Goats’ milk speeds recovery from diarrhea

Milk from goats that were genetically modified to produce higher levels of a human antimicrobial protein has proved effective in treating diarrhea in young pigs, demonstrating the potential for food products from transgenic animals to one day also benefit human health, report researchers at the University of California, Davis. The study is the first on

Dairy supports up slightly April 1

staff / Canada’s dairy producers can expect about a 0.9 per cent uptick in their overall per-hectolitre revenue from industrial milk, coming somewhat later than usual this year. The Canadian Dairy Commission on Feb. 14 laid out slight increases in the support prices it sets for skim milk powder and butter, to take effect April


Funds for dairy mastitis tracking

Staff / The Canadian Dairy Network (CDN) is getting up to $54,000 from the federal government to develop software that tracks mastitis in dairy cattle, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced Feb. 21. Farms across Canada will report each incidence of mastitis, enabling CDN to eventually determine disease-resistant traits in cattle, allowing farmers to better select

Europe fears cutting farm aid will see remote areas wither

Reducing farm supports and moving toward a more market-oriented farm policy is raising fears that remote communities will wither, according to a member of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee. “There are genuine fears about land abandonment, village decline and a lack of young people in remote parts of the EU,” said Mairead McGuinness. Policies such


Survey shows how calf diseases are treated

A comprehensive survey was completed by Dr. Cheryl Waldner at the Western Veterinary College in Saskatoon looking at the incidence of early calfhood diseases across Western Canada. Surveys were distributed to veterinary clinics across this region and randomly distributed to their clients. Thanks to the participating veterinarians and their clients who responded and answered the

Milk house waste considered manure

Dairy Farmers of Manitoba is looking at ways to assist producers in the face of an upcoming ban on winter manure spreading, which will also affect milk house waste. Under the Save Lake Winnipeg Act, milk house wastewater is considered a manure product, and must be stored until spring. This regulation also rules out the



Farmers search for ways to combat cross-border dairy shopping

Provincial and national dairy organizations are rolling out 
programs to convince consumers that Canadian milk and 
cheese is the better choice

Cross-border shopping is taking a bite out of Canadian dairy sales. “They go for gasoline and then end up picking other supplies up, too,” said Henry Holtmann, vice-chairman of Dairy Farmers of Manitoba. British Columbia is the epicentre for cross-border dairy sales, he said, adding it has seen approximately 10 million litres lost to American


Canadian dairy farms follow similar trends to main rivals

George Morris report says number of dairy farms has fallen by 90 per cent since the
late 1960s and the cow herd has shrunk from 3.5 million to one million today

Canada’s dairy herd, as well as the number of farms and processors, has contracted at about the same pace as its counterparts in the U.S., Australia, and Europe, says a new report from the George Morris Centre. The main difference is that Canada hasn’t increased milk production as much as other countries have, and due

Genetically engineered cow makes anti-allergy milk

Genetically engineered cow makes anti-allergy milk london / reuters / Researchers in New Zealand have genetically engineered a cow to produce milk with very little of an allergy-causing protein. The technique, called RNA interference, reduces activity of certain genes without eliminating them completely. With mothers breastfeeding less, cows’ milk is an increasing source of protein