DHI Announces 2011 Herd Management Award Winners

CanWest DHI is pleased to announce the winners of it’s 2011 Herd Management Score awards. READ MORE

BVD milk test introduced

CanWest DHI has announced the introduction of a Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) milk based testing service. Building on the success of its Johne’s, Leukosis and Mastitis 3 tests, BVD testing will be another optional service available to dairy producers.

A key feature of this new service is that the test can be performed using the DHI milk samples.

DHI introduces on-farm feed management software

CanWest DHI is pleased to announce the introduction of FeedWatch feed management software to the Canadian dairy industry. From the developers of Dairy Comp herd management software, FeedWatch, which has been in use in the U.S., will now be marketed in Canada by DHI.

FeedWatch is a simple, yet powerful tool to help improve and optimize on farm TMR feeding. It involves the installation of the FeedWatch software on a PC, and some hardware on the TMR box. From there, feeding pens, pen counts, ingredients, dry matters, rations can easily be created and continuously updated in the software, which then sends that information wirelessly to a scale indicator and large LED display mounted on the TMR box. The large display allows the feeder to accurately prepare the ration, ingredient by ingredient, and then assists to accurately deliver feed pen by pen as needed. Actual feeding data is then automatically recorded and transmitted back to the office computer for easy record keeping and data analysis.

From easy Dry Matter intake monitoring (with the ability to factor in weigh backs) to complete feed costs calculation and analysis, FeedWatch provides those numbers at the touch of a key. Another important feature is the ability to track ingredient inventories and the monitoring of losses and shrink, which can be significant.

Dairy cattle nutrition advancements have come a long way and FeedWatch now takes it to that final stage of ensuring feed preparation and delivery is done in an accurate and consistent manner. On many farms, this final step in cow nutrition is often overlooked and the impact can easily be in the tens of thousands of dollars each year.

According to Richard Cantin, DHI’s Manager of Marketing and Customer Services, “We’re extremely excited to bring this product to Canadian dairy producers. Very few farms today actually keep track of their daily feeding information in much detail. This is a good example of the old saying that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. We now have a tool that can assist with the measuring part, so producers and their nutritionist can do a better job of managing.”

Cantin adds, “This product fits extremely well with our overall mission to help dairy producers improve their profitability. With increasing feed costs, which are already a high percentage of farm expense, a tool like FeedWatch can really make an impact on a producer’s bottom line. This is a great example of how technology can be used to improve efficiencies and
increase profits.”

The latest version of the program includes various improvements based on user feedback and DHI is excited to take advantage of that experience to bring a product to the market with a proven track record. Producers can be confident in a proven product that is backed and supported by a company like DHI which has expertise in software sales and support. Having the right product is of course important, but having a supplier that will stand behind that product and support it for the long term is even more important.

Cantin concludes, “Simply put, better feeding and reduced waste is what FeedWatch is all about, and that means increased profits.”

For more information regarding Feed Watch call DHI at 1-800-549-4373 or visit www.canwestdhi.com.

CanWest DHI is a non-profit milk recording organization, providing profitable dairy management solutions to dairy producers across Ontario and Western Canada.