Posted: June 30, 2010 at 4:53 pm
By News Editor
The annual Holstein Association USA convention and annual meeting wrapped up on Tuesday, June 29 in Minnesota. New board members and Junior Distinguished Members were chosen. To find more highlights, visit the Association’s website.
Board Elections:
Re-elected to his second three-year term on the Holstein Association USA board of directors was Leroy Eggink, representing Region 6. Elected to their first three-year term on the board are Peter B. Waterman, Maine, for Region 1; Gayle M. Carson, Tennessee, in Region 4; and Corey Geiger, Wisconsin, for the At-Large position. Retiring from the board of directors this year are Gordon M. Cook, Jr., At-Large Director; John C. Kalmey, Ky., from Region 4; and William H. Peck, N.Y., of Region 1.
The six Distinguished Junior Member (DJM) finalists were named:
Jacob Brey, Wisconsin
Katie Hanehan, New York
Leah Henkes, Iowa
Megan Herberg, Minnesota
Benjamin Kinnard, Wisconsin
Maureen Lee, Wisconsin
California defeated Minnesota in the Junior Dairy Bowl finals. In the Senior Dairy Bowl competition, Pennsylvania bested the team from Washington to claim the title.
Source: Holstein Association USA
Posted: June 30, 2010 at 4:48 pm
By News Editor
The North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) board of directors elected three new members on June 21, 2010.
They are:
Chris Dei, regional sales manager with Diamond V, from Fresno, Calif. He has extensive dairy sales experience in California, having worked with 21st Century Genetics, Holstein Association USA, US Genes and Monsanto Dairy Business. Dei was fundraising chair for the 2010 NAIDC contest held in Visalia, Calif.
Amy te Plate-Church, National Alliance Manager for Genex Cooperative Inc., Shawano, Wis. Her professional experience combines youth educational programming with marketing and public relations to develop programs with allied industry partners and ultimately maximize profit for dairy producers.
Jon Robison, Professor in the Department of Dairy Science and Agricultural Education at California State University – Fresno. Dr. Robison is the enterprise manager for the CSFU Dairy Unit, served as advisor to the Dairy Club since 1996, and been coach of the school’s Dairy Challenge team since 2006.
They succeed retiring directors Cherie Bayer, American Jersey Cattle Association; Bruce Clark of Northstar Cooperative; and Gary M. Hay, Louisiana State University.
Barry Putnam, Genex, Ithaca, N.Y., will continue as Board Chair for a second year, with Luciene Ribiero, APC Inc., Visalia, Calif., serving as Vice Chair. Finance Chair is Rob Sheffer, Cargill Animal Nutrition, Albany, N.Y., with Coleen Jones, Penn State University, Craigsville, Va., assuming the position of Program Chair.
Continuing NAIDC board members are Devin Albrecht, Prairie State/Select Sires, Hampshire, Ill.; Owen Bewley, Prince Agri Products, Susquehanna, Pa.; Jean Conklin, Yankee Farm Credit and dairy producer, Haverhill, N.H.; Marcia Endres, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn.; Kas Ingawa, Dairy Records Management Systems, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.; Tami Tollenaar, Tollenaar Dairy, Elk Grove, Calif.; Michael Van Amburgh, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.; and David R. Winston, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va
Source: The North American Dairy Challenge
Posted: June 30, 2010 at 4:11 pm
By Chuck
The presenters for the Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010, sponsored by Alltech, got together for dinner this evening. I’ll be interviewing most of them over the next couple days.
To get a preview of what this conference is all about I spoke first with Sylvie Andrieu, European Ruminant Technical Manager, Alltech. She says that the initial idea for this conference came from the idea that most give you a “little bit of everything” instead of more in-depth information. So they’ve selected one central topic for all the presentations to focus on. In this conference the focus will be on rumen health. There are 250 registered participants and the hope is that they will go home with practical solutions.
Post Update: I didn’t have a photo of Sylvie when I first posted this but now I do after she presided over the first afternoon session.
You can listen to my interview with Sylvie here: Sylvie Andrieu Interview
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
Posted: June 30, 2010 at 8:20 am
By Chuck
Hello from Utrecht, Netherlands where I’ll be attending the 2010 Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech. Just got in this morning and after a short nap went for a walk. Right away I came to an outdoor market and was very pleased to see dairy products on display.
For lunch I had a really good brie and vegetables sandwich. I figure I’ll be eating pretty well the next couple days so it was strategic thinking to start out on the light side. Hopefully I’ll get to sample more of the cheeses made here in this region. I’ve just started a photo album for this event and have some photos from my walk in it: Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
This evening I’ll be attending a dinner for speakers and others involved with the Symposium and we’ll get started officially tomorrow morning.
Posted: June 29, 2010 at 4:40 pm
By News Editor
What’s fresh, tasty, wholesome and green? The milk from Michigan State University (MSU) Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center! For the second year in a row, the MSU dairy farm was the recipient of the prestigious platinum National Dairy Quality Award from the NMC.
The NMC only recognized seven dairy farms from across the country as worthy of receiving a platinum award for 2009.
“The MSU Dairy Farm is fortunate because its employees are really interested in the cows and dedicated to doing their individual jobs well,” Bob Kreft, farm manager said. “It’s a team effort – each member of the team has a role to play in producing milk of high quality.”
Kreft attributes the high quality of milk produced at MSU to clean, healthy cows and productive employees. Milk produced at the MSU Dairy Farm is sold through the Michigan Milk Producers Association, a farmer-owned cooperative based in Novi.
“Dairy farmers have a huge responsibility caring for their animals,” said Kreft. “Properly caring for the animals keeps the cows healthy and somatic cell counts down, which means the milk produced is of a higher quality.”
The same goes for farming the land and producing feed for the cows to eat.
“Taking good care of the land and crops means that the animals have access to higher quality feed, and this makes a big difference in animal health and production,” said Kreft. “It’s about providing the animals with a clean, sanitary place to live; quality feed and good care.”
The MSU Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center herd consists of 150 milk cows and 150 heifers and calves. Cows are milked twice daily and can produce an average of 28,000 pounds of milk per year – which is equivalent to 9.5 gallons or 85 pounds per day. The cows are all purebred Holsteins.
Source: Michigan State University
Posted: June 29, 2010 at 4:19 pm
By News Editor
More good news about dairy!
There is some new evidence that dairy foods could actually benefit heart health, for example by lowering blood pressure or reducing cholesterol levels, Dr. Eva Warensjo of Uppsala University and her colleagues note in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
To get a clearer sense of people’s intake of fat from dairy and heart disease risk, Warensjo and her team measured blood levels of two biomarkers of milk fat in 444 heart attack patients and 556 healthy controls. The substances, pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid, indicate how much dairy fat a person has been eating.
The researchers found that people with the highest levels of milk fat biomarkers, suggesting they consumed the most dairy fat, were actually at lower risk of heart attack; for women, the risk was reduced by 26 percent, while for men risk was 9 percent lower.
Based on the American Heart Association’s Heart Attack Risk Calculator, a normal-weight 60-year-old man with no risk factors for heart disease (such as smoking or diabetes) has a 6 percent risk of dying over the next 10 years; the current study suggests, therefore, that if this hypothetical man ate lots of dairy food, he would reduce his risk by about half a percent. For a woman, or someone at higher risk of a heart attack, the benefit would be larger.
Dairy foods contain a number of potentially beneficial substances, such as calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, Warensjo and her team note. They have also been shown to increase people’s levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.
“The exact mechanism behind these associations cannot be deduced from the present study, but the range of bioactive components present in the food matrix of milk products as well as associated lifestyle factors may all have contributed to the observed associations,” the researchers conclude.
The study was funded in part by the National Dairy Council/Dairy Management Inc., a trade group for the US dairy industry. Dr. Warensjo has been a paid speaker for the Swedish Dairy Association and the International Dairy Federation.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online May 19, 2010
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Posted: June 29, 2010 at 4:07 pm
By News Editor
A recent commentary by Megan Pierce, Dairy Herd Management, reflects on her visit to the grand re-opening of the Hilmar Cheese Company Visitor Center in Hilmar, Calif. Read on for her thoughts about the educational viability of this new visitor’s center.
Commentary by Megan Pierce:
If you’ve never had the delight of stopping by Hilmar Cheese I suggest you put it on the “to do” list for your next visit to California. Each year, the Visitor Center hosts thousands of guests from all around the world. More than 15,000 students visit annually and approximately 200 tours buses include a visit to Hilmar Cheese Company as part of their tour itinerary every year.
At the grand re-opening last week, Hilmar Cheese unveiled a new educational exhibit. Educating the public about where food comes from has been a part of who Hilmar Cheese has been from the very beginning, Richard Clauss, dairy farmer and co-founder of Hilmar Cheese told attendees.
The gap between consumers and dairy farmers is one that continues to grow. Less than 2 percent of the population today is involved in production agriculture. This means the challenge to educate the public where food comes from is going to be indescribably difficult in the future. “More people need to understand why we’re here,” explained A.G. Kawamura secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The new educational exhibit at Hilmar Cheese also meets two other needs – science education and tourism. “At a time when funding for science in schools is dwindling, this exhibit gives science a boost,” Lee Andersen, superintendent of Merced County School told attendees.
The exhibit is exactly what visitors to California are asking for – something that they can touch and feel and learn what California is all about, explained Shellie Cook, regional marketing manager for the California Tourism Commission.
In the new exhibit, visitors can experience how dairy farmers care for their animals through activities, like the “cow-comfort” bench which provides cushions made of actual bedding used on-farm. Dairy farmers’ recycling efforts are highlighted in a “Healthy Planet” section. Video is used to demonstrate dairy farmers’ contributions to the local economy. And visitors can “dress-up” like a farmer, a veterinarian or a cheesemaker. A touch-screen interactive game allows users to try their hand at milking a cow, taking all of the same safety precautions as dairy farmers do to ensure milk quality. The exhibit also includes a 3-foot by 5-foot detailed model of a modern dairy farm.
Dairy Management, Inc. cooperated with Hilmar Cheese on building the multi-sensory exhibit that spans 50-feet.
The educational exhibit panels and interactive kiosks were designed using a prototype created by Dairy Management, Inc, as part of its Dairy Farmer Image Program, which works to help narrow the information gap between dairy producers and the general public. The Image Exhibit Kit is now available from Dairy Management Inc., to other organizations to help them educate consumers on the origins of milk and the dairy industry. Hilmar Cheese plans to install a second educational exhibit at its Dalhart, Texas facility later this year.
Source: Dairy Herd Management
Posted: June 28, 2010 at 11:28 pm
By John Davis
The Milking Parlor podcast is sponsored by:
No new news to dairy producers across the country: the industry is being hit hard by historically low prices. In this edition of the Milking Parlor, we listen in to part of the news conference Secretary of Ag Tom Vilsack and Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney held during a recent joint USDA-Department of Justice hearing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Vilsack pointed out that, in the last 10 years, the dairy industry has gone from 111,000 dairy farms to fewer than 65,000… and it’s not because producers got more efficient. He wants to get to the bottom of what is devastating the dairy industry. Varney says they’re looking at what role the markets, such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, are playing in the price declines. But she’s not prejudging at this point and wants the hearings to run their course and show what the problem really could be. Vilsack added that, despite some reports, they don’t have a hidden agenda of reformulating the law regarding cooperatives… they just want to make sure producers are treated fairly, and rural America again becomes a great place where people want to live and work.
To subscribe to the Milking Parlor podcast, click here. Listen to or download this episode in the player below.
Milking Parlor podcast
Posted: June 28, 2010 at 6:51 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
The Associated Press picked up on a story out of Columbia, Missouri this past weekend about a Nebraska dairy farmer who found that spraying milk on his pastures improves the grass – and the cows love it.
The original story from the Columbia Daily Tribune came out of a small conference that was held in Linn, Mo., on growing thicker, more nutritious grass with milk. David Wetzel of Nebraska shared how he started a second career as a dairy farmer in 2002, making specialty butters and cheeses. Not having a use for skim milk leftover from processing the butter and cheese, he started dumping it on part of his pasture. Within a short time, the cows began to prefer the grass in that area, which was thicker and denser than in other parts of the pasture. Wetzel eventually set up test plots and found that those treated with milk grew about 1,100 more pounds of grass per acre than untreated plots, a 26 percent increase in yield.
More research is being done, but you can read more about feeding grass with milk here.
Posted: June 28, 2010 at 5:00 pm
By News Editor
Yakult, a drinkable probiotic yogurt brand, will be building a production plant in the U.S. This is the first American factory for the Tokyo-based Yakult Honsha Co. The plant is planned in Fountain Valley, Calif.
The facility, which will produce around 250,000 bottles of Yakult per day, is expected to begin operations in 2012.
“We are looking forward to the completion of the Yakult California factory since it will allow us to provide our product to more people across the country,” said executive vice president and COO Teruo Tabuchi. “Fountain Valley is ideal because it is in close proximity to Los Angeles, which is our biggest market now.”
Yakult USA will subsequently look to expand the drink’s coverage in the country beyond its current markets of California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico.
The company will continue to import the beverage from Guadalajara, Mexico, the closest plant to US borders, until the factory opens.
Source: Just-Drinks
Posted: June 28, 2010 at 4:54 pm
By News Editor
A taste of cow’s milk during the first two weeks of life may protect a child from later developing an allergy to the milk’s protein, a new study suggests.
The finding that giving cow’s milk very early in life might boost tolerance came as a surprise to lead researcher Dr. Yitzhak Katz of Tel Aviv University in Israel. He and his colleagues simply set out to improve on current estimates of the number of children with the allergy, and to determine how often it is accompanied by an allergy to soy. “We weren’t even looking for a risk factor,” he told Reuters Health.
Of 13,000 infants studied, the team found that 66 (0.5 percent) tested positive for the milk allergy — far fewer than would be expected based on previous population estimates of 1 to 3 percent, they note in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The researchers also found no link between cow’s milk and soy allergies, despite some earlier estimates that up to 1 in 3 children with the first allergy also suffered from the second.
But what his team found next most intrigued him. Infants who were first fed cow’s milk at the age of 15 days or more had 19 times the risk of developing cow’s milk allergy relative to those exposed earlier — during the first two weeks of life.
Due to common difficulties in digesting the sugar content of cow’s milk, some pediatricians have discouraged its introduction until a certain age, Dr. Kari Nadeau of Stanford University in California, who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health.
Now, it seems there might also be benefits to an earlier start. “It’s nice to know that if you do give small amounts of cow’s milk to children at an early age,” Nadeau said, “it could help prevent their immune system from later viewing this milk protein as a foreign substance and reacting unnaturally to it.”
She also cautioned that early feeding of cow’s milk is no guarantee that a child won’t get the allergy. “At any point in time, if a child starts developing a rash or vomiting to a food,” she said, “they should always get checked out by an allergist.”
Katz added that the findings should not be interpreted as discouraging breastfeeding. Rather, he recommends simply complementing it with cow’s milk early on.
“Let Dad enjoy some midnight infant bonding,” he said, “while he delivers a dose or two of cow’s milk protein.”
Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, online June 11, 2010; Reuters Health
Posted: June 28, 2010 at 4:49 pm
By News Editor
Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted one bid from Foremost Farms, two bids from Darigold, and five bids from Dairy Farmers of America bids totaling 405 metric tons (892,872 pounds) of Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack to the Middle East and Asia. The product will be delivered July through October 2010.
Since CWT reactivated the Export Assistance program on March 18, 2010, it has assisted members in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Gouda cheese totaling 17,645 metric tons (38.9 million pounds) to 22 countries on four continents. Total net tonnage reduced due to cancellations.
The Export Assistance program was reactivated when economic analysis indicated that sizeable cheddar cheese inventories overhanging the market are hampering a recovery in producer milk prices. Assisting CWT members in exporting American-type cheeses provides the most immediate way to positively impact producer milk prices in both the short-term and the long-term.
CWT will pay export bonuses to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.
Source: Cooperatives Working Together
Posted: June 28, 2010 at 1:14 pm
By Chuck
This is where I’ll be this week. The fifth annual Dairy Solutions Symposium put on by Alltech and the Centre for Animal Nutrition will take place this week and I’ll be there to cover it. It will be held at Utrecht University on Thursday and Friday. You can look for the first posts sometime on Thursday.
Rumen health is of critical importance for efficient transformation of dairy cows diets into nutrients. As such it is a major cause of economic losses in the dairy industry and important in maintaining the health and welfare of the animal.
This two day symposium, Rumen Health: A 360 degree Analysis, aims to bring together leading scientists in dairy nutrition to discuss a variety of topics including the impact of rumen pH on ruminal digestion, occurrence and prevention of sub-acute rumen acidosis, maintenance of an optimum rumen function and Ruminal adaptations during the transition period.
For you Twitter fans and I know there are a lot of you in the dairy business, follow the conference hashtag: #AlltechDSS
Posted: June 27, 2010 at 5:00 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Hundreds of dairy farmers attended a workshop Friday in Madison, Wisconsin on competition in the dairy industry held jointly by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Justice.
“This is the third session of these joint workshops which, from our perspective, have been and should continue to be a major success and an important example of government collaboration,” said Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney, opening the event with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We know that dairy farmers are concerned about a lack of choices for buyers, about the way that their milk is priced, and about a year of dispiriting returns for their labors. It is my hope that today’s conversations will allow us to bring attention and clarity to these issues, and help us to think hard about the role that the Department of Justice and the Department of Agriculture can play in promoting the health and competitiveness of dairy markets in these economic times.”
Panels at the workshop featured representatives from Congress, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, dairy producing states, industry organizations and farmers themselves. Both of Wisconsin’s U.S. senators attended the event. Senator Russ Feingold says he worked to ensure there was adequate time allotted for the public to participate and raise their concerns directly with administration officials. “These workshops are incredibly important because these officials are getting out of Washington and hearing directly from the family farmers, cheese makers and others whose lives and livelihoods have been impacted by consolidation within the dairy industry,” Feingold said. “I am particularly pleased the administration followed my suggestion to have two public comment sessions.”
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange and its role in price volatility was the target of several complaints at the hearing. Sen. Herb Kohl emphasized the need to make sure dairy pricing is transparent and expressed concerns about potential market manipulation. “The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has reported that the volume of cheese traded in Chicago generally represented less than 1 percent of all cheese produced in the U.S.,” said Kohl. “This is a situation where the tail, controlled by a few traders in Chicago, can wag the dog of the market for milk across the country. At a time when Americans’ trust in financial markets is low, relying on a market that can be easily manipulated should worry all of us. I call on CFTC and the CME to strongly monitor the spot cheese market. We must have market transparency that ensures a fair price for farmers.”
The purpose of the workshop was to gather testimony from dairy industry representatives, which will be taken back to Washington and discussed by the two departments to determine what, if anything, can be done to address producer concerns.
Posted: June 25, 2010 at 4:24 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
The Nebraska Corn Board is giving the state’s dairy industry a well-deserved pat on the back for increasing production in a challenging year.
According to the latest state ag statistics, the Nebraska dairy industry produced more than 1.2 billion pounds of milk last year, an increase over the previous year.
“The number of dairy cows in Nebraska totaled some 61,000 head, which is an increase over the prior year. Growth in the dairy industry is something few states can show, as the dairy markets struggled nationally and many states saw their cow herd numbers decline,” said Kelsey Pope, promotion coordinator with the Nebraska Corn Board. “We’re fortunate to have gained cows, as dairy farms provide a number of good jobs and gives a boost to the local economy. With June being Dairy Month, this is something to celebrate – perhaps with a tall glass of milk. The state’s dairy receipts totaled about $172 million last year, but the sector’s total impact is considerably higher because so many dollars circulate several times through the local economy. Everything from a strong tax base, to feed, veterinary care, equipment, trucking, milk processing and more, a strong dairy sector is good for the state.”
The Nebraska Corn Board has a publication to help dairy producers utilize corn co-products like distillers grains. The Utilization of Corn Co-Products in the Dairy Industry is available by contacting the board or on-line at NebraskaCorn.org.
Posted: June 25, 2010 at 1:21 pm
By Chuck
The cash dairy markets had little reaction to this week’s Cold Storage report. Block cheese closed Friday at $1.41 per pound, up a half-cent on the week, and 29 cents above that week a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.3950, up a penny on the week and 30 1/2-cents above a year ago. Only two cars of block traded hands on the week and six of barrel. The lagging NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price lost 1.7 cents, slipping to $1.4414. Barrel averaged $1.3909, down 3.6 cents.
Butter closed Friday at $1.72, up 8 1/2-cents on the week, 51 1/2-cents above a year ago, and the highest it has been since September 2008. Only six cars were sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.6012, up 2 1/2-cents.
Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk held all week at $1.25. Extra Grade lost a half cent, closing at $1.2450. NASS powder averaged $1.3059, up 0.2 cent, and dry whey averaged 37.18 cents, up 0.4 cent.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Posted: June 24, 2010 at 6:40 pm
By News Editor
The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today the agenda and panelists for the June 25 workshop examining competition in the dairy industry. The joint public workshop will build on the knowledge and experience of industry stakeholders, including farmers, processors, cooperative leaders and academics. This is the third in a series of five workshops intended to promote dialogue among interested parties and foster learning with respect to competition and regulatory issues in agriculture.
The workshop will be held in the Wisconsin Union Theater at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, 800 Langdon Street, Madison, Wis. Attendance is free and open to the public. The general public and media interested in attending the Wisconsin workshop should register here.
The workshop will begin with opening remarks and a roundtable discussion including U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division Christine Varney. Wisconsin Senators Herb Kohl and Russell Feingold; Representatives Ron Kind, Steve Kagen and Tammy Baldwin; Governor Jim Doyle; and Agriculture Secretary Rod Nilsestuen have all tentatively accepted invitations to join the roundtable discussion.
The workshop will continue with a session entitled, “Farmer Presentation of Issues,” as well as panels on “Trends in the Dairy Industry,” “Market Consolidation” and “Market Transparency.” There will also be two hours dedicated to public testimony, one immediately prior to lunch and the other at the end of the day.
Click here to see the full schedule.
Additional information, including submitted public comments and transcripts for past workshops can be found at the Antitrust Division’s agriculture workshop website. While no streaming webcast will be available, transcripts and video will be available for this workshop at a later date on the Antitrust Division’s website. Individuals seeking more information on the workshops should contact agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Posted: June 24, 2010 at 6:33 pm
By News Editor
Readers who are tweeps of World Dairy Diary already know that we are big fans of butter. It’s one of life’s little pleasures. Here’s an informative article about why choosing butter is a better choice for your health.
Regardless of which way you analyze this question, one point stands out. Butter is nature’s product and margarine is a substitute, a manufactured one. I’ve always been wary of substitutes and mindful of the immortal bard, Shakespeare, who said it well, “A substitute shines brightly as a king, until a king be by!”
Butter does contain more saturated fat than margarine and does have cholesterol. But cholesterol isn’t the devil it’s made out to be. It’s present in every cell of the body and 90% of our blood cholesterol is produced by our own liver. We would die without it.
History can also guide us in this debate. Saturated fats have been used for thousands of years as the main form of cooking oil. For instance, lard, used in China, butter in Europe, ghee in India and coconut oil in the tropics. The people of Okinawa are known for their longevity and their main cooking oil is lard.
The French diet is loaded with saturated fats and yet they have a low rate of coronary heart disease. In Canada, the Inuit diet is mainly meat and lard and they too have a lower rate of heart disease. Today there’s new evidence that saturated fat isn’t the bad guy it’s been portrayed as lately.
Let’s also consider how margarine is made. fie process is called “hydrogenation,” which makes liquid oils solid at room temperature. To do this, hydrogen is added to the oil, but this also creates trans fatty acids, not found in nature, which have been linked to heart disease. Today trans fats have been largely removed from margarine but it’s still a manufactured product.
Another selling point for margarine is that it contains healthy, essential omega-3 fatty acids. But few consumers know that not all omega-3 essential fatty acids are the same. For instance, margarine is made from plant sources such as soybean and canola oils. Several experts claim that these oils are not as good as the omega-3 fatty acids in fish.
I stopped listening to my cardiologist years ago. I don’t believe that the farmers’ hens and cows are responsible for the increased rate of heart disease. I think it’s a combination of human folly, such as the epidemic of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and general lethargy that’s become so much a part of our society.
One hundred years ago coronary attacks were rare. Dr. Paul Dudley White, Harvard’s renowned cardiologist, remarked that it was so infrequently seen then that other doctors would be summoned to the emergency when a case arrived so they could learn from the experience. Now you do not have to wait long in any major hospital to witness a coronary event. This should tell us something.
Source: Dr. Gifford-Jones; The Peterborough Examiner
Posted: June 24, 2010 at 6:22 pm
By News Editor
Congratulations to Heidi Hintz, 18, Flasher, N.D. for being crowned the 64th North Dakota Dairy Princess!
The title allows her to serve as the official goodwill ambassador for about 180 North Dakota dairy farmers during the next year.
Hintz is the daughter of Robert and Debra Hintz. She is a graduate of Flasher High School and will major in music education and agriculture at Dickinson State University. Hintz also received scholarships from the Milk Producers Association of North Dakota, Friends of Dairymen and Midwest Dairy Association.
Five candidates competed for the North Dakota Dairy Princess title. Nancy Leier, 19, of Hague, was named runner-up and Miss Congeniality. She is the daughter of Larry and Rosalind Leier and is majoring in agronomy at Bismarck State College. She also received scholarships from the Milk Producers Association of North Dakota and Friends of Dairymen.
Throughout her year-long reign as North Dakota Dairy Princess, Hintz will make appearances to educate consumers about dairy farmers’ commitment to providing wholesome milk and dairy products, and caring for their animals and the environment. She will visit classrooms to educate children on the importance of including dairy products in their diet every day.
Dairy princess candidates were judged on personality, knowledge of the dairy industry, enthusiasm for promotion and communication skills. The dairy princess program is sponsored by the state’s dairy farmers through the North Dakota Division of Midwest Dairy Association.
Source: Midwest Dairy Association
Posted: June 23, 2010 at 7:18 pm
By News Editor
Congratulations to Jayme Sellen for being named the Deputy Government Affairs Director of the Wisconsin Dairy Business Association (DBA), a statewide leader in advocating for progressive dairy farmers, cheese processors and allied industry partners.
“We are very excited to announce Jayme Sellen as the newest member of our team,” said Laurie Fischer, DBA Executive Director. “Jayme is highly regarded by those working inside the Capitol as well as on the Capitol square.”
Sellen has a degree from St. Norbert College where she studied Political Science, Business Administration and Philosophy. She also brings several years of experience working in state and county government, most recently working as the Legislative Assistant to the Brown County Executive, a position responsible for lobbying on behalf of all 30 county departments.
Jayme will work closely with DBA Government Affairs Director Dave Jelinski and DBA Executive Director Laurie Fischer to educate elected officials on the vital role agriculture plays in securing and growing jobs in the State.
Agriculture in Wisconsin provides over 60 billion dollars in economic activity each year. Our rural communities rely heavily on a healthy agriculture economy which is dependent upon the hard-working farm families who do everything possible daily to protect and enhance Wisconsin’s environmental resources.
Source: The Dairy Business Association
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