Posted: September 17, 2007 at 4:49 pm
By News Editor
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) expressed their concern over USDA’s rule to reopen the Canadian border to cattle over 30 months of age. CEO Jerry Kozak says the concern is in two areas.
For one, this will mean the border will again be open for replacement dairy heifers to come into the United States. Before the border was closed, Canada exported between 50,000 and 60,000 replacement animals into the U.S. each year. Now while that pales in comparison to the more than 4 million replacements raised in this country each year it is still a question as to whether we can absorb those additional animals. Kozak says the increased heifer numbers would mean increased milk production and lower prices. “Our analysis shows that a return to export levels of 2003 will reduce milk prices by 18% over the next five years, cutting dairy farmer income by $5 billion.” In fact, NMPF had requested USDA and then the Office of Management and Budget do an in depth analysis before opening the border.
The other concern says Kozak is the fact that Canada has had several cases of BSE in cattle that were born after their ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban went into effect. He says there is a pretty good chance there are more positive animals in Canada and that means the possibility that one crosses the border. “Our dairy farmers can’t take any comfort from USDA’s probabilities and statistical projections. The reality is that animals infected with BSE in Canada become our problem when they arrive in the U.S.”
Posted: September 17, 2007 at 4:41 pm
By News Editor
Young people in the dairy industry continue to amaze me with their outstanding achievements. Like these ten young Jersey breeders who have been selected for recognition in the National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest, sponsored annually since 1957 by the American Jersey Cattle Association, Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
The contest honors outstanding achievement by junior Jersey breeders in four areas: work with Registered JerseysT, related dairy activities, relative progress, and future goals. They were selected from 14 outstanding youth nominated by state Jersey associations, based on their cumulative record through December 31, 2006.
The top three honorees are:
Renée E. Norman, Liberty, Pa., is the winner of the National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest for 2006. She is also the recipient of the V. L. Peterson Scholarship presented by the American Jersey Cattle Association for 2007. The daughter of David and Aggie Norman is currently a senior at The Pennsylvania State University, majoring in animal sciences with a business/management option.
Aaron M. Horst, Chambersburg, Pa., ranked second in the contest. He is the son of Kevin and Linda Horst and a junior at Virginia Tech University, majoring in dairy science. He was the recipient of the Fred Stout Experience Award in 2006, completing a summer internship with Jersey Marketing Service.
Katherine Ann Rector of Turlock, Calif., ranked third. The daughter of Benny and Janice Rector is enrolled in her third year at California Polytechnic State University studying dairy science and ag journalism. She was named the Star American Farmer for California FFA in 2006.
The Top 10 include:
Sara LaFever, the 2005 National Jersey Queen who is also a dedicated breeder of Registered JerseysT with significant management responsibilities at her family’s LaLu Farm;
Neal Frerichs, of Frerichs’ Dairy Inc., La Grange, Texas, a recent graduate of Blinn Junior College who has undertaken significant responsibilities for managing the 225-cow operation which includes “The Jersey Barnyard” public touring facility;
Jessica Stiles, Boonsboro, Md., who exhibited the Reserve Grand Champion of the 1998 All American Junior Jersey Show and has developed an outstanding herd that averaged 20,842 lbs. milk, 973 lbs. fat and 747 lbs. protein in 2006;
Christine Lee Wagner, Moscow, Penna., a senior at Delaware Valley College who has excelled for many years as an exhibitor and showman in the state;
Tyler Lee Boyd, Parrottsville, Tenn., a freshman at Vanderbilt University who among numerous accomplishments is the breeder and owner of a Top 200 JPIT cow contracted by major A.I. organizations;
Bradley Frerichs, La Grange, Texas, a successful participant in many Texas dairy cattle judging contests and leader in his local 4-H club; and
Amanda R. Curtis, Anna, Ohio, a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in veterinary technology and the exhibitor of the Supreme Champion of the junior show at last year’s World Dairy Expo.
Posted: September 14, 2007 at 5:32 pm
By News Editor
Bio-Vet, Inc. has introduced a new technology for dairy producers to improve the energy balance and milk production in their cows. Dairy ProP169®, a direct-fed microbial featuring Propionibacterium freudenreichii strain P169, is a naturally occurring rumen-origin bacterium and is compatible with other technologies such as yeast, rBST and monensin.
In controlled feeding trials, cows fed strain P169 showed significant improvements in milk production, ranging from 4 to 12 percent. Milk components were positively affected in these trials, such that production of total milk fat, total milk protein and milk lactose all increased. Feed efficiency was also improved.
Supplementation of strain P169 has been shown to dramatically increase rumen propionate yield. Propionate is quickly converted to glucose (energy) in cattle and is one of the most efficient volatile fatty acids produced in the rumen.
Dairy ProP169® is effective in dairy rations:
• Fed to cows in negative energy balance, such as early lactation and very high production cows
• Limited by substrates for the production of ruminal propionate (i.e. high forage rations)
• Containing a maximum amount of concentrated energy (i.e. high starch and fat levels)
Posted: September 14, 2007 at 5:22 pm
By News Editor
There’s a new chief administrator at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Cindy J. Smith, DVM, is replacing Ron DeHaven, who retired Aug. 3rd. A 28-year veteran of the agency, Smith had served as acting administrator of APHIS since Aug 3, and as associate administrator since April.
Prior to that, she served as deputy administrator for Biotechnology Regulatory Services, and played a major role in shaping the agency’s biotechnology regulatory structure, establishing more rigorous requirements for field tests of genetically engineered crops and initiating efforts to review and strengthen the agency’s overarching biotechnology regulations. From 2001 to 2002, Smith was the associate deputy administrator for wildlife services, which provides federal leadership and expertise in resolving conflicts caused by wildlife.
Posted: September 14, 2007 at 4:16 pm
By Chuck
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Cash block cheese reached a new high for 2007 on September 12, at $2.1625 per pound, just under 4 cents shy of the record set in April 2004. The bad news is it plunged 11 1/4-cents the next day, reminiscent of the 13-cent decline in late June, and lost 6 cents Friday. It closed at $1.99 per pound, down 15 cents on the week, but still 71 3/4-cents above a year ago. Barrel also closed at $1.99, down 11 cents on the week, and also 71 3/4-cents above a year ago. Fourteen cars of block traded hands on the week and 10 of barrel. The lagging NASS U.S. average block price hit $1.9758, up 3.2 cents. Barrel averaged $1.9715, up 3.5 cents.
Butter continued to slip, closing Friday at $1.3725, down 4 1/2-cents on the week, but 6 1/4-cents above a year ago. 27 cars traded hands on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.3912, down 2 1/2-cents. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged $2.0638, up 0.8 cent. Dry whey averaged 50.52 cents, down 4 1/2-cents.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Posted: September 13, 2007 at 6:05 pm
By News Editor
The AJCC Research Foundation has issued a request for research proposals to be funded in 2008 addressing significant issues for the Jersey breed and Jersey milk producers. Application deadline is December 1, 2007. The Research Advisory Committee of the American Jersey Cattle Association will evaluate the proposals, then forward its recommendations to the AJCA Board of Directors, which will award funds at its meeting in March, 2008.
Submissions are evaluated for (a) merit (e.g., potential to advance practical knowledge, creative approach to the problem); (b) competence (i.e., high probability of successful completion within the proposed time frame); and (c) relevance (e.g., problem derived from one of the areas of research priority).
Current priorities for research funding are:
· Nutrition of high-producing Jerseys (particularly practical feeding methods to maximize production of valuable milk components);
· Factors affecting yield of products manufactured from Jersey milk;
· Factors affecting net income, longevity, and lifetime profit;
· Breeding plans to optimize genetic gain while maintaining genetic diversity;
· Biological and economic efficiencies of Jerseys; and
· Factors affecting management of Jersey calves.
Posted: September 13, 2007 at 5:55 pm
By News Editor
A western New York ice cream company, Perry’s Ice Cream, is planning a $5 million expansion that will allow the company to handle more of its operations on site, reduce its costs and create about five new jobs.
Perry’s employs 285 people and expects to raise its total to 290. The company plans to build a 17,500- square-foot cold-storage facility at its Akron site. It would also turn a portion of an existing dry-storage area into a 40-degree storage cooler, and acquire machinery and equipment for manufacturing.
Perry’s hopes to start the project in October and finish it next March. The project will sharply reduce Perry’s need for off-site frozen and 40-degree storage space that it leases, cutting its costs related to labor, storage rental, product handling and transportation.
Denning said the company is striving to run its operations more efficiently in order to remain competitive. Perry’s was founded in 1918 and operated as a home-delivery dairy business until 1932, when it began to make ice cream. It annually produces more than 10 million gallons of ice cream and other frozen desserts, and has grown from an employment base of 88 people in 1981.
Posted: September 12, 2007 at 5:49 pm
By News Editor
Those Happy, California Cows who have been promoting Californian cheese, will now be promoting California milk. Starting this month, a $40 million national advertising campaign promoting milk produced by California dairies will be launched.
The campaign, to begin at the end of September, includes placing a seal reading “Real California Milk” on some containers of milk, yogurt, butter and ice cream produced with California milk.
The effort by the California Milk Advisory Board is an extension of the 7-year-old Happy Cows campaign, created by the Los Angeles ad agency Deutsch. It grew out of market research that found that 7 out of 10 Californians said they prefer to purchase locally produced milk, according the advisory board.
About 20 percent of milk used in California for milk and dairy products comes from out of state, according to the board, an instrument of the California Department of Food and Agriculture that promotes California dairy products. Dairy industry sources said the campaign is an attempt to minimize imports.
California consumers will begin seeing the “Real California Milk” seal in grocery stores in October. To date, dairy processors participating include Dean Foods (Alta Dena and Berkeley Farms dairies in California), Heartland Farms, Producers Dairy, Foster Farms, Ralphs and California Dairies Inc., a cooperative that produces Challenge Butter.
Posted: September 12, 2007 at 5:37 pm
By News Editor
Burger King has jumped on the healthy wagon, and is now going to offer a healthier Kids’ Meal in its restaurants. The meal will include flame-broiled Chicken Tenders, apples cut to resemble thick-cut french fries and lowfat milk.
Burger King Holdings Inc., the world’s second largest hamburger chain, said it has set nutritional guidelines to follow when targeting children under 12 in advertising, including limiting ads to Kids Meals that contain no more than 560 calories, less than 30 percent of calories from fat and no more than 10 percent of calories from added sugars.
In that vein, Burger King is building a Kids Meal that will contain the flame-broiled Tenders, organic unsweetened applesauce and low-fat milk, for a total of 305 calories and 8.5 grams of fat. It will be available in restaurants sometime in 2008, the company said.
The fast-food chain is also developing what it calls BK Fresh Apple Fries. The red apples are cut to resemble french fries and are served in the same containers as fries, but they are not fried and are served skinless and cold.
Burger chain leader McDonald’s Corp. offers apple slices with a low-fat caramel dip and low-fat milk in its Happy Meals, while offering salads and fruit parfaits on its regular menu. Wendy’s International Inc. offers salads, yogurt with granola and mandarin oranges.
Posted: September 11, 2007 at 6:12 pm
By News Editor
The National Milk Producers Federation has announced a new, redesigned website for its organization. The new site is more user friendly and has an increased amount of information available to dairy producers and others in the industry.
The new website contains current information on domestic and international dairy markets, developments on Capitol Hill, and a review of regulatory issues. Members can use the site’s Dairy GREAT feature to contact their elected officials on important issues. Members can also access current press releases, newsletters and many other NMPF publications.
“After eight years with our previous website, we knew NMPF was in need of a new look in cyberspace,” said Jerry Kozak. “At the same time, we also want to ensure we continue to provide our primary audience, dairy farmers, with information they need to know about trends in the industry, particularly in the public policy area.” Kozak posts a monthly column, the CEO’s corner, which comments on industry trends.
The milk pricing section of the site, in addition to providing access to daily data in the cash and futures markets, also provides a monthly Dairy Market Report offering a comprehensive analysis of economic trends. It also contains a forecast of MILC payment rates, when appropriate.
The site’s Washington Watch section contains information on federal legislation affecting the dairy sector, along with regular updates on animal health, Federal Orders and economic policies, product standards, environmental regulation and trade policy.
Posted: September 11, 2007 at 6:05 pm
By News Editor
The global market for whey and lactose ingredients will increase by 20 percent as the dairy industry focuses more on healthy and nutritional products, a new report forecasts.
The report by 3A Business Consulting highlights the growing need for dairy groups to stay on top of the consumer demand for products with added-value nutritional benefits. The findings suggest that the market for ingredients such as whey protein concentrate could experience three per cent to five percent annual growth to 2010.
However, the largest gains for the market will be made advanced value-added forms of whey, such as fractions and derivatives, which could grow potentially as much as 20 percent per year, according to the analyst. The market for ingredients like whey protein fractions will post the highest growth, though renewed research into applications for lactose is expected to drive interest in lactulose, lactitol and galactooligosaccharides (GOS).
Last year, the market for whey products reached $6 billion in sales globally, while lactose-based goods over the same period were valued at around $3 billion, the report added. The findings suggest that growing demand for whey and lactose is a result of their continued use in everyday processed foods. However, future growth is expected to be led by the industry’s increasing focus on nutritional products, particularly in the dietary, sports and clinical segments of the market.
A spokesperson for 3A told DairyReporter.com that the emerging market of China was showing significant growth in demand for whey powder and lactose.
Posted: September 10, 2007 at 5:37 pm
By News Editor
Dannon yogurt, owned by Groupe Danone, the world’s largest maker of dairy products, will now be included in Subway’s Fresh Fit sandwich menu. The addition of yogurt to the menu marks two wins for dairy at the restaurant – Subway also offers plastic single-serve low-fat milk.
The introduction, which features Dannon yogurt as part of Subway’s Fresh Fit low-fat sandwich menu, marks Dannon’s first “massive” nationwide expansion into U.S. restaurants, said Juan Carlos Dalto, chief executive of Dannon Co., the White Plains, N.Y.-based U.S. subsidiary of French dairy giant Group Danone Closely-held Subway is the largest fast food chain by the number of stores.
Dannon has introduced probiotic yogurt such as Activia, boosted marketing, and worked with retailers in an effort to make the U.S. — its No. 3 yogurt market after France and Spain — into its top market by sales.
The strong potential for yogurt sales in the U.S., where consumption trails far behind other developed European markets, has led Groupe Danone to label the U.S., the world’s largest consumer of packaged foods, as one of its so-called “frontier countries,” alongside Russia and China.
The U.S. consumes about 11 pounds of yogurt per person each year, whereas in mature markets like France, consumption is six or seven times more, Dannon said.
Subway, which has 26 million people going to its restaurants each week, picked Dannon over a number of other yogurt companies who had also expressed an interest in partnering with the company, said Tony Pace, who heads advertising and marketing for the closely held fast food chain. As of Aug. 23, Subway had 21,000 U.S. locations. Subway may also consider offering Dannon yogurt to its 6,000 locations in 83 countries outside of the U.S., Pace said.
Posted: September 10, 2007 at 5:26 pm
By News Editor
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is holding a two-day hearing starting today to determine if the addition of symbols on the front of food packages can help convey nutrition information to consumers. The FDA will collect comments from food companies, trade groups, watchdog organizations, medical experts and their overseas counterparts on the topic.
That’s an idea being considered by the Food and Drug Administration as it examines whether symbols added to the front of food packages could convey nutrition information in a clear and concise way – without forcing shoppers to pore over the small print usually relegated to the back of the box, bag or can. Any action is likely years away.
Some food manufacturers and retailers already have begun labeling foods with symbols to indicate how nutritious they are. PepsiCo (nyse: PEP – news – people ) uses the “Smart Spot” symbol on diet Pepsi, baked Lay’s chips and other products. Hannaford Bros., a New England supermarket chain, uses a zero to three-star system to rate more than 25,000 food items it sells. And in Britain, the government has persuaded some food companies to use a “traffic light” symbol. That ranking system relies on green, yellow and red lights to characterize whether a food is low, medium or high in fat, salt and sugar.
There is little consistency among the competing symbol regimes, since they can rely on differing criteria and requirements for eligibility, according to the FDA. The agency seeks information on how shoppers respond to the symbols, whether they eat better as a result and how use of the symbols affects sales.
Posted: September 10, 2007 at 5:12 pm
By News Editor
The construction at the new Hilmar Cheese plant in Dalhart, Texas is finished. The company held a one-time only open house for the public today.
This will be the only time the plant will be open to the public due to sanitation concerns, said Denise Skidmore, director of education and public relations. State and local dignitaries are expected as are representatives of the three generations of families that own Hilmar and the High Plains Dairy Council.
Work started in earnest on the facility in March 2006. It covers about 200,000 square feet and will initially process 250,000 gallons of milk daily. Hilmar is planning to spend $190 million over 10 years on the plant, Skidmore said.
State and local entities funded an incentive package that put the factory in Dalhart. Some of the top incentives include $20 million from the Texas Capital Fund, $12.2 million in grants, tax credits and abatements from Dalhart entities, $7.5 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund and $5 million from the Amarillo Economic Development Corp.
Posted: September 8, 2007 at 8:13 pm
By Chuck
![DHI Provo]()
There was a great demonstration on how RFID can help reduce labor costs and make record-keeping easier at the recent ID/INFO Expo in Kansas City.
![Steven Smith]()
Steven Smith with DHI-Provo demonstrated how the Pocket DHI-Plus works with RFID through a video that showed a dairy producer walking alongside his animals and scanning them. As he did that, you could hear what he was hearing in his ear piece, whether to skip the animal, whether it needed to be preg-checked, or was due for injections, or whatever – depending on the program. It was a great demo – they should post it on You Tube!
Here is an interview with Steven about DHI-Provo:
niaa-07-smith-interview.mp3
And here is a link to the proceedings of the from the NIAA 2007 ID-INFO Expo where you can find his presentation.
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Posted: September 7, 2007 at 1:17 pm
By Chuck
![Dairy Checkoff Works]()
There’s apparently a growing market for dairy products as ingredients. Nutrition bars would be one example.
You may not have noticed, but there’s change underway in the American food industry. Dairy ingredients are showing up in an amazing array of products that you might not traditionally think of when you think of dairy. There’s more on that, as Brian Baxter reports:dairy-checkoff-ingredients.mp3
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Posted: September 7, 2007 at 1:05 pm
By Chuck
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Cheese prices continued to strengthen during the shortened Labor Day week and topped previous highs for the year. Block closed Friday at $2.14 per pound, up 6 1/2-cents on the week and 84 cents above that week a year ago when block was selling at the same $1.30 a pound that butter was.
The barrel price closed Friday at $2.10, up 9 cents on the week, and 83 1/2-cents above a year ago. Seven cars of block traded hands and five of barrel. The NASS U.S. average block price hit $1.9441, up 3.5 cents. Barrel averaged $1.9367, up 3 cents.
Butter closed Friday at $1.4175, down a half-cent on the week and 11 3/4-cents above a year ago. 14 cars traded hands. NASS butter averaged $1.4220, up 4.2 cents but NASS nonfat dry milk lost 2.2 cents, averaging $2.0548, the first decline since early August. Dry whey averaged 55.03 cents, down 2.9 cents on the week.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Posted: September 7, 2007 at 10:41 am
By News Editor
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the availability of $1 million to defray annual organic certification costs in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
This funding is particularly important to smaller producers so that they can meet the voluntary uniform standards set forth by the National Organic Program regulations for the production of organic products that are to be labeled as “100 percent organic,” “organic” or “made with organic ingredients.”
The Agricultural Management Assistance Program, authorized by the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1524); will allocate funds to the 15 states in proportion to the number of organic producers in each state. The states, in turn, will reimburse each eligible producer for up to 75 percent of its organic certification costs, not to exceed $500. Each state is allowed to retain 4 percent of the total amount granted as an administration fee.
This program is in addition to and separate from the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program, which also is administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The National program, part of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, received one-time funding of $5 million, which was obligated to participating states through cooperative agreements.
In order to be eligible for reimbursement, an organic production operation must be located within one of the 15 designated states, meet the USDA national organic standards for organic production, and have received certification or update of certification by a USDA-accredited certifying agent during the period of Oct. 1, 2007, through Sept. 30, 2008.
Posted: September 7, 2007 at 10:37 am
By News Editor
The mysterious death of American honeybees may have been solved. Scientists suspect that the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus may be to blame for the American Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Although the scientists behind the research cautioned that they haven’t yet cracked the case, their study provides enough curious coincidences to keep even the fictional detective (and beekeeper) Sherlock Holmes buzzing.
The economic effect of the bee disappearances goes far beyond the lost honey: In fact, the bee industry’s primary impact is felt through the crops that the insects pollinate — products that are valued at $14 billion to $20 billion annually. Since Colony Collapse Disorder first came to light last year, the malady has affected an estimated 23 percent of the nation’s beekeeping operations, with losses of up to 90 percent. Other countries are reporting mysterious bee losses as well.
The disorder is characterized by the rapid disappearance of a colony’s bees, even if there are adequate stores of food in the hive. The bees just seem to fly off into oblivion — hinting that the malady somehow affects the insects’ navigational sense or learning ability.
The Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, or IAPV — is a little-known bug that sets bees’ wings shivering and eventually causes paralysis. IAPV-afflicted bees are typically found dead outside their hives. IAPV was also detected in the Australian bees as well as two of the four Chinese royal jelly samples.
“I hope no one goes away with the idea that we’ve actually solved the problem,” Jeff Pettis of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service told reporters. “We still have a great deal of research to do to resolve why bees are dying in the U.S. and elsewhere.”
Among the questions yet to be answered:
Is IAPV really a cause, or will it turn out that vulnerability to the virus is merely a consequence of the disease?
How and when did IAPV get into the United States?
Why did the Australian bees (and even a few American bees) seem healthy even though they were carriers of the virus?
What roles are played by other bugs that were found in the bee samples, such as the Kashmir bee virus and Nosema fungi?
If the cause or causes can be definitively identified, what can be done to stop the collapse?
Posted: September 7, 2007 at 10:15 am
By News Editor
World Dairy Expo is right around the corner, and Registered Jersey breeders, Huffard Dairy Farms of Crockett, Virginia will be one of nine North American dairy operations to be featured during the Virtual Farm Tour program.
James S. Huffard III, who partners with his brother John in the business, will narrate a video tour of the 400-cow Registered Jersey™ dairy and answer questions from the audience, starting at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3 in the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wis. The American Jersey Cattle Association is the program sponsor.
Huffard Dairy Farms is located in the mountains of southwest Virginia and has been in the family for more than 200 years. The operation is a case study in how one family has adapted and thrived in a farming enterprise, because of a business attitude, attention to detail, smart breeding decisions, merchandising of purebred seedstock, and adoption of new farming practices and technologies.
Other Virtual Farm Tours feature dairies located in Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada. They are being sponsored by BASF Plant Science LLC, Barenbrug USA, Cover-All Building Systems Inc., McLanahan Corp., Purina Feed LLC and Vita Plus Corporation. There is no charge for these programs.
World Dairy Expo opens Tuesday, October 2, with the Central National Jersey Show beginning that afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in the Coliseum.
Jersey events run all day on Wednesday, starting at 7:30 a.m. with the cow classes in the Central National show. Following the Huffard Dairy Farms program at 2:00 p.m. will be the Top of the World Jersey Sale at 4:00 p.m. in the IGENITY® Sale Pavilion. Jersey Marketing Service, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, is the sale manager.
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