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: February 7, 2008 at 2:59 pm
By Andy Vance
The Ohio Department of Agriculture has issued an Emergency Rule with the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) that regulates on dairy labeling regarding recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), a supplement used for milk production. The issue of rBST labeling has become one of the hottest issues in Ohio agriculture, and Director of Agriculture Bob Boggs has taken the point on identifying a workable solution.
The rule will require any processor using a claim related to milk from cows not supplemented with rBST to to prove production claims are accurate through proper documentation (for example, producer-signed affidavits, farm weight tickets, and processing plant audit trails are among some of the supporting documents that must be readily available for ODA inspection). Perhaps more importantly, the rule requires such labels to also contain a contiguous, identically formatted U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) disclaimer stating, “no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-supplemented and non-rbST-supplemented cows.” In other words, to quote the Director, the label will have to be on the same panel, the same size, the same font, the same color” as the marketing claim. In other words, this isn’t going to be like the surgeon General’s Warning on a pack of Camels.
In terms of the specifics of implementing the rule, the Governor has taken action to supplement the ODA rulemaking process:
Governor Ted Strickland signed an executive order today, issuing an emergency rule prohibiting the mislabeling of dairy products and defining what constitutes false and misleading labels for dairy products. The emergency rule, effective immediately, establishes acceptable, more consistent labeling practices for dairy marketing organizations and labeling entities pertaining to rbST.
The emergency rule provides guidance to the dairy industry and helps interpret the existing law contained in Ohio Revised Code 917.05 and 3715.60. These laws authorize ODA to take enforcement action if a dairy label contains false or misleading statements.
The emergency rule is in effect for 90 days while ODA completes the statutory rule-making process through the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review. As part of the process, a formal public hearing will be held to give stakeholders an opportunity to comment on the proposed rule.
ODA Dairy Chief Lewis Jones says there are roughly 40 processors in Ohio who will be affected by the rule. ODA estimates nearly 15% of milk produced in Ohio is a result of rBST use.
Posted: January 8, 2008 at 5:52 pm
By News Editor
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could announce the release of meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring from a voluntary marketing moratorium as early as next week. Some consumer activist groups are wary of the pending approval, but the FDA says its decision is based on years of scientific research and study.
The decision would be a notable act of defiance against Congress, which last month passed appropriations legislation recommending that any such approval be delayed pending further studies. Moreover, the Senate version of the Farm bill, yet to be reconciled with the House version, contains stronger, binding language that would block FDA action on cloned food, probably for years.
New Zealand and Australia have released reports concluding that meat and milk from clones are safe. Canada and Argentina are reportedly close to doing the same. And although European consumers are generally uncomfortable with agricultural biotechnology, the European Union’s food safety agency is expected to endorse the safety of meat and milk from clones in a draft statement that could be released within the next week.
“The science seems to be leading them and us to the same conclusion,” said a U.S. trade official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because U.S. policy is technically still under review.
The FDA has hinted strongly in the past year that it is ready to lift its “voluntary moratorium” on the marketing of milk and meat from clones and their offspring, saying that the science led them to that decision. Multiple studies compiled by the agency have shown that the chemical composition of those products is virtually identical to that of milk and meat from conventionally bred animals. And studies in which rodents were fed food from clones have found no evidence of health effects.
“Thousands of data points, hundreds of peer-reviewed journal articles and two reviews by the National Academies have all said the same thing,” said Mark Walton, president of ViaGen, an Austin-based cattle cloning company that provided many of the animals that independent researchers studied for the FDA. “There is nothing left to review.” Walton emphasized that for now, because clones are so expensive to make, they will be used almost entirely as breeding stock to produce conventional offspring for market. Scientists largely agree that although some clones harbor genetic peculiarities of uncertain relevance, their sexually produced offspring are healthy and normal.
Posted: November 16, 2007 at 6:32 am
By Andy Vance
As the rancorous debate over acceptance of rBST treatments has spread across the country, more and more dairy marketers have jumped on the rBST-free bandwagon. The concern of dairyman has always been the clear lack of understanding from the average consumer as to what exactly rBST is, what it does, and what it means for them as consumers of dairy products. One state has now decided that the debate is over for them: Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolf announced this week that starting January 1st, marketers are prohibited from selling milk under the “rBST Free” label.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports:
Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff announced the decision last month after convening a 22-member Food Labeling Advisory Committee to look into false or misleading claims in “absence labeling.”
The ruling covers all dairy products sold in the state, forcing some out-of-state manufacturers, in effect, to make Pennsylvania-only packaging. So far, the state Department of Agriculture has notified 19 companies that their labels must change.
Wolf’s concerns included the inability of regulators to test and prove the product was in fact rBST-free, as well as the “unjustified” higher prices demanded by anti rBST marketers. It has been rumored that other states including Ohio and New Jersey are considering following suit.
Posted: June 14, 2007 at 6:37 pm
By News Editor
Merial has announced two new analyses to the comprehensive IGENITY® profile.
Added to the DNA profile are a multiple-marker fertility analysis and an optional diagnostic test for persistent infection (PI) of the bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus.
DNA markers also have been added to the longevity and milk production analyses in the IGENITY profile — making them more powerful and increasing the amount of genetic variation accounted for in the profile.
“Fertility and productive life are major areas of concern for the dairy industry,” says Dr. Stewart Bauck, Executive Director of Strategic Marketing, IGENITY. “The recent advancements in the comprehensive IGENITY profile give producers a powerful tool for management and selection of these important traits — earlier than before.”
Dr. Bauck adds that the upgrade of the IGENITY profile in production and longevity traits is equally valuable. The profile now provides more information about the genetic potential for production traits and is extremely powerful in showing productive life differences in cows.
Posted: May 31, 2007 at 7:49 pm
By News Editor
A recent article on MSN.com gives an even rebuttal to the bST debate that has been in the news the last few months. The article aims to calm the fears of consumers and to lay out the facts on bST. What do you think of the points made?
Growth hormones exist naturally in a dairy cow and in the milk she produces. The hormone, called bovine somatotropin (bST) or bovine growth hormone (bGH), is a determining factor in how much milk the cattle can produce. In 1993, a synthetic growth hormone was approved for use. When injected in a cow, the synthetic hormone extends the cow’s lactation period, increasing her milk production by at least 10 percent. Treated cows produce more milk with less feed and less animal waste, making an entire herd as efficient as the farmer’s best cow.
The growth hormone was developed using recombinant DNA technology, a feat of genetic engineering in which naturally occurring genes are “recombined” to create virtually identical versions of the originals. Of course, it’s the “virtually” part that gets people upset. But the same technology has successfully yielded new vaccines and insulin products. Recombinant bST (sometimes written rBST) is manufactured in the U.S. by Monsanto under the name Posilac.
The risks of drinking milk from injected cows are unsubstantiated. (more…)
Posted: May 29, 2007 at 6:42 pm
By News Editor
It really is an exciting time in research for the dairy industry. New Zealand scientists have discovered that some cows have genes that give them a natural ability to produce skimmed milk. What a discovery!
The researchers plan to use this information to breed herds of milkers producing only skimmed milk.The researchers also plan to breed commercial herds producing milk with the unique characteristics required to make a butter that is spreadable straight from the fridge. They have already identified a cow, Marge, with the genes required to do this and say a commercial herd is likely by 2011. The milk is very low in saturated fats and so should be high in polyunsaturates and monounsaturated fats.
Experts say that the discovery of these rogue milkers could completely revolutionise the dairy industry. Ed Komorowski, technical director at Dairy UK says that the New Zealand approach could be used to breed cows that still produce full-fat milk but with only the good fats, which could swing things back in favour of full-fat milk. In the UK, for example, only 25% of milk sold is full fat. ‘In future if whole milk can be made to contain unsaturated fats – which are good for you – then it might mean that people change back to whole milk products. The big thing about dairy products is taste, so this would be a way of giving the benefits of taste without the disadvantage of saturated fats,’ according to Komorowski.
Posted: April 4, 2007 at 7:37 pm
By News Editor
Monsanto Co., the producer of Posilac-brand recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), has filed a complaint to the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission asking these federal authorities to crack down on dairies that make “deceptive” claims that the use of Posilac bovine growth hormone leads to unhealthy milk. According to federal agency guidelines, claims must be truthful and backed up by evidence; they cannot be misle
To send your own letter to the FDA and FTC to ask them to take action and stop deceptive labeling and advertising on milk and other dairy products, you can print these letters and give to your Monsanto representative for mailing. You must have free Acrobat Reader to view and print these letters.
Monsanto provided to regulators several examples of labels and ads it finds objectionable. They run the gamut from a claim by California’s Alta Dena Dairy that no rBST “means better health and happier cows,” to a label used by Louisiana’s Kleinpeter Dairy that links the synthetic hormone’s use to premature puberty in children. Neither dairy returned calls seeking comment.
Monsanto late last year began asking dairy producers and others to sign off on letters objecting to misleading labels, he said. The company compiled more than 500 of these letters and in February sent them, along with missives from Monsanto’s associate general counsel, Brian Lowry, to the. Monsanto on Tuesday announced those actions.
“Although milk processors and retailers certainly have the right to inform consumers about the use or non-use of rBST,” labels that falsely claim health and safety risks associated with milk from rBST-supplemented cows are misleading, Monsanto said in its letter to the FTC. This practice “has created an artificial demand and higher consumer prices” for milk produced without Posilac.
Posted: March 15, 2007 at 6:14 pm
By News Editor
Monsanto Company expressed disappointment today for a preliminary injunction issued in a pending lawsuit on Roundup Ready alfalfa. The ruling could have an affect on the planting decisions of producers across the country.
In this case, the court had previously ruled that USDA had failed to follow procedural requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act in granting non-regulated status to Roundup Ready alfalfa under the Plant Protection Act, and would have to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
The court has already accepted the fact that Roundup Ready alfalfa poses no harm to humans and livestock. As part of its regulatory filing for Roundup Ready alfalfa in April 2004, Monsanto provided USDA with an extensive dossier that addresses a variety of environmental, stewardship and crop management considerations. Other regulatory agencies around the world, including Canada and Japan, have confirmed the environmental safety of Roundup Ready alfalfa.
The March 12 preliminary injunction order allows continued harvest, use and sale of Roundup Ready alfalfa, but placed limits on the purchase and planting of seed until further hearings are held. Growers who intend to plant Roundup Ready alfalfa and have already purchased the seed as of March 12 may do so if said seed is planted by March 30, 2007. The order also said growers intending to plant alfalfa after March 30, 2007, must plant non-genetically engineered alfalfa and that sales of Roundup Ready alfalfa seed are prohibited after March 12 pending the court’s decision on permanent injunctive relief. The court has scheduled oral arguments on the nature of any permanent injunctive relief in this case for April 27, 2007.
Posted: January 11, 2007 at 7:34 pm
By News Editor
With low milk prices, producers are looking for anyway to increase profits. Mycogen brand Silage-Specific BMR hybrids can help your herd produce 4.8 more pounds of milk and save money on purchased grain! Click here to use Mycogen’s online ROI calculator and hear producer success stories.
Dairy producers who feed their cows Silage-Specific BMR hybrids are generally able to feed 3 pounds less grain per cow per day because Silage-Specific BMR hybrids are more digestible and increase dry matter intake. This allows for lower grain feeding and improvements in rumen health, since higher-forage diets tend to be healthier. As a result, dairy producers can not only save money on purchased grain, approximately $0.08 per cow per day (when purchasing grain at $3.50 per bushel), but they also will see an increase in the return on investment (ROI) from seed by switching to Silage-Specific BMR.
Sixteen university and independent scientific reports published since 1999 have proven Silage-Specific BMR hybrids can produce an average of 4.8 pounds more milk per cow per day than cows fed non-BMR hybrids.
“The milk response is well worth the higher up-front seed costs with producers seeing an ROI ratio approaching 5:1 and getting the additional benefits of a higher forage ration,” says Greg Cannon, Forage Marketing Specialist, Mycogen Seeds. “The bottom line is that feeding Mycogen brand Silage-Specific BMR hybrids when grain prices are high increases profitability two ways, through more milk and also through lower feed costs.”
Posted: October 31, 2006 at 6:29 pm
By News Editor
Good news for those of us who love dessert, but are watching our sugar intake! Two U.S. food technologists, Drs Bruce Tharp and Steven Young, have developed what is believed to be the first dairy based dessert that contains no sugar, trans fat or lactose. Wonder if it tastes any good?
Two top scientists claim to have developed a frozen dairy dessert that contains no sugar, trans fats or lactose, heralding new opportunities for dairy firms to target consumer health trends. The formulation, thought to be one of the first of its kind in the world, claims to use commercially available ingredients and traditional ice cream manufacturing processes without the need for high intensity sweeteners. The dessert contains around 0.5g total sugars per serving, 3g of fat (or 90 calories) and is completely free of trans fatty acids, harmful ‘hard’ fats which must now be flagged up on product labels in the US.
Posted: October 27, 2006 at 6:05 pm
By News Editor
Farmers are the original stewarts of our great land. In these changing times in agriculture, some farmers are stepping up and using so called “green” farming methods.
Hybrids vehicles aren’t replacing one-ton pickups in mid-America, but many in the agriculture industry are reacting to the potential effects of global warming, developing new technology and farming methods to brace for the possibility of widespread drought and crop-pounding storms. The industry has been especially aggressive in breeding and developing crops that more efficiently use soil moisture and nutrients. Such crops can ward off disease and pests that stress plants trying to cope with increased temperatures.
Others in the industry are using improved soil management methods to reduce greenhouse gases. That includes no-till farming, where farmers plant crops without using machines to plow or turn over the soil. That method cuts down on energy use and traps organic material that breaks down to fertilize the soil. The method also keeps carbon in the ground instead of releasing it to build up in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. In addition to aiding the environment, such energy conservation also helps farmers’ bottom line.
Posted: August 9, 2006 at 6:09 am
By Chuck Zimmerman
I just received this photo from the folks with the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference that’s just ending in Australia.
I wanted a picture to illustrate the work they unveiled at the conference which I posted about yesterday.
Those were on Bioactive Proteins In Milk and DNA Techniques.
Posted: August 8, 2006 at 3:03 pm
By Chuck Zimmerman
Here’s some more news from the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference, ‘Unlocking the potential of agricultural biotechnology,’ that’s going on in Melbourne, Australia. We know milk does a body good and apparently some researchers have discovered some new ways.
The health benefits of milk continue to grow with Victorian scientists discovering bioactive proteins that could treat gut inflammation and help skin repair. Visiting the Victorian stand at the International Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) being held in Melbourne, Innovation Minister, John Brumby, said the discovery of two bioactives in cow’s milk could lead to treatments for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and damaged tissues.
“Milk is a remarkable product, which we are just beginning to understand better, especially now that we can identify many of its beneficial components due to the recent mapping of the cow genome,” Mr Brumby said. “Having identified these two healing proteins, methods are currently being developed to generate significant quantities of them in a pure and active form, increasing the potential for a product that can be made available to benefit the community with human trials being planned. “This latest discovery has emerged from a collaborative program between Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) research in proteomics and cell biology and advanced milk processing technology at the Murray Goulburn Co-operative.”
Posted: August 8, 2006 at 2:06 pm
By Chuck Zimmerman
There’s a big biotechnology conference going on in Australia this week. I was invited to attend but have to be in Kansas City and then on to Norway. Darn the luck, eh?
But that doesn’t mean I can’t let you know what’s happening down under. Here’s an interesting story.
Victorian scientists are using the latest DNA techniques to fast track the breeding of better, more productive and more profitable dairy cattle. Minister for Innovation, John Brumby announced today Victorian scientists from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) were using the sequencing of the bovine genome, along with genotyping technologies, to find the genes that cause variations in the economic value of cattle.
“Thanks to this research, we can now tell, as soon as a bull calf is born, whether or not it carries the desirable genes to improve profitability,” said Mr Brumby. “Our scientists can cut the breeding in dairy cattle, from four to two years.”
“We anticipate that this research will enable Victorian dairy farmers to double the rate of improvement in the profitability of dairy animals.” The Victorian dairy industry accounts for 13 per cent of world trade in dairy products, with the State’s prime export markets being Asia and Europe.
Posted: May 9, 2006 at 12:54 pm
By Andy Vance
Merial is growing the partnership formed last year with Select Sires to co-market the IGENITY brand DNA test. Adding field consultant Ron Long to the Merial company as a liason between Merial and Select Sires field representatives, the company will offer training sessions, on-farm consultations, and customer meetings across Select Sires’ 10 regional cooperatives.
Long comes to the project with 30 years experience at Select Sires both in building the Select Mating Service (SMS) and the Program for Genetic Advancement (PGA).
IGENITY DNA Tests are designed to give you profiles of your herd to best evaluate the genetic potential of your females. IGENITY MultiMARK offers comprehensive testing, including IGENITY DuraMAX, analyzing dairy form and productive life; IGENITY OptiYIELD and IGENITY ComponentMAKER, which help you select for optimized milk yield and composition; and IGENITY RealRED, to determine red coat color genes in Holsteins. IGENITY MultiMARK Plus offers these tests plus a test for Complex Vertebral Malformation (CVM). You provide a blood sample or nasal swab and recieve genotype results back via fax, e-mail, or hard copy.
Posted: April 14, 2006 at 11:49 am
By Andy Vance
Maybe not quite, but USDA is working on a solution. The Ag Research Service is working to determine if we can genetically engineer our cows to resist the infection altogether. Former President of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Joe Cornely reports that although the science is the production, we may be nearly a decade away from actual in field success. 
Joe Cornely Wrap (3 minutes, mp3)
Posted: April 11, 2006 at 1:36 pm
By Chuck Zimmerman
Hello from BIO 2006, the annual convention of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. It’s taking place in Chicago, IL.
I’ve been looking for a story on biotechnology related to dairy. It hasn’t been an easy search. However, I was introduced to Dr. Suzanne Bertrand, Innovation Manager, Livestock Improvement. This is a genetics company based in New Zealand.
I sat down with Suzanne in the New Zealand pavilion earlier this morning at the huge trade show they have here. I think you’ll be interested in hearing what she has to say. She talks about her company and the role that biotechnology plays in it.
You can listen to the interview here: Dr. Suzanne Bertrand Interview (7 min MP3)
AgWired coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by: 
Posted: April 7, 2006 at 7:56 pm
By Chuck Zimmerman
Beginning late Sunday I’ll be blogging the BIO 2006 Convention in Chicago. This is a very large event that covers the full range of biotechnology, including agriculture. I’m going to be on the lookout for news related to the dairy business and will post it here.
World Dairy Diary coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by:
