I thought I would highlight another great dairy blog for you to check out this weekend. It’s called, The Scoop, and it’s written by Ashley Messing, a senior dairy management and animal science student at Michigan State University. The Scoop is a blog that describes Ashley’s life in the dairy industry.
Ashley started this blog in 2007, and I had been following it in its early beginnings. I finally had the chance to meet her at the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. She is certainly a dynamic person that is truly passionate about the dairy industry. This is a great way to share with others the ins and outs of dairy production to those that might not understand this industry. Here is a little description from her blog. Be sure to check it out!
I would like to welcome everyone to my blog. I am an enthusiastic, animal lover who respects everything animals give the human race. I have a passion for working with cows and I want to show it to everyone. I encourage you to ask me questions because I am willing to share my knowledge, especially if you have a non-agriculture background!
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Cheese prices recouped some of the previous week’s losses the first week of March. Block closed Friday at $1.20 per pound, up 2 1/2-cents on the week, but 66 1/2-cents below that week a year ago when the blocks tumbled 20 1/2 cents. Barrel closed at $1.22, up 4 cents on the week, but 64 3/4-cents below a year ago. Forty three cars of block traded hands and 12 of barrel. The NASS U.S. average block price hit $1.2301, up 6 cents. Barrel averaged $1.2403, up 4.4 cents.
Butter inched a little higher, closing Friday at $1.1675, up 1 3/4-cents on the week, but still 15 1/2-cents below a year ago. Eighteen cars were sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.0931, up a penny. Nonfat dry milk averaged 81.92 cents, up a half cent, and dry whey averaged 15.68 cents, down 0.2 cent.
Price support purchases this week included 84,657 pounds of butter and 4.5 million pounds of nonfat dry milk.
In the proposal, submitted by NMPF and International Dairy Foods Association, large producer-handlers bottling more than 450,000 pounds of milk per month would no longer be able to circumvent minimum pricing and region-wide pooling provisions. The USDA said on Feb. 6 that it is considering initiation of a formal rulemaking proceeding that could include a public hearing to collect evidence regarding the proposed changes.
In its petition to USDA on Jan. 30, NMPF expressed its belief that all milk bottlers across the country should be regulated under the same rules, based on their impact on the market, and the rules need to be adjusted in light of the growing number of huge mega-farms that can exploit a loophole in milk pricing regulations.
State Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter) has introduced a bill that will dictate antibiotic use in animal agriculture in California. Senate Bill 416 would prohibit a school or school district from serving poultry and meat products treated with antibiotics. Additionally, the bill seeks to prohibit the use of antibiotics for nontherapeutic and prophylactic use in animals raised for human food production.
According to an American Farm Bureau Federation press release, legislation introduced today to prevent a “cow tax” on farmers and ranchers is both “timely and critical.”
In a letter to the bill’s sponsors, Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), AFBF commended their bipartisan efforts and said the organization would work with them to ensure that the legislation gains broad support.
The Thune-Schumer bill would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing Title V operating permits on U.S. agriculture operations under the Clean Air Act. Those permits automatically result in mandatory fees.
If EPA were to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) under the act, as the agency indicated it was considering last year in an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, AFBF calculated that it could cost farmers and ranchers $175 per dairy cow, $87.50 per beef cow and $21.87 per hog. The fees were arrived at using publicly available government data.
“The concerns farmers raise are real,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “They are all the more pressing now as the agency is reportedly looking at potentially regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.”
AFBF brought attention to the potential operating fees last year when EPA’s proposed rulemaking was published, along with a statement by the Agriculture Department that it would result in increased regulation of farming operations. The reaction from farmers and ranchers across the country was swift and widespread, leading to the legislators’ commitment to work on legislation.
Posted: March 4, 2009 at 7:06 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Spring alfalfa planting is just around the corner. David Miller, director of alfalfa breeding at Pioneer, discusses some factors to take into consideration before putting the seed in the ground. Miller looks at seedbed preparation, planting depth and soil quality recommendations.
The Animal Science Monitor is a great e-newsletter that I’ve been receiving for years. It was created by experienced industry recruiters Dan Simmons and Don Hunter. Check out all of their community sites: website, Facebook, and LinkedIn; and don’t forget to sign-up for their newsletter!
Dan and Don have a combined total of over 30 years of recruiting experience, and they have placed candidates in a wide range of positions within the animal science industry. They possess the expertise, experience, and most importantly, the opportunities to help you realize your career-related goals and objectives.
Dairy producers and managers faced with depressed milk prices can share ideas and find solutions for managing through the current environment at dairy roundtable meetings hosted by the Center for Dairy Excellence with Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Penn State Dairy Alliance. Although participation is free, reservations are required. Any dairy producer interested in attending should contact the Center for Dairy Excellence at 717-346-0849.
Three meetings are slated this month in Blair, Centre and Lancaster counties, featuring business experts from Farm Credit. The meetings are free of charge and lunch is provided.
“The current economic situation in the dairy industry has put many of Pennsylvania’s dairy farms in jeopardy,” said John Frey, executive director of the Center for Dairy Excellence. “The meetings will bring producers together to share ideas on managing their dairies through this downturn and how to improve short-term and long-term cash flow.”
The meetings dates and locations are:
* Tuesday, March 17, from 10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Celebration Hall, 2280 Commercial Boulevard, State College, Pa.
* Thursday, March 26, from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Martinsburg Airport, 2 Airport Drive, Martinsburg, Pa.
* Monday, March 30, from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, Pa.
The animal rights activists are at it again, busy making another dramatic documentary to show consumers the “evils” of livestock production. The documentary is titled, “Death on a Factory Farm,” and this 87-minute documentary will air on HBO beginning March 16, 2009. This is the provided excerpt that describes this upcoming film…
A year ago, we were sickened by animal-cruelty allegations at the Hallmark/Westland meatpacking plant in Chino, Calif. Now, another undercover expose has occurred at an Ohio hog farm – and will be shown to viewers of Home Box Office repeatedly in March. The film originated with a group known as the Humane Farming Association. HFA turned to a young man named “Pete” who makes his living doing undercover investigations of suspected animal cruelty. Pete obtained a job at the farm, and the film shows his investigation over the course of six weeks, during which time he used a hidden camera to document numerous disturbing scenes: piglets being hurled across a room into a crate where they crash into each other or onto the floor; an unhealthy piglet being taken by the feet and slammed against a wall to euthanize it; impregnated sows crammed into pens that don’t allow them to move for up to 116 days, and finally, a sick hog being hung from a forklift by a chain, where it is seen convulsing for five minutes, according to a public-relations representative for the documentary.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the media highlighting the bad apples in food production. I want to see a documentary of the farmers that work everyday caring for the animals and helping the environment. I was so excited to see just that in this 30 second clip of a dairy farmer that truly cares about food and the planet. Check out this Public Service Announcement, and tell me what you think about it! We need more positive reinforcements like this one to counteract the negative ones like this documentary on HBO. We need to team up in animal agriculture and stand up for what is right!
I don’t usually need an excuse to order a pizza, but if you do – here’s your perfect one: it supports dairy farmers! Domino’s Pizza®, partnering with dairy producers through their checkoff investment, has launched six new specialty pizzas called American Legends™. Each pizza uses up to 40 percent more cheese than a regular Domino’s pizza, making the potential additional cheese sales more than 10 million pounds of cheese annually, using more than 100 million additional pounds of milk.
If you need any more incentive to order one of these pizzas today, an online coupon is available – click here to get it!
Through the Domino’s partnership and other checkoff efforts, dairy producers are helping to build pizza sales for the short and long term. Pizza sales directly affect cheese sales — more than 25 percent of total cheese sales is used on pizzas … representing more than 2.5 billion pounds of cheese annually and more than 25 billion pounds of milk used each year.
Dairy producers are investing $12 million over two years to support the partnership that will help raise consumer awareness of the new pizzas through advertising, public relations, local market promotions, and communications activities. Domino’s will invest four to five times the dairy producers’ investment for menu development, in-store staff training, advertising, online, and promotion materials — including a newly designed pizza box that credits dairy producers for supplying great-tasting, quality cheese — among other efforts.
Domino’s recently unveiled the specialty pizzas through its new American Legends™ pizza line. The pizzas, which are inspired by unique tastes found throughout the country, are permanent menu items at the chain’s 5,000 U.S. locations. The pizzas feature premium toppings, including six types of cheese and cheesy crusts:
Honolulu Hawaiian, which consists of sliced ham, smoked bacon, pineapple, and roasted red peppers with Provolone and Mozzarella cheeses on a cheesy Parmesan crust. Customers can add Tabasco® pepper sauce and jalapenos for some extra “fire.”
Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch™, which consists of chicken breast, white sauce, smoked bacon, tomatoes, and parsley with Provolone and Mozzarella cheeses on a cheesy Parmesan crust.
Pacific Veggie, which consists of roasted red peppers, spinach, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and black olives with Feta, Provolone and Mozzarella cheeses on a cheesy Parmesan crust.
Memphis BBQ Chicken, which consists of chicken breast, barbecue sauce, onions, and parsley with Cheddar, Provolone and Mozzarella cheeses on a cheesy Parmesan crust.
Buffalo Chicken, which consists of chicken breast, buffalo hot sauce, onions, and parsley with American and Provolone cheeses on a cheesy Cheddar crust.
Philly Cheese Steak, which consists of steak, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms with American and Provolone cheeses on a cheesy Provolone crust.
The dairy industry has unveiled a major initiative to help reduce on-farm expenses while meeting a growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products. The industry-wide effort focuses on the fluid milk value chain — from farm to table. It includes a series of projects that will reduce energy, increase efficiency and help dairy producers tap into new sources of income.
The announcement was made by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, an organization bringing together leaders from across the dairy value chain. The industry-wide group includes producer organizations, dairy cooperatives, processors and manufacturers such as Hilmar Cheese Company, Leprino Foods, Dairylea Cooperative Inc., Anderson Erickson Dairy, Land O’Lakes and Dairy Farmers of America.
As part of the initiative, 12 project plans were unveiled that offer a range of solutions for operations large and small across all industry segments. Some of these projects take advantage of existing practices, while others are technological innovations that require longer time frames and financial commitments for research and development.
“During these difficult economic times, it is especially important to address both short- and long-term solutions that ensure the health and strength of our industry,” said Thomas P. Gallagher, chief executive officer of the Innovation Center and Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff program on behalf of the nation’s dairy producers. “By identifying practical and effective methods to increase business value and reduce dairy’s carbon footprint, we ensure the viability and sustainability of U.S. dairy producers and the dairy industry,” he added.
The project plans have the potential to create a conservatively estimated $238 million in business value and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 3.2 million metric tons — equivalent to taking more than half a million cars off the road every year.
Solutions include identifying and implementing energy-saving best practices across all value chain segments, removing barriers to the adoption of methane digesters, and implementing pilot programs to test alternatives to thermal pasteurization for raw milk and reduced-temperature clean-in-place technologies.
The All-American Dairy Show is accepting nominations for the 2009 Obie Snider Award through May 30. The award was established to honor a dairy industry leader who follows in the footsteps of Snider’s character, ethics, service, leadership and professionalism. Nominations are due by May 30.
The award will be presented at the 46th All-American Dairy Show, Sept. 19-24, themed “Aiming for the Stars.”
“Obie’s leadership and vision for the All-American Dairy Show set the tone for a high-caliber event that showcases the best dairy animals in North America, and serves a place for dairy enthusiasts to gather,” said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. “Year after year, the show continues to grow in numbers, along with increased focus on youth activities and improving dairy genetics. Obie would be pleased to see his legacy live on through this show in which he invested so much.”
Past winners of the award are Donald Seipt of Easton, Pa., Creedin Cornman of Carlisle, Pa., David Patrick of Woodbine, Md., Berneta Gable of New Enterprise, Pa., and the 2008 winner was Dieter Krieg of Lititz, Pa.
I like to keep up-to-date on the news, trends, developments and consumer perceptions of the dairy industry. I often stop by blogs that are starting conversations about dairy production, and I found one today worth noting. The blog is called A Pictorialist Blog, and the writer is a photographer from Brooklyn, NY. She has just returned to vegetarianism, and is making the next step towards veganism. Here is an excerpt from her latest blog entry, “Milk.”
Pregnancy, lactation…are all of the nine million dairy cows across the country pregnant? For how long are they able produce this milk? Do their lives really only consist of standing in stalls, getting mechanically milked, and giving birth over and over again? I had to find out. Well, with some investigation…I discovered that it is a 12 – 15 month revolving process that includes insemination, birth, and lactation. After the milk stops being produced cows are re-impregnanted over and over again– until they are infertile and die. This just seems wrong. I’m going to farther my efforts to reduce dairy intake, until reaching a completely non-dairy lifestyle. I believe we vote with our money — I vote for soy, and against inhumane milk production.
As dairy industry professionals, it might be worth your time to take five minutes out of your day to leave a comment to this blogger. Tell her about your life in dairy production. Explain to her the reasons behind your practices. Provide her with a few links on dairy cattle and dairy nutrition. Be kind, be respectful, share the science and show your emotions. We could just change this New Yorker’s mind about dairy. Good luck!
I thought I would highlight another great dairy blog for you to check out this weekend. It’s called, The Scoop, and it’s written by Ashley Messing, a senior dairy management and animal science student at Michigan State University. The Scoop is a blog that describes Ashley’s life in the dairy industry. 
Dairy Markets Week in Review
According to an American Farm Bureau Federation press release, legislation introduced today to prevent a “cow tax” on farmers and ranchers is both “timely and critical.”
Spring 
The 
Dairy producers and managers faced with depressed milk prices can share ideas and find solutions for managing through the current environment at dairy roundtable meetings hosted by the 
I don’t usually need an excuse to order a pizza, but if you do – here’s your perfect one: it supports dairy farmers! 
The dairy industry has unveiled a major initiative to help reduce on-farm expenses while meeting a growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products. The industry-wide effort focuses on the fluid milk value chain — from farm to table. It includes a series of projects that will reduce energy, increase efficiency and help dairy producers tap into new sources of income.
I like to keep up-to-date on the news, trends, developments and consumer perceptions of the dairy industry. I often stop by blogs that are starting conversations about dairy production, and I found one today worth noting. The blog is called