Posted: July 6, 2010 at 11:24 am
By Chuck
One of our presenters at the Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech focused on the issue of sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) in grazing dairy cows. Finbar Mulligan is from University College Dublin, Ireland.
He was presenting some new research on this subject. He found that diet is important and that you shouldn’t assume that because grazing cows may be eating more forage they automatically have an adequate ruminal pH. The study found about a 10 percent incidence of SARA which is similar to other studies. He said that the symposium has brought out how much difference of opinion there is on this subject such as whether or not there are different types of SARA, that they’re only related to grain or starch diet overload or some other factor.
Finbar Mulligan Interview
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
Posted: July 5, 2010 at 4:28 pm
By Chuck
Do you love cheese? Love wine? Want to know which ones go with which? There’s an iPhone app for that and it’s called Wisconsin Cheese Cupid. Get the app here.
What cheese goes with your wine? What beer goes with your cheese? These questions can finally be answered with Wisconsin Cheese Cupid. With this handy dandy iPhone and iPod Touch application, pairing a cheese with a like-minded beverage has never been easier or more fun. Bon appétit.
FEATURES
• Pairs wine, beer, and liquor with appropriate cheeses.
• Filters by beverage category (e.g., Red Wine) and beverage style (e.g., Merlot).
• Offers correct pronunciation of every cheese, beer, wine, and liquor.
• Cheese selector spotlights appropriate Wisconsin Cheese.
• Includes culinary information about selected Wisconsin Cheese.
Posted: July 3, 2010 at 1:27 pm
By Chuck
The June Federal order Class III milk price was announced Friday at $13.62 per hundredweight (cwt.), up 24 cents from May, $3.65 above June 2009, and $1.39 above California’s comparable 4b price. The 2010 Class III average now stands at $13.58, up from $10.19 at this time a year ago, but compares to $18.26 in 2008.
Class III futures portend more gain to come. The July contract settled Thursday at $13.51, August at $14.34, and September at $14.87, with a peak of $14.85 in October before the seasonal downturn.
The Class IV price is $15.45, up 16 cents from May and $5.23 above a year ago.
The NASS-surveyed cheese price averaged $1.4475 per pound, up 2.2 cents from May. Butter averaged $1.5946, up 1 1/2 cents. Nonfat dry milk averaged $1.2631, up 1.1 cent, and dry whey averaged 36.88 cents, up fractionally.
California’s June 4b cheese milk price is $12.23, down 17 cents from May but $2.71 above a year ago. The 2010 average now stands at $12.29, compared to $9.84 a year ago. The 4a butter-powder price is $15.26, up $1.31 from May, and $5.20 above a year ago.
The cash block cheese price closed June Dairy month at $1.4550 per pound, up 4 1/2-cents on the week and 34 cents above a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.40, up a half-cent on the week, and 30 cents above a year ago. Ten cars of block traded hands on the week and three of barrel. The NASS U.S. average block price lost 3.6 cents, dipping to $1.4063. Barrel averaged $1.3885, down 0.2 cent.
Cash butter closed Friday at $1.75 up 3 cents on the week, 55 3/4-cents above a year ago, and the fifth consecutive weekly increase. Only one car was sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.6478, up 4.7 cents.
Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk lost 2 cents on the week, closing Friday at $1.23. Extra Grade held all week at $1.2450. NASS powder averaged $1.2159, down 9 1/2-cents, and dry whey averaged 36.34 cents, down 0.8 cent.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Posted: July 2, 2010 at 3:40 pm
By News Editor
The farm community’s social media presence is gaining recognition. Have you told your dairy farm story today? There are many tools to help you become active on social media.
When a video of dairy cows being punched and prodded with pitchforks was recently released by an animal rights group, it made the rounds on YouTube and generated the expected angry responses.
But it also raised a flurry of outrage from another corner of the Internet: Farmers fought back, blogging, tweeting, uploading their own videos and chatting on Facebook to defend their industry and explain the abuse did not represent their practices.
Growers aren’t usually thought of as a wired, social-networking bunch. But frustration at being the targets of tech-wise environmental or animal rights groups has inspired them to get involved with social media and answer in kind.
Armed with smart phones that allow them to post status updates from a tractor seat and increasingly comfortable issuing pithy one-liners on the short-messaging site Twitter, they’re going online to tell their own stories, connect to a public they feel doesn’t understand them, exchange information and break the isolation they feel on the farm.
“There is so much negative publicity out there, and no one was getting our message out,” said Ray Prock Jr., a second-generation Central California dairy farmer whose blog posts and tweets relay information on everything from emergency drills for handling manure spills to lactose intolerance.
Farmers say the videos are shocking but don’t represent how their animals are treated. They worry Americans won’t realize this because they’re several generations removed from life on the farm, don’t know any farmers and have little idea how their food is produced. The only information about food and farming that most people get comes from the Internet, and exchanges were taking place on sites like YouTube or Twitter without any input from farmers.
“We weren’t part of the conversation,” Prock said. “And if we aren’t telling our story, other people will, and they’ll tell it the way they want to.”
Prock and a handful of other farmers also have started the AgChat Foundation, which aims get more farmers on YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and other sites to explain what they do on the farm and answer questions from the public.
They’re holding their first social media training in August and hope to soon have grants for farmers who are interested in social media but don’t have the tools — smart phones, laptops and broadband Internet connections — that would make social networking easier.
Source: The Associated Press
Posted: July 2, 2010 at 3:24 pm
By News Editor
Holstein Association USA recently recognized three distinguished individuals at the recent National Holstein Convention in Bloomington, Minn. To learn more about each individual, visit the Association’s website.
Ida B. Ruby, Scio, Ore., was awarded Holstein Association USA’s 2010 Distinguished Leadership Award. This award recognizes an individual who has made a career of providing outstanding and unselfish leadership for the betterment of the dairy industry.
A third generation dairy farmer, Ida was born and raised on her parents’ Registered Holstein farm in West Linn, Ore. She married Ray Ruby in 1965, and the couple began breeding Registered Holsteins under the Fir-Ridge prefix, after purchasing several cows from her parents’ herd. They purchased Ray’s father’s farm in 1967, naming it Fir-Ridge Holstein Farm, and grew their business together over the next 40 years to its current size, milking over 1,000 Holsteins and farming 1,300 acres of land.
Tim Baker, of Star-Summit Holsteins in Byron Center, Mich. is the the 2009 Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder.
Tim has worked with Registered Holsteins his entire life, and their family has a rich history in the dairy industry. This fall will mark the centennial anniversary for their farm, which was purchased by Tim’s grandfather in October 1910. Baker’s father, Henry, took over the dairy in 1957, and purchased his first Registered Holstein in 1959.
Tim’s herd began in 1980, when his father gave him is first Registered calf for a 4-H project. That first calf went on to score VG-86 and produced over 230,000 pounds of milk, and many offspring can be found in Tim’s current herd. He says, “My criteria then and still today for purchasing cows includes good quality cow families, top production, high type and components.” Tim took over management of the farm himself in 1997. Today, he is milking 60 cows twice a day.
Doug Maddox, Riverdale, Calif., is the 2010 recipient of Holstein Association USA’s Elite Breeder Award. The award recognizes a Holstein breeder who has bred outstanding animals, making a notable contribution to the Holstein breed in the United States.
Maddox is known around the world as a good businessman, a mentor for younger dairy producers, and someone with a deep respect for the Holstein breed and dairymen worldwide. While his family did not operate a dairy farm, his Registered Holstein career began early. At the age of 14, a neighbor gave him a bull calf to show in FFA. Later, with the promise that if he accepted the gift he would attend college, he was given a heifer calf. Doug kept that promise, and by the time he graduated from California Polytechnic Institute, Maddox had grown his herd to 14 cows and 14 heifers.
RuAnn Dairy was established in 1957, when Maddox purchased the 500-acre ranch for $200 an acre. The RuAnn prefix is a combination of his parents’ names – Rufus and Annie. He has grown his enterprise over the past 53 years, and today, between RuAnn and Maddox Dairies, there are over 5,000 Registered Holstein cows, with over 12,000 total animals. Marketing Registered Holstein genetics has always played an important role in the Maddox business plan. Doug describes their philosophy as, “A commercial herd with breeder quality.” Today, they are averaging over 26,000 pounds of milk and 1,000 pounds of fat, with over 200 Excellent and over 1,500 Very Good cows in the herd.
Source: Holstein Association USA
Posted: July 2, 2010 at 9:00 am
By Chuck
The Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech has come to an end. It has been two days packed with presentations on a very specific topic that is of growing importance to the industry, Rumen Health: A 360 Degree Analysis. I think we did look at the subject from just about every angle possible.
I started my coverage of the conference with a preview interview with Sylvie Andrieu, European Ruminant Technical Manager, Alltech. So what better way than to wrap it up in the same way?
Sylvie says it was a wonderful symposium, especially the discussion opportunities and interaction between people from a large number of countries. She also notes how interesting it was that some of the researcher presenters questioned the SARA concept and think that it should perhaps be renamed. It was clear that what is called SARA is more diverse than was thought. I concur with Sylvie that the feedback I heard from attendees has been very positive. Hopefully this means the symposium goals were achieved.
I’ll have more interview posts after the U.S. holiday weekend so until then . . .
Sylvie Andrieu Closing Interview
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
Posted: July 2, 2010 at 3:14 am
By Chuck
Dr. Andre Bannink, Wageningen UR Livestock Research, conducted a presentation titled, “Variation in rumen fermentation and rumen wall during transition period” during the Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech. I spoke with him about his topic during our gala dinner reception.
He is a “modeler” which means he develops mathematical models which predict how the animal responds on a diet. He says there’s a big debate on rumen acidosis here at the symposium and a lot of questions being asked. For a solutions symposium he thinks more questions have been raised than answers. His presentation focused on how well a high yielding early lactation dairy cow rumen can adapt to a big increase in feed intake. He conducted a test comparing two groups of dairy cows. One received a very quick increase in feed and the other was “steamed up” (his term) much more slowly. The main conclusion was that the rumen wall was very capable of adapting to either strategy with very little difference between the two. They compared 10 days to 20 days. So now he thinks further work should be done to see if there is a limit to how fast you can “steam up” a dairy cow.
Dr. Andre Bannink Interview
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
Posted: July 2, 2010 at 2:56 am
By Chuck
The final day of the Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech, was started by Dr. Ad van Vuuren, Wageningen UR Livestock Research. We sat together on the bus from our hotel this morning and I asked him about the session he would be moderating.
His session focused on rumen adaptation and animal health. He says “rumen fermentation in dairy cows is one of the main contributors to the feed efficiency of dairy cows so it’s very important to maintain good, healthy rumen fermentation not only from the point of view of the environment or animal welfare but especially from animal production.” He says that practical nutritionists often over simplify solutions when answers to rumen health problems are more complicated. So he sees a need for more out of the box thinking and encourages new ideas which is what the symposium is hoping to do.
Dr. Ad van Vuuren Interview
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
Posted: July 2, 2010 at 2:36 am
By Chuck
The Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech, is not only technical presentations on rumen health but an opportunity to network with fellow dairy industry professionals and have some fun. Our gala dinner last night took place at the DierenPark Amersfoort, a very nice zoo. We ate very near the elephant exhibit in a facility called De Oliphant. I sat with participants from Brazil and Poland and we had a great time.
Today is the final day of the symposium. I’ll continue posting interviews on various topics over the next week with a break for this weekend’s holiday so check back if you’re interested in more on this topic. I will keep updating the photo album through the end of the symposium today.
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
Posted: July 1, 2010 at 8:55 pm
By News Editor
Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? What a great celebration! One scoop, two scoops, sundae or milkshake – enjoy ice cream in a variety of different ways all month long!
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. He recognized ice cream as a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by a full 90% of the nation’s population. In the proclamation, President Reagan called for all people of the United States to observe these events with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
The U.S. ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales and provides jobs for thousands of citizens. About 9% of all the milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, contributing significantly to the economic well-being of the nation’s dairy industry.
Posted: July 1, 2010 at 8:48 pm
By News Editor
Do you like pedigreed Jersey cows? Then, show your support by “Liking” River Valley Dairy on Facebook! For every person that does so, a $1 will be donated to the All American Jersey Show and Sale
The Style & Performance Pledge will help raise funds to support the uniquely Jersey, All American weekend. Now, though the final class of the 2010 All American Jersey Show on November 8, River Valley Dairy will donate $1 for each person that becomes a fan of its Facebook page by clicking “like” on the site.
On the River Valley Dairy page, visitors will join fellow Jersey enthusiasts already following the happenings at River Valley Dairy. The page includes: Hundreds of cow pictures; Show-ring snapshots and coverage; Pictures and videos of the farm; Weekly updates from the dairy and Interaction with other followers of the page.
*Rules and Usage: Visit River Valley Dairy’s Facebook page, and they will donate $1 to the All American Jersey Show and Sale for every person that clicks “like” to become a fan of River Valley Dairy between May 22, 2010 (the day the page was launched) and the conclusion of the All American Jersey Show and Sale on November 8, 2010. Maximum total donation of $2,000. No purchase necessary.
Source: River Valley Dairy
Posted: July 1, 2010 at 9:04 am
By Chuck
Dr. Juan Tricarico brought the history of yeast research to the audience at the Dairy Solutions Symposium. He is Research Manager for Ruminant Nutrition for Alltech. He says there is a lot of information about yeast and its mode of action. He hopes that participants in the symposium will leave with a better understanding of how yeast affects rumen function and improves the ruminal environment as a whole so that it can be used more effectively. This will give the dairy farmer a bigger bang for their buck when they invest in yeast products.
Dr. Juan Tricarico Interview
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
Posted: July 1, 2010 at 8:05 am
By Chuck
“Modifying the rumen to reduce the risk of acidosis” was the title of Prof. Sergio Calsamiglia’s presentation at the Dairy Solutions Symposium. He works in the veterinary school at Universitat AutÒnoma de Barcelona.
He says research shows that acidosis is not just a pH problem but related to the type of feed you’re using. There is evidence that although using bicarbonate helps, it doesn’t solve the problem. Conversely, there are feed additives that don’t impact pH but help the problem. He says he thinks the term acidosis may mislead people since there are products like yeast that can help the problem even though it is not a buffer. The bottom line is that good nutrition and animal care is the most important thing to work on.
Prof. Sergio Calsamiglia Interview
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
Posted: July 1, 2010 at 5:07 am
By Chuck
Prof. Joachim Kleen, Alta Genetics Germany, told us all about SARA in dairy herds at the Dairy Solutions Symposium. SARA is sub-acute ruminal acidosis and becoming a real problem. Understanding it better and what is being done to reduce or control it was the subject of his presentation.
As most dairy farmers might think, proper nutrition and animal care is the best way to decrease the impact of this rumen fermentation disorder. I spoke with Joe before his presentation to get his take away message for participants of this Symposium.
He says that it’s a subject we know a lot about but “we do not know a lot how ruminal acidosis is working, what it’s effects are.” He says he’ll be happy if symposium participants take away from his presentation that there are conflicting aspects to this problem.
Prof. Joachim Kleen Interview
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
Posted: July 1, 2010 at 4:30 am
By Chuck
The Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech, was opened by Prof. Wouter Hendriks, Wageningen University, The Netherlands. There are 250 attendees at this year’s event being held at Utrecht University.
The overall topic for the Symposium is rumen health in dairy cows. I spoke with Wouter just before we got started. He says that the good rumen health will result in lowered methane emissions and greater animal welfare and this conference will focus on innovations and research being done to accomplish this.
Prof. Wouter Hendriks Interview
Dairy Solutions Symposium 2010 Photo Album
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