Posted: January 30, 2008 at 5:49 pm
By News Editor
Accelerated Genetics announces new members to their Young Producer Committee.
Newly elected to serve on the committee was Tom & Katie Grady of Oregon, Wis. Re-elected was Joe and Donna Parrell of Cross Plains, Wis. Retiring from the Young Producer Committee was Mark Keller of Mt. Horeb, Wis.
The Young Producer Committee helps organize and coordinate the program’s yearly activities. Individuals and couples throughout Accelerated Genetics’ membership area (MN, WI, IA, IL) make up the committee. This dynamic group encourages young producer involvement, plans annual events and provides leadership to facilitate a prosperous program. Committee members can serve two, three-year terms.
Currently serving on the Young Producer Committee is: Brian Castleberg – Mondovi, Wis., David & Kelly Oberreich – Plymouth, Wis., Joe & Donna Parrell – Cross Plains, Wis., Tim Bowers – Marion, Wis., Blair & Kathy Sawall – Clintonville, Wis., Jeff & Tammy Styczynski – Pulaski, Wis., Jamie & Amy Larson – Evansville, Wis. and Tom & Katie Grady – Oregon, Wis.
The Accelerated Genetics Young Producer Program is designed to help producers develop friendships, build leadership qualities and strengthen communication skills through an educational, supportive network in a fun environment. They hold four main events throughout the year – coming up is the Winter Get-Away on February 2-3, 2008 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. and the Leadership Conference March 29-30, 2008 at the Wintergreen Resort and Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
Posted: January 30, 2008 at 5:09 pm
By News Editor
Do you live in Wisconsin and want to help “Shape the Future of Dairy” in your state? Then the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) wants you! A WMMB director spends about 200 hours each year on WMMB business and attends an average of two committee meetings and five board meetings annually. Board terms are three years and must be filled by an active dairy producer.
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has announced the upcoming 2008 Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board director elections. By serving on the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), producers can help shape the future of Wisconsin dairy and join the bold leadership that promotes dairy as a leading industry in the state.
WMMB directors guide the organization’s finances, formulate and set its policies and long-range business plan and maintain its mission: To help grow demand for Wisconsin milk by providing programs that enhance the competitiveness of the Wisconsin Dairy Industry. Through these initiatives, a WMMB director has the opportunity to represent Wisconsin dairy farmers and products, as well as to become involved in activities that inform and educate consumers.
Each year, a portion of WMMB’s 25-member board is elected to three-year terms. All director nominees must be active dairy producers who sell milk into commercial channels and live in the district where they are nominated. Becoming a candidate is easy — just complete and submit a nomination form, have the “Affidavit of Eligibility” certification requirement notarized and acquire at least five signatures from active dairy producers within your district. DATCP soon will mail election announcement postcards to all licensed producers living in the nine districts up for election this year. Nominations will be taken through March 1.
Posted: January 30, 2008 at 4:58 pm
By News Editor
The board of directors of Alto Dairy have unanimously approved the sale of the company’s assets to Saputo Cheese USA Inc. The final approval will come from the cooperative’s members at a special meeting to be held on Wednesday, February 28, 2008 in Fond du Lac, Wis.
Alto Dairy announced today that it has entered into an agreement to sell its assets to Saputo Cheese USA Inc. for total consideration of $160 million.
“Alto Dairy is an industry leader and we have a solid strategy for our business, making the cooperative attractive to strategic partners and buyers. The cooperative will receive full market-value for its business and we are looking forward to presenting this opportunity to our members,” stated Rich Scheuerman, Alto Dairy’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
“Saputo has extensive dairy experience with facilities in Canada, Argentina, Germany, United Kingdom and across the United States, which will undoubtedly help Alto Dairy’s manufacturing facilities grow in the future. This deal will only improve the long-term viability of the business, provide increased job stability and a stable home for milk for dairy producers in Wisconsin,” said Scheuerman.
“Assuming the sale is approved, our members will have a strong partner in Saputo with the ability to reinvest in our manufacturing facilities,” said Howard Zellmer, Chairman of the Alto Board of Directors.
Posted: January 29, 2008 at 8:09 pm
By News Editor
Accelerated Genetics announces their 2008 photo contest theme: ‘Caught in the Act.’ Deadline for entries is September 1, 2008 – plenty of time for you to get a contest winning photo! Visit the Accelerated Genetics website for all the official rules.
Accelerated Genetics wants photos of producers, employees or their families caught in the act of farm work. Whether they are milking cows, feeding animals, pushing animals through a chute, rounding up the herd or any other farm labor activity is fair game for this year’s contest. Photos should include both people and beef or dairy cows conducting ‘farm business’ throughout the various months of the year.
Multiple photos can be entered in the contest, but we want you to send in your best, so before you send them think about these things: 1) Is the photo clear and crisp, not foggy or cloudy. 2) Do the animals look healthy and reasonably clean. 3) Are the people in the photos clearly captured at work, not posed. And is their clothing suitable for farm work, yet relatively clean.
Posted: January 29, 2008 at 7:47 pm
By News Editor
A new group, the Southern Great Plains Dairy Consortium (SGPDC) will offer their first Advanced Large Herd Management Program, an opportunity for 25 to 30 students to receive unique educational experiences and employment opportunities. Hurry! Applications for the 2008 summer program are due on February 1, 2008!
Courses are taught in the middle of the third largest milk shed in the U.S., and credits are applicable to the student’s program at their home university. Course credits depend on the student’s university. Problem solving and state-of-the-art hands-on training in laboratory situations are integrated with industry field trips to complement interactive lectures and discussions.
The series of courses can be combined with a number of majors at the student’s home institution: Animal Science, Biological Sciences, Agricultural Development, Food Science, Veterinary Science, Agricultures Economics, Marketing, Biology and others. Students completing the program receive a Certificate in Dairy Management. Internet courses will also be developed to provide courses that might not be available on all campuses in addition to the summer training program.
Classroom instruction will take place at the Clovis Community College in Clovis, New Mexico. Within a 20-mile radius, there are 25 herds averaging over 2,200 milking cows. These herds represent all types of housing and milking facilities. Herds are extensively used to enhance the learning experience by demonstrating to students actual techniques and practices that were learned in the classroom. Internships and on-the-job training opportunities are provided for students. The internships will fit into the academic timetable for each participating university and will complement the summer’s academic courses. Internships are permitted after completing a summer session.
Courses are coordinated by faculty from the participating universities. The course for the first year will include Herd Financial and Management Evaluation, Dairy Cattle Nutrition, and Facility Management and Animal Well Being. Faculty are recognized national experts and include Drs. Mike Hutjens, Mark McGuire, Lance Baumgard, Dennis Armstrong, John Smith, Robert Hagevoort, Kas Ingawa and Danny Klinefelter.
Consortium members are Abilene Christian University, University of Arizona, New Mexico State University, Oklahoma State University, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M University, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab, and USDA Agricultural Research Service. In addition industry support is being provided by trade organizations such as Dairy Producers of New Mexico, Texas Association of Dairymen, Dairy Max and Southwest Dairy Museum.
Posted: January 29, 2008 at 7:37 pm
By News Editor
Ed Schafer has been named the new U.S. Agriculture Secretary, succeeding Mike Johanns. The 61 year-old former Republican governor of North Dakota will begin his new position during a particularly difficult time – the White House continues to threaten a veto of the Farm Bill.
As secretary, Schafer will be in charge of deadlocked negotiations with Congress over the five-year farm bill. The administration says the bill must deny crop subsidies to the wealthiest Americans and not raise taxes. Lawmakers say without new revenue, they cannot pay for expansions of food stamp, land stewardship and biofuel programs.
Schafer is the first agriculture secretary from the Upper Midwest since Bob Bergland in the Carter era. At the Agriculture Department, he will oversee 100,000 workers and have jurisdiction over public nutrition, crop subsidy and rural development programs as well as run the national forests.
Born into a successful business family, Schafer gained knowledge of agricultural issues as governor when he supported biofuels and promoted farm exports, said backers. He sold the family’s Gold Seal Co in 1986, a few years before becoming governor. He has been active in real estate and wireless telephone ventures in recent years.
He listed assets of nearly $3 million on a financial disclosure report, including at least $1 million in bank stock yielding more than $100,000 a year in dividends. During a hearing on his nomination Schafer said he would work to “enhance our country’s vibrant agricultural economy (and) advance renewable energy.”
“I will devote myself to improving nutrition and health, enhancing rural infrastructure, promoting good stewardship of our national forests and conserving our natural resources,” he said.
Posted: January 29, 2008 at 4:32 pm
By Chuck
The Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year was named by the International Dairy Foods Association and Dairy Today Magazine. Pictured are (l-r) The Fletcher family (Tyler, Melissa, Mikala and Charles) accept congratulations from IDFA Secretary Mike Reidy and Dairy Today Editor Jim Dickrell.
KBC Farms in Purdy, Mo., a member of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA), was named the Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year. Operations Manager Charles Fletcher and his family received the award on Jan. 21 at the 2008 Dairy Forum in La Quinta, Calif. The award is co-sponsored by the International Dairy Foods Association and Dairy Today magazine.
The award recognizes U.S. dairy producers who apply creativity, excellence and forward thinking to achieve greater on-farm productivity and improved milk marketing.
“DFA is proud of Charles and congratulates him and his family on this accomplishment,” says Randy Mooney, of Rogersville, Mo., first vice chairman of DFA’s Board of Directors. “Charles and his family farm are a real success story. We can all be inspired by his example of innovation and excellence.”
Charles operates KBC Farms with his family, where they milk 600 cows on two pasture-based dairies. His father, Gene, started the farm in 1969, and started a partnership with his sons and son-in-law in 1993. Charles is the managing partner and farms with his wife, Melissa, and their children: Tyler, 15 and Mikala, 10.
Posted: January 28, 2008 at 9:03 pm
By News Editor
A new label may soon be appearing on your food at the grocery store, a label called the Overall Nutritional Quality Index, or ONQI, score. The index was developed by a panel of nutrition experts and assigns a score of 1-100 to over 20,000 foods. The rating system is based on a complex algorithm that analyzes the nutritional makeup of the food.
“I’ve been counseling patients for 20 years, and I’ve seen the problems they face with real-life nutrition decisions. You need a Ph.D. in chemistry to find something healthy at the grocery store,” said David Katz, director of the Yale Griffin Prevention Research Center and developer of the rating system. Katz formed his own research group and with money from Yale’s Griffin Hospital, he developed a new labeling system.
In February, Topco Associates, a grocery distribution cooperative owned by independent grocers, joined Katz and offered to introduce the ONQI labels in stores belonging to its members. Topco grocers own about 13,000 stores nationwide, including the Raley’s chain, which is part of the first rollout.
Katz’s group isn’t the only one developing a new labeling system, although it will be the first to launch one nationwide. Maine-based Hannaford Supermarkets, a chain of grocery stores, will begin licensing its labeling system, called Guiding Stars, to other chains sometime next year. The Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition, a group made up of food producers and manufacturers, is also developing labeling guidelines. At the same time, diet and nutrition experts are pressuring the federal government to create a single labeling system that would be used on every product at every store. Some nutritionists worry that multiple labeling systems will just befuddle consumers even more than they already are.
The concerns are not lost on Katz, who acknowledges that there are limitations to the ONQI system. Over time, he said, he’d like to create labels specifically for people with certain health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes. The goal of the ONQI system is to distill the nutrition information already available to consumers into a score that is simple and easy for shoppers to understand.
Posted: January 28, 2008 at 10:33 am
By Chuck
Here’s the latest announcement from Cooperatives Working Together:
In the next herd retirement round conducted by Cooperatives Working Together, dairy producers submitting bids to retire their herds of milk cows also will have the option of selling all their bred heifers, CWT officials announced today.
A flat rate per bred heifer will be established by CWT to be paid to all producers choosing to include their bred heifers with their herd retirement bid. The producer will get retain the slaughter value of the bred heifers, so the price per heifer offered by CWT offers will be in addition to the animals’ slaughter value, just as the payment CWT makes to producers for their milk cows is in addition to the beef value of the animals.
CWT Chief Operating Office Jim Tillison said the decision by CWT’s operating committee to include a bred heifer option “is the result of many months of work by our members to devise a new program to enhance the effectiveness of CWT’s milk reduction activities. Our members asked us to come up with a way to make a bred heifer removal option work for them, and I believe this new initiative will meet their expectations.”
CWT has not announced when it will conduct a fifth herd retirement round. The last one was done in February 2007. When the next one is conducted, producers submitting bids for their milking herds will also then have the option of using the bred heifer program. Producers will have to indicate the number of bred heifers they have at the time the bid is submitted, and the location of the heifers. CWT will pay a flat fee, announced at the time the retirement program commences, for each heifer. Producers will have to sell all their bred heifers, regardless of age.
Tillison said that whether a producer elects to also sell his bred heifers will have no bearing on whether the producer’s herd retirement bid is accepted by CWT. Also, if the farmer’s herd retirement bid is not accepted, the bred heifers he or she offers will not be accepted, either. Additional details about the terms of the bred heifer program will be posted to the CWT website once a herd retirement round commences.
In other news, CWT announced today that it accepted an export assistance bid last week for the sale of whole milk power. The bid was from Humboldt Creamery of Fortuna, CA, for the export of 20 metric tons (44,000 pounds) of whole milk powder to Honduras. CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidder, only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.
With this accepted bid, CWT’s total 2008 export obligations are: whole milk powder, 170 metric tons (374,000 lbs.), and butter, 291.2 metric tons (641,805 pounds).
Posted: January 25, 2008 at 10:16 pm
By Chuck
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Block cheese closed the Martin Luther King holiday-shortened-week at $1.65 per pound, unchanged on the week, but still 30 1/4-cents above a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.75, down 5 1/4-cents on the week, but 38 1/2-cents above a year ago. Only two cars of barrel were traded on the week. The NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price inched up 1.4 cents, to $2.0092. Barrel averaged $2.0324, up 0.2 cent.
Cash butter closed Friday at $1.2325, up 1 1/4-cents on the week but 3 3/4-cents below a year ago. Four cars were sold. NASS butter averaged $1.2089, down 3.9 cents. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged $1.4509, down 19.3 cents, and dry whey averaged 39.2 cents, down 4.4 cents on the week.
Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk dropped 15 cents, to $1.40 per pound, and Extra Grade plunged 27 cents, also closing at $1.40.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Posted: January 25, 2008 at 9:34 pm
By News Editor
A new cheese plant has been approved for construction in Fresno county, California. The Blue Ribbon Cheese Company, Bakersfield, Calif. will start construction of the $300 million facility in later this year. Planned types of cheese include cheddar, jack, mozzarella and provolone.
The $300 million facility is expected to begin operations in 2010 and employ 300 local residents, Blue Ribbon Cheese president David Albers says. The approval clears the way for construction to begin later this year on the 435,000 square-foot plant where BRCC will produce a variety of American and Italian style cheeses including cheddar, jack, mozzarella and provolone.
The plant will be located on an 800-acre site on Elkhorn Avenue between state highways 41 and 145. Production will include 6.8 million pounds of milk daily, which will be purchased from existing local dairies, the company says. Blue Ribbon customers will include international pizza chains, franchise restaurants and institutional food service companies, the company says.
Blue Ribbon Cheese Company is a subsidiary of American Dairy Parks. In addition to Blue Ribbon and Vintage Dairy, ADP includes BioEnergy Solutions, a Bakersfield company whose first-in-the-state biogas injection project is expected to begin production of renewable natural gas for Pacific Gas and Electric Company in early March.
Posted: January 25, 2008 at 9:14 pm
By News Editor
Wells Dairy, Inc., Le Mars, Iowa, has announced its decision to sell it yogurt facility in Omaha, Nebraska to Mexican company called Grupo LaLa. Late last month the company also announced that it is selling milk plant to Dallas-based Dean Foods Co.
Today, it announced the sale of its yogurt facility in Omaha to a Mexican company called Grupo LaLa. Grupo LaLa has more than 27,000 associates throughout the U.S., Mexico and Latin America. The Omaha plant has about 115 employees who both companies say will be offered an opportunity to stay.
Posted: January 24, 2008 at 9:25 pm
By News Editor
Why should you care about this article? Because before several of House of Representative legislators spoke up, other legislators and important policymakers in Washington D.C. were exposed to misleading information about milk and dairy products in the one place you wouldn’t expect – the House cafeteria. Just another reason that dairy producers should make the effort to form relationships with their legislators, helping to ensure they are educated fairly on both sides of controversially issues.
Last spring the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, mandated a plan to create an “environmentally responsible and healthy working environment” throughout the House. It was to include energy efficiency, recycling and composting in the four House office buildings as well as the House side of the Capitol. When it came to the cafeterias and the other food concessions, it meant a revamping of the menus, to make them more local, organic and healthful.
The changes, instituted last month, would barely rate a mention in, say, Berkeley, Calif. But to some people here they represent an elitist misuse of public funds, and possibly a bit of anti-industry propaganda.
Restaurant Associates (which has the cafeteria contract) has received some complaints from lobbyists here about how their particular commodity is presented to potential diners, and a trade magazine and several lobbying groups have had something to say about a sustainability Web site set up by the company and linked to from the House dining services Web site.
Milk lobbyists called the Green the Capitol complaint line about a characterization of the hormone rBGH, which is not permitted in milk used in the food service.
The Web site had read: “Recombinant bovine growth hormone, or rBGH, is injected into dairy cows to artificially increase their milk production. The hormone has not been properly tested for safety. Milk labeled rBGH-free is produced by dairy cows that never received injections of this hormone.”
Milk lobbyists pointed out that the Food and Drug Administration considers the artificial hormone to be safe (although many scientists believe it may cause cancer).
The Feedstuffs editorial says rBGH milk is “as healthful and safe as milk from nontreated cows.” The Web site now reads: “Milk produced without synthetic rBGH is produced by dairy cows that never received injections of synthetic bovine growth hormone.”
The editorial says Restaurant Associates and its parent company, Compass Group, are “hooked by propaganda of animal rights groups” and are “advocates of vegetarianism.”
Posted: January 24, 2008 at 9:05 pm
By News Editor
Accelerated Genetics is excited about a young Jersey sire that reached the top ten JPI during the January 2008 Dairy Sire Summary. The stud comes out of the company’s PACE young sire program.
014JE00431 Oomsdale Jace Grat Grieves-ET is an early Jace son from the Excellent Gratitude cow at Oomsdale Farm in Volatie, N.Y. Grieves is +233 JPI. Grieves enters the Accelerated Genetics Jersey lineup as their top sire for Net Merit at +412 NM$. His levels of milk production (+1840 PTAM) and protein (+57 PTAP) rank him among the Top Ten of the breed for these traits as well. The Grieves daughters are tall, strong and have plenty of width and capacity. They have correct feet and legs with very high and wide rear udders. Look to Grieves for a great combination of high production and solid type!
014JE00406 Wilderness Blueprint increased +50 NM$ to +357 NM$ mainly due to his improvement on health trait information. Blueprint is a Heino son from a VG-88% Berretta and an E-90% Barber grandam. 014JE00414 Windhavens B JadeFox-ET made great gains on milk production (+2048 PTAM) and he jumped +37 points on JPI to +189. Fox is a Barkley son out of a VG-88% Bold.
Posted: January 24, 2008 at 10:23 am
By Chuck
We’d like to encourage you to take our first ever (maybe annual) World Dairy Diary Survey. There’s only about 12 easy questions so it will only take a minute and we’d really appreciate your participation. Our supporters would just like to get a better idea of who our readers and subscribers are and we want to provide you with another opportunity for feedback so we can further develop the site.
To get you excited we’re going to pick one lucky winner from all the people who participate in our survey for a brand new, personalized 4G iPod Nano. Yes, you’ve wanted one, now you have a chance to win one by completing our online survey. It’s the World Dairy Diary Survey 2008 Contest Giveaway. The questions are simple and we need as many responses as we can get.
World Dairy Diary is about as open a source of industry news and information as you’re going to find. We don’t ask you to fill out cards on an annual basis to keep your subscription current, etc. However, the companies and organizations that support us really want some demographic data we can’t provide any other way. It’s really important to us that you take just a few moments sometime over the next month to fill out a survey form.
Even if you already have a Nano they make a great gift for your favorite person who doesn’t have one. Believe me, the odds will be pretty good in this contest compared to the Lottery.
To keep the legal people happy you can find The Official Rules here (Word doc). It’s not rocket science. The Survey Contest starts now and ends at 12pm on February 22, 2008. So you’ve got plenty of time to get it done.
And thank you very much for participating!
Posted: January 23, 2008 at 5:56 pm
By News Editor
Keep your eye out for a new animal rights activist group called the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA). The group was from through a “corporate combination agreement” by the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) and the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights. It is crucial that dairy producers are even more transparent with consumers on the humane treatment of their animals and how they protect the environment.
The group’s goal is to compete with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and, among other things, to effect change in animal ag’s handling of livestock. “All too often, the AVMA sides with animal-use industries and not with animals,” said Wayne Pacelle, the vegan president and CEO of HSUS.
HSVMA will give veterinarians, veterinary students and veterinary technicians an opportunity to participate in animal welfare programs, including disaster response; expanded hands-on animal care; spaying and neutering; and advocacy for legislative, corporate and veterinary medical school reforms.
Among the new group’s efforts will be outreach to veterinary students and vet technicians. Already, HSUS has collaborative programs with veterinary schools at Louisiana State and Mississippi State universities.
Posted: January 23, 2008 at 5:35 pm
By News Editor
The state of Pennsylvania has announced that it will revise its original plan to ban milk processors from using labels that such as “No BST” from milk and dairy products. Instead, new guidelines will require that labels not be misleading and that there be a paper trail that can verify the claims made on the labels.
For instance, a label cannot read “No BST,” which is short for bovine somatotropin, since the hormone occurs naturally in cows. A dairy can, however, label its milk as coming “from cows not treated with rBST” — for recombinant bovine somatotropin, the synthetic version — as long as a disclaimer is included that says that “No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST-treated cows.” (A dairy can preface the disclaimer with “The F.D.A. says.”)
The decision was hailed by some dairies and consumer groups, who had complained that the planned ban disregarded consumer demand. The state’s agriculture secretary, Dennis Wolff, issued a notice of the ban in October, arguing that the labels were confusing and impossible to verify.
The ban was supposed to go into effect on Feb. 1. It caused such an uproar that Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s office intervened. On Thursday, in a statement, the governor said, “The public has a right to complete information about how the milk they buy is produced.”
Posted: January 23, 2008 at 5:27 pm
By News Editor
The states of New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont have re-signed an agreement to work together to improve the dairy industries in all three states. The memorandum was signed during the Northeast Dairy Leadership Team meeting held in Oneonta, N.Y.
New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont comprise one of the three major milk-producing regions in the United States. Collectively, the three states produce more than 25 billion pounds of milk annually, more than 16 percent of the nation’s total milk supply, state Ag and Markets statistics show.
The memorandum includes all that was agreed upon in 2006, plus two new action items, which encourage the group to reach out to other Northeast states and to combine resources in the nutrient management and renewable energy development arenas.
Repeated areas of cooperation outlined in the agreement include:
Coordinating the direction, goals and resources necessary to ensure a competitive and profitable dairy industry in the Northeast.
Developing programs that focus on improving dairy profitability and productivity.
Optimizing the intellectual talent serving the Northeast dairy industry.
Marketing the region to dairy producers and processors outside of the Northeast.
Researching diverse dairy business models to increase business profitability.
Posted: January 22, 2008 at 6:33 pm
By News Editor
Dairy producers in North Dakota take note – the Midwest Dairy Association has scheduled its district meetings in conjunction with North Dakota State University’s Dairy Cow College the week of January 28.
Midwest Dairy Association, which manages the dairy checkoff for North Dakota and eight other states, holds its meetings to update dairy farmers on how current programs are helping to build demand for dairy products. All meetings begin at 11 a.m. and conclude at 3:30 p.m. All dairy farmers, families and employees are invited to attend a meeting in their area. The noon meal is provided by Midwest Dairy Association.
“This year we’ll share how promotion has taken a new direction to build sales and demand for dairy,” said Jerry Messer, Richardton, Midwest Dairy Association’s North Dakota Division chairman. “Dairy farmers who attend the meetings this year will learn more about how the checkoff is working in new ways, including ones that reach all geographic areas.”
The meeting schedule is as follows:
Monday, January 28 – Emmons County Courthouse, Linton;
Tuesday, January 29 – Morton County Fairgrounds, New Salem;
Wednesday, January 30 – Elks Lodge, Dickinson;
Thursday, January 31 – Sleep Inn, Minot; and
Friday, February 1 – Gladstone Inn, Jamestown.
Posted: January 22, 2008 at 6:30 pm
By News Editor
The Wisconsin Dairy Business Association (DBA) is hosting their third annual Expansion Symposium at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. on January 30 & 31, 2008.
Help grow Wisconsin’s dairy industry. It’s a simple goal, a goal that benefits us all … and DBA is leading the charge! The 3rd Annual Expansion Symposium is a one-stop shop for producers serious about growing their dairies. DBA, the foremost organization experienced in dairy expansions, is eager to present this two-day event focused on the future of our state’s dairy industry.
More than 350 attendees will leave this event fully informed with an arsenal of information on how to ensure that their dairies are progressive and profitable. Fee includes registration, conference materials, breaks and dinner. Hotel accommodations are not included in the conference fee.
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