The Milk Producer - July 2011 - (Page 4)

EDITOR’SNOTES By Bill Dimmick A vital factor With teamwork, we can accomplish much more than individuals working on their own O On most farms, you have a team to handle milking, cropping, record-keeping and numerous other chores. On a broader scale, Canada’s dairy industry depends on teams to ensure your milk is picked up, processors get the supplies they need and you get paid for your labours. Many, many teams work hard to ensure success. I have long been a staunch believer in teamwork. I realized long ago a team can accomplish much more with people working together toward one goal than individuals pursuing individual goals. Our cover story this month gives a voice to a veterinarian advocating a team approach to hoof health. Given that dairy herds tend to experience increased foot ailments during the warmer months, I believe publishing this article in July is most appropriate. The article’s author, Dr. Wayne Shewfelt, makes a strong case. He points out how teamwork has helped many dairy farmers dramatically improve milk quality by lowering somatic cell counts (SCCs). Few herd owners accomplish this improvement on their own. They have a team to reach this goal. Why should hoof health, a serious threat to your profitability, be any different. We employ teamwork here at The Milk Producer, too. As editor, I play a lead role to be sure, but I view myself simply as part of a great team. So, when our assistant editor, Sharon Laidlaw, was badly hurt in an automobile accident early May, our team here at the magazine took a serious hit. Sharon has been recovering from her injuries at home, and hopes to return soon. I can tell you, she has been sorely missed. As a testament to Sharon’s strong work ethic, she insisted on at least writing her monthly Back Forty column. If you spotted any dumb errors in our June issue, you can attribute most of them to Sharon’s absence. I can tell you I did my utmost to pull that issue together without any bad blemishes, but a few did occur. It takes a team to put out a good publication with minimal errors. This issue, our team did add some last-minute help. Roy Maxwell, a long-time colleague in the farm writing business, agreed to pitch in until Sharon can return. That name may ring a bell with some of our readers, especially those in what we’ll kindly call middle age. Roy was a highly respected broadcast journalist on CBC’s Radio Noon farm program. I was a regular listener during those years—a few decades ago—when I was learning the ropes about reporting on agriculture. Roy went on to become communications director for Chicken Farmers of Ontario, and more recently has been doing media and communications consulting for Dairy Farmers of Ontario. Roy’s skills and experience, plus his knowledge of supply management and the dairy industry, will be invaluable to our team. THE I PRO U R TH E MI LK PRODUCER is published monthly RODU e m nthl hly by Dairy Farmers of Ontar o, 6780 Campobello Dai Farmers of Onta airy r tari b Road Mississauga, Ontario, Road, Mississauga, Ontar L5N 2L8 ad, ssis a t EDITOR: ill D m ick EDITOR: Bill Dimmick ITOR ASSISTAN EDIT R ASSISTANT EDITOR: Sharon Laidlaw SISTANT ITOR ai law Co-ordinated by Communications Co-ordinated by Co -ordinat s and Planning Div and Planning Di ision, n Bill itch Bill Mitch Assi tant Director. chell, ssis Chan Chan of address notices should be sent to: ange u be sent to: THE MILK PRODUCER 6780 Campobello Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5N 2L8. s 8 Subsc pt Subscription rate : $26.88 for one year, $49.28 bscr ates ye $49.28 ear, 9 for two years and $67.20 for three years in o w year n r e yea in ears Canada (includes HST), $36 per year in the nada (includes l s U.S. $36 per year overseas. Single copy: $2.50. 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Publication of advertisements does P lication dvert sements does erti ment not constitute endor stitu ndor tute orsement or approval by The or t The Milk Producer or Dairy Farmers of Ontario of f products or services advertised. The Milk Producer welcomes let i oduce cer comes et etters to the e editor about magazine content. bout g bo maga ine content. t t. Phone: (905) 821-8970 ( 0 821-8970 1-89 Fax: (905) 821-3160 (905) 821-3160 1-31 E-mail: bdimmick@milk.org bdimmick milk. immick@m k.o slaidlaw@mil or slaidlaw@milk.org w ilk org Website: Go to publications o at www.milk.org 4 | July 2011 | MilkPRODUCER http://www.fsc.org http://www.milk.org http://www.fsc.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - July 2011

The Milk Producer - July 2011
Contents
Editor's Notes
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty
DFO Vice-Chair's Message
Dairy Update
DFC Promotion
Cover Story
Herd Health
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New 'N' Noted
The Back Forty

The Milk Producer - July 2011