Posted: October 27, 2009 at 6:11 am
By Amanda Nolz
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.”
Posted: October 26, 2009 at 4:00 pm
By Amanda Nolz
Tom Lutey at the Billings Gazette recently published a very interesting, thought-provoking read titled, Dairy farm utilizes alternative income sources on the next environmental step for cattle producers. It’s all about utilizing the methane for cattle and converting into reusable energy. This is a great example of just that, and from the comments about the article, I would say the general public supports this production practice, as well. (Photo courtesy Billings Gazette) Here is a piece of the article…
A farmer in tough times has to squeeze every penny from his operation, but Huls Dairy is squeezing in places few farmers have. Dairy cows at the Corvallis farm produce 6 million gallons of manure a year, which this fourth-generation farm in Northwest Montana’s Bitterroot Valley taps for methane fuel and a bagged, organic lawn-and-garden fertilizer sold as Afterburner Boost. The methane generates enough energy to power Huls’ 350-cow dairy operation, plus one home.
“Our farm has tried to utilize our cows, to market whatever we have,” said Tim Huls, who is facing the lowest payments in nearly three decades for his farm’s milk. “It wouldn’t be enough to offset the dairy crisis, in terms of taking you from being in the red, but at this point it’s paid its own way, particularly in fertilizer. Afterburner Boost does very well in the marketplace.”
Finding small ways to save or make a buck has become crucial for Montana farmers struggling with feast-or-famine market prices. Huls likens the erratic price behavior of his commodity to a seismograph reading for Yellowstone National Park. After receiving a record high price for his milk two years ago, Huls would now need dairy payouts to increase a third just to break even. For Huls Dairy, the decision to go into the methane energy business was as much about squeezing a dollar as bracing for environmental change. Methane from livestock is increasingly being viewed as a liability for farmers, one they might be penalized for producing possible federal legislation to curb global warming.
Posted: October 17, 2009 at 3:51 pm
By Amanda Nolz
Here is a positive story about a dairy producer in California who is standing up and speaking out to tell the real story of production agriculture. Her name is Barbara Jackson, and her story was recently printed in the Modesto Beef in an article titled, “Ag Tries Twitter,” a feature by Robert Rodriguez that describes how farms are feeding info to the public and their peers via social media outlets. (Photo courtesy Modesto Bee) Here is Barbara’s story…
With a hand-held video camera, a computer and 800 cows, Barbara Martin of Lemoore is letting the world into her life as a dairy operator. No, it’s not a new reality television show. And Martin isn’t craving her 15 minutes of fame. But she is joining a growing number of farmers and others in agriculture who are using social media tools to communicate with each other, send out information and educate the public about agriculture.
Dairy operators have become especially skilled at launching Facebook pages, blog posting and using Twitter, a microblogging site. Martin uses all three to tell the public about the family’s 800-cow dairy. She launched “A Dairy Goddess’s Blog” in late August.
For Martin, using social media and blogging is a way to dispel some myths about farmers and encourage a greater understanding of the slumping dairy industry. She’s blogged about everything from fixing the pricing structure for milk to sharing her childhood memories about growing up on a farm. Her most recent post is a video diary about her heifer Chica.
Posted: September 16, 2009 at 7:10 am
By Chuck
Pioneer Hi-Bred has invited ag media to attend a day filled with information on their forage products.
The Pioneer Livestock Nutrition Center (PLNC), Pioneer experts will provide the latest updates on technologies designed for producers and forage growers to get the most return on their investment.
Pioneer provides the entire range of seed genetics, crop-specific forage additives, revolutionary Corn Fiber Technology, silage know-how and local services – all dedicated to the goal of producing more nutritious feed for livestock.
Cindy and I are on location and will be covering the event throughout the day here and on World Dairy Diary.
Posted: September 9, 2009 at 9:09 pm
By News Editor
Dennis Wolff, Pennsylvania’s outgoing secretary of agriculture, is joining the partnership at the lobbying firm of Versant Strategies. He had announced his resignation in August.
Wolff’s role at Versant is effective Sept. 14, where he will work with the network of producers, consumers, and private and public organizations that make up the state’s agricultural community.
Wolff was confirmed as Gov. Ed Rendell’s secretary of agriculture in May 2003. During his tenure, he oversaw the creation of some of the state’s most innovative and effective agricultural programs, including the Center for Dairy Excellence, PAgrows and the PA Preferred marketing program.
Background
His own Pen-Col farm, a 600-acre dairy cattle operation, is renowned in the field of specialized genetics. In 1994, Wolff was named a Master Farmer for his work in the agricultural field.
Wolff is president and founder of the Nicholas Wolff Foundation and Camp Victory in Millville, Pa., a nonprofit camp for children with special medical needs.
Wolff joins Versant Strategies’ current partners: John Barley, a Master Farmer with 18 years of experience as a leader in the state House of Representatives; and MeeCee Baker, the firm’s chief operating officer and veteran agricultural educator.
Source: Farm & Dairy
Posted: September 9, 2009 at 8:12 pm
By Chuck
The first presenter this morning at the Novus International Media Day was Stephanie Gable, Marketing Manager, Ruminants. Stephanie gave us the lowdown on how Novus is helping dairy producers achieve “oxidative balance” in their herd. They’ve found that just like with human beings, when dairy cows come under stress from oxidation they become less productive. So to prevent it and maintain a healthy balance they recommend the use of antioxidants like AGRADO Plus feed ingredient.
They feel so strongly about the importance of dairy nutrition that they’ve created a new website on the subject where you can learn a lot more about this oxidative balance issue.
You can listen to my interview with Stephanie here:
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Posted: September 8, 2009 at 4:25 pm
By Chuck
Novus International brought a group of agricultural journalists into their St. Charles, MO headquarters today. We were greeted by Scott Fleetwod, Executive Director, Global Marketing and Products. I sat down with him right after his opening remarks to discuss what he hopes we accomplish here today and tomorrow.
The company has a significant investment in the dairy industry which we’ll learn more about in tomorrow’s session and I’ll have a follow up post from it. I did appreciate one remark Scott made in our interview about how the carbon footprint of the dairy industry is so much smaller than it used to be. The fact is there are so many fewer cows in production today. But you sure won’t hear that reported very often.
He reminded us that the company was a spinoff from Monsanto back in the mid 80′s and has grown tremendously since then. Since many of their products are targeted to animal nutrition and health he says that he believes there will be recovery in the animal industry starting with beef and even in dairy within the coming year. The company also see great opportunities to improve animal food production in developing countries where the bulk of the hungry and starving people are today.
While we’re here we’ll get to tour this new company headquarters facility which was built with sustainability in mind. Sustainability is a key work here at Novus.
I’m also happy to report that Novus will be a partial sponsor of our coverage of this year’s World Dairy Expo!
Listen to my interview with Scott here: novus-media-09-fleetwood-agwired.mp3
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Posted: September 7, 2009 at 6:57 pm
By Chuck
Here is our next installment in a series of online Dairy Producer Short Courses from our sponsor, Fort Dodge Animal Health.
Our topic this week is BVD VACCINE: “PRIMING” IMMUNE RESPONSE.
Fort Dodge Animal Health’s Mark van der List, DVM, technical services consultant, explains some of the current research suggesting you can get a better vaccine response by leading a pre-breeding modified-live with a dose of killed vaccine during the dry period.
WHEN TYPE II BVD EMERGED in 1993, killing half the cows it infected in some herds, it reminded all of us about the importance of vaccinating to help prevent BVD outbreaks. Today we’ve entered a new phase of BVD control, one aimed at preventing clinical disease, as well as stopping the virus by preventing Persistent Infection.
It is commonly thought killed vaccines have been pretty effective in limiting death, abortion and other losses, while modified-lives may have some additional advantages in preventing PIs. By using a killed vaccine like TRIANGLE® followed by a modified-live vaccine like PYRAMID,® a producer has a convenient, effective program to break the BVD cycle.
Fort Dodge offers Pyramid to combat the BVD virus. You can read more about this disease in this full short course publication (pdf).
Posted: September 4, 2009 at 5:32 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Land O’Lakes International Development Division (IDD) made announcements this week about programs in three different countries.
The recent award of a USDA-funded dairy development program in the Republic of the Philippines under the Food for Progress program will expand Land O’Lakes current dairy development activities into six dairy zones across the island of Mindanao. The program is designed to increase affordability of improved dairy cattle, provide training to farmers in herd management practices and expanding dairy market linkages, to increase production of high-quality raw milk and expand opportunities to produce and sell dairy products locally. Read more here.
Land O’Lakes IDD also announced the launch of the Dairy Enhancement in Eastern Province (DEEP) Program in Sri Lanka. The program’s overall objective is to connect Eastern Province dairy farmers to the dairy value chain and increase economic opportunities for participating dairy farmers. The program will provide financial grants, technical assistance and training to participating program farmers aimed to improve on-farm productivity, and also mobilize farmers into Milk Producer Groups (MPGs) that will feed into program Milk Collection Centers (MCCs) and link these centers to a consistent buyer of raw milk. Read more here.
Finally, Land O’Lakes IDD announced the final phase of the Fallujah Widow’s Dairy Development Program in Iraq. The goal of this program, which started in October 2008, is to create a sustainable source of income for dairy farmers by providing a market for their excess milk and enough dairy products to meet consumers’ demand. Phase Three of the program is to build a Modular Milk Collection plant that will provide training and employment opportunities for women, as well as introduce raw and value-added dairy products such as pasteurized milk in bulk, sachets and yogurt in different sized packaging. Read more here.
Posted: September 3, 2009 at 3:02 pm
By News Editor
One thing I believe is important is for dairy farmers to keep current with the media conversations and portrayals of agriculture. A recent article in TIME magazine is an example of a “must-read” story for all dairy farmers.
Bryan Walsh, author of TIME Magazine’s cover story “The Real Cost of Cheap Food,” admitted in an AgriTalk interview that the story took the angle he wanted to pursue rather than presenting both sides in a balanced, objective manner. Walsh’s article was highly critical of U.S. food production. Walsh said it’s been a trend at TIME to have “more stories angled toward the point of view of the writer.”
“Rather than just doing the sort of story where you do 50 percent on one side, 50 percent on the other, you allow the writer to look at it and make some of his own judgments,” Walsh said. Read the full transcript of Walsh’s interview with Agritalk host Mike Adams.
Walsh’s comments should be taken very seriously by those of us involved in agriculture. Such a flippant attitude toward his craft as a reporter and the subjects he is assigned is obviously concerning, but Walsh and TIME are hardly alone in today’s ultra-competitive media industry.
Read Greg Henderson’s, Drovers editor, full comments here.
Source: Drover’s
Posted: August 29, 2009 at 4:01 pm
By Chuck
Here is our next installment in a series of online Dairy Producer Short Courses from our sponsor, Fort Dodge Animal Health.
Our topic this week is BVD: AVOIDING PERSISTENT INFECTION.
Never had a PI in your dairy? Good to hear, says Mark van der List, DVM, Fort Dodge Animal Health senior veterinary consultant. You’ve probably never had a house fi re either, yet that shouldn’t convince you to drop your homeowner’s insurance. Here’s how to stay PI-free.
IF YOU CAN SAY your herd is free of persistent BVD infection, you should be congratulated — but cautious. Uncontrolled BVD costs:
- ■ Reproductive losses such as early embryonic death, abortions, birth defects and congenitally infected calves — those infected in the womb — which are more likely to succumb to calfhood diseases.
- ■ Increased rates of mastitis, metritis, pneumonia and other diseases caused by suppression of the immune system.
- ■ Reduced calf and heifer performance, leading to higher death loss and greater risk of early culling.
Ongoing vaccination using a vaccine labeled to prevent PIs, like PYRAMID 5 or 10, is an essential part of the control program. Vaccinating 30 days before breeding optimizes the cow’s immunity during the critical 30 to 120 days of gestation when the risk for PI development is greatest.
Fort Dodge offers Pyramid to combat the BVD virus. You can read more about this disease in their full short course publication (pdf).
Posted: August 23, 2009 at 2:00 pm
By Amanda Nolz
These stories are kind of hard to hear, but I imagine there are many dairy farmers that can relate to this scenario. This article was written by Dennis Pollock for the Western Farm Press. Here is an excerpt…
FRED MACHADO, Easton, Calif., 77 years old, spent more than a six decades milking cows, but the dairy he started in 1950 now stands silent, a casualty of an almost unprecedented depression for California dairymen.
On that table is a decorative, wooden likeness of a cow that holds a floral display. In time, such decorations – wooden cows over his fireplace mantle, cow bookends in his office, another cow holder for flowers outside – will be the only cows in Machado’s life for the first time in nearly 70 years.
Machado still has 500 heifers, but he’ll sell them, too. His milking days, which started in the Azores when he was 8 years old, are over. His milking parlor is empty and still now, and his corrals are mostly empty. Machado and family members concede the decision to close their dairy operation and sell the animals was a wrenching one. But they saw it as necessary because they were losing $70,000 a month by keeping it in operation.
“It was a family decision,” Machado says. “It was not what we wanted to do, but it was the best thing for us to do. It feels kind of empty, but we’ll get by.
“We didn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. There were two choices – mortgage our land to stay in a losing business or get out and save the farm.”
Posted: August 19, 2009 at 7:55 pm
By Chuck
Here is our next installment in a series of online Dairy Producer Short Courses from our sponsor, Fort Dodge Animal Health.
Our topic this week is BVD Vaccination: Staying One Jump Ahead.
The BVD virus taught dairy producers not to take it for granted when it killed thousands of cows in 1993. Its ability to mutate presents a challenge when designing a vaccine to protect against all the forms of the disease, says Fort Dodge Animal Health Technical Services Consultant Mark van der List, DVM.
THE BVD VIRUS’ molecular structure creates genetic instability, which allows it to evolve quickly. Today, we know of as many as 11 Type 1s and possibly four type 2s, which have resulted from that evolution.1 2 Although Type 1B is the most common in U.S. cattle, followed by Type 2A and then Type 1A, all the implications of that diversity aren’t clear.
- Both Type 1 and Type 2 can cause either acute disease or persistent infection.
- There has been little or no proven correlation between the type of BVD infecting a group of cattle and the clinical effect the disease has on them, from acute to chronic to fatal.
- Researchers now believe preventing persistent infection is critical to controlling BVD’s spread; however, you can’t ignore the role of circulating virus transmitted by acute cases and possibly wildlife. Some herds have been shown to maintain the disease without the presence of a PI animal for years.
Those unique aspects of the virus help explain why even biosecure, well-managed dairies may have difficulty ridding themselves of BVD. Effectively vaccinating can be difficult as well, due both to some vaccines’ insufficient cross-protection and the tendency for producers to not complete the full course of vaccinations.
We know the quest to broaden the potential ability of vaccines to protect can’t stop at just including a Type 2. Even within the same subtype, it’s important to constantly refine vaccine strains, testing their capability to cross-protect as cattle face evolving BVD strains. For example, when we developed our PYRAMID line of vaccines,we weeded through the hundreds of strains now commonly identified to choose the two we believe offer the most potential to cross-react with the broadest range of wild BVD. That breadth helps keep us one jump ahead of the virus’ next change.
Fort Dodge offers Pyramid to combat the BVD virus. You can read more about this disease in their full short course publication (pdf).
Posted: August 18, 2009 at 11:36 am
By Amanda Nolz
Van Beek Natural Science is excited to introduce CalviRanch, a feed supplement that protects newborn calves from stress induced scours with its unique mode of action. The right balance of pectin and charcoal help remove toxins while coating the intestinal wall, thus proactively working against GI problems before they start. In addition, CalviRanch contains DFMs and enzymes, which promote digestive health.
An
An advantage of CalviRanch is the easy identification that the product has been administered. When a calf receives the supplement, its manure will take on CalviRanch’s dark grey color giving the producer the validation their calves are receiving the protection they need.
CalviRanch is available in 7 lb and 15 lb pails, a 50 lb drum, and 1,000 lb totes. The product is sold through all major livestock & dairy distributors. Please link here for more information.
Van Beek Natural Science is an innovative, quality-focused manufacturing and service company committed to bringing the highest quality natural products to the market. Van Beek has been marketing feed supplements for livestock since 1984 with a history of experience in pectin and charcoal based products. Van Beek uses the best available ingredients from around the world when formulating products to be sure that the benefits desired from the ingredients reach their full potential in the final product.
Posted: August 6, 2009 at 6:49 am
By Amanda Nolz
AgUnited For South Dakota has helped sponsor open houses for community members to tour local dairy farms. These outreach programs help educate neighbors about dairy production, while celebrating the work of dairy farmers. In the past two events, more than 500 people attended and ate lunch at the Moonlight Dairy open house near Alcester, and more than 750 attended the open house at Oaklane Colony near Alexandria. What a fantastic way to promote dairy!
To take part in upcoming dairy tours, check out information provided at AgUnited for South Dakota. Salas Dairy is the next stop on the list on August 15, 2009 in Parker, S.D. That will be followed by Hilltop Dairy on August 29, 2009 in Elkton, S.D. If you’re in the area and want to take part, everyone is welcome! Enjoy a good lunch, tour the dairy, learn more about dairy production in South Dakota and the importance of dairy in your diet! Sounds like an exciting day to me!
Posted: July 31, 2009 at 12:09 pm
By Chuck
Our latest sponsor here on World Dairy Diary, Ft. Dodge Animal Health, has announced that it has inventory of its PYRAMID® 10 vaccine. This is the one that will help producers protect their cattle from major bovine diseases.
PYRAMID 10 is a highly effective, single-dose vaccine that provides protection against 10 respiratory and reproductive bovine diseases, including infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), bovine virus diarrhea (BVD) types 1 and 2, parainfluenza type 3 (PI3), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) and five strains of leptospirosis. Not only does PYRAMID 10 offer the added convenience of a combination vaccine in a single injection, it utilizes MetaStim®, the Fort Dodge Animal Health proprietary adjuvant system.
“MetaStim makes the difference,” says Gary Robertson, bovine biological marketing manager for Fort Dodge Animal Health. “MetaStim facilitates uniform distribution of the vaccine virus to the immune system in a highly concentrated and efficient manner.”
Robertson says the company has aggressively ramped up production of the vaccine after initial supplies were depleted last fall due to high demand in the marketplace. “Fort Dodge Animal Health has a long-standing commitment to bringing safe, effective animal health solutions to the market,” Robertson explains. “We are pleased supplies of PYRAMID 10 are now available. Since its introduction, the vaccine has become an important tool in helping dairy producers and veterinarians better manage the health of their herds for greater production.”
Posted: July 23, 2009 at 7:58 pm
By Amanda Nolz
It looks like New York is going to set the pace for dairy producers in waste management and the environment. According to the Associated Press, New York will host the Dairy Power Project, coordinated by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. What do you think about this project? Will it be too costly investment for producers in the future? Will the environment benefit from this new manure management pilot program? I’m excited to see the results of this test project.
The project’s goal is to set a national model for using methane digesters on dairy farms to create electricity and reduce the farm’s carbon footprint. Methane digesters capture naturally occurring methane gas from stored manure and convert it into electricity. Officials say the technology has the potential to reduce the dairy industry’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020. That’s equivalent to removing 1.25 million passenger cars off the road each year.
The Dairy Power Project was also explained in a press release by the New York State Department of Agriculture. In the press release, details for the plan are broken down and plans for the future are outlined.
“New York is committed to leading the nation in the production of clean energy and fighting climate change,” said Governor David A. Paterson. “Harnessing the waste from dairy farms to produce energy is an effective method of capitalizing on an existing resource to help us meet our ’45 by 15′ clean energy goal. We are pleased to have been chosen for this pilot project, and look forward to the positive benefits for our dairy farmers and the environment.”
Methane digesters capture naturally occurring methane gas from stored manure and convert it into electricity. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas – 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide – which contributes to global warming. Methane digesters effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of methane released into the air and by also providing an alternative energy source to fossil fuels.
Posted: July 15, 2009 at 11:03 am
By Chuck
Last week we introduced you to our newest sponsor, Ft. Dodge Animal Health. Besides Pyramid 10 they’ve got a whole range of other products that they are very well known for so I’m listing some links to more information about their dairy products below.
In coming weeks we hope to provide interviews with Ft. Dodge Animal Health vets and others to talk about the products they have to help the dairy industry.
Vaccination/Disease Prevention
An ongoing vaccination program is critical for maintaining high performance, milk production and beef quality. Protect your investment with the complete line of respiratory and reproductive cattle vaccines from Fort Dodge Animal Health.
Parasite Control
CYDECTIN® Pour-On (moxidectin)
Control production-robbing internal and external parasites with the proven purple pour-on
Mastitis Therapy
Production +
Production + is an innovative program for today’s progressive dairies. This program offers proven products and protocols for lactating and dry cows, which improve milk production and quality year round.
Pharmaceuticals
Proven tools to help protect your investment
Aureomycin®, Factrel® (Rx), Flunixamine™ (Rx), Nolvasan®, Polyflex® (Rx), Polyotic®, Re-Covr® (Rx), Sulmet®, Vetisulid®
Management Tips
A series of short course documents on bovine vaccines.
Posted: July 14, 2009 at 5:05 pm
By News Editor
Congratulations to Dr. Ken Bailey for his new appointment to the FCStone Group, Inc., a commodity risk-management firm. Dr. Bailey has joined the firm as a full-time consultant and broker. Dr. Bailey specializes in advising and executing risk management strategies for processors/dairy buyers to hedge their dairy component risks, and has previously served as a consultant to FCStone and, before that, to Downes-O’Neill prior to its acquisition by FCStone in 2008.
Dr. Bailey’s deep expertise in the dairy sector reflects his prior service as a Professor of Agricultural Economics at Penn State University, where he developed educational programs in the area of dairy markets and policy.
“With his extensive expertise and unique perspective on the U.S. dairy industry, Ken has been a vital contributor to our firm, and having him join us in-house will provide additional benefits to our customers,” said Tom Gaughan, Vice President of the Food Service Division at FCStone. “The current economic environment makes it critical for dairy farmers, producers, processors, and investors to be informed on the latest trends and issues. Ken’s historical knowledge and understanding of dairy market supply and demand factors is itself an extremely valuable commodity for our clients.”
“The growing demand for specialized dairy consulting services has made this the perfect time for me to join FCStone full time,” said Dr. Bailey. “Our clients value our in-depth expertise and our ability to provide strategies that help offset the ups and downs of the markets and their businesses. I look forward to my new role and dedicating more time to helping the firm’s clients.”
Dr. Bailey holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota. He also writes The Bailey Report, a monthly FCStone publication focusing on dairy market trends and products.
Posted: July 13, 2009 at 5:35 pm
By Amanda Nolz
Recently reported in the Farm and Dairy, 22 dairy farms have kicked off a statewide Dairy Profit Team Program in New York. This team effort will focus on improving finances and milk production, among other things. These groups will use team work, cost sharing, I’m proud of these dairies who are teaming up to change their circumstances and quality resources to reach their goals. and I wish them, and other dairy producers, the best of luck in these hard economical times.
The farms are among the first in the state to sign up for a Dairy Profit Team, under a program by the NY Center for Dairy Excellence to establish 45 new teams this year.
Dairy Profit Teams are a group of advisers that help a farmer work through defined issues and opportunities on the farm, and develop strategies for change.
Team members are often agronomists, veterinarians, animal nutritionists, bankers and others. They may come from agribusiness, Cooperative Extension or elsewhere. Team members offer solutions and suggestions. The farmer is ultimately responsible for farm management decisions.
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