Skyline Dairy Ltd wins Milk Quality Award

Mar 01, 2023

The Grunthal area dairy owned by David and Charles Wiens was recognized as Grand Champion of the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba’s Milk Quality awards.

The farm is the first robotic dairy in the province to win such high honours and achieved an average somatic cell count (SCC) of under 57,000.

In the spring of 2022 Skyline Dairy upgraded its operation to four DeLaval VMS V300 units moving from the VMS Classic robots they had been using since 2008.

David Wiens says they have a continual focus on the details and improvements needed for the cows, from their diet, to comfort and environment.

Skyline Dairy’s herdsman Doug Priest says building an excellent farm reputation required a multi-pronged approach.

"We began with reducing mastitis treatment, and as that got better, so did our [milk] quality. We also switched our standard operating procedures to include pre-and post-dip rather than just post-dip and saw sustained improvements. Plus, a new bedding system of finer straw helped improve animal health and environment."

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.