Congratulations to Neal Pepper and his four year old Holstein Friesian cow, Sahara Goldwyn Ambrosia, who was crowned the he Diageo Baileys® Irish Champion! Awarded by the company Diageo, which owns the world’s top selling liqueur brand, Baileys, the competition was held in Ireland. The competition took place at the Virginia Agricultural Show, in Co. Cavan – which is home … Read More
Milk Production Surveys to Resume
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will resume milk production quarterly producer surveys in the new federal fiscal year, which begins October 1, 2013. NASS suspended the surveys in April of this year to meet the budget reductions required by sequestration. The agency uses information gathered in the quarterly surveys along with various sources of administrative data to establish the monthly … Read More
Valley Pride Purchases Md. Plant
Valley Pride LLC, Harrisonburg, Va. has purchased the former Good Humor-Breyers ice-cream plant in Hagerstown, Md. Randy Inman, vice president of Valley Pride and Shenandoah Family Farms Cooperative, declined to say how much the cooperative paid for the property. The company will start production with milk and approximately 10 ice-cream products under the Shenandoah Family Farms label, he said. The … Read More
CWT Export Update
Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted nine requests for export assistance from Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association and Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) to sell 3.296 million pounds (1,495 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese and 493,284 pounds (224 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia and Europe. The product will be delivered August 2013 … Read More
Most People Love Infographics
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “What is your opinion on farm info graphics?” Our poll results: · Love them, they are helpful 69% · Waste of energy 6% · Confusing 13% · Other 13% It looks like the time spent creating these easy-to-use, quick-to-read infographics is worthwhile. Keep up the good work. Our new ZimmPoll is now live and … Read More
New Funds Available to N.Y. Farmers
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has launched several initiatives to help keep the dairy industry strong in his state. Among the initiatives announced by Cuomo is the Dairy Acceleration Program, making $1 million in funding available to help dairy farmers develop individualized business and environmental plans. Through the program, farmers will be able to tap into the expertise of the … Read More
Organic Valley Coop Debuts New Products
Organic Valley Cooperative has launched “Grassmilk” — a line of non-homogenized, minimally pasteurized milk from grass-fed cows, and introduced lactose-free whole milk and half-and-half. It also sells milk fortified with Omega-3 fatty acids. The company’s “Omega-3 Milk” sprang from the realization that many young mothers relied on baby formula fortified with these fatty acids and would be seeking fortified milk … Read More
Aurora Expands Operations
Aurora Organic Dairy has expanded its High Plains Dairy Complex with a new dairy that has the capacity for 3,200 more cows. It is the latest expansion for the growing company which has a dairy herd of 22,000. Aurora Organic, which produces organic milk and butter, has expanded nearly every year since its start in 2007, said spokeswoman Sonja Tuitele. … Read More
McWilliam New Princess Kay
Congratulations to MarJenna McWilliam the 60th Princess Kay of the Milky Way! The a 20-year-old from Winger, Minn. is the daughter of Bruce and LaVonne McWilliam and attends North Dakota State University, majoring in English education with a Norwegian language emphasis. McWilliam will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for nearly 4,000 Minnesota dairy farmers. County dairy princesses from throughout … Read More
Antibiotics Important to Food Production
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “How important are biotechnology and antibiotics for food production?” Our poll results: · Critical 65% · Important but not vital 16% · We can do without 16% · Not important at all 0% · Other 3% It looks like even with all the negative comments from anti-agriculture groups, the majority still think these technologies … Read More