Posted: December 30, 2006 at 2:31 pm
By Chuck
One of the great dairy loving farm broadcasters has just passed away. He’s Ed Slusarczyk and here’s part of what it says about him on the National Association of Farm Broadcasting website, “Ed Slusarczyk, founder of Ag Radio Network, was a commercial farm broadcaster more than 68 years. He grew up on a dairy farm near Prospect, NY loving radio, pretending he was a radio announcer when he was only four. In 1938 Ed began reporting news of the Oneida and Lewis County FFA chapters on WIBX, Utica, NY. The Slusarczyk family formed Ag Radio Network in 1976, starting with 11 stations. Ed reached his goal of “providing a voice for farmers in the Northeast” in 2002 when 144 stations were affiliated with Ag Radio Network, covering the Northeast from Maryland to Maine.”
Ed, you and your family will be in our prayers. I travelled with Ed on one foreign trip and spent time with him at many farm meetings around the country. He was a passionate supporter of all farmers, including anyone involved in the dairy industry.
You can find full information about Ed and funeral arrangements on the NAFB website.
Posted: December 29, 2006 at 7:47 pm
By News Editor
In celebration of their 100th birthday, Blue Bell will send two 18-wheelers hauling ice cream and displays about Blue Bell’s history to 66 cities in their 16-state market. Sounds like a lot of fun – maybe they could send us weekly updates from the road!
In its nearly 100 years, the so-called “little creamery in Brenham” has evolved from a handful of dairy farmers making butter from their excess milk to the country’s third-largest ice cream maker with 250 products and 45 flavors available across the South.
In 1911, when the then-named Brenham Creamery Corp. made its first ice cream, it produced two gallons a day in a hand-cranked wooden ice cream freezer. When CEO and president, Paul Kruse worked at the plant as a kid, he hand-cut rectangles of vanilla ice cream, laid chocolate wafers on both sides and wrapped the ice cream sandwiches in paper one-by-one.
From Jan. 1 to April 30, Blue Bell customers will get a chance to name their own flavors based on themes from states where the ice cream is sold. Blue Bell will then create flavors to fit each name, and winners will be honored at the Brenham headquarters.
Blue Bell already has developed a special flavor to mark 2007. Century Sundae is Homemade Vanilla ice cream with swirls of caramel, chocolate, whipped topping and maraschino cherries.
Posted: December 29, 2006 at 7:26 pm
By News Editor
This announcement from the FDA has been awaited all week. I’ve listed portions from the actual FDA press release, plus two links to media stories.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued three documents on the safety of animal cloning — a draft risk assessment; a proposed risk management plan; and a draft guidance for industry.
The draft risk assessment finds that meat and milk from clones of adult cattle, pigs and goats, and their offspring, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals. The assessment was peer-reviewed by a group of independent scientific experts in cloning and animal health. They agreed with the methods FDA used to evaluate the data and the conclusions set out in the document.
“Based on FDA’s analysis of hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and other studies on the health and food composition of clones and their offspring, the draft risk assessment has determined that meat and milk from clones and their offspring are as safe as food we eat every day,” said Stephen F. Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. “Cloning poses no unique risks to animal health when compared to other assisted reproductive technologies currently in use in U.S. agriculture.”
CNN story
AP story
Posted: December 29, 2006 at 2:06 pm
By Chuck
Dairy Markets Week in Review
The cash cheese market was on pause for the most part, the last week of 2006. Block closed the week and the year at $1.33 per pound, up a half-cent on the week, but 3 3/4-cents below that week a year ago when it lost 6 1/4-cents. Barrel closed 2006 at $1.29, unchanged on the week, but a nickel below a year ago when it dropped 6 cents. Only two cars of block and two of barrel traded hands on the week. The latest NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price fell to $1.3132, down 2.5 cents. Barrel averaged $1.2956, down 2.9 cents.
Butter closed Friday and the year at $1.20, down 3 cents on the week, and 14 1/2-cents below a year ago. Four cars were sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.2397, down 0.2 cent. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged $1.04 per pound, up 2.4 cents, and dry whey averaged 41.42 cents, up 0.4 cent.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Posted: December 29, 2006 at 8:58 am
By Andy Vance
… I mean, you can’t eat the paint, after all. The concept of new media may have gone a bit off the deep end with the introduction of “Cheddar Vision,” a website dedicated to, well, watching mold grow on a hunk of cheese. The story behind the story is a group of local cheesemakers in England have developed the site as a bit of curiosity to drive interest in their quality cheeses. West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers offer various products for sale and export on their website, further demonstrating the power of the internet to be used as a marketing tool for niche producers.
Posted: December 28, 2006 at 4:50 pm
By News Editor
Last week we heard a lot about the travelers stuck in the Denver airport and their harrowing stories to get home for the holidays. But, you don’t always hear about the dairy producers and how they cope with the difficult weather.
They had to keep “digging and pushing, digging and pushing,” but those in the milk production industry dealt with the challenge of the blizzard this week.
Keith Bath, who provides feed for dairies in Colorado, heard on Friday that sometimes it was close, coming within a half hour of having to pour out milk. It meant starting early and working late for what he called the “greatest challenge since the blizzard of ’83,” Bath said. However, it was also a question of where that milk would go.
Leprino Foods had the same problem — shipping its product out. It had plenty of producers sending milk, but its freezers were full of cheese. There were no refrigerated trucks to ship it. That meant the company could not take any more milk, said plant manager Kerry Mobley.
Leprino’s 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week production line was shut down for one and a half days waiting for trucks to come. That happened Friday, but even before the refrigerated trucks could drive to Leprino they had to drop off the loads they had when the blizzard hit, he said. By Friday, the situation was easing and cheese production could begin again, Mobley said.
Posted: December 28, 2006 at 4:31 pm
By News Editor
The last few days of each year there are always many “best of” and “year-in-review” lists and specials. Here’s an article from the NY Times that is an “agricultural year-in-review.”
“This is the year everyone discovered that food is about politics and people can do something about it,” said Marion Nestle, a professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University. “In a world in which people feel more and more distant from global forces that control their lives, they can do something by, as the British put it, ‘voting with your trolley,’ their word for shopping cart.”
The organics movement went mainstream this year, too, as Wal-Mart rolled out a wide selection of food bearing the United States Department of Agriculture’s organic certification. The chain also vowed to price these products only slightly higher than conventional foods.
But there were signs that organics may have become too successful for their own good. Once welcomed as the savior of the small farmer and the conscientious eater, organic farming has lost some of its luster, dulled by large operators who follow the letter of the law but ignore the larger principles that once characterized the organic movement.
After the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in spinach in August, sales of the vegetable plummeted 60 percent. With several outbreaks this year, including one involving E. coli at the Taco Bell chain, the idea that eating local may be safer is taking hold. The discovery of contaminated produce is happening at a time when advice about eating more fruits and vegetables seems to be having an impact. So concerns about safety may be contributing to the success of local farmers’ markets.
Posted: December 28, 2006 at 4:04 pm
By News Editor
I’ve never met a milk shake I didn’t like, and these new Steak n Shake Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes sound so good! Why don’t you go and get one?
The Steak n Shake Company adds four new Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes — Raspberry, Strawberry, Banana and, for those who might be overcome by indecision, Strawberry-Banana — to its popular line of milk shakes. The hand-dipped Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes will have a permanent place on the Steak n Shake menu and are available at more than 460 Steak n Shake locations in 19 states.
The Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes are made with low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt, which is hand-dipped and blended with real milk and either raspberries, strawberries, bananas or both strawberries and bananas. The new shakes are topped off with a sensible dollop of whipped cream and a cherry.
Steak n Shake currently offers a full line of hand-dipped milk shakes and malts that include traditional milk shakes and freezes, as well as Sippable Sundaes(TM), Bits ‘n Pieces(TM) and two-flavored Side-by-Side(TM) milk shakes. The Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes are available in junior, medium and large sizes in the drive-thru or carryout, while dine-in guests can enjoy the new milk shakes in junior size or in an old-fashioned parfait glass.
Posted: December 27, 2006 at 12:21 pm
By News Editor
I had to post the newest milk mustache ad for our readers to see. I’ll go on record as saying I’m not the biggest fan of the BK King, but I think this ad is one of the best our promotion group has produced. Such a talked about pop culture icon will be sure to keep milk and the dairy industry in the media news!
In a new print ad from Lowe/New York that is a joint effort by the American Dairy Farmers, Burger King and Dairy Management Inc., the King has definitely arrived. The print ad manages to cover a lot of bases in one execution. It promotes the king and BK, which has just begun offering Hershey’s chocolate milk as a menu item, and it adds yet another dazzling celebrity to the more than 200 who have worn the milk mustache since the famous campaign began.
BTW, if you can’t read it, the ad copy says, “Life is Sweet. The King’s a star. That’s why his royal beverage is Hershey’s Chocolate Milk. Drinking milk 3 times a day gives him energy to ride in style all night long. And that’s just the way he likes it.”
Posted: December 27, 2006 at 12:03 pm
By News Editor
Reading this press release from DFA, I was glad the cooperative took the time to develop this software and on-farm protection. I hope members of DFA will take advantage of it!
Dairy Farmers of America has launched mySecurity, a voluntary information and awareness program designed to help members better protect their animals and the milk they produce from accidental or intentional contamination. The program was developed for DFA members who want the latest industry updates, techniques, tools and strategies pertaining to on-farm biosecurity, product and farm safety; and family and farm emergency action plans.
The new program is being rolled out in two phases. During phase I, each participant receives a free mySecurity tool kit containing an all-weather “Restricted Access” sign printed in Spanish and English, and a “DFA Guide to Farm Biosecurity” bilingual wall chart. The kit also contains an emergency contact form, farm security guidelines and fact sheets.
Phase II of the program, now under development, will feature a mySecurity Web site where participating DFA members can enter information about their farm and create a security plan tailored to their farm. They also will be able to access the Web site to obtain a summary of their state’s animal disease emergency plan, as well as a database that includes emergency contact information for various government agencies.
Posted: December 27, 2006 at 11:49 am
By News Editor
The Class I price will begin the New Year at $13.59, according to last Friday’s announcement of the January Class I price. That’s a $1.16 gain versus December and 21 cents higher than the January 2006 price. The price hike means the January Milk Income Loss Contract payment will be just three cents per hundredweight, which is about 40 cents less than the December payment.
Posted: December 26, 2006 at 11:08 am
By Chuck
As we look forward to 2007 how about reviewing 2006? The International Dairy Federation has released it’s annual World Dairy Situation report.
This major publication including statistics on production, consumption and trade assists researchers, policymakers, and economists in providing a tool for strategy formulation. The new authoritative World Dairy Situation survey is based on independent dairy sources. This new IDF publication presents a thorough and broad overview on trends in production, milk processing, consumption, trade and prices in major parts of the world. Detailed statistics by world, region and individual countries are also included. Data are compiled using the expertise of IDF members and other sources.
Comments from dairy specialists in many countries inside and outside IDF reveal the perceptions and preoccupations of the world dairy business and lift the curtain on the growing trend towards bilateral agreements affecting international trade in dairy products which has certainly been given a boost by the Doha failure. The 2006 edition includes special articles on the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN), on worldwide market prospects, on the collapse of the WTO Doha Round negotiations, on the EU Commission’s projections for dairy markets from 2006 to 2013, and on EU enlargement: the dairy sector in Bulgaria and Romania.
Posted: December 23, 2006 at 12:06 pm
By Chuck
I don’t have a good holiday picture for you but I do want to wish all our World Dairy Diary readers and subscribers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Our audience has continued to grow all year long and we’ve got some great plans to continue to develop this dairy industry news resource in 2007. Thank you to all our supporters and sponsors.
We’re going to take a break until after Christmas at this point and spend some quality time with family and friends. So until then, happy holidays.
Posted: December 23, 2006 at 11:48 am
By Chuck
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Block cheese closed today at $1.3250 per pound, up a half-cent on the week, but 10 1/2-cents below a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.29, unchanged on the week, but 11 cents below a year ago. Nothing traded all week. The latest NASS-surveyed block price dropped to $1.3384, down 4.2 cents. Barrel averaged $1.3247, down 6.5 cents. The cheese market is pretty balanced although holiday school closings are sending more milk into manufacturing. That is helping the tightness in cheese but the strong powder price is drawing milk into the dryers and churns.
Butter closed Friday at $1.23 per pound, down 2 1/2-cents on the week, and 10 1/2-cents below a year ago. Thirteen cars were sold. NASS butter averaged $1.2418, down 0.4 cent. Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk dropped a dime, to $1.55, while Extra Grade remained at $1.45. The NASS nonfat dry milk price averaged $1.0160, down 1.3 cents, and dry whey averaged 41.01 cents, up 0.9 cent.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Posted: December 22, 2006 at 10:53 am
By News Editor
Here’s a press release from American Dairy, Inc. announcing some exciting plans for 2007.
American Dairy, Inc. , one of the leading producers and distributors of milk powder and soybean products in China, today announced plans to enhance the Company’s presence in the U.S. American Dairy listed on the NYSE Arca exchange in April 2005 and currently operates out of its offices in Harbin and Beijing, China. To improve communication with auditors, legal counsel, regulatory bodies and investors, American Dairy expects to open an office in the U.S. during the first half of 2007.
In accordance with today’s announcement, American Dairy has hired Judy F. Tu in the role of Vice President of U.S. Operations. Bilingual in English and Mandarin, Ms. Tu brings to American Dairy a wealth of knowledge and experience in operating Chinese companies as well as a background in U.S. law.
Additionally, today the Company announced participation in two investor conferences in January 2007: The ICR XChange Investor Conference and the Brean Murray Carret & Co. One on One Winter Consumer Conference.
American Dairy, Inc. conducts operations in The People’s Republic of China (“China”) through its wholly owned subsidiary, Feihe Dairy. Founded in 1962, Feihe Dairy is one of the leading producers and distributors of milk powder and soybean products in China. Feihe Dairy is located in Kedong County, China, and has been in operation since 2001. American Dairy also has a milk powder processing plant, BaiQuan Feihe Dairy in Kedong County, and also has a milk powder processing plant in the city of QiQiHaEr, Heilongjiang Province.
Posted: December 22, 2006 at 10:37 am
By News Editor
We know that dairy products are a healthy source of many nutrients, including Vitamin D. A new research study now shows a link between levels of Vitamin D and a lower risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). While researchers are still being conservative in their recommendations, this study has been a positive media story for the dairy industry.
A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health offers some of the strongest evidence yet that people with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood were at lower risk for later developing the disease. Researchers found that among white people, the risk for multiple sclerosis was lowest among those with the highest vitamin D levels, and highest for those with the lowest vitamin D levels. Among black people, who researchers say have a naturally lower level of vitamin D in their blood because of the pigment in their skin, no significant associations between vitamin D and multiple sclerosis risk were found.
“We established with a certain degree of confidence that people with high vitamin D levels have a lower risk of developing MS. What we don’t know for sure if increasing their vitamin D levels will actually prevent MS,” said study author Dr. Alberto Ascherio of the Harvard School of Public Health.
Vitamin D is unique. The fat-soluble vitamin is found naturally in foods such as milk, cheese, fish and fortified juices and cereals. It can also be produced in the body by exposure to sunlight. More is not better: The Institute of Medicine warns that excessive intake of supplemental vitamin D can have serious, toxic effects on the body, including excessive calcium levels in the blood, high blood pressure, nausea, poor appetite, weakness, constipation, impaired kidney function and kidney damage.
Posted: December 21, 2006 at 8:24 pm
By News Editor
Prairie Farms, a milk cooperative in the midwest, recently held a fun contest for kids. “Holy Cow! Milk Tastes Great” promotion asked grade school kids to design a milk carton. Congrats to Allison, 5th Grade, Gateway Elementary, Grades 1-7 Grand Prize Winner and Chrissy, 10th Grade, O’Fallon Township High School, Grades 8-12 Grand Prize Winner. You can see Chrissy’s design here, to see the other winning designs, visit this site.
Posted: December 21, 2006 at 8:03 pm
By News Editor
A visit to your local supermarket or farmers market will show you this story in action.
The Ricker family of Maine makes for unlikely celebrities. Photographs of the farming family—with 70-year-old patriarch Don Ricker, his three sons, four grandchildren, an infant great-grandson, and the family’s mutt—adorn local supermarkets, from Wal-Mart (WMT) to the local Hannaford chain, proclaiming that the juicy red McIntosh apples come from the local Ricker Hill Farm, which was established in 1803 in Turner, Me., by the newly arrived émigré from Poland, Albion Ricker.
After being pushed out of the spotlight for years, the local farmer is emerging as a new celebrity, a movement to celebrate the local farmer is sweeping the country. At the forefront of the movement has been supermarket Whole Foods (WFMI), which for years has put up photos of local farmers in its stores promoting their produce.
Now many other food chains are also playing up local produce, including Kroger (KR), Publix, and Food Lion, a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (DEG). Currently, Wal-Mart is running a “Salute to America’s Farmers” program across several states to highlight its commitment to purchase from local growers. The interest in local food has led to a dramatic increase in farmers’ markets in the U.S. Today there are 4,385 farmers’ markets in the country, an over 50% increase from 2,863 markets in 2000, according to the Agriculture Dept.
Posted: December 21, 2006 at 10:49 am
By Chuck
In case you didn’t know it, the World Ag Expo is turning 40. That’s not old though, I’m here to tell you.
The 40th World Ag Expo is just around the corner! The largest agriculture exposition in the world has something to offer every farmer, rancher, dairy producer or agribusiness professional. For the latest information and media resources, please visit our website at www.worldagexpo.com. At the 40th Expo farmers can take in informative sessions in the Seminar Center and Dairy Profit Seminars, and have direct contact with the best equipment and technology on the market. In addition to special demonstrations in the World Ag Women pavilion, and cutting-edge dairy farming technology showcased in the 80,000-square foot Dairy Center.
2007 World Ag Expo
Where: International Agri-Center- 4450 South Laspina Street, Tulare, CA 93274 (Located in California’s Central Valley, 45 miles south of Fresno and 60 miles north of Bakersfield, just off Highway 99. Airfields are located in Tulare, Visalia, Fresno and Bakersfield.)
When: February 13,14,15, 2007 (the second Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of February)
Cost: $9 General Admission; $24 for 3-Day Pass
Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact: (800) 999-9186; Fax (559) 686-5065; email info@farmshow.org
Posted: December 20, 2006 at 7:38 pm
By News Editor
Dean Foods has named Brad Holcomb to be senior vice president and chief procurement officer for the company’s Dairy Group. Holcomb comes to the company with an extensive resume – welcome to the dairy industry Brad!
Holcomb joins the company from the turnaround management team at Royal Group Technologies Limited, a producer of polymer-based building materials, where he was senior vice president of global materials and supply.
At RGTL he had responsibilities for RGTL’s chemicals plants in North America and operations in China, and he managed procurement and supply as well as the overall project management function for the company. Prior to RGTL, Holcomb served for five years as vice president and chief procurement officer for Waste Management, North America’s largest waste disposal company, headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Holcomb previously led procurement and supply management organizations in two other companies. Prior to Waste Management, Holcomb was vice president of supply chain management at American Precision Industries, headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., and was vice president of global procurement and materials management at Praxair, Inc., headquartered in Danbury, Conn. Holcomb’s earlier career was with Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, N.Y., where he spent over 20 years and held a broad range of management positions, including production control, manufacturing, international marketing and sales, product development and procurement. While at Kodak, he led the effort to globalize procurement by developing worldwide processes and best practices.
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