2025 Dairy Day Presentations
Longevity in your Dairy Herd
Presented by: Dr. Albert De Vries, Professor, University of Florida
Cow culling and replacement rates are primarily the result of active economic decision making. The goal is typically to maximize profit per slot per day. Many factors play a role, including performance and health differences among cows as well as external factors such as heifer replacement prices and genetic progress. This makes making the best decision sometimes challenging. The presentation will outline an economic framework that includes all major factors, and perhaps challenge some norms. The presentation includes practical examples and rules of thumb for good economic decision making on culling and replacement.
Albert De Vries is a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida, USA. He teaches undergraduate courses in dairy science, works with dairy farmers and the allied dairy industry in his Extension role, and conducts research related to dairy systems management. Albert’s interests are in culling and replacement strategies, economics of reproduction and genetics, and precision dairy farming. Most recently, he licensed his culling and insemination algorithm to support replacement and breeding decisions to Dairy Records Management Systems who markets it as KeepOrBeef. Albert is also actively involved with UF Dairy Unit which milks 400 cows. Albert grew up on a mixed dairy, poultry, and pig farm in the Netherlands. He graduated from Wageningen University with an M.S. degree in animal science with a minor in agricultural economics. He received a Ph.D. in animal sciences from the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. He lives in Newberry, Florida, with wife Kim, their twin daughters, and five cats.
Presentation begins Thursday January 9th, 2025 at 10:00 am.
Managing Ventilation in Weather Extremes
An update will be provided on changes to markets and production and the subsequent changes to producer payment.
Presented by: Rajan Niraula, Engineering Specialist, OMAFA
Rajan Niraula, MEng, P.Eng. – professional engineer with over 20 years of experience in water, wastewater, and environmental sector. Worked as design review engineer in the Ministry of Water Stewardship in Manitoba for manure storage facilities. Currently working as engineering specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusinesses. Specialty area is livestock housing, ventilation, equipment and nutrient management for dairy and beef.
Presented by: Eric Franke, Engineering Specialist - Automation & Technology, OMAFA
Eric Franke is an accomplished Electrical Engineer and Project Manager with expertise in industrial automation and electrical design. He has led multi-million dollar projects across diverse industries, including food, energy, and water/wastewater treatment. Currently, he serves as an Automation Engineering Specialist, focusing on advancing technology in Ontario's agri-food sector.
Presentation begins Thursday January 9th, 2025 at 11:15 am.
DFO Update
Presented by: Mark Hamel, Chair & Board Member - Region 11, DFO, and Partner, Harmony Holsteins Ltd.
Mark will give an update on DFO activities over the last year.
Mark lives on a family-operated dairy farm west of Elmwood, Ontario. Along with his son Matt, 4th generation, and daughter in-law Larissa they milk 140 purebred Holsteins. Currently Mark is a Dairy Farmers of Ontario Board Member representing Region 11, Bruce and Grey Counties and also the DFO Vice Chair. Mark is a Past Chair of Gay Lea Foods Co-operative as well as Howick Mutual Insurance Company. Mark contributed to the development of the Indonesia Dairy Co-operative Initiative by travelling to Indonesia to meet with government officials and dairy representative over a 3-week period in 2014. Mark is a graduate of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program.
Presentation begins Thursday January 9th, 2025 at 1:15 pm.
Communication, The Grease Gun of Succession
Presented by: Maggie Van Camp, CEO, Redcrest Farms & Director of Strategic Change, Loft 32
Communicating effectively with family is essential to smoothly navigating through succession. Yet most families have difficulty talking about business, money and estate planning. This presentation gives the audience practical tools & real life examples of habits they can use to improve communication with their family and build clarity and collaboration before problems erupt.
Maggie Van Camp is Loft32's co-founder, Director of Strategic Change and in 2024 started Farmers’ Bridge to help farm families navigate transitions and build their businesses for the future. She is also CEO and owner of a family farm near Blackstock, Ontario. For decades, Maggie had an award-winning career as an agricultural journalist, notably as a senior editor with Canada's national agricultural magazine, Country Guide. More recently, she was BDO's National Director of Agriculture, where Maggie led sector marketing and industry relations, revitalized the accounting firm's social responsibility program, worked closely with business transition services and built a strategic organization of AgTeams from coast-to-coast.
Presentation begins Thursday January 9th, 2025 at 1:45 pm.
Panel: Longevity in our herds
This panel includes leading producers who select for longevity and Dr. Albert De Vries with his extensive longevity research as well.
Facilitator: Cynthia Miltenburg, Lead Veterinarian, Animal Health and Welfare, OMAFA
Cynthia is a veterinarian and graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College where she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Doctor of Veterinary Science degrees. She spent several years in large animal practice before completing graduate research focused on strategies to improve transition cow health and immune function. Cynthia is currently Lead Veterinarian Animal Health and Welfare with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs where she provides expertise in veterinary science, epidemiology, and disease prevention and control related to animal, public, and environmental health with an emphasis on bovine health and welfare. Cynthia also co-leads the Bovine Ontario Animal Health Network, which works to coordinate preparedness, early detection, and response to animal disease.
Panelist: Ben Loewith, Co-Owner, Joe Loewith & Sons Ltd.
After graduating with a general arts degree from the university of Waterloo, Ben returned to work with his uncle David and father Carl at their farm in Hamilton, Ontario. Presently, they milk 500 cows averaging 43 kg of milk at 4.5% fat. Ben has been an active member of the dairy industry, holding positions on the local milk producer committee, the Holstein Committee, Progressive Dairy Operators, and is a past board member for Gay Lea Foods. In 2023, with his wife Jennifer, they launched Summit Station Dairy, and on-farm processing facility producing fluid milk, flavoured milk, ,and cheese curds for the Hamilton Market.
Panelist: Chris McLaren, Owner, Larenwood Farms Ltd.
Chris is a co-owner of Larenwood Farms Ltd near Drumbo Ontario. They currently milk 115 cows in a facility built in 2012. Chris is the 6th generation to farm the land where this facility is located. Conversion of the farm to automation has been a focus over the last 5 years. In 2020 automatic calf feeders where installed to feed calves on milk. They are currently converting the cropping enterprise to autotrac steering and variable rate fertilizer application. This summer feed automation will be completed in the newly built heifer barn. In addition, they are converting the milking facility to automatic milking this fall and winter. The farm was awarded the Herd Management Award (Canwest DHI and Lactanet), for the top managed farm in Canada, in 2014, 2015 and 2016. They received a Master Breeder Award from Holstein Canada (2019). Personally, Chris completed a B.Sc (Agr) from the University of Guelph in 2001. A M.Sc (Epidemiology) was completed from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2004. He and his wife Heidi have 3 children, Hailey (15), Joel (11), and Dana (9).
Panelist: Josh Ireland, Owner/Manager, Albadon Farms
Josh farms with his wife, Marjan and their kids Joel, Tyson, Emily and Andrew as well as his parents Mark and Debbie. The Ireland family milks around 300 cows on two different sites. Cows are housed in sand bedded barns and milked in parlours (3x and 2x). Efficiency is always a main focus with a strong desire to milk fewer cows while filling more quota. Healthy easy keeping animals are key to achieving this and wouldn't be possible without their team of advisors and especially their staff.
Presentation begins Thursday January 9th, 2025 at 2:50 pm.
And don't forget to take a look at the list of On-Demand presentations which you can watch throughout the conference and for the thirty days following! Use the button on the left to browse full details for those!
Check out the program for other conference days using the buttons below.
