World Dairy Diary

New Feed Supplement For Newborn Calves

Here’s a new product we just received an announcement for from Van Beek Natural Science. It’s a feed supplement that “protects newborn calves from stress induced scours with its unique mode of action,” called Tri-Pectate® Capsules.

Tri-Pectate Capsules are formulated with Axaphen®, a patented combination of essential oils and enhancers. Axaphen has powerful antimicrobial properties that eliminate bacteria on contact.

All the power of the Tri-Pectate syringe formula has been packed into this convenient capsule. Tri-Pectate Capsules are available in 20ct and 100ct jars and 450ct pails. The product is sold through all major livestock & dairy distributors. Please visit www.vanbeeknaturalscience.com for more information.

Sign-Up for Webinar on Anaerobic Digesters

The use of anaerobic digesters for livestock operations in the Southwest is the focus of the Renewable Energy Education Field Day planned for Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011.

This webinar will examine technical, environmental and financial factors to consider when installing an anaerobic digester on a livestock operation. Specific attention will be given to the use of digesters with dry manure and the unique environmental issues and climatic conditions of the Southwest.

Source: Farm Foundation, NFP

Will Algae Meal Be the Next Big Dairy Cattle Feed?

Demand for animal feed is on the rise worldwide and dairy cattle is no exception. But where will all the feed come from? One emerging option is algae meal, a product or co-product from algal biofuels production. To study algae meal as feed for dairy cattle, University of Minnesota recently completed a feed-trial of PetroAlgae‘s micro-crop meal to determine how it performed. The trial discovered that it performed as well as alfalfa in dairy cattle diets. The global market for dairy feed from alfalfa alone is estimated at 400 million metric tons by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

The study encompassed a continuous 6-week feeding trial of a statistically significant sample of 36 dairy cows living in barns housed at the University of Minnesota. It measured the algae meal against a 17.5 percent protein alfalfa diet and measured nutrient intake, milk yield and composition. With the positive results, PetroAlgae anticipates its micro-crop meal will be highly competitive in the feed market.

The University of Minnesota study is the first to validate PetroAlgae micro-crop meal in the dairy diet against the industry standard. Several key findings included algae meal having higher dairy efficiency values, higher energy values than alfalfa, and algae meal matched the alfalfa diet in milk, milk yield, body score, and body weight.

“The results of this study show that PetroAlgae micro-crop meal is a desirable ingredient for high producing dairy cattle and that it performed comparably to high-protein alfalfa meal,” said Dr. Noah Litherland, who performed the study at the University of Minnesota. “We are encouraged to see this product perform so well against one of the more universally understood products in dairy nutrition.”

Litherland added, “There is also an intriguing opportunity to alter the lipid composition of the meat and milk for added human health benefit.”

Who knows, in the not to distant future farmer’s may be growing algae for feed and fuel alongside alfalfa and other crops.

Dairy Farm Conservation

Last week the Conservation Technology Information Center conducted a field tour as part of their Indian Creek Watershed Project in Livingston County, IL. This project is funded in part by the Illinois EPA and other stakeholders. I participated and was pleasantly surprised to find a dairy farm on the tour!

We visited Kilgus Dairy. The family dairy farm is the only one in the state bottling their own milk. They also grow corn and soybeans and have land for the cows to graze on. They move those cows periodically, allowing the paddocks to grow back. In the picture you can see Matt Kilgus showing our group how to pour our own ice cream in the on-farm dairy products store, Kilgus Homestead.

Matt says they started the grazing system which got them involved with watershed management. Matt’s uncle was on the steering committee for the CTIC project so they’re conducting several tests and programs, including the use of different types of cover crops. He says that they hope to see some results that will benefit them while also becoming better stewards of the land.

You can listen to my interview with Matt here: Interview with Matt Kilgus

CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photos

Lakeland Dairy Adds Solar Energy to Operations

Adding a solar power system can give dairy operations a double-benefit. Solar can reduce you utility bills while at the same time helping your business become more sustainable. One dairy farm in Hanford, California has added a 891 kilowatt solar energy system designed and constructed by SPG Solar. It is comprised of 3,240 Suntech solar modules and two Solaron inverters. It is estimated that the system will generate more than 1.7 megawatt hours annually – enough to offset the dairy’s utility power usage by at least 75 percent.

The dairy installed a new solar energy system to power its milking barn and other dairy operations. The family-owned dairy has 7,000 head of cattle and a custom farming business. I don’t know about you but I’m thinking a California cow is a happy cow!

“The recent volatility of milk prices has underscored the importance of hedging our input costs,” said Mike Monteiro, the dairy’s owner. “The solar energy system will help us fix our energy costs and hedge against long term increases in utility power rates.”

The solar system spans four-acres and is robust enough to power Lakeside’s entire dairy operation including an 11,000 square foot milking barn, heifer corral lighting and fans, manure separator equipment and well and irrigation equipment. This is just one effort engaged by the diary operation to become more sustainable. The farm’s manure-handling equipment removes nearly 50 tons of solid manure a day, thus preventing it from going into the lagoon or giving off gases from decomposition.

“Lakeside Dairy continues to show its commitment to solar that positively impacts their operations today, reducing future electricity costs and investing in the community through the creation of green jobs,” said CEO and President of SPG Solar, Chris Robine. “They are laying out a long-term strategy towards the sustainable production and quality of food produced.”

Rabobank provided the construction and term financing for the solar project and will work with Lakeside to help them manage their finances as they pay off the loan. Gianluca Signorelli, Vice President of Renewable Energy Finance for Rabobank added, “By combining the savings from lower utility power bills with federal and state incentives, Rabobank structured the term loan to potentially be cash flow positive throughout the lifetime of the loan. Once the loan is repaid, the solar system is likely to create even larger savings for Lakeside Dairy.”

Humor For the HEART of Agriculture

“Humor for the HEART of Agriculture,” was the title of the humorous entertainment during the general session dinner at the 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Frankenmuth, MI last week. Behind the jokes and stories of the evening entertainment was Damian Mason. Mason is a comedian with enthusiasm for the agriculture industry. He graduated from Purdue University with a degree in agriculture economics and has since studied comedy writing and improvisation at the prestigious The Second City Training Center in Chicago.

Mason did a fantastic job of combining his farm background and knowledge with his comic routine. His presentation was both relevant and uplifting, and he had the whole gang laughing the entire time. He told stories of selling beef steers and teaching his city wife the ins and outs of agriculture with Farm Camp! (A great idea, if you ask me!) He was also great at his Bill Clinton impersonations! It was truly an enjoyable meeting, and I know he got everyone in the conference excited to be in the agriculture industry once again! (Photo provided by Celeste Laurent)

Dairy Down Under: Comparing the U.S. and Australian Dairy Industries

Nicole Schaendorf, 2009 Senior Michigan Dairy Ambassador, shared her experiences of her study abroad trip to Australia in her presentation during the Partners’ Program at GLRDC titled, “Dairy Down Under: Comparing the U.S. and Australian Dairy Industries.” Here are a few facts that I thought would be of interest to World Dairy Diary readers:

When comparing the U.S. to Australia, dairy contributes $31 billion to the U.S. economy, while Australia dairy producers contributes only $3.3 billion to their economy.

77% of dairy farms in the U.S. have fewer than 100 cows, while the average size of the Australian dairy farm is 214 cows.

There are 60,000 dairy farms in the U.S., with 99% being family owned. There are only 7,950 farms in Australia, down 50% from 25 years ago.

Just some interesting tid bits from down under, mate. I hope you enjoyed it!

Dairy Farmers Make One Request: Competitive Milk Pricing System

Here is some information about a group of dairy farmers from across the country who traveled recently to Washington D.C. to lobby for a competitive milk pricing system in the future, an effort to save more dairy farms from closing their doors. As told by Farm and Dairy in their article, Dairy Farmers Make One Request: Competitive Milk Pricing System, here is some information about their trip to discuss the dairy crisis with Congress.

More than 100 dairy farmers from New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee traveled to Washington, D.C., Dec. 2 to meet with congressional representatives and other officials to present solutions that would end the worst dairy crisis since the Great Depression.

Dairy farmers met with members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, the Senate Judiciary Committee, the House Education and Labor Committee and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to urge immediate action to restore fairness in the dairy pricing system, enforce anti-trust laws and ensure that dairy farmers receive a fair price for their product. Dairy farmers also called on the USDA to quickly distribute emergency assistance aid that was authorized by Congress and President Obama under the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Bill in October.

More Dairy Products For Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica

It sure sounds like Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica did very well in the cattle market with their acquisition of a portion of Ft. Dodge Animal Health. To tell us about is Tim Bettington, Director Livestock Marketing. I spoke with him at their recent media day in St. Joseph, MO. He says that although BIVI has been a long standing player in the cattle business it has only been in certain segments like the stocker and feedlot sector. But now he says they have great opportunities in the cow/calf and dairy sectors.

According to Tim, the stand out products will be Cydectin, Today and Tomorrow Mastitis Tubes and newer vaccines like Triangle. He says that although there is an integration of staff, customers will see the same look and feel of the products and deal with the same representatives they were dealing with.

You can listen to my interview with Tim below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Organic Dairy Farmers Create Brand: MooMilk

Molly Line at Fox News recently posted a report on a new brand of organic milk called MooMilk. MooMilk will be sold in Maine and New Hampshire to start but, the farmers hope to eventually distribute throughout New England. Check it out!

In the midst of a crisis hitting the nation’s dairy industry a group of organic farmers in Maine, dropped by their big distributor, are joining together to create their own brand and save their family businesses. Mark McKusick, a fourth generation dairy farmer out of Dexter, Maine signed on to the ambitious effort.

“We’re gonna give the consumer, the real organic consumer, the real product. It’s fresh, it’s local and we’re going to strive on quality and taste,” McKusick said. “The best part of this is we’ve got control over our product.”

Dubbed MooMilk- short for Maine’s Own Organic Milk- the new brand will hit store shelves by mid-December. Ten farms have signed on to the start-up operation along with a local processor and a distributor.

Source: MooMilk

Novus International Launces Podcast

More and more agricultural companies are joining the social media platform. Now Novus International Inc., announces the launch of a bi-weekly podcast series titled, “What’s New with Novus.”

The topics of “What’s New with Novus” will focus on issues facing the global agriculture community today. These issues include the global food crisis, Stratum Nutrition (Novus’s human division), sustainability and key industry events. Every other podcast will focus on ALIMET® feed supplement, Novus’s leading product. These topics include the benefits in various species and the importance of ALIMET® for animal nutrition.

The next edition of “What’s New with Novus” will be available November 30, 2009 on iTunes, Zune and www.novusint.com/podcasts. Novus’s Global Ruminant Market Manager Stephanie Gable will be discussing oxidative balance in the cow.

Source: Novus International, Inc.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Grows Into Dairy

With the acquisition of Ft. Dodge Animal Health products and facilities, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has really expanded their business in the dairy industry. The head of the U.S. cattle business is Colin Meyers. He spoke at the media event I attended in St. Joseph, MO.

Colin says the main thing the acquisition of Ft. Dodge Animal Health means to the company is that they now have a much broader range of products to offer. For the dairy sector they now offer Pyramid, Triangle, Presponse, Today and Tomorrow mastitis therapy, Cydectin and more.

Colin says they’ll have a larger sales and veterinarian force to reach out to customers and a bigger distribution network. They’ve spent the last three weeks bringing in new staff, distributors and others to help enable a smooth transition for customers.

You can listen to my interview with Colin below.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Media Day Photo Album

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Sees Value Through Innovation

Now that Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has taken over a significant portion of Ft. Dodge Animal Health you may be wondering what it means to the company and dairy producer customers. To help us find out, BIVI brought a group of media representatives into St. Joseph, MO to hear the story.

I spoke with BIVI President, George Heidgerken (pictured on left), about changes in the company after the acquisition. He says the purchase is a big deal for BIVI here in the United States and globally since it essentially doubles their business including their ability to innovate in the future. While merging the two company cultures he says they will maintain the BI vision and mission and how they achieve them.

George says they can take the best of both companies, put them together and get excited about what they can achieve. They’re calling it the “new BIVI.” He says that full integration may take a couple years although they hope to achieve that sooner. The products they’ve acquired fit in perfectly with their existing portfolio and expand their cattle, dairy and pet business. The vision for the future of the company he says, is “value through innovation.”

You can listen to my interview with George below.

Here’s a group of photos from the media event last Thursday Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Media Day Photo Album

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Study looks at dairy industry’s impact on society

Carol Ryan Dumas recently wrote an article, Study weighs dairy industry’s social impact, published in the Capital Press. The reported study indicates the growth of the Hispanic workforce as a key part on the discussion. This has some interesting findings that are definitely worth reading. Check it out…

Unprecedented growth in Idaho’s dairy industry over the past decade brought both economic gains and concerns about the community impact of a growing Hispanic workforce. Paralleling the industry’s expansion and geographic concentration, Southern Idaho’s Hispanic population has grown by 85 percent since 2000.

Perceptions that foreign workers are overburdening schools, health-care services and the justice system led dairymen to fund a University of Idaho study of the community impacts of a changing industry and a changing demographic. The two-year study, costing more than $60,000, was released this week.

“We asked the university for the study to quantify perceptions and offer solutions,” said Bob Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association. “We wanted the study to try to understand what the actual impacts are. We knew there would be positives and negatives.”

What resulted was a long, complicated study on those community impacts, the only one of its kind, said Priscilla Salant, UI outreach and engagement coordinator and one of the lead researchers.
What the study found was mostly positive, she said.

Predicting Changes for Parasite and Vector Induced Animal Diseases

A featured article at the Dairy Site, Predicting Changes for Parasite and Vector Induced Animal Diseases, discusses climate change and the livestock industry. Eric Hoberg, an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) zoologist at the Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, discusses how climate change could have a major influence on animal health, by affecting parasites and vectors that spread disease. This is an interesting read for anyone in the dairy cattle industry. Check it out.

Climate change can alter an animal’s relationship with parasites and vectors. These changes can influence where parasites and vectors thrive, making certain geographical regions more or less amenable to them. Climate change can also alter when and for how long parasites and vectors pose a threat to agricultural animals. Climate can determine how pathogens are distributed, transmitted and evolve, and can influence the factors associated with emerging disease and how animals respond to those diseases. Significant environmental changes have been well documented in recent decades, and some of these changes are causing trouble for livestock.

Dr. Eric Hoberg is one of many ARS scientists investigating the probable impact of climate changes on agricultural parasites and virus vectors. Their research is generating information that could help producers prepare for and respond to heightened disease threats.

In one study, Dr. Hoberg collaborated with several Canadian scientists to investigate the influence of climate change on parasitic lungworms known as Protostrongylus stilesi in Arctic mammals. Although the lungworms had never before been observed in muskoxen, the scientists observed them in muskoxen that share habitat with Dall’s sheep. Environmental changes that bring the two animals into contact more frequently could result in larger parasite populations.

Dairy COOL Act introduced to Senate

Here is an update on the Dairy COOL Act, which would add labeling on milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream and butter as reported by Heather Thorstensen, an Agri News staff writer. Without a doubt, dairy producers will be keeping a close eye on this act. I’m curious to know your thoughts on COOL and how it might impact the dairy industry. Read on for more details…

Bob Lefebvre, Minnesota Milk Producers Association’s executive director, said his organization is closely watching a bill U.S. Senator Al Franken helped introduce to the Senate Oct. 14 that would expand country of origin labeling to dairy products.

He’s confident Franken (D-Minn.) wants to help dairy producers. He agrees consumers should know where their milk comes from, as long as the legislation doesn’t inhibit exports. The challenge will be potential ramifications if other countries perceive the legislation negatively.

“I’m sure that Senator Franken is aware of that potential, too. It’s just one thing we always have to be aware of,” Lefebvre said.

Franken’s Dairy COOL Act, S. 1783, was co-sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). Currently, the COOL law requires some retailers, such as full-line grocery stores, to label the source of muscle cuts and ground meat of beef, veal, pork, lamb, goat, and chicken; fish and shell-fish; produce; certain nuts and ginseng.

Supermarket News Examines Pros, Cons of COOL

Fresh Market Editor Matthew Enis with Supermarket News dives into the pros and cons of labeling dairy products in grocery stores. He offers up some interesting insights, and this is your opportunity to share your opinions, as well. Link here to read the entire column and voice your opinion in the comments section.

Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Al Franken, D-Minn., introduced a bill that would extend mandatory country-of-origin labeling to all dairy products. All three senators have said that a new COOL law would help American dairy farmers compete more effectively in U.S. supermarkets and would help them weather the current economic crisis facing the dairy industry.

In a press release, Sen. Feingold added that “with the discovery last year of widespread use of melamine in Chinese dairy products, consumers deserve to know whether the milk used to produce the dairy products they buy meets the high safety standards used in the U.S.”

Passage of this bill might make some great campaign ads, but it will do very little to help U.S. dairy farmers, and it won’t make the U.S. food supply any safer. According to data from the International Dairy Foods Association, the U.S. did import more than $1.2 billion of dairy products during the first six months of 2009. Fluid milk accounted for $3 million of that total. Yogurt, butter, ice cream, dry milk and condensed milk combined for about $70 million more. To put this in perspective, according to recent IRI data, annual U.S. sales of these products total more than $20 billion. In the U.S., the vast majority of these products are already produced domestically.

High Volume Dairy Implements Robotic Palletizing

Packworld.com recently released this information about a new plant packaging for butter products using robots. This is pretty cool. For more information, download the white paper on this topic here.

California Dairies’ Turlock, Calif., plant produces more than 170 different SKUs of butter in case sizes ranging from 8 to 55 pounds. This Motoman case history describes the plant’s transition from manual to robotic palletizing.

“The robot system has improved our ability to run in a consistent manner,” says Eric Snoke, Vice President of Operations. “We calculated that the payback for the system would be two years or less, based on direct labor savings alone, and that does not take into account the reduction in workmen compensation claims.”

Dairy Farmers Launch Organic Brand

E.B. Solomont with the Mother Nature Network recently published an article titled, Dairy Farmers Launch Organic Brand, in The Olympian in Washington state. This is an exciting new brand of organic milk products featured by several dairy farmers in the state of Maine. Check it out!

In the annals of rural farming, 10 organic dairy farmers in Maine are showing entrepreneurial spirit in trying economic times: After their contracts with a major milk processor were abruptly canceled, the farmers will distribute and sell their own cows’ milk locally under the name MOOMilk, short for Maine’s Own Organic Milk Co. MOOMilk is set to hit stores in Maine and Massachusetts by early November, just 18 months after the farmers faced far bleaker prospects, according to the Bangor Daily News.

It all started when H.P. Hood Inc. axed the dairy farms from its organic line for economic reasons. Furious, the farmers urged the milk processor to reconsider, particularly since many converted to organic at Hood’s urging. Hood refused, but rather than fall prey to a ravaged economy, the farmers banded together to form a cooperative with investors, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the Maine Farm Bureau and the Maine Department of Agriculture. With a price tag of $3.99 per half-gallon, the milk will be sold at standard organic prices and will take roughly 96 hours to get from the cow to the shelf.

Live Dairy Cattle Exports Down

ABC Rural recently posted a report on live dairy cattle export numbers, and like many areas in the agriculture industry, it’s not looking positive. (Photo courtesy of Allyson Horn) Here is the most recent news…

Live dairy cattle exports are 10,000 head below expectations so far this year. Cameron Hall, from LiveCorp, says it’s likely that just 40,000 dairy heifers will be exported from Australia this year. It’s a long way short of the 58,000 that were exported to more than 15 countries last year.

“Now that’s been an impact of the global financial crisis without doubt,” he says. “You know, we’ve seen an increase in the second half of the year on Australian currency rates, we’re seeing an increase on oil prices, all of which go into increasing the cost to supply Australian dairy cattle.”