Posted: July 4, 2008 at 12:36 pm
By News Editor
A state-owned, closed dairy plant in Alaska is for sale again. The historic Matanuska Maiddairy plant in Anchorage will be on the market starting in July through August 21st, with a minimum bid of $1.5 million.
The now-defunct plant on Northern Lights Boulevard and the 1.42 acres it sits on will be put up for sale in a sealed bid offering starting this month, said Ray Nix, an asset manager for the state Division of Agriculture.
The Board of Agriculture and Conservation, which has oversight over the dairy’s properties, decided Friday to put the property back up for sale. The state-owned dairy plant has been closed since December.
An attempt last year to sell the plant and a Mat Maid bottle-making facility in Palmer failed to attract any bidders. In that sale, the state had required a minimum bid of $3.35 million, and the price included the land, the facilities and equipment in both buildings, Nix said. The equipment has since been auctioned off. The $1.5 million price set as the minimum for this sale was chosen because that is the appraised value of the land, Nix said. If no acceptable bids are submitted, the property will be offered in an over-the-counter sale, he said.
Matanuska Maid started as a cooperative in Palmer in 1936. The state took it over in the mid-1980s after the dairy went bankrupt. Under state ownership, Mat Maid operated successfully for several years but closed late last year because of losses in recent years.
Posted: June 28, 2008 at 9:35 am
By News Editor
A ground-breaking meeting was taking place in Arkansas, a meeting with the potential to change the dairy industry. Called the Sustainability Summit for U.S. Dairy, this innovative meeting-of-the-minds was sponsored by Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), representing processors and manufacturers, and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) representing dairy cooperatives.
The Summit was held in conjunction with the University of Arkansas’ Applied Sustainability Center, and is the first major step in a comprehensive dairy industry-wide initiative bringing together producers, processors, and others to identify and address sustainability opportunities.
Over 250 dairy industry leaders representing a wide cross-section of the industry were invited to participate in forming an action plan to reduce fluid milk’s carbon footprint while increasing business value, from farm to consumer. Among the participants were Wal-Mart, Dean Foods, Land O Lakes, Monsanto, Waste Management, Organic Valley, Sustainable Conversation as well as many other industry leaders.
“Sustainability is a challenge that requires industry-wide solutions, and our efforts establish a new standard for industry collaboration,” said Thomas Gallagher, chief executive of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), the nonprofit organization that manages the national dairy checkoff program on behalf of America’s dairy producers. “Decision makers from across the dairy value chain are working together to commit to concrete, innovative solutions. This will ensure an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable industry.”
“Sustainability practices have long been part of common practices on dairy farms, from recycling water and manure to crop technologies that improve soil and prevent erosion,” said Jerry Kozak, NMPF’s chief executive officer.
The innovative ideas and initiatives advanced by the Summit participants will be further refined for possible testing and evaluation. The goal, according to Gallagher, will be to field-test several prototype projects to determine their real-world viability as ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Summit attendees recommended a number of actions, including to:
- Reduce energy use in the milk supply chain by developing technologies for next generation milk processing on the farm and in the plant.
- Establish a mechanism to optimize returns to the dairy industry from a carbon credit trading system that encourages the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency for dairy farmers and processors through financially viable best management practices and tools that calculate individual farm energy and alternative energy opportunities.
- Supply green power to communities by expanding the use of methane digesters.
- Stimulate development of low-cost, low-carbon, consumer-acceptable packaging.
- Reduce cooling costs and emissions associated with refrigeration by expanding economically feasible, environmentally responsible and consumer-accepted dairy products.
Posted: June 24, 2008 at 10:56 am
By News Editor
The employees working at the Fort Morgan, Colo. Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA) plant can now brag about the safe of their dairy plants - five years with no lost-time accidents. This is a great achievement, especially since the plant doubled its capacity during that period. Congratulations!
Since 1998, the plant has manufactured sweet cream, condensed milk and nonfat dry milk – ingredients used to make cheese, yogurt and ice cream. The plant is supplied by dairy farmers in northeastern Colorado, and is planning another expansion that will be completed in 2009.
“Employee safety is our number-one goal, and I am very proud of our employees for reaching this milestone,” says Tom Cotter, Fort Morgan’s plant manager. “Safety training and procedures are critical to our success, but it is the daily commitment to safety from each of our employees that makes the difference.”
DFA provides a comprehensive safety program for employees, including new employee education, annual training on a variety of topics, an active safety committee, certification programs and many printed materials throughout the plant. A commitment to the safety policies and procedures and good employee communication are other critical components of Fort Morgan’s safety program.
Four employees lead the plant’s safety committee: Shawn Garrett, production manager; Jerry Gaskill, production supervisor; Ted Lawson, mechanic; and Art Soto, dryer operator. These employees are responsible for monthly committee meetings and detailed plant safety inspections, and keeping safety foremost on the employees’ minds every day.
Posted: June 23, 2008 at 8:33 am
By Chuck Zimmerman
I really like the idea of Rabobank producing an audio podcast of their news releases. Then I can subscribe and get them automatically to listen to whenever and wherever I want.
Here’s what the latest RaboCast is about:
Since 1937 June has been Dairy Month: an annual tradition to celebrate the dairy industry. A new Rabobank podcast examines some causes for this celebration, such as growth in specialty products and an increase in dairy exports.
In the podcast, Rabobank Dairy Analyst and Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory Managing Director Debbie Perkins, explores the current U.S. dairy market, the growth of specialty products and export opportunities. (The full podcast is available online at www.RabobankAmerica.com/Rabocast.)
Posted: June 12, 2008 at 3:23 pm
By News Editor
A new scientific study being conducted in New Zealand could yield a natural, non-hormonal supplement that will significantly increase milk production. The study is being co-funded by the country’s governmental lab AgResearch Ltd.. and Ancare Scientific.
The study with Ancare Scientific Ltd. will take a year and cost more than NZ$500,000 ($377,000), Andy West, chief executive officer of state-owned AgResearch Ltd. told journalists at the opening today of the nation’s Fieldays agricultural fair. The product may lift milk production as much as 10 percent, Ancare Scientific Managing Director Colin Harvey said in a telephone interview from Auckland.
New Zealand is the world’s largest dairy exporter and accounts for about 40 percent of the global trade in milk powders, butter and cheese. The nation is also the largest producer of sheep meat and kiwifruit, and agriculture accounts for about 38 percent of the country’s $104 billion economy.
The product being trialed would be given to cows in the dry season to stimulate milk production, Ancare’s Harvey said. Being natural and non-hormonal should make it attractive to regulators and end-users, and commercial development may be three to five years away, he said. Ancare Scientific’s products are distributed by animal-treatments maker Merial Ltd.
“We’ve got to reduce the footprint whilst improving the productivity, and that is a big ask,” he said.
Posted: June 6, 2008 at 10:07 pm
By News Editor
Don’t forget to register for the 5th Downes-O’Neill/EDairy Annual Outlook Conference, held on June 18 & 19 in Chicago.
The annual Downes-O’Neill/FCStone Outlook Conference has become an important source of market intelligence and insight for producers and users of food commodities, including dairy products, grains, and edible oils. Every year, conference speakers address the outlook for production, consumption, and prices in these commodities, as well as the global energy and weather outlook. This year, more than ever before, their insights into global food production and prices will be of critical importance.
Speakers at the Downes-O’Neill/eDairy Outlook Conference will include Siva Yam, President of the U.S./China Chamber of Commerce, on the outlook for Chinese food exports, imports, and consumption; FCStone risk-management consultant Tripp Dunman on the outlook for energy products; and keynote speaker Todd Buchholz, a former director of economic policy at the White House and a managing director of the $15 billion Tiger hedge fund, on the global economic outlook. Other speakers will address dairy products, grains, edible oils, carbon-credit trading, the world weather outlook, the legislative landscape, and commodity riskmanagement tools and techniques.
Posted: May 8, 2008 at 7:31 pm
By News Editor
The folks at Häagen-Dazs ice cream have created a campaign and a new flavor that brings attention to the plight of America’s honey bees. Do you know that honey bees are responsible for one of every three bites the average American eats? The campaign called Häagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees™ will raise money for sustainable pollination and CCD research at Pennsylvania State University and the University of California Davis.
Honey bees are responsible for pollinating more than 100 different crops, $15 billion worth annually in the U.S., and are a key factor in the agricultural industry’s ability to provide food products to the rest of the world. But honey bees are dying at an alarming rate. Over the last several winters, more than 25 percent of the honey bee population in the United States has vanished, many under mysterious circumstances. Early reports from beekeepers show this phenomenon is continuing in 2008.
For Häagen-Dazs ice cream, the reality of this threat has spurred the superpremium ice cream maker to launch a national campaign to protect these tiny unsung heroes. Everything from poor nutrition to invasive mites to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) – a phenomenon where bees from a colony abruptly desert the hive and die – is affecting the bees. This disappearance has scientists stumped and has the potential to affect many of our favorite nuts, fruits and berries – key ingredients in some of the most popular Häagen-Dazs flavors. In fact, more than 40 percent of Häagen-Dazs all-natural ice cream flavors include ingredients dependent on honey bees for pollination.
The Häagen-Dazs brand is launching a new honey bee-dedicated flavor in February 2008 – Vanilla Honey Bee. The brand is also tagging all of its honey bee-dependent flavors – from Häagen-Dazs Wild Berry frozen yogurt to Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan ice cream - with a HD loves HB™ icon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the new flavor and all HD loves HB tagged flavors will be used to fund the $250,000 donation to UC Davis and Penn State.
“Häagen-Dazs ice cream is made from the finest all-natural ingredients, and the plight of the honey bee could mean many of the ingredients used in our top flavors, like Vanilla Swiss Almond and Strawberry, would be difficult to source,” said Häagen-Dazs brand manager Josh Gellert.
Posted: May 5, 2008 at 3:43 pm
By News Editor
Stonyfield Farm has been chosen as the Manufacturer of the Year for Global Supply Chain Excellence. The award is given by the World Trade Magazine to manufacturers whose approach to supply chain management would be an inspiration to others. Previous winners include: Procter & Gamble, Ford, IBM and Texas Instruments.
The thing to know about Gary Hirshberg, the Chairman/President of Stonyfield Farm, is not that his ryderorganic yogurt company has grown from a local New Hampshire home-spun operation into a fast-growing $300 million a year enterprise; nor that the company is driven by an environmental mission to which the business model must conform. Rather, it is the factoid in his Wikipedia entry that says he scored the first touchdown in the history of inter-collegiate Ultimate Frisbee.
It is such exuberance that characterizes what at first glance seems an unlikely CEO (or, as his card reads, CE-Yo as in yogurt) heading an unlikely company. Both are committed to aggressively forging the way toward a carbon neutral supply chain strategy—one, most emphatically, which enhances profit rather than hampers it.
At first glance, Stonyfield Farm hardly belongs in this league. It obviously operates on a much smaller, predominately domestic scale (although since being 80 percent bought by Group Danone in 2001, the product line is beginning to enter Europe on a small scale). Nor is its inbound supply chain, with the exception mostly of berries and sugar, international. “At the beginning,” recalls Steve Inamorati, VP/Supply Chain and Logistics, “we had to source everything ourselves because there weren’t a lot of organic sources. Ideally, now we’d like to be out of sourcing, but we still need to verify the ethics and organic practices of our vendors.”
So why did we choose Stonyfield? Because the company has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to social responsibility since its inception and, in so doing, constitutes a strong case for the unanticipated financial benefits that accompany that commitment. As climate change becomes ever more destructive, business faces challenges. Managers are already being asked to respond, to adapt operating practices to new criteria, which help off-set the cost of social externalities—like pollution and environmental destruction—while still growing the enterprise. Stonyfield Farms affords a compelling example of how this can be done.
Posted: April 29, 2008 at 6:21 pm
By News Editor
Congrats to Joe Michaels who has been named the Forage Segment Director at Vermeer Corporation.
Michaels, who previously served as the segment’s sales manager, is now responsible for overall operations and will report directly to corporate management.
“Joe’s experience and understanding of the market will be invaluable to Vermeer as we continue to develop and market new and better solutions in the hay and forage marketplace,” said Bob Vermeer, president of Vermeer Corporation.
Michaels brings twenty-five years of agricultural equipment sales, service, marketing and product development experience.
After joining Vermeer as ag product director in 2000, he left the company briefly to help McCormick, USA re-launch the McCormick brand in the US market (McCormick USA, which was originally based in Pella, shared a strategic marketing alliance with Vermeer from November 2001 to March 2004) and then returned to the Vermeer forage group as sales manager.
Posted: April 23, 2008 at 3:43 pm
By News Editor
Don’t forget to register for the 5th Downes-O’Neill/EDairy Annual Outlook Conference. Held on June 18 & 19 in Chicago, the conference’s platinum sponsor is Schreiber Foods and the gold sponsor is Dairy Farmers of America. An impressive list of speakers are on the program.
The Outlook Conference is a leading gathering for dairy-industry executives, analysts, traders, and producers that also attracts participants with price risk exposure in other commodities, including grains and fuels.
The keynote speaker for this year’s conference is Todd Buchholz, a former director of economic policy at the White House and a managing director of the $15 billion Tiger hedge fund. Buchholz, who has authored numerous books on the economy, including Market Shock: 9 Economic and Social Upheavals that Will Shake our Financial Future and the bestseller Dead Economists, will present his viewpoint of the direction of the global economy in 2008 and beyond.
The conference, also will feature Siva Yam, the president of the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce, who will discuss the Chinese economy and trends in that nation’s food import and export situation. Climatologist Drew Lerner, who also addressed last year’s conference – and predicted this year’s harsh winter in the U.S. – will be back to offer his predictions for global weather patterns in the remainder of 2008 and beyond.
Downes-O’Neill/FCStone’s own Bill Brooks will offer his perspective on the changing fundamentals of the dairy market and what they will mean for prices at the wholesale and retail level. Ken Bailey, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics at Penn State University and a consultant to Downes-O’Neill/FCStone, also will address the dairy market outlook, and will discuss the use of econometric models to forecast commodity prices.
Other speakers will include David Hightower, editor of the Hightower Report newsletter, on U.S. and world currencies; Julian Viso, Vice President of Latin American Operations for FCStone, LLC, on Latin America’s economy and agriculture sector; Eric Bowles, Senior Vice President of FCStone Trading on OTC swap derivatives; Mike Knobbe, President, carbon credits, of FCStone Carbon, LLC; technical analyst Peter Ullrich; Jim Webster, publisher of the Webster Agricultural Letter, on the legislative outlook; Tripp Dunman, Director of the fuel surcharge program for FCStone, LLC on the energy market outlook and trading strategies; and David Smoldt, FCStone Vice President and risk-management consultant, on the outlook for U.S. grains.
Posted: April 23, 2008 at 3:35 pm
By News Editor
Congratulations to Scott Metzger, the new area sales manager for Trans Ova Genetic’s dairy clients across the nation.
In his new position, Metzger will work with elite dairy breeders, helping them utilize advanced reproductive technologies such as embryo transfer (ET) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) to create desirable offspring from top cow families. Metzger also will counsel and educate breeders on sexed semen embryo production applications, genetic preservation and cloning to help align elite cow families with methods which will allow breeders to multiply their chances of success.
Metzger has a strong foundation in the dairy industry and a developed interest in dairy reproduction. He most recently spent four years providing genetic advice and service to clients of Semex USA as a district sales manager. In this role, he developed a new territory for the company by gaining client trust and providing genetic and reproduction solutions that matched their specific needs. Prior to joining Semex, Metzger worked for Nelson Dairy Consultants, Iowa State University Foundation and Prairie State Select Sires in full-time or internship roles.
Metzger graduated with honors in Dairy Science and Agricultural Business from Iowa State University in 2002. While at Iowa State, he was an active member of the school’s dairy science club, serving as president, and the Iowa State Dairy Judging Team for whom he earned All-American honors in 2001. A native of Larchwood, Iowa, Metzger was intricately involved in his family’s 50-cow Fredstel Jerseys including working as herdsman for a year following graduation.
Posted: April 22, 2008 at 3:57 pm
By News Editor
The newest value-added dairy product on the market is from Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA). The company has introduced Borden Essentials™, a cheese containing protective antioxidants, which help support a healthy immune system.
Borden is among the first packaged cheese to provide consumers with a source of antioxidants. DFA responded to consumers’ desire to increase antioxidants in their diets. According to the “2007 HealthFocus Trend Report,” more than 75 percent of moms believe that antioxidants improve or strengthen the immune system. Research from the U.S. National Institute of Health shows that protective antioxidants support a healthy immune system.
Antioxidants are molecules that protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, lycopene, tocopherol and retinol, interact with and stabilize free radicals. Free radicals are formed through a process called oxidation which occurs when we eat, breathe or go out in the sun.
Two varieties of Borden Essentials are distributed nationally:
• 2% Singles – 16 individually wrapped slices in a 10 2/3-ounce package
• Mozzarella string cheese – 12 individually wrapped sticks, low-fat part-skim, in a 10-ounce package
Posted: April 16, 2008 at 6:46 pm
By News Editor
There’s a new milk on the production line, one to help your baby settle down for a good night’s sleep. Called Good Night Milk, it is marketed by Cow & Gate, a company based in the UK.
Suitable for bottle-fed babies from six months onwards, Cow & Gate Good Night Milk is a nutritionally tailored milk which contains a special formulation of carbohydrates to make the formula thicker than regular follow-on milk. The addition of prebiotics means that Cow & Gate Good Night Milk is gentle on baby’s tum and can be used instead of your usual follow-on formula night feed to provide a warm and satisfying end to your baby’s day.
Posted: April 15, 2008 at 4:36 pm
By News Editor
Kraft Foods Inc. has named Rhonda Jordan the new head of its cheese and dairy division. The cheese and dairy division she now oversees accounted for 17% of Kraft’s $37.2 billion in sales last year but is losing sales to private-label grocery-store cheese brands.
Ms. Jordan began her Kraft career 21 years ago as a cheese marketer. As head of the company’s grocery unit last year, she repackaged and reformulated Kraft’s staid salad dressings. She also oversaw new pudding introductions for Jell-O that helped boost that brand’s sales 5% last year. And she launched new flavors, packaging and marketing for Jet-Puffed marshmallows that sparked a 14% sales jump. The company doesn’t yet know how well the new salad dressings are selling.
Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld has made cheese a top priority in the second year of her three-year plan to reignite growth at the nation’s largest food company. The business has lost ground to competitors in every month but one since Ms. Rosenfeld took charge in June 2006, a J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. analysis shows.
Kraft has started rolling out new cheese products, among them Bagel-Fuls — microwavable bagel sticks filled with cream cheese — and a line of cheese free of artificial growth hormones. In coming months, the company plans to introduce a resealable plastic case for its Deli Fresh cheeses. Similar to Tupperware, the packaging has worked for Oscar Mayer meats, and will help Kraft products stand out from the rest of the dairy aisle, a spokesman says.
Posted: April 9, 2008 at 7:32 pm
By News Editor
The Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence invites all sales and service representatives who work closely with Pennsylvania dairy producers to their upcoming Dairy Advocacy and Resource Team (DART) meetings. This series of meetings will focus on an environmentally friendly new approach to lowering feed costs. The DART meeting are scheduled for April 17, 22-24, and 29-30 at various dairy processing facilities in the state
Pennsylvania’s dairy processing infrastructure will be showcased during the meetings, with each meeting held at one of six dairy processing facilities located across the state. Meeting participants will learn about opportunities for producers to transition their herd into lower-cost, free-stall housing set-ups.
“We are excited about this round of DART meetings, aiming for a better understanding of two on-farm management areas that can impact profitability; modernizing smaller scale farms and feeding efficient rations,” says John Frey, executive director of the Center for Dairy Excellence. “Touring several local dairy processing plants will add even more learning opportunities.”
Dr. David Kammel, from the University of Wisconsin, and Dan McFarland from Penn State Cooperative Extension, will lead discussions on dairy housing and low-cost solutions to increasing cow numbers.
The April DART meetings are scheduled for the following dates, times and locations.
* April 17 from 12:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. at Galliker’s Dairy, 143 Donald Lane, Johnstown, Cambria County;
* April 22 from 12:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. at Yoder’s of New Holland, 14 South Tower Rd., New Holland , Lancaster County;
* April 23 from 12:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. at Middlebury Center Co-op., Route 287, Middlebury Center, Tioga County;
* April 24 from 12:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. at Land O’Lakes Carlisle, 405 Park Drive, Carlisle, Cumberland County;
* April 29 from 12:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. at Sunbury Weis Dairy Plant , 100 South 2nd St.,
Sunbury, Northumberland County; and
* April 30 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Dairy Farmers of America, Rte. 18 and 208, New Wilmington, Lawrence County.
Posted: April 9, 2008 at 1:43 pm
By Chuck Zimmerman
It sounds like Mike Wright will be doing a little bit of traveling. Diamond V announced that he’s their new Director of Global Marketing.
In his role Wright will oversee sales and marketing efforts, with special emphasis on the dairy business.
Wright joins Diamond V with 17 years of feed industry sales and marketing experience. Prior to joining Diamond V Wright served as Business Manager for ADM Alliance Nutrition, where he was responsible for new business opportunities and marketing program development for key strategic products. Previously, he worked for ADM Animal Health & Nutrition, MoorMan?s Incorporated, Manna Pro Corporation and Countrymark Cooperative, Inc.
Mike understands the feed business and what producers need to stay profitable,? says Jeff Cannon, Senior Vice President, Planning and Business Development. ?He brings with him a wealth of industry expertise, and we?re excited for him to join our team.?
Posted: April 8, 2008 at 4:23 pm
By News Editor
Shamrock Farms milk is now be available nation-wide in the grocery store Harris Teeter. The store will sell Shamrock Farms 12-ounce varieties of chocolate milk, whole milk, and 2% white milk, as well as “Shamrockers(R), individual 8-ounce milks.
“Across the country, people are discovering that milk is a great-tasting, healthy beverage option they can feel good about drinking,” said Sandy Kelly, director of marketing at Phoenix-based Shamrock Farms. “Our fun and innovative packaging designs help draw kids and moms to our products, and our convenient single-serve options make it easy to incorporate milk into their daily routine. We’re thrilled to bring fresh, delicious Shamrock Farms milk, and our spokescow Roxie, to Harris Teeter shoppers.”
Posted: March 28, 2008 at 8:22 pm
By News Editor
A decline in corn planted in the U.S. this year could have far reaching effects - not only in the U.S., but globally. Analysts on average were predicting this year’s corn acreage at 87.387 million acres, down 6.2 million acres from 2007’s 93.6 million, which was the biggest corn area in over 60 years. Soybean plantings are estimated by analysts on average at 71.721 million acres, up from 63.6 million last year.
Indeed, with food prices racing higher around the world, and strong demand for corn from food companies, livestock producers and ethanol makers, U.S. corn production is considered a critical component of keeping people fed.
But as spring planting season draws near, now market analysts fear that many U.S. farmers will instead plant soybeans, which are commanding historic high prices at more than $13 a bushel (compared with $5.50 a bushel for corn) and are much cheaper to produce than corn.
Market experts say all signs point to a sharp decline in overall U.S. corn seeding this spring, which could spell a significant tightening of supplies that would resonate at home and abroad, impacting everyone from consumers to cattle feeders.
Because soybeans are typically planted later than corn, which goes into the ground in early to mid-April in many areas, those numbers could shift even further in favor of beans if current unfavorable wet and cool weather in the U.S. corn belt persists.
A shortfall in corn this year would follow last year’s short supplies of quality world wheat and soy crops, which caused prices to spike to record levels and contributed to rampant inflation in food prices domestically and abroad.
Fears are further compounded by the fact that farmers in Argentina, one of the world’s leading suppliers of soy, corn, wheat and beef, have gone on strike in a protest against new taxes, essentially shutting down the country’s grain export business.
“What does it mean for the consumer? More than likely higher prices yet to come,” Joe Victor vice president at Allendale said. “With higher grain costs, whether that grain is being fed for milk production, meat or egg production … it’s very likely we’re getting ourselves into a bind.”
Posted: March 21, 2008 at 10:55 am
By Chuck Zimmerman
Dr. Gerald Poppy has been promoted to Director, North American Dairy Business for Diamond V.
In his new position Poppy will be responsible for overseeing and interacting with all Diamond V dairy representatives working directly with Diamond V dairy products. Dr. Poppy joined the Diamond V team in 2006 as the Western Region Manager, where he was responsible for managing the western sales team and expanding the companys presence in the western United States. Before joining Diamond V, Poppy held several director and technical services roles for Monsanto Dairy Business. Prior to Monsanto, Poppy worked as a dairy nutrition and production consultant, as well as a practicing veterinarian.
Posted: February 13, 2008 at 6:41 pm
By News Editor
Dairy producers visiting the World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif. this year (February 12-14) will have the first look at many new, exciting products, including the new WasteSolverT created by TyraTech Inc. The WasteSolverT is a new automated manure management system designed to help large dairy farms produce more milk and profit in four key areas:
Increasing cow comfort and increase milk production through use of the resulting soft, clean bedding material that has proven to be equal to (if not better) than sand;
Achieving an average 9% phosphorus reduction, and equal or greater reductions in nitrogen and potassium for the Manure Management Plan, that could help allow a corresponding herd size increase;
Significantly reducing annual bedding costs compared to sand or dry manure/cellulose;
Reducing labor costs due to the system’s highly automated nature.
Stop by the TyraTech Inc. booth at the World Ag Expo to learn more! Booth #6507-6508.
«Past Entries
