THE DFD (Dairy Farmer’s Digest) Podcast

Takin care of business!

On this episode of the Dairy Farmer's Digest (DFD) podcast, I talk to Cox Wensink.  Cox is the owner and herd manager at Hoenhorst Farms in Woodstock Ontario where her and her team milk 500 cows with 10 Lely A4 milking robots on two locations utilizing temporary foreign workers (TFW).  We have a great discussion around how she came about using TFW and how to get the process started and the learning curve involved in going down this route.
Cox is a Mechanical Engineer with a Masters in Strategic Product development and she has worked in Canada and in Europe before returning to the farm to take over the family farm nearly a decade ago.
The main goal at Hoenhorst farms is to fill quota efficiently and maintain a positive team culture at the farm which lead her down the road of employing TFW to meet and exceed her goals.
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  If you have any questions about this episode or future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out to me by email at keithschweitzer@wfs.ca by phone at 1 (519) 872-0742 and please follow me on your favorite podcast player and on twitter @keithschweitzer

Legend .... wait for it .... Dairy!!

On this episode of the Dairy Farmer's Digest (DFD) podcast, I talk to Dr. Mike Hutjens.  Mike is a Professor Emeritus in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois. 
Dr. Hutjens grew up on a dairy farm in Green Bay, Wisconsin and has a PhD from the University of Wisconsin and has focused his entire career on teaching dairy professionals and producers how to make milk as efficiently and economically as possible. He has published several hundred if not thousand articles for publications like Hoard's Dairyman and other industry publications around the world.  Mike has won numerous awards and was a President of the ADSA (American Dairy Science Association). 
Our discussion on this podcast covers how to evaluate whether a feed additive is right for you farm, how do reduce feed costs from non feed factors (shrink) and his own list of must haves in your feeding program.
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  If you have any questions about this episode or future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out to me by email at keithschweitzer@wfs.ca by phone at 1 (519) 872-0742 and please follow me on your favorite podcast player and on twitter @keithschweitzer

Where’s the Beef?!

On this episode of the Dairy Farmer's Digest (DFD) podcast, I talk to Brad Gilchrist.  Brad is the Beef Marketing and Product specialist for Semex.  Brad is a graduate of the University of Guelph Ag economics and Business degree.  He and his family also operate a purebred Angus cow calf operation in Lucknow Ontario.
Breeding Beef x Holstein has become the norm in the dairy industry in North America, Brad and I discuss how farmer are utilizing these genetics and how producers can maximize the calf value by breeding to the right sires.
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  If you have any questions about this episode or future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out to me by email at keithschweitzer@wfs.ca by phone at 1 (519) 872-0742 and please follow me on your favorite podcast player and on twitter @keithschweitzer

Bustin myths and talkin hooves!

On this week's episode of the Dairy Farmer's Digest (DFD), I talk to Dr. Gerard Cramer.  Gerard has a DVM, DVSc from Ontario Veterinary College and is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota in the department of Veterinary Population Medicine.
Lameness is the most costly disease on modern dairy farms, Gerard and I discuss some of the science behind foot bath, the challenges that heat stress present and we bust some common myths around foot health.
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  If you have any questions about this episode or future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out to me by email at keithschweitzer@wfs.ca by phone at 1 (519) 872-0742 and please follow me on your favorite podcast player and on twitter @keithschweitzer

60% of the time...It works every time

On this week's episode of the Dairy Farmer's Digest (DFD), I talk to Mark Gerber.  Mark is an account manager and Technical Specialist with Zinpro. We cover a plethora of topics relating to hoof health, hoof trimming and lameness prevention and treatment.
Lameness is the most costly disease on modern dairy farms, it's impact can be felt through production, reproduction and overall herd performance.  Talking about, monitoring and measuring the lameness prevalence on your farm can have long lasting and beneficial impacts to your economic returns and bottom line performance.
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  If you have any questions about this episode or future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out to me by email at keithschweitzer@wfs.ca by phone at 1 (519) 872-0742 and please follow me on your favorite podcast player and on twitter @keithschweitzer

Oh, the times they are a changin

On this weeks episode of the podcast, I have the pleasure of talking to Andrea DeGroot from Farm Credit Canada.  Andrea is a Business Advisor who specializes in farm transitions.
Transitioning a multi-million dollar farm business is a daunting task, Andrea and I discuss where to start, what resources you may need and how producers can navigate this crucial decision making process.
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  If you have any questions about this episode or future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out to me by email at keithschweitzer@wfs.ca by phone at 1 (519) 872-0742 and please follow me on your favorite podcast player and on twitter @keithschweitzer

It’s CORN ... I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing!

On this episode of the podcast, I talk to Dr. Bill Mahanna.  Bill is the Global Nutritional Services Manager with Pioneer, he is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University.
Bill and I cover all things corn silage, we touch on plant health, starch deposition and how to cut, pack and store the most critical forage for this years winter feeding.
He has an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to making high quality forages, especially corn silage.  He has worked for Pioneer for over 30 years and he has travelled all over the world educating dairy, beef and small ruminant producers and industry professionals. 
If you have questions, you can reach him at bill.mahanna@pioneer.com or on Twitter @billmahanna
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  if you have any questions about this episode or on future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out too me by email at keith.schweitzer@trouwnutrition.com by phone at 1 (226) 236-3227 and  please follow me on your favourite podcast player and on twitter @keithschweitzer

Colostrum is cool!

On this episode of the podcast, I talk to Dr. Sarah Parsons, she is the Colostrum Technical Specialist with Alta Genetics.  Sarah provides technical support for clients right across North America.
Dr. Parsons graduated from the  University of Guelph with a BSc in Animal Biology and a PhD in Dairy calf management where she specialized in calf weaning management.
Colostrum is the one of the first steps in ensuring that your future milking herd gets off to the best start to their life, it factors into and influences almost every aspect of that calves early life.  We have a great talk about why it's so important.  If you have any questions and would like to reach out to Dr. Parsons, you can contact her by email sarah.parsons@altagenetics.com 
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  If you have any questions about this episode or on future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out to me by email at keith.schweitzer@trouwnutrition.com or by phone at 1 (226) 236-3227 and please follow me on twitter @keithschweitzer

It’s COW CHOW time!

On this weeks episode of the podcast, I talk to Bill Woodley.  Bill is the owner of Woodley Dairy Direction, a consulting company that specializing in training nutritionists on the key concepts of dairy nutrition, Bill has spoken to, and consulted with Dairy producers all over the world.
With hay and winter forage crops quickly reaching their harvest windows, Bill and I tackle the topic of forage quality and how it affects feed cost.  We also talk about the physiology of the plant and how the cow utilizes the fiber to make milk,  as well as how different crops feed, and why we may want to consider growing them in the future. 
With protein and grain prices at or near all-time highs, controlling the narrative when it comes to making high quality forages is the first step in offsetting these high feed prices.  Bill can be reached at woodleydairy@gmail.com 
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  If you have any questions about this episode or on future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out to me by email at keith.schweitzer@trouwnutrition.com or by phone at 1 (226) 236-3227 and please follow me on twitter @keithschweitzer

Fatty Acids, not the kind your parents think of!

On this weeks episode of the podcast, I have a great discussion with Dr. Stirling Dorrance, DVM from Nova Scotia, Canada.  Along with being a practicing veterinarian, Dr. Dorrance works with Lactanet in Eastern Canada where he works with producers understanding and interpreting Profilab, the milk fatty acid report from Lactanet.
 
Milk has a multitude of different fatty acids in it, Dr. Dorrance helps me understand what the three main groups are, and how we can influence them through feeding and management.  We also talk about how this tool can be utilized on the farm to help your bottom line.  If you have any further questions, you can reach out to him through email at sdorrance@lactanet.ca 
 
I hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.  If you have any questions about this episode or on future episodes of the podcast, please feel free to reach out to me by email at keith.schweitzer@trouwnutrition.com or by phone at 1 (226) 236-3227 and please follow me on twitter @keithschweitzer