlights:
- Certified organic farm focused on cow comfort and sustainability
- New three-row barn with outside feed alley includes automated feeding system for 150 animals between two barns
- Two robotic milking machines equipped with milk quality control to monitor fat, protein, milk colour, temperature and milk speed
- Somatic cell count testing, weigh floors and liquid feed dispensers in milking robots
- Calf milk pasteurizer, transporter and dispenser
- Sorting box to incorporate grazing option
- Activity and rumination monitoring for milking herd and heifers
- Fully automated tunnel ventilation with power chimneys, fans and weather station
- Dual-chamber waterbeds in stalls
R J R Farms
Abbotsford
Host: The Redekop and Miles families
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Highlights:
- New, three-row, 100-cow, sand-bedded barn with outside feed alley
- Two robotic milking machines equipped with milk quality control to monitor fat, protein, milk colour, temperature and milk speed
- Somatic cell count testing, weigh floors in milking robots
- Bedded pack area for close-up cows
- Activity and rumination monitoring for milking herd and heifers
- Cow brushes and automatic feed pusher
- New calf barn with controlled ventilation system, individual pens and milk pasteurizer, transporter and dispenser
- Fully automated tunnel ventilation with chimneys, curtains, fans and weather station
