James and Cole discuss farm life, Holstein shows, pop culture trends and life's many joys and stresses.A podcast largely based on Holsteins and farming in general, James and Cole don't shy away from ranting about just about anything.
The National Holstein Show at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is just around the corner. Here's a preview with Russell Gammon.
Surprise! We recorded an episode!We're a little rusty, but it's like riding a bike. You never forget. On this episode we interview Doug Blair about the beginning of LPI and genomics. We talk about a lot of different sires and influential Holstein breeders.
Allison Fleming of Lactanet joins Kyle to answer all of your questions
Dr. Meagan King from the University of Manitoba joins us to discuss mental health. She is leading a research project about mental health in farming, and all Canadian farmers are invited to participate. We also discuss some more lighthearted topics related to other research projects that Dr. Meagan has done."Are you a dairy or beef producer in Ontario or Western Canada? Help us understand how your well-being is related to farm management and mental health.Dairy farmers: Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience ManagementBeef farmers: Beef Producer Wellbeing Survey (qualtrics.com) "
Well.....not only cows, but mostly cows. Classifier talk and bull talk.
Kyle and James get into it over using local judges. This episode includes our two pieces from the lives shows from CDX. We have merchandise! Check out our FB page.From Maine, With Love - An Allagash Brewing PodcastCome hear the ins and outs of beer and brewery life with Allagash Brewing Company.Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Mark Nutsford joins us from near Manchester, England where he farms. Mark is also an international judge and has a lot of wisdom to offer younger farmers and judges.
Listen in to hear our exciting announcement! Plus, Bruce Sargent joins us to talk about how Farm Boy Productions got its start and the highs and lows of producing videos, live streams at shows and working with people.
Judge Kyle MacLeod and Breeders' Cup organizer for Leeds/Grenville county Ian Verburg give us a lot of insight into the different ways that Breeders' Cups can be run, the different rules that different people use, and judge and farmer etiquette. Ian also shares about when his son was diagnosed with autism, his diet challenges and how A2A2 milk has helped immensely.
We taste test 10 vegan products with a couple of our wives and give you individual reviews.
Listen in as Luke Hofer from Swift Current Saskatchewan shares about the way life is as a member of a Hutterite colony. Luke is the assistant dairy manager in his colony and talks about what a typical day is for him. Luke shares about his faith, life in general and making business decisions. Thank-you Luke for joining us!
This episode contains some laughter and lots of smiles from the new Master Breeders. We also have so much to learn through the words of wisdom from these accomplished breeders. Thanks to Robert & Katherine Velthuis, Mitch Kieffer, Jim Christy and Roger Haag for joining us!
Christmas has just come and gone, and the New Year is upon us. Pastor Dan joins the boys to talk about Christmas, play some holiday trivia, and there is even some cow talk near the end of the episode. Happy 2023!
Donny Schwartz of Quality Holsteins and his brother David, formerly of Quality Holsteins, join with Adam Hunt, James and Cole to talk about how things used to be at the Royal. The Schwartz brothers grew up going to the Royal every year and have countless stories to share.
Kyle and Cole are joined by surprise guests Russell and Dr. Tim to discuss the National Show, the livestream broadcast, the cows (of course) and the people. Discussion also takes place about calving cows younger, reproduction and farm employees. Dr. Tim lends some insight into the veterinary proceedings at the Royal.
Russell Gammon joins the boys for the entire episode to talk about cow size, mobility, the World Dairy Expo and much much more.
The three guys go guestless to wrap up the dog days of summer. Weather, shows, old bulls, and so much more.
DFO board member Bart Rijke of Eastern Ontario joins Kyle and Cole to discuss the ins and outs of the DFO board, how marketing and incentive days decisions are made, and the logistics vs the demand of promoting and producing A2 milk.
Adam responds to the bull contract buzz from the last episode. He also discusses many bulls and some great cow families.
On this episode Kyle and Cole welcome Tony van Lith to talk about how he got into genetics, built his genetics program and landed bulls in AI units. The discussion continues into the world of bulls that don't get claimed by units that are sired by bulls from the elite genetics programs that AI units offer. Tony doesn't hold back when discussing his experience with one company.
Bryan Cook of Cropland Consulting joins Cole and Kyle to talk about crops and soil. They discuss the benefits of manure, solid vs liquid and timing of application. They discuss the difference between livestock farms and cash croppers. They discuss the benefits and drawbacks of planting soybeans in 30" rows, and much more!
The boys discuss the highlights of the national convention including somewhat of a breakdown of the national show. Some meetings with fans
Thank-You to our new sponsor NEW LIFE MILLS! We are joined on this episode by Sara and Kristin who chat about the rising cost of feed and how we can manage our feed to bring input costs down. Dr. Sleeth discusses vaccine protocols and rare diseases and injuries.
Dylan Stewardson, owner and manager of Stewardson Dairy Farms which recently earned the #1 Herd Management Score in Canada award joins Kyle and Cole to discuss the best ways to manage your herd. Calving interval, age at first calving, etc... the guys leave no stone unturned.
Ikea trivia, stories about cows getting out and an interview with the new GM- Pam Charlton!
Elain Froese, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) and Award-winning Author & Coach, recipient of the 2018 Wilson Loree Award for Excellence in Farm Management joins Kyle, James and Cole on this episode to talk about working with family, managing personalities, and mental health in farming.Folks can get free gifts at https://elainefroese.com/farm-family-coach/Mental Health First aid is at www.mhfa.caThe link for LARA Webinar on March 15 is https://laraonline.ca/event/finding-fairness-in-farm-transitions/The link for Farming's In Law Factor on March 26 is https://www.iowafarmerswife.com/eventsFolks can book time for a discovery call after they go to my contact page. https://elainefroese.com/contact/
Kyle, James and Cole are joined by Conservative MP Michael Barrett who discusses the Freedom Convoy, supply management and the CUSMA trade agreement.Kyle and Cole are then joined by the Crovalley owners and management team: Justin and Ryan Crowley. They discuss age at first calving, using genomic bulls vs proven bulls, the new show classes, and much more.
The boys go guestless due to an unexpected illness. They chat about the NFL, which veterinary products have changed herd management the most, the recent changes that Holstein Canada made to show classes, and whether Holstein USA has made the same changes, as well as some talk about State Fairs. A little more on down cows rounds out the episode.
Kyle and Cole interview Dr. Jeff Sleeth (50:00) who may just become the HOPCast's resident veterinarian. Jeff gives out repro tips, and advice about treating cows with mastitis. Before the interview gets started the 3 hosts discuss New Year's Resolutions for personal life and for their farms. **We're still adjusting to our new audio equipment so forgive the inconsistencies.
Pastor Dan (Dave) joins us to talk about everything related to Christmas. Traditions, gifts, bad theology and of course the truth. Then the boys discuss the apparent evils of paperwork, ProAction and DFO's Dairy Code of Practice. Are these good or bad programs?Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings....love to all you HOPTarts!
Friend of the show, Dann Brady, joins the boys as they discuss the new proof releases, the differences between Canadian and US proofs and how some bulls do well in one country but not the other.
Cole, James and Kyle analyze the millionaire sires and try to determine whether they deserve the prestige of having sold a million doses. What impact did these sires have on the breed? It's all in this episode of the HOPCast.
James, Cole and Kyle discuss heifer shows, inbreeding, some the millionaire sires and have some fun with Holstein trivia
Sean Smith of Clanman Jerseys from Manitoba joins the pod to enlighten James and Cole and the rest of the world regenerative agriculture practices. On this episode the guys discuss "everything but the kitchen sink"
Holstein Ontario director Kyle MacLeod joins Cole and James for the entire episode. Kyle is owner and manager of Darcroft Farms - recent Master Breeder Shield winner. Kyle has also done a lot of work picturing cows and shares some of his experiences doing that, ranks the breeds of dairy cattle and solves the world's low cattle market prices issue.
After a long summer break James and Cole bring you their usual banter with tinges of the dog days of summer. Cole interviews Doug Savage of Holstein International, former sire analyst for Eastern Breeders. Doug tells tales of growing up in Australia, and travelling and judging throughout Australia, South Africa and North America. Doug also dives deep into heat resistance genetics.
James and Cole rant about Hydro One and 4 way stops. There was a comical manure episode in Cole's barn, and a funny but frustrating clash with DFO at James' barn. An interview with Brad Eggink (39:45) - head of classification, field service and animal care at Holstein Canada provides you with everything you need to know about the new classification program. (Connexxion) This episode is sponsored by KyVision.
Some memorable sound bytes from the last two years of podcasting
James and Cole talk about Leafs vs Habs, (yes, this is a little outdated) sign wars, "oat milk" more labelling shenanigans and playing music to your cows.(33:15) Neil Petreney, CEO of Lactanet joins us for an informative interview about Lactanet, it's role in Canadian Dairy Farming, the changes that are brought on by the surge of robotic milkers, and much more. Here is your link to the Lactanet Open Industry Sessionhttps://tryglobal.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OLD3No8PRbGuFbUeIykzyA
NHL playoffs, playoff beards, Joe Thornton and how to donate milk are the topics of the day with nationally acclaimed dairy farmer and Leafs player announcer John Werry.James and Cole also discuss pedestrian etiquette, Tim Hortons (of course) and terrible business names.Old Bulls - brought to you by KyVision - is a deep dive into bulls born in 1998
James and Cole interview Kim Rae of Unique Design and Marketing. (33:00) Kim also farms with her husband, and they have bred many well known cows under the prefix Unique Holsteins. During the Old Bulls segment, brought to you by KyVision, the boys discuss bulls from 1999 including Jasper, Mr. Sam and Astronomical. The New Guy segment features a high school student who is tasked with weed whacking under electric fences.
James and Cole discuss the new proofs, which bulls look good right now, and how can AI companies claim that an unproven bull is the best sire of sons this country has ever seen?Old bulls brought to you by KyVision covers bulls born in 2012 which was a pretty thin draft year.This episode is wrapped up with an entertaining, informative interview with Dr. Tim Henshaw. (31:51) Dr. Tim works as a vet for EastGen, is on the cusp of retirement, and has many stories to share. He also gives reproduction advice, and shares about his mission work.Dr. Tim also has created a number of parody videos, two of which are about the signs of heat.https://youtu.be/pw0ZcOpjJYYhttps://youtu.be/19JSsYQNj48
Mark talks feed, palm fats, palm oils and nutritoin.
Dann Brady joins the boys as the first repeat guest on the HOPCast. A very in-depth and informative interview about the lack of accessibility of DGVs and the changes coming in April to the way Canadian proofs are calculated.Calf Care Corner with Dr. Tim Henshaw - sponsored by PMTOld Bulls - sponsored by KyVision
The boys dig into palm fat, interview Dairy Carrie during which they discuss veganism, animal activists and the differences between Canada and US dairy farms, they also get into the new MMS (DFO website) and the Mars Land Rover.
Time to kick back with a couple of adult beverages and talk about farming, country living, and moving Christmas. Congratulations to the winner of the semen giveaway. The old bulls segment brought to you by KyVision features bulls from the year 2000.
James has COVID! He's ok and he's here to share about the struggles.Old bulls brought to you by KyVision and Calf Care Corner brought to you by PMTJames rants about another country music starCole has a couple of funny public urination storiesNew technology on the horizon for farmers
Special guest Dann Brady! (12:00)Make sure you listen to the end of the episode for 2 exciting announcements.A rant by James about country music (again)Old bulls (BoltonXBaxter) - brought to you by Kyvision Clipper Blades and Repairs.
A funny story about a vet leaving a present, a heartwarming story about an unexpected podcast host nailing a Christmas present......and we present our 2 new sponsors: Kyvision and PMT!