Oxford County dairy farmers earn top score
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
by SUSAN MANN
The McLaren family’s change to a sand-bedded, free-stall dairy barn three years ago helped them steadily improve their herd’s production and contributed to their top score in CanWest DHI’s 2014 Herd Management Score award.
The McLarens of Drumbo in Oxford County achieved a score of 985 points out of a possible 1,000 points for performance in six different management areas, CanWest DHI announced in a Feb. 18 press release. It was the highest score for both Ontario and the entire CanWest DHI region, stretching from Ontario to British Columbia. There are 4,000 herds in the region.
Chris McLaren, who owns Larenwood Farms with his father, Grant, and uncle, Dan, says they were surprised by their score. Last year, Larenwood Farms was among the top herds for Oxford County but this is the first year they were in the group of top three. They milk 90 Holsteins and grow hay, corn, soybeans and wheat on 500 acres. Chris is the sixth generation of his family to farm their land.
CanWest DHI is a non-profit milk recording organization that provides dairy management solutions to Ontario and Western Canadian dairy farmers, the release says.
In Ontario, the second highest herd management score went to Summitholm Holsteins of Lynden in Wentworth County, while Brakke Farm of Grand Valley in Dufferin County ranked third.
McLaren attributes the improvements in their herd’s production and the farm achieving the 985-point herd management score to many little things added up.
Three years ago, “we made the decision to move into a new facility where cow comfort was the focus,” he notes. “We’ve noticed steady increases in production over the last three years.”
Previously “we were at the maximum production we could get out of the cattle” in the old tie-stall barn, which was nearly 40 years old, he notes.
They’ve also seen improvements in udder health and longevity, McLaren says, adding the sand bedding is “like you going to the beach. It’s nice and comfortable and you can lie in it all day.” When the cows leave their stalls they track some of the sand out onto the floor so they have really good traction when walking in the barn, he adds.
The sand is also clean and dry so bacteria has trouble growing in it and that’s why their cows’ udder health improved. It’s the gold standard other bedding types are measured against,” he explains. But one of the downsides of sand is it’s hard on equipment.
Three times a day, the McLarens remove manure and wet spots in the stalls while new sand is added every two weeks to replace what has been removed.
Along with focusing on cow comfort, McLaren says they have always been big on going to meetings, workshops, conferences and talking to other farmers. “We learn as much as we can. We take the areas we need to improve on and learn from people who are doing a superior job in those areas.”
In its release, CanWest DHI says for the herd management score points are allocated for performance in six different areas. They are: milk value, udder health, age at first calving, calving interval, longevity and herd efficiency. The score is “an excellent barometer of overall herd performance.” It’s also a great tool farmers can use to monitor overall herd performance from year to year and allows herds to benchmark against others, the release says. BF