Progressive Dairy Podcast Progressive Dairy editors

In this session with Virtus, Western Sales Manager, Renee Smith shares the impact that feeding adequate levels of essential fatty acids have on embryo development and retention. Listen in to learn how feeding EPA/DHA for greater reproductive efficiency is working in breeding heifers, in IVF programs, and in lactating herds as well.


This episode is sponsored by Virtus Nutrition.


At Virtus Nutrition our mission is to help you feed a better balance of fatty acids to improve reproduction, health, and profitability. In the early 2000’s, we invented the process to deliver EPA/DHA in a form that dairy cows can utilize. Since then, we’ve developed several products, including Strata and EnerG-3, that give customers flexibility in how to deliver these essential fatty acids to their cows. Lost pregnancies are costly at every stage of pregnancy, and EPA/DHA is the pregnancy nutrient that resolves inflammation, supports healthy embryo development, and improves retention of pregnancy.

The first Canadian Progressive Dairy Podcast guest hails from Prince Edward Island and has made her mark on the dairy industry as a first-generation dairy farmer. Host Matti McBride chats with Suz Brouwer about her dream of owning a dairy, her work to acquire one and the lessons learned along the way. 


Here is the episode breakdown:


0:45 – Get to know Eastview Dairy2:42 – What sparked Brouwer’s interest in dairy farming4:05 – The journey to Eastview Dairy7:50 – Handling negative feedback when sharing goals10:30 – Brouwer’s advice for young people interested in dairy farming12:55 – Skills acquired that have aided in Brouwer’s own dairy management14:40 – Facing challenges and maintaining a vision16:20 – Brouwer reflects on the first day cows were milked on her dairy17:45 – Lessons learned in the first year of dairy farming19:00 – Challenges and triumphs of being a first-generation dairy farmer21:40 – Rapid-fire questions

Listed on Forbes 30 Under 30, dairy farmer, dog mom and businesswoman Hayley Painter joins host Matti McBride to tell the story of Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr Yogurt. Learn about Painter’s youth on an organic dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania, where the idea to diversify the family business came from and how Hayley continues working alongside her family. 


Here is the episode breakdown:


0:30 – Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania3:00 – The idea of producing direct-to-consumer goods5:50 – Finding a manufacturer10:30 – Hayley shares how she and her sister manage the business as co-CEOs16:00 – Telling the dairy farmer’s story 18:15 – Tips for diversifying a farm’s income21:50 – Hayley’s thoughts on being listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 as a woman in agriculture24:00 – Rapid-fire questions

What is M-Power? It’s Allflex identification products, SenseHub® Dairy monitoring and comprehensive animal health solutions all available through Merck Animal Health to give you greater control over herd performance than ever before. Learn more about this unique, full-solution approach to dairy and what it means for you and your dairy from Erica Tessmann, Marketing Manager for Dairy Monitoring Technology, and Austin Snook, Dairy Marketing Manager, at Merck Animal Health.


This episode is sponsored by Merck Animal Health.


With identification, monitoring and biopharma products fully integrated in one portfolio, Merck Animal Health offers the only true full-solution approach in the dairy industry. Identification. Monitoring. Biopharma. Which means you get the tools you need to eliminate guesswork, solve specific problems, let cows be cows and put more milk in the tank. It’s the way you want to work, working better than ever before. Learn more about this unique approach to dairy at M-Power-Dairy.com.

In this episode, we will introduce you to the 2024 Nexus Innovation Award winners. They were recently recognized at Professional Dairy Producers Business Conference.


One of the award winners uses computer vision to enable just-in-time movement of cows that are about to calve, another makes cow waterers smarter, cleaner and less prone to disseminate diseases, one brings cutting-edge in-plant microbe technology for corn silage to the dairy industry, one primes cows’ immune system and binds pathogens better, and finally one of winning-product's looks like ice cream sprinkles and enables a whole different way of feeding dry cows. 


Congratulations to the 2023 Nexus Innovation Award winners! 


Here is the episode breakdown:


1:30 – Ever.Ag for Maternity Warden14:30 – Acepsis for its Smart Trough Waterer27:40 – Agrovive for its Seed2Rumen microbes39:45 – Quality Technology International for its MCM prebiotic51:50 – Chemlock Nutrition for its zeolite called CalBal

In this episode, Steven Pavelski, large herd application expert for Nedap, reinforces the value of herd monitoring technology and describes how it saves farmers time, labor and costs. Pavelski shares how Nedap CowControl reveals behavior abnormalities, signs of heat and real-time location to get the right cow in front of the right person at the right time.


Steven Pavelski, large herd application expert for Nedap


Email: steven.pavelski@nedap.com


Here’s the episode breakdown:


0:40 – Welcome, Steven Pavelski and host, Tera Baker.2:25 – What brought Pavelski to Nedap Livestock Management.4:16 – Why are you excited about herd monitoring?7:09 – Will monitoring technology affect a farm’s sync program?10:03 – How does this technology streamline farm processes?12:56 – What decision factors should farmers keep in mind?15:49 – How are heifer yards using monitoring technology?19:36 – What are the biggest strategy shifts you’re seeing?22:35– How does Nedap keep things simple while providing accurate insights?24:24– Where can farmers learn more about Nedap herd monitoring technology?





This episode is sponsored by Nedap.


Nedap develops technology for life. Technology that helps people be more successful and happier in their professional lives. For Nedap this means helping professional dairy producers run a profitable, sustainable and enjoyable business. The solutions Nedap creates enable users to automate everyday tasks and make informed decisions based on individual animal identification and data. Nedap empowers livestock producers to respond to the growing global demand for animal protein in a way that is profitable and aligned with rising standards for animal welfare, sustainability, transparency and the safety and quality of food. Learn more at https://www.nedap-livestockmanagement.com/dairy-farming/