The road to robotic milking hasn’t always been smooth at Ferme RJM Côté in Hébertville-Station, Québec. In addition to having to learn a whole new production method and set of equipment, the owners had to completely rethink their routine. Luckily, their agri-advisor was there to provide careful advice and help them along the way.

“The hardest part of implementing robotic milking is changing farmers’ habits,” says Mélanie Dufour, Agri-advisor, Ruminants and Crops, Nutrinor Coopérative. “Cows aren’t the only ones who like to stick to their routine.”

To make one of the top robotic dairy farms in Québec in terms of kilograms of fat produced per day, you’ll need a ton of hard work, a generous helping of support and just a dash of thinking outside the box. That’s exactly the recipe for success at Ferme Rewill in Alma, Québec, where the farmers have been supported for over 10 years by Mélanie Dufour, Agri-advisor, Ruminants and Crops at Nutrinor Coopérative .

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Ferme Gasser, located in Pike River, Quebec, has 470 kilos of quota in three barns—two of which are equipped with robotic milkers. It was one of Sollio Agriculture’s first clients to use the technology over 20 years ago. Today, the farm is supported by Sollio & Agiska Cooperative Agriculture ruminant agri-advisor Noémie L’Étoile, who ensures its continued excellent performance.

The most complicated forage element to replace isn’t protein or energy, but fibre. This is apparent when precipitation is less frequent and the volumes of forage available to feed specific herds are limited. To have an effective diet, it’s important to understand the concepts of digestible and indigestible fibre effectiveness.

On a farm, an animal’s well-being is largely reflected in its production. Whether it’s a dairy cow, a chicken, a calf or a pig, a healthy animal will be much more productive.

Feed costs are a major expense on a dairy farm, so it’s normal to monitor them closely. However, due to the limitations of certain indicators, care must be taken in their interpretation if feed costs are to be properly measured.

Cash flow on a dairy farm is affected by a number of factors. Grain and milk prices come to mind as having a direct impact, but there are other, often overlooked factors that can give you a different view of your business. Here are three factors that positively and negatively influence cash flow and are documented in Lactascan.