During DFA’s annual banquet, seven Members of Distinction were recognized for their vision, leadership and innovation in the dairy industry. The 2009 honorees, one from each of DFA’s regional areas, include Gillins Dairy, Inc., Minersville, Utah; Koepke Farms, Inc., Oconomowoc, Wis.; Koster Dairy, Comanche, Texas; Lumbra Dairy, Enosburg Falls, Vt.; Pine Tree Dairy, LTD, Rittman, Ohio; Tjaarda Dairy, Shafter, Calif.; and Tri-M-Valley Farm, LLC, Cane Hill, Ark.
Also honored were 11 scholarship recipients. Now in its second year, DFA’s Scholarship Foundation provides $1,500 awards to deserving students pursuing careers in the dairy industry. Awardees in 2009 include Brenda Arnold, Drexel, Mo.; Curtis Beidel, Springfield, Penn.; Tyler Boyd, Parrotsville, Tenn.; Amber Ettinger, Kinards, S.C.; Stephanie Heilman, Kittanning, Penn.; Rosemary Liskey, Harrisonburg, Va.; Benjamin Meyer, Linn, Kan.; Megan Schrupp, St. Paul, Minn.; Ashley Sears, South Deerfield, Mass.; Kira Tate, Larsen, Wis.; and Hannah Young, Clifton Springs, N.Y.
Retiring director Charles Beckendorf of Tomball, Texas, and Dave Parrish of Maricopa, Ariz., who recently retired as chief operating officer for the Western Area Council, were recognized at the banquet.
Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA) recently held it’s Annual Meeting in Kansas City, March 24-25. More than 1,200 members and industry guests attended the meeting.
Board Chairman Tom Camerlo kicked off the meeting with a look at the Cooperative’s key initiatives and how these activities are positioning DFA and its members to push through the industry’s current down cycle toward future success.
President and CEO Rick Smith presented a management report that explored the Cooperative’s progress during the past several years. He also detailed the strategic opportunities DFA is pursuing to help members hold strong despite economic factors hindering the dairy industry.
In addition to Camerlo and Smith, guest presenters and their topics included:
* Tom Gallagher, President and CEO, Dairy Management Inc. – “Dairy Promotion: Driving Sales and Demand for Today and Tomorrow”
* Jerry Kozak, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation – “Issues and Opportunities Facing Producers in 2009”
* Eduardo Tricio, President, Grupo LALA – “Innovation in the Dairy Industry: The LALA Story”
* Henry van der Heyden, Chairman, Fonterra Cooperative – “View of the Global Dairy Industry: A Partner’s Perspective”
Also during the meeting, DFA reported 2008 financial results. The Cooperative had a strong year financially with record revenues of $11.7 billion in 2008 and net income of $61.7 million. In 2008, the Cooperative marketed 61.2 billion pounds of milk and directed more than $7 billion dollars in milk payments to members.
“Although 2008 was a record year for the Cooperative, our results are delivered with mixed feelings,” Camerlo said. “We are proud of the Cooperative’s progress and achievements – and the individuals who contributed to these successes. At the same time, we are deeply concerned about our members and the economic influences shaping 2009.”
Record operating profits were helped by the strong performance of DFA’s commercial division, Dairy Food Products Group, which represented 17 percent of consolidated net sales. Sales of milk comprised 77 percent of consolidated net sales in 2008. Revenues and cost of sales were significantly affected by fluctuations in milk prices, which were, on average, at record high levels in 2007 and declined in 2008.
The Cooperative also reported that its investment grade financial ratings from Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s were affirmed, reinforcing continual improvement of financial results.
Dairy Crest has taken a big step in easing its debt position by selling its 49% stake in yogurt group Yoplait Dairy Crest for £63.5m.
Following the sale, the dairy products group now expects its net debt at year end to be about £435m. Dairy Crest, whose brands include Country Life butter and Cathedral City cheese, said the sale was also consistent with its policy of focusing on core brands.
Trading remains in line with previous statements, the group said. The retail environment remains tough, Dairy Crest said, adding that it has been using promotions to grow volume.
Sales of Country Life butter, which has been helped by an advertising campaign featuring John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten of the band the Sex Pistols), and Clover are up by 25% to 30%, it said.
Cathedral City sales have increased approximately 10% by volume and 20% by value over the year, Dairy Crest said.
Speaking at a presentation for analysts, chief executive Mark Allen said Dairy Crest had not been adversely affected by a move to own label products as recession-hit consumers seek value. Volumes are down 4% in own label dairy products, but Dairy Crest has been lifting volumes, he said.
He added that the company had not had to use promotions more than anticipated, with 68% of goods sold at full price. The firm is coping with a decline in milk production in the UK by reducing the amount used as an ingredient in its products, he said, adding that it will reduce the total amount used by about 50m litres this year.
My neighbors up at Morris, Minn. are up to good things with their 12,000 dairy cow operation. They will soon be creating renewable energy for electric generation for Great River Energy. Two local dairy operations have installed anaerobic digesters in their facilities to help control methane emissions. Could this be the new wave for livestock producers? It keeps popping up in the news, and I think that soon, the sweet smell of success will be manure! I can picture it now… Here is an excerpt from the press release. You can read the full text at “Moo-ving and Shaking: Smart Dairy Farmers and Electric Co-Ops Make Hay with Manure.”
Great River Energy, Maple Grove, Minn., is the wholesale power supplier to 28 member distribution cooperatives across Minnesota. The distribution cooperative serving the Morris region, is Agralite Electric Cooperative. Riverview is the managing partner of West River Dairy and Riverview Dairy of MN. When the dairies decided to install anaerobic digesters, largely to convert dairy wastes into more valuable and manageable byproducts, a win-win situation emerged.
These anaerobic digesters are large, cement tanks outside the barn, mostly underground, which capture the cows’ waste. This step greatly reduces odor from the dairy operation. When manure breaks down, it creates a bio-gas, which is primarily methane. The methane rises to the top of the tank and is captured. Methane is a greenhouse gas which, when released into the atmosphere, is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Once captured, the methane is typically destroyed through “flaring,” during which it is burned through a flame that flares out the end of a pipe. The business earns carbon offsets or carbon reduction credits based on the amount of methane destroyed in the process, which is measured by a third party.
Hopes of a cheese price recovery suffered a setback early this week following a couple weeks of gains. However, Friday’s session ended on an up note with the block price closing at $1.29 per pound, after dipping to $1.25 on Wednesday. The Friday close was down a quarter-cent on the week and 52 cents below a year ago. The barrels closed at $1.2975, unchanged on the week, but 45 1/4-cents below a year ago. Thirty four cars of block traded hands on the week and 39 of barrel. The lagging, NASS-surveyed, U.S. average block price slipped 0.1 cent, to $1.2226. Barrel averaged $1.2768, up 4.6 cents.
Cash Grade A butter closed the week at $1.1875 per pound, up a half-cent on the week, but 17 1/4-cents below a year ago. Four cars were sold on the week. Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk jumped a penny and a quarter on an unfilled bid, to 84 1/2-cents per pound, while Extra Grade remained trading at 85 cents.
The NASS-surveyed butter price averaged $1.1603, up 2.4 cents. Nonfat dry milk averaged 81.83 cents, up 0.3 cent. Dry whey averaged 17.38 cents, up 0.9 cent.
Price support purchases for the week amounted to 6.3 million pounds of nonfat dry milk, raising the cumulative total so far to 205.4 million. USDA announced that it will direct 200 million pounds of powder to the school lunch program and food banks, with additional quantities possibly directed to foreign aid programs. There was no word on resurrecting the Dairy Export Incentive Program.
The world’s largest mozzarella producer has retained O’Neill Consulting Group LLC, a Wakefield-based executive search firm, to support the expansion of its manufacturing facilities in California.
In its partnership with Denver-based Leprino Foods Co., O’Neill Consulting will recruit 15 Front Line Managers for one of the company’s plants in Lemoore, California. According to Jim Nellis, Director of Client Development with OCG, the largest of Leprino’s 10 domestic facilities, the Lemoore West plant, will increase production by 66%. These roles are critical to a seamless transition.
Leprino Foods supplies cheese to most of the United States’ nationwide pizza chains — including Domino’s, Papa John’s and Pizza Hut — as well as many major food manufacturers and distributors. Its annual sales of cheese and other dairy products top $2.4 billion.
The company’s Lemoore West facility —one of the largest mozzarella manufacturing facilities in the world — processes six million pounds of milk each day in the production of cheese, whey and lactose products. Upon completion of this phase of the expansion in 2009, the facility will process ten million pounds of milk each day setting the stage for the state of California to overtake Wisconsin as the largest producer of cheese in the United States.
The USDA and Agricultural Secretary Vilsack announced today that 200 million pounds of nonfat dry milk will be directed to the federal school lunch program and to food banks, helping low-income families and dairy farmers hit by high feed costs and low prices. Additional quantities of powdered milk may also be directed for use in foreign food aid programs. The movement of the powdered milk out of USDA storage will eliminate a source of surplus dairy products that could overhang commercial markets and delay a recovery of dairy farm prices, which are, on average, below $1 per gallon this month.
An estimated 61 million Americans are affected by USDA’s nutrition programs. A record 31.8 million Americans receive food stamps.
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) thanked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to increase the use of surplus nonfat dry milk powder in feeding programs. NMPF said the move represents a “win-win scenario” that will benefit both dairy farmers and needy families across the U.S. suffering from the global economic downturn.
“This is an important first step taken by Secretary Vilsack to use the resources of the USDA to help address the economic crisis facing dairy farmers, who right now are suffering from punishingly low milk prices. Using government surpluses in a way that doesn’t displace commercial dairy sales benefits everyone served by these programs,” said Jerry Kozak, President & CEO of NMPF.
Kozak also thanked the many members of Congress who also had weighed in with the USDA, urging the agency to move aggressively to confront sagging dairy prices. He said that USDA should also consider using other tools at its disposal, such as purchasing additional quantities of consumer-ready dairy products, such as process cheeses and infant formula, for using in feeding programs through the so-called Section 32 program. He also renewed the request NMPF made in January to resurrect the USDA’s dormant Dairy Export Incentive Program, to help boost overseas sales of U.S. dairy products in certain markets.
Yesterday, I posted a call to action on AgWired, and the blog post was titled, “A Special Cause: Vote for ACMA Entertainer of the Year.” The HSUS is trying to slip one past country music fans by getting its members to secretly head on over and vote Carrie Underwood in as Entertainer of the Year. Underwood is a fan of the HSUS, and as we all know, that organization wants to eliminate animal agriculture and put us all out of business. Anyway, the blog post must have struck a cord with Carrie fans, and we already have 29 comments on this one blog entry! I need all dairy producers to head on over and weigh in on this discussion.
In the meantime, here is the link to vote for a different entertainer. (I voted for George Strait because he is a great performer, a member of PRCA, a competitive team roper and a supporter of agriculture.) Want to learn more about the sins of the Humane Society of the United States? Head to Activist Cash, where you can learn about the dirty laundry of all kinds of organizations. If you need a little more information on this situation, watch my YouTube video of my peaceful walkout of a Carrie Underwood concert at the National FFA Convention in 2006. Oh, and don’t forget to head on over to AgWired and add your comments in this heated discussion!
Stay tuned to World Dairy Diary for the latest news on this announcement.
On Thursday, March 26th at 1:00pm Eastern, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will hold a news teleconference call to make an announcement benefiting both the dairy farmers and domestic nutrition programs. Representatives from National Milk Producers Federation and Feeding America will also take part.
Many of you may have already seen the USA Today article on dairy farmer milk prices. If you haven’t, be sure to take the time to read it, and be sure to leave a comment at the end of the article.
Walt Moore, a dairy farmer in Pennsylvania is featured in the article, as well as in a nicely-done video. Thanks Walt for taking time to talk to the media!
Dairy farmer Walt Moore, 41, is general manager/owner of Walmoore Holsteins, in West Grove, Pa. He is a fourth-generation farmer whose family has worked the farm for nearly a century. “This is an unprecedented time,” Moore says of the decline in dairy demand.
The winners for the annual western regional Dairy Challenge contest, held February 27 and 28, 2009, have been announced. Forty-two students from six universities competed including California Polytechnic State University, California State University–Fresno, University of Idaho, South Dakota State University, Texas A&M University and Washington State University.
Team Coronado was the Platinum-ranking team, composed of students Matt Strickland from Fresno State University, Samantha Wahls from South Dakota State University, Shane Smith from the University of Idaho, and Luke de Jong Cal Poly State University.
The three Gold award teams were:
Big Bar
Trent VanLeunen, University of Idaho, Andy Gray, Washington State University, Desiree McIntyre, Fresno State University, Amy Odens, Cal Poly State University, and Conner Martin, Cal Poly State University
Indio
Lauren Reid, Fresno State University, Katie Maples, Texas A & M University, Jarred Mello, Cal Poly State University, and Maci DePaoli, Cal Poly State University
Firebaugh
Kayla Machado, Cal Poly State University, Tim Korver, South Dakota State University, Megan Bettencourt, Fresno State University, II Hun Jeong, University of Idaho, and Carrie Crane, Cal Poly State University
The six teams earning Silver awards were:
Stockton
Travis Kamper, Cal Poly State University, Chloe Dixon, Washington State University, Daric Ameye, Fresno State University, and Courtney Curti, Cal Poly State University
Suttercreek
William Van Beek, Cal Poly State University, Kelsey Blagg, Fresno State University, Amelia Naher, University of Idaho, and Kevin Hooley, Washington State University
Mendota
Luke Gallegos, Texas A & M University, Kassie Romero, Fresno State University, Eric Schultz, South Dakota State University, and Susan Buttram, University of Idaho
Napa
Richard Mayo, Fresno State University, Neal Frerichs, Texas A & M University, Amber Terhaar, University of Idaho, and Corey Zonneveld, Cal Poly State University
Gilroy
Abigail Wirt, South Dakota State University, Philip deVries, Washington State University, Joel Goedhart, Cal Poly State University, and Jeanene Russo, University of Idaho
Morro Bay
Jordan VanGrouw, Cal Poly State University, Melody Jaime, Fresno State University, Shay McDonald, Texas A & M University, and Andrew Nicholson, University of Idaho
Good luck to all the participating dairy students! Can’t wait to hear the results! Thirty-one universities from the United States and Canada will compete in the eighth annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, March 27-28 in Syracuse, N.Y.
The annual competition draws the best and brightest among college students enrolled in dairy science programs across North America to compete in a management analysis and recommendation program. According to contest co-chairs Michael Van Amburgh of Cornell University and Barry Putnam of Genex, 124 students will participate in this year’s contest.
Over the two-day event, they will visit selected dairy farms and evaluate the business through both observation and interviews with the herd owner and/or manager. Working in teams, they will identify management recommendations, then present these for evaluation by a panel of judges with expertise in herd management, animal health and ag business finance.
Currently, more than 120 sponsors support NAIDC contests, programs and activities. Sponsors include companies, organizations and dairy business owners committed to cultivating tomorrow’s dairy leaders. Their support encourages enhanced training and motivation of dairy students to be better prepared for the dairy industry’s future. Many sponsors take an active role in the contest, giving them an exciting recruitment opportunity where they get to meet some of North America’s brightest students and see them in action.
The mission of the North American Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) is to facilitate education, communication and an exchange of ideas among students, agribusiness, dairy producers and universities that enhances the development of the dairy industry and its leaders. Supported financially through generous donations by industry and coordinated by a volunteer board of directors, NAIDC has been held annually since April of 2002.
It’s been three years in the making, but it looks like the proposed Dairyland State Academy might have gotten a new pair of running shoes and will soon take launch. The Dairyland State Academy is a two-year associates degree that will focus on energy efficiency in dairies. The program would be based on Northeast Iowa Community College’s dairy science program at its dairy education and applied research center in Calmar, Iowa.
This degree would be transferrable to a four-year institution. I think it sounds like an amazing program to help jumpstart an individual into the dairy production and manufacturing world. The Wisconsin Ag Connection shares the news of the approved funding for this program.
The proposed Dairyland State Academy was given a much needed lifeline on Tuesday when the Marathon County Board voted to provide $1 million in funding to help buy farmland and classroom facilities for the project. Organizers of the central Wisconsin-based school, which would offer classes from Northcentral Technical College, the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County, UW-River Falls and UW-Madison, have been on edge lately after county supervisors postponed their decision to provide the money during recent board meetings.
According to Gannett Newspapers, board members didn’t approve the taxpayer funding without some lengthy discussion. One amendment to the resolution would have given the school incremental payments over a certain time period. But that idea was later dropped.
It’s a big week at South Dakota State University with Little International, the largest two-day livestock exposition run completely by students for students. Little “I” will be held on the SDSU campus March 27-28, 2009. As a member of the executive team, I’m keeping busy making sure things run smoothly, and that this year’s event is one for the books. This is a photo of me showing a bull last year during Little “I” competitions! (I know, it’s not dairy…I did get to show a dairy heifer in the Round Robin competition, though!) However, despite my busy and exciting week, I can hardly wait for next week when I head to the Central Plains Dairy Expo in Sioux Falls, S.D. on April 1-2, 2009!
This two-day trade show features nearly 200 all-dairy exhibitors and includes entertainment and seminars. This year cowboy poet and humorist Baxter Black will provide entertainment at the Welcome Banquet. Trent Loos, of Loos Tales, is one of the keynote speakers during Expo. On top of the exciting entertainment and dynamic speakers, I plan to listen in on the educational seminars that tackle the following topics titled: “Effective Safety Training For A Multicultural Workforce — What You Need To Say in Spanish and English,” “Outlook For Milk Prices,” “Is Competitive Advantage Shifting to the Central Plains?” and many more. I thought I would let you know this event is on my agenda for next week, in case you wanted me to take notes for you!
Interested? Meet me at the Central Plains Dairy Expo. If it’s not in the cards, don’t worry! I will capture the details with highlights as the event takes place. Stay tuned!
Jersey youth – don’t forget that Friday, June 5, 2009 is the deadline to enter the fourth edition of the national Jersey junior presentation competition, TalkJersey. All AJCA junior or lifetime Members, ages 7 through 20 as of January 1, 2009, are invited to enter either the live public speaking contest or the recorded presentation division. Judging will be held on Thursday, July 2 during the Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. at the DoubleTree Hotel Syracuse, Syracuse, N.Y. The contest entry form and evaluation scorecards are posted on the USJersey web site under the “Jersey Youth and Student Projects” heading.
Live Public Speaking
Demonstrations or speeches are to focus on any phase of the Registered Jersey™ business, including current affairs and dairy industry trends. Judges will evaluate the speaker’s personal interest in the topic, as well as its appropriateness for a general dairy audience.
Participants will be divided into groups by their age on January 1, 2009 as follows: Division I, 7 to 10 years; Division II, 11 to 13 years; Division III, 14 to 16; and Division IV, 17 to 20 years.
Division I contestants present demonstrations between four (4) and six (6) minutes in length. Posters may be used in addition to demonstration materials.
Participants in Divisions II, III and IV present speeches between five (5) and seven (7) minutes in length. Visual aids are not allowed. Speaker notes are permitted. No more than four (4) 4″ x 6″ notecards may be used. Judges will ask questions after each presentation is completed.
Contestants will be scored on the basis of 50 points, as follows: topic selection and content, 15 points; organization of speech, 10 points; vocal presentation, 10 points; presentation and effectiveness, 10 points; and response to questions, 5 points.
One (1) point will be subtracted from the total point score for each 30 seconds over or under the required speaking time.
Recorded Presentation Division
Entries are also invited for video or PowerPoint narrated presentations. This presentation must be the contestant’s own production and created between September 1, 2008 and June 1, 2009.
The topic must be a subject directly related to Registered JerseysTM. Entries must be between five (5) and seven (7) minutes long, and feature the contestant as the only speaker. No costumes may be used, and no interviews with other persons are allowed. Musical tracks or background music cannot be used in these presentations.
Entries will be divided into three groups by contestant age on January 1, 2009: Division I, ages 7 to 12 years; Division II, ages 13 to 16; and Division III, age 17 and older.
The finished presentation must be saved in PC format (not Mac) on either a CD/DVD, a flashdrive/thumbdrive, or as a VHS video. Entries must be received in the AJCA office by Friday, June 26.
With a theme of “Sustainability through data-driven decisions,” National Dairy Herd Information Association (DHIA) held its 44th annual meeting March 4-5, in Boise, Idaho. Session topics included milk recording, management and analysis, animal identification systems, genomics, dairy beef quality assurance, worldwide dairy update and new economic realities.
“National DHIA is not talking sustainability; we are continuing on long-standing actions toward sustainability,” stated Jay Mattison, CEO and administrator. “As we move into the coming years, there will be as many challenges for the dairy industry as ever. One constant is the sustainability into the coming years will be driven by data for decision making.”
For five consecutive years, the number of U.S. dairy cows on DHI programs has increased – from 4.071 million cows in 2003 to 4.478 million cows in 2008. National DHIA President Dan Sheldon shared this remarkable news with delegates, managers and guests during the association’s annual meeting. Services and products offered by field service providers, labs and dairy records processing organizations drove this growth.
In addition, Steven Sievert, DHIA Services technical director, demonstrated some key features of EarTagCentral.com, a web site that offers a wide variety of animal identification (ID) ear tags and ID accessories. Open 24/7 and providing more than 7,500 ID products, the site offers visual and electronic animal identification ear tags (in various styles, shapes, sizes and colors), taggers, readers and accessories, mainly for dairy and beef cattle, but also for sheep, goats and swine.
Delegates re-elected Kent Buttars, Rocky Mountain DHIA, Lewiston, Utah; Bob McKaig, Indiana State Dairy Association, Logansport, Ind.; and James Zimmerman, Dairy One Cooperative Inc., Ithaca, N.Y.; to serve as National DHIA board members. Other board members include Dan Sheldon, Dairy One Cooperative Inc., Salem, N.Y.; Lee Maassen, Dairy Lab Services, Maurice, Iowa; Steve Hershey, Lancaster DHIA, Manheim, Pa.; Richard Kimball, Vermont DHIA, Spencer, Mass.; Susan Lee, Idaho DHIA, Twin Falls, Idaho; Bruce Dokkebakken, Minnesota DHIA, Buffalo, Minn.; Jon Tollenaar, San Joaquin DHIA, Elk Grove, Calif.; and Steven Smith, DHI-Provo, Provo, Utah, as the Dairy Records Processing Center ex-officio board member. At the board reorganization meeting, all officers were re-elected: President Dan Sheldon, Vice President Lee Maassen, Secretary Steve Hershey and Treasurer James Zimmerman.
National DHIA, a trade association for the dairy records industry, serves the best interests of its members and the dairy industry by maintaining the integrity of dairy records and advancing dairy information systems.
The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) wants to remind you that milk is the leading source of vitamin D. Did you “Get Your D” today? Visit MilkPEP’s new website to find out if you are “D-prived”, to explore the latest scientific research about vitamin D, and to ask the expert – Ellie Krieger, Registered Dietitian and Food Network host.
Even though we have the ability to make our own vitamin D when the ultraviolet rays of the sun hit our skin, many Americans fail to get enough vitamin D. In fact, vitamin D deficiency in this country is being called a silent epidemic. The prudent use of sunscreen, sun-blocking pollution and long, cold winters indoors are partially to blame. That’s why it’s even more important to look to your diet for vitamin D.
Milk is one of the few food sources of vitamin D. In fact, it’s the leading source of vitamin D in the American diet. The recommended three 8-ounce glasses of lowfat or fat free milk provide 75 percent of the daily value for vitamin D. Milk also provides eight other essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium and vitamin A, which many Americans also lack.
Vitamin D was once known as simply a bone builder. It’s true that vitamin D works with calcium to keep bones strong, but new and emerging research suggests vitamin D may be far more versatile, offering an array of health benefits. Some preliminary research suggests vitamin D may support a healthy immune system, heart health, normal blood pressure and healthy aging. And, ongoing research continues to explore the potential connection between vitamin D and certain diseases, including some cancers.
This year’s conference will address current critical issues affecting the dairy industry, such as the fluctuations in markets and what lies beyond the current dip in prices. Keynote speaker Peter Luongo, former President and CEO of the Berry Company and current executive director of the Center for Leadership & Executive Development at the University of Dayton, will offer timely insights on effective executive leadership in challenging economic times. During his 33 year career with the Berry Company, Luongo not only “talked the talk,” but also “walked the walk” as he helped the company’s revenues grow from $75 million to $450 million during his final six years as head of the company.
“The 2009 Annual Conference features a terrific program this year with an impressive line-up of industry speakers. The Conference offers a unique opportunity for both proprietary and coop dairy processors, as well as numerous customers, suppliers and traders, to come together in Chicago to conduct business, network and to advance the overall interests of the manufactured dairy products industry,” stated Dale Kleber,
Chief Executive Officer, ADPI.
Over the course of two days, the ABI/ADPI conference will examine a variety of topic areas that include the dairy industry and consumption trends of the world’s largest dairy market in China (including a further look into the recent melamine scandals), policy updates from Washington, new dairy commodity futures and options products, and international whey products. The Tuesday lunch will feature Jeff Thredgold, President of Thredgold Economic Associates, who will help decipher the tangled maze of today’s economy.
Cash cheese prices continued to move higher early in the third week of March but ended on a down note. The block price crept up to $1.3050 but closed Friday at $1.2925 per pound, still 4 1/4-cents above the previous week, but 50 3/4-cents below that week a year ago. Barrel hit $1.37 on Thursday but plunged 7 1/4-cents Friday, to close at $1.2975, down two cents on the week, and 47 3/4-cents below a year ago. Twenty two cars of block traded hands on the week and 12 of barrel. The NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price slipped to $1.2233, down 3 cents. Barrel averaged $1.2308, down 2.7 cents.
Butter closed Friday at $1.1825, down a quarter-cent on the week and 20 1/2-cents below a year ago. Only two cars were sold all week. NASS butter averaged $1.1281 per pound, up 1.2 cents. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged 81.56 cents, up 0.1 cent, and dry whey averaged 16.49 cents, up 0.3 cent.
Great River Energy, Maple Grove, Minn., is the wholesale power supplier to 28 member distribution cooperatives across Minnesota. The distribution cooperative serving the Morris region, is Agralite Electric Cooperative. Riverview is the managing partner of West River Dairy and Riverview Dairy of MN. When the dairies decided to install anaerobic digesters, largely to convert dairy wastes into more valuable and manageable byproducts, a win-win situation emerged. 
Dairy Markets Week in Review
The world’s largest mozzarella producer has retained 
The 
Many of you may have already seen the 
The winners for the annual 
Good luck to all the participating dairy students! Can’t wait to hear the results! Thirty-one universities from the United States and Canada will compete in the eighth annual 
It’s been three years in the making, but it looks like the proposed Dairyland State Academy might have gotten a new pair of running shoes and will soon take launch. The Dairyland State Academy is a two-year associates degree that will focus on energy efficiency in dairies. The program would be based on Northeast Iowa Community College’s dairy science program at its dairy education and applied research center in Calmar, Iowa.
It’s a big week at 
Jersey youth – don’t forget that Friday, June 5, 2009 is the deadline to enter the fourth edition of the national Jersey junior presentation competition, TalkJersey. All AJCA junior or lifetime Members, ages 7 through 20 as of January 1, 2009, are invited to enter either the live public speaking contest or the recorded presentation division. Judging will be held on Thursday, July 2 during the Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. at the DoubleTree Hotel Syracuse, Syracuse, N.Y. The contest entry form and evaluation scorecards are posted on the USJersey web site under the “Jersey Youth and Student Projects” heading. 
With a theme of “Sustainability through data-driven decisions,” 
The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) wants to remind you that milk is the leading source of vitamin D. Did you “
The 