The Milk Producer - August 2011 - (Page 4)

EDITOR’SNOTES By Bill Dimmick Unﬁnished business Far from altruistic tree hugging, sustainable farming is about improving your operation’s bottom line C ness sense in a dairy herd. Over time you end up producing the same amount of milk or more with fewer animals. Properly balancing rations means your herd gets optimum nutrition for optimum milk production with minimal waste. If you followed these and other sound practices on your farm a few decades ago, you were a smart farmer and a good manager. Today, by implementing more production efficiencies and wise cost-saving measures, you’re also going green, becoming more environmentally friendly and reducing your operation’s carbon footprint. That’s really what this month’s cover story about sustainable dairy farming conveys. While the term “sustainable” might conjure up visions of altruistic tree hugging, that notion is hardly correct. As our story points out, it’s really about good business practices. More than just helping your business thrive today, these practices can help you pass along a sustainable family farm to future generations. I would also call our story a progress report. The sustainable dairy farming story continues to unfold at local, national and global levels. As a result, expect to see more, much more, on this subject in future. injuries sustained in an automobile accident early May. I am pleased to report she returned to work mid-July on a part-time basis until she is well enough to resume fulltime duties. She has been greatly missed. Proﬁt from manure. Near deadline, as I was composing this column, I got an e-mail from Jennifer Green, executive co-ordinator of the Agrienergy Producers’ Association of Ontario. She asked if I could publicize some of her group’s work, which fits in nicely with this month’s cover story theme: “Learn how you can use your farm outputs to generate electricity, earn a profit and benefit the environment. Biogas tours and workshops are taking place across Ontario, starting Aug. 16. Visit www.apao. ca for details and registration.” Please do. Business opportunity? Among items we reported in this month’s cover story is how a young Alberta producer is diverting tonnes of drywall scraps out of landfill sites and turning them into valuable fertilizer. I recently read an article in Hoard’s Dairyman about sulphur and potassium deficiencies in U.S. alfalfa fields. Drywall scraps, when mixed with manure, can help add sulfur to deficient soils, as our story explains. I expect somebody somewhere will smell a business opportunity. NOTEWORTHY: Sharon’s back. I wrote in this space last month about our assistant editor, Sharon Laidlaw, recovering from THE I PRODUCER TH E MI LK PRODU R is published monthly RODU U 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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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - August 2011

The Milk Producer - August 2011
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair's Message
Dairy Update
Industry Roundup
DFC Promotion
Applied Science
Ruminations
Rearing Replacements
Calf Health
Markets
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - August 2011