There’s not one specific detail that has helped Skyline Dairy maintain a somatic cell count (SCC) of 50,000, but it is rather a team-based focus on cow comfort.

When the Moreys decided to expand, the robots had to be upgraded or replaced. They decided to build a barn and parlour for the future, preparing the Morey family farm for the next generation.

Slurry contains valuable quantities of nitrogen in the form of a liquid: ammonium usually found in livestock urine. Ammonium is readily available for absorption by plant root systems, but from the moment it hits the barn floor until it is incorporated into the field, large quantities are lost in the atmosphere in the form of ammonia gas.

Close monitoring of dietary protein, shade, cooling systems and ventilation will all keep cows cooler during the heat of summer.

From technology to sustainability to land ownership to youth to the mature crowd, Kim McConnell and Diane Finstad kicked off the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar with a dynamic talk about the dairy world.

With financing from RBC Royal Bank, Chris and Henrietta Groenendijk are now powering two barns with solar energy, offsetting their electricity bill for the next 20 to 30 years.