The folks at the California Milk Marketing Board are partnering with Chef Bret Thompson, the owner of MILK, an ice cream parlor and cafe in Los Angeles, to bring delicious and easy dairy recipes to everyone! The exclusive recipes can be found online – yum!
MILK’s homemade ice cream, malts, breads, cakes and soups bring delight (not to mention the inner child!) to those who enjoy nothing but the best. Bret Thompson, former Corporate Executive Chef of the Patina Restaurant Group and now owner and executive chef of MILK, relies on his talent and expertise to create delicious recipes, while staying true to the star of his shop: good old-fashioned milk. Taking his passion for milk to another level, Thompson has partnered with GOT MILK? to show food enthusiasts at home his secrets. Everyone can use a simple ingredient like milk to create out-of-this-world gourmet treats.
“MILK is just one of the best ingredients out there,” says Thompson. “What better way to create velvety shakes, silky summer ice cream flavors or rich, buttery autumn breads! It’s an honor to partner with GOT MILK? and share some of my recipes with food aficionados everywhere.”
While global food prices have soared, milk prices here have fallen by almost a third this year, the Federation of German Dairy Farmers said, in part because the European Union decided to raise its production quotas. Prices fell even as milk production costs for staples like fuel and feed rose by a quarter. So in a desperate effort to force a price increase, the dairy farmers began a delivery boycott on Tuesday.
The federation estimated that around 10.6 million gallons of milk — up to 60 percent of the country’s production — was dumped, fed to other animals or used for fertilizer on Wednesday alone. The strike had not yet affected grocery store shelves. Milk producers in neighboring countries, including Belgium and Austria, urged dairy farmers to join the strike or at least not to export to Germany.
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Cash dairy prices were the center of attention in the shortened Memorial Day week as the industry awaited the arrival of June Dairy Month and the burst in the cheese price bubble which came Thursday.
Blocks fell 7 1/2-cents, ending almost 14 consecutive gains, but recovered 2 cents on Friday, to close at $2.23 per pound, down 5 1/2-cents on the week but 34 3/4-cents above a year ago. Barrel closed at $2.20, down a nickel on the week but 29 cents above a year ago. Four cars of block traded hands on the week and five of barrel. The NASS U.S. average block price hit $1.9925, up 3.6 cents. Barrel averaged $2.0167, up a nickel.
The CME’s Daily Dairy Report points out that Oceania Cheddar is selling at $2.18-$2.36 per pound and that U.S. Cheddar has been selling below Oceania levels since August, helping fuel U.S. cheese exports.
Cash butter closed Friday at $1.48, down a penny on the week and 6 1/2-cents below a year ago. Fourteen cars traded hands on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.4646, up 3.1 cents. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged $1.3144, up 2 cents, and dry whey averaged 27.69 cents, up 0.4 cent.
Ben & Jerry’s has announced a new flavor that it hopes will spread the message of peace. “Imagine Whirled Peace” is a caramel and sweet cream whirl of chocolate-covered peace signs and toffee pieces.
According to Ben & Jerry’s website:
When Ben & Jerry’s wanted to talk about peace, we couldn’t think of a better person to exemplify the message than John Lennon. Through his art and lyrics he imagined a world without war and asked us all to “Give Peace a Chance”. We hope this whirly mixture of toffee cookies and fudge peace signs enlightens your bellies and souls and makes you ask what you can do to promote peace in your lives.
Ben & Jerry’s also awarded one of their two nation-wide winners in its “Peace Pioneer” contest at its Times Square Scoop Shop in New York City. The winner, Aaron Voldman is the Executive Director of the Student Peace Alliance (SPA).
The ceremony was part of Ben & Jerry’s joint effort with The Lennon Estate and Peace One Day, a nonprofit global peace organization, to encourage people to work for peace every day. The event yesterday highlighted Ben & Jerry’s John Lennon-inspired Imagine Whirled Peace ice cream and included a modern-day “Peace Bed-In” marking the 39th anniversary of the day John Lennon and Yoko Ono hosted their legendary event in Montreal, Canada.
Voldman, a 21-year-old Brandeis University student and graduate of Vermont Commons School was chosen to represent the next generation of peace pioneers for his work in co-founding and directing The Student Peace Alliance (SPA), a national youth movement using education and grassroots action to advocate for legislation to establish a cabinet-level U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence. SPA has 100 chapters on high school and college campuses around the country.
“We want to have a Web site that speaks the language and culture of Latinos,” said Steve James, executive director, California Milk Processor Board (CMPB). “We hope that we’ll be able to better communicate, better reach and better connect with our Hispanic base by having a site that speaks to them.”
TomaLeche.com provides a full-service site with a whimsical, fairytale style as the backdrop for a magical world of milk.
Until recently, the Spanish-language “Toma Leche” health program and campaign was part of the CMPB’s English-language GotMilk.com site, which required Spanish online users to access the site in English and then click the option for Spanish in order to get basic information about the health benefits of milk consumption in their preferred language, per the CMPB.
Posted: May 28, 2008 at 9:24 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
Dr. David Miller, director of alfalfa research for Pioneer, talks about the importance of forage quality. Forage quality has several definitions, depending on whether you are a beef producer or a dairy producer. Forage quality cannot always be expressed through a number, but rather how well an animal will perform when it is fed alfalfa, says Miller. Achieving high forage quality starts with management – timing cuttings, looking at weather forecasts and baling or chopping techniques.
David Miller on Alfalfa Management (5:30 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Previous Forage Forum podcasts are also archived at the Pioneer GrowingPoint website. To access them, go to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and click “Livestock Nutrition” and “Forage Blog.” Those not registered for Pioneer GrowingPoint website can call 800-233-7333 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT for assistance.
The 2008 Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. will feature Jeffrey P. Roberts, principal consultant for the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese, as the opening program presenter. The seminar, slated for Wednesday, June 25 in the Asheville, N.C., will include Roberts’ insights on artisan cheesemaking, specific to the Jersey breed.
In his seminar, Roberts will relate Jersey-specific insights about regional and national trends in artisan cheesemaking, the types of cheeses being produced, and marketing directions.
He will also conduct a guided tasting of artisan cheeses similar to his program at the 2007 Fancy Food Show in New York City, but this time using only Jersey milk cheeses.
“Artisan cheese represents something distinctive about an area,” Roberts says in his widely acclaimed book, The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese. “The key is milk: its flavors, color, butterfat, protein and other elements depend upon myriad factors. Each dimension adds another layer of complexity to the quality of milk.”
Sixty percent of the 180 cheesemakers using cow’s milk profiled in the Atlas use Jersey milk for all or part of their production. Roberts identified 37 cheesemakers making cheeses exclusively with Jersey milk, and another 71 producers using Jersey milk in combination with milks from other cattle breeds, goats, and/or sheep.
The seminar starts at 3:00 p.m. at Asheville’s Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Resort. It is free and open to the public. There is a charge of $15 for the guided tasting, with a limit of 100 tickets available.
Looks like the Farm Bill override passed both the House and Senate yesterday, despite the mistake that caused the House to have to re-vote.
With most House Democrats and quite a few Republicans supporting it, the bill was approved on Thursday by 306 to 110. The Senate quickly followed suit, 82 to 13. The votes in both chambers were far more than enough to defeat the veto that President Bush cast on Wednesday.
But wait. Hadn’t the House already voted, by 316 to 108 later Wednesday, to override the veto? Well, yes. Sort of.
Lawmakers discovered on Wednesday evening that a 34-page section of the 673-page bill was missing from the package that was sent last week to President Bush, who executed his veto after calling the measure bloated and wasteful. The version that the House voted for in its override on Wednesday was also missing that section, which pertains to trade programs and foreign food aid.
Thursday’s vote in the House was on all 673 pages, which also embrace subsidies for farmers, food stamps, land conservation and various other items too attractive for most lawmakers to shun.
The glitch “shows that they can even screw up spending the taxpayers’ money unwisely,” the president’s spokeswoman, Dana Perino, said on Thursday.
Those Republicans who stood with the president in opposing the bill clearly enjoyed the awkwardness of the moment and the contortions of the bill’s supporters in trying to set things right. Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the House minority leader, expressed indignation, saying Democratic leaders had pushed the bill through on Wednesday night even after learning that it was flawed.
In the Senate, where the vote Thursday was on an override of the veto of the original, flawed bill, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader, said he saw no need to worry about the missing section. If necessary, he said, the Senate will approve it separately when Congress returns in June from a week’s vacation.
Mr. Reid said he was sure he was on solid constitutional ground, and people who are experts in Congressional procedure agreed with him. One expert, speaking anonymously, said the Senate could vote just on the missing section, or it could vote for the version approved on Thursday by the House.
Then, if Mr. Bush wants to, he can use his veto power all over again, and Congress will have to vote again to override him. Or he could simply let the bill become law, now that it is obvious that it is too popular for him to kill.
Dairy Markets Week in Review
The block cheese price hit a record high $2.2850 per pound on Friday the highest it’s been since November 2007, up 20 1/2-cents on the week and 48 1/4-cents above that week a year ago.
Barrel closed at $2.25, up 22 cents on the week and 45 cents above a year ago. Only three cars of block traded hands and 22 of barrel. The NASS U.S. average block price hit $1.9567, up 2.9 cents. Barrel averaged $1.9665, up 5.9 cents.
Cash butter took a breather following four weeks of gains and closed Friday at $1.49, down a penny on the week and 2 cents below a year ago. Fifteen cars were sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.4341, up 2.2 cents.
Both cash Grade A and Extra Grade nonfat dry milk closed Friday at $1.45 per pound, up 3 cents on the week. NASS powder averaged $1.2944, down 1 1/2-cents. Dry whey averaged 27.33 cents, up a penny.
Nathan Heim of Harrisburg will assist the Pennsylvania Dairy Task Force and its five committees by coordinating programs, activities and events throughout the summer.
Heim, a Penn State junior, has experience in production and agribusiness, having completed internships with Cargill Animal Nutrition and Ar-Joy Farm LLC. While working for Cargill, Heim completed an independent study evaluating feed and manure samples on 30 farms, and he worked closely with consultants and administrative staff to learn more about the feed industry. At Penn State, Heim was on the 2006 dairy judging team that competed in Louisville and was named the Muller Outstanding First Year Member by the Penn State Dairy Science Club as a freshman. He was also the vice president of the Pennsylvania Junior Holstein Association.
Tiffany Grove of McVeystown will provide communications support, assisting with the industry promotion programs associated with the center’s collaboration with the Dairy Check-off and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program.
Grove, a graduate of Mt. Union Area High School, is president of the Pennsylvania FFA Association, and travels across the state to promote agriculture, agricultural education and the FFA. Grove deferred college for one year to commit to her FFA term and plans to attend Penn State to study agriculture education this fall. Grove works on Mill Hill Farms, a dairy operation owned by the Biddle Family in Williamsburg, and was also a certified nursing assistant in a local retirement facility. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Junior Holstein Association and the National Honor Society.
The mistake means that both the House and the Senate will have to re-pass the revised Farm Bill, and that it will have to be sent on to President Bush again for his decision. The lawmakers will also have to pass another extension to the current Farm Bill, which is set to expire on Friday.
The House voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Bush’s veto of the $307 billion farm bill, just the second override in his presidency. The 316-to-108 House vote was far over the two-thirds needed to overcome a veto, meaning that the president’s criticism of the bill as bloated and wasteful won few, if any, converts.
In his veto announcement Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Bush said: “For a year and a half, I have consistently asked that the Congress pass a good farm bill that I can sign.” “Regrettably, the Congress has failed to do so. At a time of high food prices and record farm income, this bill lacks program reform and fiscal discipline.”
The Senate then was expected to follow suit quickly, but action stalled after the discovery that a 34-page section of the bill had been omitted from the printed bill sent to the White House. That means Bush vetoed a different bill from the one Congress passed, raising questions that the eventual law would be unconstitutional.
In order to avoid a partisan dustup, House Democrats hoped to pass the entire bill, again, on Thursday under expedited rules usually reserved for noncontroversial legislation, and the Senate was expected to follow suit. The correct version would then be sent to Bush under a new bill number for another expected veto.
The 50th annual meeting of National All-Jersey Inc. will feature Sonia Fabian, chief operating officer of the Southeast Area Council of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. as featured speaker. The meeting takes place on Friday, June 27, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville, N.C. Complete information on the convention program and registration forms are available on online.
Fabian’s presentation will focus on the dairy situation in the southeast U.S. and the reasons component pricing may help attract milk to a fluid-deficient marketing area.
Fabian began her career in the dairy industry with Southern Milk Sales in 1979, and has been with DFA, the nation’s largest producer-owned dairy marketing cooperative and food company, and its predecessor cooperatives for 27 years. Prior to being named to her current position in the spring of 2007, she served as Vice President of Marketing and Accounting for the southeast council located in Knoxville, Tenn.
DFA’s southeast area serves a milkshed extending into 16 states, representing approximately 3,000 member farms that market 5.4 billion pounds of milk annually. It has five manufacturing facilities located in Louisiana, Missouri and Texas.
The USDA has proposed to ban all downer cattle from slaughterhouses in the country, a policy that could take effect before the summer’s end. The move by Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer is an effort to boost public confidence in the safety of the nation’s food supply.
The proposal, which could take effect within a few months, follows the largest beef recall in U.S. history earlier this year, which was the result of secretly recorded videotape that showed California meat plant workers using forklifts and electric prods on animals unable to stand in an effort to get them to the slaughterhouse.
“There should be no longer even a slim possibility of transporting a cow to market that is too weak to rise or to walk on its own,” Schafer told reporters. “This action sends a clear message to consumers in both domestic and in international markets that we will continue to uphold the highest standards to protect our food supply and deliver the highest-quality products.”
Schafer also said that “by reducing the incentive to send weak and marginal cattle to slaughter, it will reduce the likelihood that those animals will be subjected to inhumane handling at processing plants.”
The meat industry, long opposed to a total ban, announced in April that it had asked the USDA to enact one, in part to help pry open foreign markets to U.S. beef.
“We appreciate the department’s prompt response and timely action,” said J. Patrick Boyle, president of the American Meat Institute.
Schafer, who previously had said that a total ban was unnecessary, likened his change of heart to a business decision. Enacting a complete ban would boost consumer confidence while having little effect on slaughterhouses, he said. Of the 34 million cows slaughtered in 2007, fewer than 1,000 could not stand but were admitted to the slaughterhouse after a second inspection.
“This is not a food safety issue. It never has been,” he said. “There has been some confusion here in the consumers’ mind, in the media’s mind. . . . We are trying to eliminate any confusion.”
As summer approaches, the chain also wants a piece of one of ice cream’s few growth areas. Soft-serve sales topped $4.6 billion in 2006, up from $4.3 billion in 2005, the last years tracked by the International Dairy Foods Association.
It may be hard to swallow, but soft serve represents 70% of all ice cream servings, says NPD Group, the research firm. The soft-serve vanilla line will be Baskin-Robbins’ largest product rollout in decades, Kimmel says.
But after spending six decades telling the world that hand-scooped ice cream is its specialty, Baskin-Robbins walks a fine line trying to suddenly convince folks that it’s now a soft-serve specialist. The company has spent two years trying to modernize, including a redesign of its stores and logo. And now, along comes soft serve.
Cottage cheese is the latest dairy food to includeprobiotics and prebiotics. Friendship Dairies has introduced Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese. The product is low-fat and delicious!
“We’re seeing increased consumer demand for products that provide more natural attributes as well as products that contain functional nutrients that deliver healthy benefits,” said Paige Pistone, director of marketing for Friendship Dairies. “We’re pleased to now offer an all-natural cottage cheese product with digestive and bone enhancing nutrients while maintaining our product standards in quality, taste and freshness that our consumers have come to expect.”
A New York based dairy, Ultra Dairy LLC is planning to almost double its plant size this year. The move will create 70 jobs for the DeWitt, N.Y. company, a spin-off of Byrne Dairy Inc. Plans include a 46,000-square-foot addition to the existing building.
Nicholas Marsella, chief operating officer and senior vice president of Byrne Dairy, said construction will start soon and is expected to be completed in October. The company estimates the expansion will cost $9.5 million, including $8.8 million for building construction.
The expansion will help Ultra Dairy meet growing demand for its ultra-high pasteurized milk, creams and ice cream mixes. Products made at the plant have a shelf life of 60 to 90 days, as opposed to the two weeks or so that most dairy products can last.
Besides offering a convenience to retailers and customers, the extra shelf life has opened markets for Byrne because it can ship its products to more distant locations. Marsella said most of the products made at Ultra Dairy are sold in other states, with many of them going to Texas, Florida and the Carolinas.
Congrats to the twelve young ladies from Minnesota who have been named as finalists for the title of Princess Kay of the Milky Way 2008-09.
Each of the twelve finalists will have their likeness sculpted in butter during the Minnesota State Fair. One will be named the 55th Princess Kay of the Milky Way during ceremonies the night before the fair opens.
* Alison Benson, 20, McLeod County, daughter of Doug and Marlene Benson of Stewart;
* Jeanna Felling, 20, Stearns County, daughter of Cyril and Deb Felling of Sauk Centre;
* Ashlee Hartwig, 19, Morrison County, daughter of Dan and Patti Hartwig of Swanville;
* Elizabeth Kern, 20, Steele County, daughter of Ken and Lisa Kern of Ellendale;
* Ann Motl, 17, Todd County, daughter of Kimberly Harff and Mike Motl of Browerville;
* Kristy Mussman, 19, Steele County, daughter of Mike and Julie Mussman of Claremont;
* Megan Reeck, 20, Stearns County, daughter of Gary and Lu Anne Reeck of Paynesville;
* Becky Richter, 19, Wadena County, daughter of Bruce and Karyl Richter of Wadena;
* Brenda Reiter, 18, Wabasha County, daughter of Craig and Cathy Reiter of Elgin;
* Brittney Strayer, 19, Wadena County, daughter of Mike and Patty Strayer of Wadena;
* Alysha Thompson, 20, Nicollet County, daughter of Lee and Kimberly Thompson of Nicollet; and
* Laura Weisz, 17, Morrison County, daughter of Christopher and Pamela Weisz of Hillman.
Dippin’ Dots will celebrate its 20th birthday by giving away free cups of their famous ice cream beads on May 20th.
“We want to thank our customers for their continued support of Dippin’ Dots by offering them a free cup of their favorite flavor,” said Dippin’ Dots inventor Curt Jones.
Wal-Mart Supercenters will kick-off summer by hosting what could be the largest ice cream social event on ‘Sundae’, May 18th. Visit from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to get your free sundae!
Wal-Mart will have on hand more than 5,000 ice cream scoopers to build an estimated 1 million free ice cream sundaes, complete with whipped cream and other toppings while supplies last.
Kroger grocery stores, based in Cincinnati, Ohio is testing a 3/4 gallon of milk in select Ohio stores. The move is in response to growing concerns with the nation’s food prices.
Kroger is marketing the 3/4 gallon size in response to reports that consumers are buying smaller sizes of food so they don’t have to put out as much money at one time.
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Block cheese topped $2.00 for the sixth time in a year and closed Friday $2.08 per pound, up 8 1/4-cents on the week, 37 cents above that week a year ago, and the highest it’s been since late February. Barrel closed at $2.03, up a nickel on the week and 34 cents above a year ago. Three cars of each traded hands on the week. The lagging NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price hit $1.9281, up 3.3 cents. Barrel averaged $1.9077, up 5.3 cents.
Butter, following 21 consecutive trading sessions of gain, closed Friday at $1.50, up 3 cents on the week and three-quarter cents above a year ago. Only three cars traded hands. NASS-butter averaged $1.4123, up 4.3 cents. Nonfat dry milk averaged $1.3094, up 3.3 cents and dry whey averaged 26.38 cents, up 0.3 cent.
The folks at the California Milk Marketing Board are partnering with Chef Bret Thompson, the owner of MILK, an ice cream parlor and cafe in Los Angeles, to bring delicious and easy dairy recipes to everyone! The exclusive recipes can be found online – yum!
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Dr. David Miller, director of alfalfa research for Pioneer, talks about the importance of forage quality. Forage quality has several definitions, depending on whether you are a beef producer or a dairy producer. Forage quality cannot always be expressed through a number, but rather how well an animal will perform when it is fed alfalfa, says Miller. Achieving high forage quality starts with management – timing cuttings, looking at weather forecasts and baling or chopping techniques. 
