FCC Livestock Central Offers Hands-On Learning for Farmers

Find all things livestock at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in FCC Livestock Central. Over 100 exhibitors at the show are livestock specific, focusing on animals such as dairy, beef, sheep, goats, swine, poultry and more. The EastGen Dairy Producer Pavilion and Livestock Pavilion are each home to a variety of livestock exhibitors. The Britespan Dairy Innovations Centre and Grober Young Animal Development Centre are popular places for livestock farmers to gather and take in the newest livestock technology.

Livestock demonstrations allow farmers to see equipment in the hands-on situations they encounter daily on their operations. The Sheep Handling Demo, Cattle Handling Demo and Pasture Grazing Demo each offer farmers the opportunity to see the latest livestock technology in action. Find FCC Livestock Central located on 8th & 9th Lanes at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show.

Livestock Demonstrations
Sheep Handling Demo
Sheep farmers who are looking to upgrade their handling equipment will have the opportunity to see new technology being used in real world situations. The Ontario Sheep Farmers will be hosting a demo featuring Brussels Agri Service equipment such as gates and penning, weighing equipment and sorters. Huber Ag will also be participating in the demonstration. There will also be a demo featuring handheld tag readers and data collectors. Information about planning, handling facilities, labour efficiency, and using the sheep’s natural behaviours in the design and use of the handling system will be touched on. Stop by the Ontario Sheep Farmers booth at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily for the sheep handling demonstration.

Cattle Handling Demo
The Cattle Handling Demonstration is back for another year so that beef producers can compare different cattle handling systems. A demonstration of the Arrow Cattle Handling System will take place at the Brussels Agri Services exhibit at 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. daily. Compare this system with the Hi-Hog and Tru-Test systems at the Davon Sales exhibit daily at 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. daily.

Pasture Grazing Demo
This year’s Pasture Grazing Demonstration, featuring Gallagher products, will focus on increasing pasture productivity with controlled grazing. Gallagher pasture specialists will discuss the best cover crops and how to properly maintain and utilize them for rotational grazing.
New fencing products such as the S400 solar energizer will be featured, along with portable fencing products, such as ring top posts, tumble wheels, pre-wound medium geared reels with turbo wire and the Smart Fence 2 set up.
“We want farmers to have the Passion For Pasture (P4P) and to learn about how to maximize animals profits and have less impact on the environment by replenishing the fertility to their pastures,” says Jack Kyle, Passion For Pasture Consultant, Gallagher Animal Management.
The Pasture Grazing Demonstration will take place at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. daily on North Mall

Britespan Dairy Innovation Centre, Featuring Lely and Delaval
Catch the latest dairy technology up close and in action at the Britespan Dairy Innovation Centre, a fully functional robotic milking barn. Each September, the barn becomes home to 70 cows, two competing robotic milking systems and products from 20 other companies that work together to provide stalls, ventilation systems, feed for the cows and more.
This year both Lely North America and DeLaval launch their latest robotic milking systems. The new Lely Astronaut A5 features will be installed in the barn and will be showcasing it’s user-friendly interface and a durable energyefficient robotic arm. Lely will also be showcasing the Lely Vector automatic feeding system and the latest Lely Juno automatic feed pusher. DeLaval will be showcasing their latest voluntary milking system, the VMS V300, as well as the DelPro™ Companion new mobile app, their latest feeding solution, OptiDuo.

The Grober Young Animal Development Centre
Grober Nutrition is a staple of FCC Livestock Central. Their Young Animal Development Centre provides valuable research into helping young animals to thrive, focusing on both nutrition and housing. Stop by this year to see what is new.

Livestock Exhibitors
Livestock Pavilion, sponsored by Farmtario
The Livestock Pavilion at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show is where you will find a variety of livestock specific exhibitors all in one place. Exhibitors in this pavilion cater to a range of different livestock farmers, for example, Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Genex Cooperative, B-W Feed & Seed Ltd. and DairyLogix Consulting each have booths in this area. Be sure to stop by the Livestock Pavilion, located at Masonville Lane North.

EastGen Dairy Producer Pavilion
With over 20 dairy industry specific companies all in one place, this is a pavilion that dairy farmers do not want to miss. Gay-Lea Foods Co-operative, Jersey Ontario, Progressive Dairyman, Shur-Gain and Wallenstein Feed & Supply Ltd. are just a handful of the exhibitors that are located in this pavilion. The EastGen Dairy Producer Pavilion is located on the corner of 9th Lane and Lower Machinery Mall.