Posted: May 7, 2009 at 11:08 am
By Amanda Nolz
I have to give props to anyone in the dairy industry. On average, dairy farmers are losing $5 per cow every single day. I can imagine that’s hard to wake up to in the morning, and undoubtedly, milking chores have become a lot less fun. To me, dairy farmers are our nation’s heroes, and I’m sorry that you are hurting right now. This story, “Dairy Famer Dumps Milk to Draw Attention to Low Prices,” was aired on Channel KARE 11 in Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minn. Unfortunately, dumping milk on the ground is a pretty sad way to get attention, but I thought I would share this on the blog today.
For Jan Morrow and her kids, dairy farming is a family affair. These days her family is hurting. Milk prices have plummeted since Christmas; dairy farmers taking the equivalent of a fifty percent pay cut compared to this time last year.
Morrow hears people say, “‘Well, you had record prices last year.’ Well we did, we also had record costs.”
She estimates her 50 cow farm near Cornell, Wisconsin is now losing $4000 a month. Like many dairy farmers she’s now borrowing money, going deeper into debt, just to feed her cows and pay her bills.
Read the entire article here.
Posted: May 7, 2009 at 11:06 am
By Amanda Nolz
Okay, dairy producers processors…I’ve got to ask. Why is Carrie Underwood on your payroll? These “Got Milk?” ads are paid for by the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), and although they are no longer in circulation, I continue to see them everywhere! Ever since her days on American Idol, we knew what Carrie Underwood stood for. She wore a “V is for Vegetarian” shirt while performing on the show, and after winning, she has been very vocal in the past four years in her stance against animal agriculture. She spoke to children on PBS kids about giving up meat as a part of a healthy diet, and she is a member of the Humane Society of the United States. Don’t know about their evil agenda? Check out Activist Cash to learn more. HSUS’ main goal is to abolish animal agriculture completely in the United States. They want animal liberation and an end to food production, and they are getting this accomplished. Think Proposition 2 in California. Of their past 20 ballot initiatives, HSUS has successfully passed 17! Now that’s dangerous power!
So, why is Carrie Underwood on the payroll? Why do I keep seeing her posters everywhere? I had one taken down in my highs chool back home, and I know of others that have done the same. Remember, we all have to stick together in agriculture, and dairy producers contribute to 17% of our nation’s beef supply! Did you know that? Let Carrie know you don’t appreciate her views, get her off country radio and let’s get rid of her milk campaign posters. They are incredibly degrading to me as a food producer.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to Dairy Management, Inc. for correcting me in that the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) sponsored this advertisement, not dairy producers through the checkoff program. Star power or not, no sector of agriculture should endorse this girl, but I appreciate Dairy Management, Inc. for correcting my error. Thanks again.
Posted: May 7, 2009 at 10:46 am
By Amanda Nolz
The Times-Standard announced an upcoming event, the 52nd annual District 1 Dairy Princess Contest. Tomorrow, three local women are competing for the honor of being crowned the new princess for 2009-2010 on Friday at the River Lodge. Kerilyn Ambrosini, Brooke Chrisler and Rachel Phillips, will vie for the Dairy Princess title, scholarships and awards. To learn more about these wonderful ladies, link here.
The contestants will be judged on poise, speaking ability, dairy background, community involvement and future plans. The winner of the contest will represent the dairy industry in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. She will succeed current Dairy Princess Alayna Renner of Ferndale, a senior at Ferndale High School who will be attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo as an agriculture science major this fall.
The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a social hour, dinner at 7:30 p.m., followed by the contest and coronation of the new Dairy Princess and alternates. Reservations are suggested. Door prizes will be included for attending guests. Tickets and sponsorships are available by calling 725-9497. Sponsorships for $60 include two complimentary dinner tickets and inclusion in the program. Dinner tickets are $25 each.
Posted: May 6, 2009 at 8:55 pm
By News Editor
What’s a “Moo Button?” The folks over at Canadian Moo invite you to visit their website and download their widget to help them reach the world record for the most moos in a 24-hour period on June 3, 2009. Join in the fun!!
Canadian dairy is made from one of our country’s most precious primary resources: 100% Canadian milk. It’s not just a source of 16 essential nutrients, it’s a source of pride.
Posted: May 5, 2009 at 9:01 pm
By News Editor
Twelve semifinalists have been named in Holstein Association USA‘s Distinguished Junior Member (DJM) competition. Established in 1922, this is the highest honor that can be given to a Holstein Junior member. The contest is open to any Junior member of the Association, ages 17 to 21.
The 2009 Distinguished Junior Member semifinalists are: Jessica Achen, Sauk Centre, Minn.; Robyn Bechtel, Martinsburg, Pa.; Danielle Brown, Dodgeville, Wis.; Kayla Demmer, Peosta, Iowa; Katie Donnan, Galway, N.Y.; Ty Hildebrandt, Hustisford, Wis.; Emily Lyons, Rockford, Ill.; Matt Mitchell, LaFollette, Tenn.; Kristin Natzke, Fond du Lac, Wis.; Curtis Rhoderick, Mt. Airy, Md.; Jenna Smith, Martinsburg, Pa.; and Parker Welch, Chestertown, Md.
“Though Rocky Top Holsteins is by definition a small operation, it is serving a huge role in determining my career path,” said Matt Mitchell in his Junior Project Story. “I am hopeful that combining my ‘real world’ education gained through operating my own dairy business with the academic insights gained through a college degree should uniquely position me to be a positive contributor in any phase of the dairy industry.”
In her Junior Story, Danielle Brown stated, “My plans for the future are and will always be rooted in the dairy industry. Whatever I am doing, I know I will be working hard to improve and maintain the lifestyle of farming and the industry.”
These twelve semifinalists will interview at the National Junior Holstein Convention, June 27-30 in Sacramento, Calif. From the group, six finalists will be chosen, and will receive annual renewed memberships to Holstein Association USA.
Contestants are judged on an entry book highlighting their Junior Holstein project work and involvement with activities, both in the Holstein and dairy industries, and their schools and communities.
“Holstein Junior members are among the most passionate and driven youth in the industry,” said Kelli Dunklee, Holstein Association USA Youth Program Specialist. “This impressive group of DJM semifinalists is no exception to that. Their high level of participation in Junior programs, knowledge of the dairy industry and sincere interest in agriculture make them extremely deserving recipients of this honor.
Posted: May 5, 2009 at 8:54 pm
By News Editor
The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) invites dairy producers from Wis. to their annual Dairy Day at Miller Park on Sunday, May 31, 2009. On Sunday, May 31, the 42,000 expected fans (a sell-out crowd) who visit Miller Park will have the opportunity to taste dairy products and walk away with a dairy-themed souvenir.
All active Wisconsin dairy producers will be offered discounted tickets in reserved sections. Options available include Terrace Reserved seats for $10.00 each (regularly $14) and Loge Outfield Box seats for $24.00 each (regularly $28). All active dairy producers were mailed a postcard with ordering instructions and a discount code. If you are an active dairy producer with an active license number and did not receive a postcard but would like to order tickets, contact WMMB at 1.800.383.9662 ext. 232 or e-mail producer@wmmb.org. Tickets for this offer must be purchased by April 30, 2009. Tickets are available in limited quantities, so call today! Tickets are not available for this program at the ticket windows or from the Brewers Website.
Dairy Day will start with what’s gearing up to be a mini-festival outside the gates of the park. Prior to game time, a number of Wisconsin companies will offer product tasting of their milk, ice cream flavors and cheese.
The fun and education will continue inside. Each person who walks through the gate will receive a collectible bobblehead featuring MLB’s All Time Save’s Leader; Trevor Hoffman, complete with the Wisconsin Cheese logo. This collector’s item will remind people for years to come of the important role the dairy business plays in Wisconsin.
Posted: May 4, 2009 at 7:43 pm
By News Editor
North American cheese and butter makers are invited to showcase their all-Jersey milk products in the first North American Jersey Cheese Awards, July 2 in Syracuse, N.Y. The competition is being held during the joint meetings of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau, the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. Awards will be announced July 3 during the “Jersey Worlds Combine” festivities at Sycamore Hill Gardens, Marcellus, N.Y.
There is no fee to enter the contest, or a limit on the number of varieties that a cheese maker can enter. Entries will be accepted through Monday, June 15, and products must be received at the contest location on or before July 1.
The contest is modeled after the highly successful World Jersey Cheese Awards, the first breed-specific cheese competition held last May in Jersey during the International Conference of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau. Judges will provide an objective assessment of all entries, which must be made from exclusively Jersey cow milk. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards will be given in 17 classes for cheeses, and a single class for Jersey cream butters.
Gold Award cheeses from each class will then go forward for the best in show class. A trophy plate designed by the artisans at Jersey Pottery, the world-renowned ceramics house, will be presented to the maker of North America’s Best Jersey Cheese.
Members of the judging panel will include:
Charles Lindberg, a Supervising Dairy Products Specialist with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets who has worked with cheese and other dairy products for 27 years. In addition to dairy product inspection and safety assurance duties, he is chief judge of the New York State Fair Dairy Products Competition. He has also served as a judge at several past United States and World Championship Cheese Contests.
Eric Dutton, who worked for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Milk Control as a Dairy Products Specialist for 35 years. He retired as a Regional Supervisor. Along with his regulatory work, Dutton was a New York state cheese grader and one of the founders of the New York State Fair Dairy Products Contest. He also served as a grader and grading instructor for various Department cheese quality improvement programs over the years.
Debbie Groom, agribusiness and farming writer for The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.
Classes
1. Fresh and cream cheese, plain
2. Mold ripened soft or unpressed cheese, plain
3. Soft or unpressed cheese, ripened, plain
4. Blue vein cheese, any variety, uncut
5. Continental style hard cheese, style to be indicated
6. British style hard cheese, style to be indicated
7. Continental style semi-hard cheese, style to be indicated
8. British style semi-hard cheese, style to be indicated
9. Very hard cheese
10. Rind washed cheese
11. Smoked cheese
12. Flavoured cheese, sweet
13. Flavoured cheese, savoury
14. Reduced fat cheese, fat percentage reduction to be indicated
15. Hard cheese produced on farm/dairy with a total output not exceeding a weekly average of two metric tons (4,400 pounds), i.e., farmstead produced
16. Semi-hard cheese, farmstead produced
17. Soft cheese, farmstead produced
18. Jersey cream butter, any style
For more information on the Awards competition and festival and to submit entries, contact Dr. Cherie L. Bayer, North American Vice-President for the World Jersey Cattle Bureau, at (614) 861-3636; Russell Gammon, Executive Secretary of Jersey Canada, at (519) 821-1020; or contest superintendent Sarah Mullen, Customer Service Coordinator with National All-Jersey Inc., at (614) 266-6916 or email smullen@usjersey.com.
Posted: May 4, 2009 at 7:36 pm
By News Editor
The board of the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), funded by U.S. milk processors, has announced the appointment of Vivien Godfrey as chief executive officer of the organization, which manages the award-winning and iconic National Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign. Godfrey replaces Kurt Graetzer, who is retiring from MilkPEP after leading the program for the past 14-plus years in its 16-year history. Godfrey’s first official day as CEO is May 11.
Godfrey’s experience includes an extensive period of strategic consulting with McKinsey & Company in London and Toronto; high-level consumer goods marketing and advertising experience with Diegeo Plc.; and U.S. dairy credentials as CEO of Haagen-Dazs North America (The Pillsbury Co.) from 1996-2000. Since 2000, Godfrey has managed her own business, Far Horizons LLC, a marine data retailing company. Godfrey grew up in London, England, and lived in four countries before moving to the United States in 1992.
Said Godfrey, “I’m thrilled to be taking the reins of this great program, at what is a pivotal time for milk. This program and the hard work of milk companies over the past decade have built the foundation for milk as a competitive, contemporary beverage in the United States. Now the program is ready to take steps toward a longer-term, strategic vision. This will allow the milk industry to more fully leverage the program, keep it relevant and fresh, and make it even more effective.”
Godfrey added her perspective on the importance of the program in a highly competitive beverage marketplace. “There’s no question that milk’s voice might easily be drowned out without this excellent program. The campaign is highly recognized by the retail trades and other milk customers, as well as moms, teens and other key audiences — there’s a lot of positive energy behind milk.
Posted: May 1, 2009 at 12:11 pm
By Chuck
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Cheese trading at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ended April on a down note. The blocks closed Friday at $1.1525 per pound, down 2 3/4-cents on the week, 78 3/4-cents below a year ago, and just 2 1/4-cents above the support price.
The barrels closed Friday at $1.0875, down 2 cents on the week, 84 1/4-cents below a year ago, and 1 1/4-cents below support. Fourteen cars of block traded hands on the week and 15 of barrel. The lagging NASS-surveyed U.S. block price average slipped to $1.2482, down 2.9 cents from the previous week while barrel averaged $1.1781, down 7.1 cents.
Cash butter closed Friday at $1.23, up three quarters on the week, but 21 cents below a year ago. Only three cars were sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.1645, down 0.9 cent. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged 82.21 cents, up 0.3 cent. Dry whey averaged 20.68 cents, up a half-cent.
Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Friday at 87 cents per pound, up a half cent on the week, and Extra Grade closed at 85.5 cents, also up a half on bids.
Price support purchases for the week totaled 5.1 million pounds of nonfat dry milk, raising the cumulative total to 230.9 million so far for the year.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
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