World Dairy Diary

In addition, the NAIDC board elected new officers to lead the group. Luciene Ribero, APC, Inc., Visalia, Ca., is incoming chair, while Michael Van Amburgh, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., was elected vice chair, and Owen Bewley, Prince Agri Products, Susquehanna, Pa. is finance chair. Returning executive committee members include Coleen Jones, Pennsylvania State University, Craigsville, Va., as program chair, and Tami Tollenaar, Tollenaar Holsteins Dairy, Elk Grove, Ca., as publicity chair.

Other NAIDC board members include Devin Albrecht, Prairie State/Select Sires, Hampshire, Il.; Jean Conklin, Yankee Farm Credit, ACA, White River Jct., Vt.; Chris Dei, Sierra Vista Nutrition Consulting, Fresno, Ca.; Marcia Endres, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Mn.; Barry Putnam, Cargill Animal Health, Ithaca, N.Y.; Jon Robinson, PhD, Fresno State University, Fresno, Ca.; Amy te Plate Church, Genex, Shawano, Wi.; and Dave Winston, M.S., Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Retiring board members are Rob Sheffer, Cargill Animal Nutrition, Albany, N.Y. and Kas Ingawa, PhD, NC State University/Dairy Records Management Systems, Raleigh, NC.

The full-color “Pennsylvania’s Dairy Farmers: Something to Treasure in Your Community,” funded through a grant from the Pennsylvania Dairyman’s Association, is available at no cost to farmers, agribusiness members, civic leaders and others who want to educate the general public about the dairy industry.

Ideal for distributing to community leaders, economic planners and general consumers, the brochure could be used at farm tours, dairy princess promotions, community events or as part of scheduled presentations. It could also be made available at visitor centers and other community meeting places.

The runner-up was Amy Noel, 18, of Linton. She is the daughter of Albert Jr. and Lisa Noel.

The two were crowned during a luncheon with the Midwest Dairy Association North Dakota Division board members and former North Dakota Dairy Princesses who gathered to recognize the program’s 65th year. Midwest Dairy Association sponsors the princess program.

Rott was valedictorian of her class at Anamoose High School, from which she recently graduated. She plans to attend Jamestown College this fall to pursue pre-veterinary studies. Her dairy princess title comes with a scholarship from the Friends of Dairymen and the North Dakota Milk Producers Association. She was also the winner of a scholarship from Midwest Dairy Association North Dakota Division, chosen separately from among all five contestants.

Noel is a graduate of Linton High School and a former Outstanding Exhibitor at the North Dakota State Fair. She plans to attend the University of Mary to study nursing. She receives a scholarship from the Friends of Dairymen and the North Dakota Milk Producers.

The report is based on a recent collaboration between U.S. agricultural industry leaders and top scientists specializing in contagious animal disease, and is entitled “Enhancing Ag Resiliency: The Agricultural Industry Perspective of Utilizing Agricultural Screening Tools.”

“This collaboration between industry, science and policy marks a significant step toward developing and utilizing screening technologies for high consequence disease detection,” said Dr. Tammy Beckham, director of the FAZD Center. “To best meet the needs of our end-users and stakeholders, new screening tools should fit easily into day-to-day business operations and support business continuity during an outbreak situation.”

The report is the product of a recent workshop convened by the Department of Homeland Security and the FAZD Center. Participants included leading foreign animal and emerging disease diagnostic experts from the U.S. and the United Kingdom, as well as leaders from the nation’s beef, dairy, pork, poultry, sheep and goat industries.

This workshop was the second held to date in a series of collaborative discussions on the development and deployment of agricultural screening tools. Some priorities defined by the participants, are:

· Develop agricultural screening tools that can be used to permit movement of animals that do not have clinical signs of disease and associated animal products (e.g., milk), especially during an outbreak or recovery period.

· Validate assays that are currently being used for testing, such as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), for use with additional matrices, including milk (such as from bulk milk tanks), oral fluids (such as from saliva-drenched ropes), meat juice, air and environmental samples, and blood, especially for testing for foot-and-mouth disease virus.

· Validate pooling of samples to test for foreign animal diseases, including optimal pooling of swabs or similar specimens for key poultry diseases and optimal pooling of animal blood and/or swab samples, especially for foot-and-mouth detection.

· Develop simple, low-cost, field-deployable devices for nucleic acid extraction and/or amplification.

· Develop and validate serological tests for “disease free” testing and develop associated policies for using those tests.

Participants also discussed other critical needs, such as developing a more robust information technology infrastructure for reporting and sharing laboratory test results.

“Probiotics are ‘good bacteria’ that has been shown to improve digestive health and support immunity,” said Jeff Foster, president of Foster Farms Dairy. “Sales of yogurt enhanced with probiotics have dramatically grown and studies have shown the probiotic used in the Dairy Balance milk delivers more active cultures than yogurt.”

Foster said Ganeden Biotech, makers of the probiotic GanedenBC30, developed the unique strain to survive harsh manufacturing processes — including those used in milk processing — unlike other probiotic strains. This durability also withstands harsh stomach acids, allowing the delivery of more beneficial cultures, according to the news release.

Dairy Balance, which has the same taste, texture and color as milk, is now available at more than 300 Northern California locations. Distribution to more than 500 outlets is scheduled by the end of the year. Dairy Balance milk is offered in whole and 2 percent reduced-fat varieties and has a suggested retail of $3.49 for a half gallon.

In 2011, CWT has assisted members in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gouda cheese totaling 20,842 metric tons (45.9 million pounds) to 20 countries on four continents.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term by reducing inventories that overhang the market and depress cheese prices. In the long-term, CWT’s Export Assistance program helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market, share thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products.

The annual scholarship is awarded to students displaying leadership, work experience, academic performance, participation in activities and events, involvement in a dairy farm and the dairy industry, and financial need.

The deadline for the 2012 Chicago and St. Louis Division scholarships is March 1, 2012. Applications and more information can be accessed online.

Courtney Lintker
Courtney Lintker of Washington County, Ill., is the daughter of Wayne and Doris Lintker. Lintker plans to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia to pursue a career as a pediatrician. She is a graduating senior at Okawville High School where she is involved in Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering, sports and National Honor Society. Lintker says, “The responsibility, hard work, and respect I learned on the farm will continue into the workplace.”

Blake Telle
Blake Telle of Perry County, Mo., is the son of John and Donna Telle. Telle is a senior at Perryville High School and plans to attend Linn State Technical College for its powersports technology program. During high school, Telle was involved in FFA, football, Vacation Bible School and 4-H, all while helping on his family farm. Telle thanks Midwest Dairy for the opportunity to refuel with chocolate milk with his teammates after their football games.

Kevin Hildebrandt
Kevin Hildebrandt of Boone County, Ill., is the son of Ken and Amy Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt is a senior at North Boone High and plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison for dairy science and agricultural business. Throughout high school, Hildebrandt was involved in National Honor Society, FFA, 4-H, church youth group and the Boone County Dairy Quiz Bowl. After college, Hildebrandt plans to return to his family’s farm with plans to expand and improve it.

Neogen’s newly approved BetaStar Plus test detects dairy antibiotic residues in the beta-lactam group (penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, cephapirin, ceftiofur and cloxacillin) at or below U.S. FDA regulatory levels. BetaStar is an extremely simple dipstick test that requires only minimal training and equipment to produce consistently accurate results.

“This approval process was very thorough, and proves that our new test is fully capable of delivering the accurate results that milk producers and processors demand,” said Ed Bradley, Neogen’s vice president for Food Safety. “BetaStar Plus was developed specifically to meet the regulatory tolerances for beta-lactam antibiotics, including ceftiofur, for milk in the U.S. market, and is a new version of our BetaStar test that is a market leader in approximately 40 countries around the world.”

BetaStar Plus is one of the fastest dairy antibiotic tests available, and can be used on the farm, at the tanker, or in the laboratory. BetaStar Plus had previously earned an important approval from the AOAC Research Institute (AOAC-RI 021107) after rigorous testing.

Antibiotics have been used in cows for many years to treat common infections of the mammary system. As animal genetics and husbandry practices have improved over the past several years, average milk production per cow has increased. This has often resulted in the use of more antibiotics to protect animal health. The beta-lactam group of antibiotics is responsible for approximately 95% of all milk antibiotic contamination.

Following Secretary Greig’s comments, Pennsylvania State Dairy Princess Marissa Weidensaul addressed the crowd, introducing herself and explaining her role as a princess.

“As dairy promoters, we’re challenged with explaining to consumers what Pennsylvania’s 7,400 dairy farms mean to them,” she said. She told the audience that Pennsylvania’s dairy industry provides more than 40,000 jobs, and that dairy producers play a vital role not only in Pennsylvania’s economy, but also in environmental stewardship and community leadership.

Pennsylvania dairy farmer Larry Kulp was next up to the podium and built upon Weidensaul’s comments regarding environmental responsibility. Kulp also explained how producers make cow comfort and milk quality priorities on their operations.

“As dairy farmers, we strive to provide a safe, wholesome product in an environmentally and socially responsible way,” he said.

Following the reading of the June Dairy Month proclamation, producers and promoters went to work building the sundae. Along with the 90 gallons of ice cream, the structure included 10 gallons of chocolate fudge, 10 gallons of cherries, 30 pounds of chopped pecans, and was topped with real whipped cream and a 12-inch ball of cherries.

These are not just ‘any’ Jersey heifers. They have been DNA genotyped to evaluate their genetic merit.

As of today, 13 heifers have been contracted by A.I. companies, and several have multiple contracts. Among them is the #3 female of the breed. Her owners are two sisters, Erica and Amber Ettinger of South Carolina, both involved in national Jersey youth programs.

The 77 donors reside in 26 different states and the Island of Jersey, the home of the Jersey breed of cattle.

“Organic dairy producers face a unique set of challenges as they balance rations for peak performance with a limited number of organic-approved ingredients,” says Vice President, Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition, Curt Siverling. “With ARM & HAMMER Rumen Buffers now listed by OMRI, organic operations can utilize these rumen buffers in their rations to stabilize rumen acids and improve rumen performance, translating to greater productivity and profitability.”

ARM & HAMMER Feed Grade Sodium Bicarbonate has long been the industry standard in rumen buffers. Today’s high-energy ration formulations often limit animals from generating enough natural buffer—saliva—by chewing cud, causing excess acid to build up in the rumen. The buffering capabilities of sodium bicarbonate help stabilize rumen acids, increasing feed intake and improving rumen performance.

SQ-810 provides all the buffering capabilities of sodium bicarbonate in a more soluble formula. It also includes calcium and magnesium carbonate to assist in balancing rations for proper mineral levels.

To be placed on OMRI’s Product List, ARM & HAMMER Sodium Bicarbonate and SQ-810 had to meet requirements based on the USDA National Organic Program Rule. Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition can now place the OMRI-listed seal on the rumen buffer product bags, labels and marketing materials.