Posted: May 12, 2011 at 5:29 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
The dairy industry is working on a new national research project designed to “to advance the science and best management practices of renewable energy, environmental stewardship and life cycle analysis of dairy systems and processes.”
“I’m pleased that the Innovation Center and our state resources through the CAES national research partnership are working collaboratively on renewable energy, sustainability and environmental impacts of the national dairy industry,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment. “The combined effort of private industry with state and federal partners is an example of sound use of public and private resources on behalf of Idaho and the rest of the United States.”
Among the objectives of the partnership are to collect baseline data on nutrient and manure management practices to assist in the identification of best practices for dairy farms; identify opportunities for dairy farms of all sizes to increase renewable energy production through anaerobic digesters, gasification and composting; and analyze the U.S. utility grid infrastructure, electric rates and renewable energy incentives applicable to dairy farm operations. Source: Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy announcement
The Dairy Research Institute (DRI) has focused research on the connection between dairy consumption and healthy weight, including among children and adolescents. DRI, formed in 2010 under the leadership of dairy producers through Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI), strengthens U.S. dairy’s access to and investment in technical research to drive innovation and grow sales in the United States and around the world.
Scientific evidence indicates that consuming milk and milk products does not adversely affect body weight or body composition in children and adolescents.
Moreover, the majority of studies indicate a beneficial or neutral relationship between the consumption of milk and/or calcium and body weight and body composition in children and adolescents, according to results reviewed in a recent issue of Current Nutrition & Food Science, a leading journal that is widely read by nutrition and food scientists.
These results support the positive role that dairy can play as part of a balanced, healthy diet and lifestyle. They also reinforce the notion that dairy should not be singled out as a contributing factor in children who are classified as overweight or obese. Current estimates indicate the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents could almost double by 2030.
“It’s rewarding for producers to see sound science again confirm dairy’s position as part of a healthy diet,” said Paul Rovey, Arizona dairy producer and chair of DMI, which manages the national dairy checkoff.
The Current Nutrition & Food Science article reviewed 36 observational studies that examined the relationship between dairy food consumption or calcium intake on body weight and body composition in children and adolescents. The results from nearly all of the studies demonstrate either a beneficial or neutral relationship.
The results from the few randomized clinical trials that investigated the effects of dairy consumption on body weight and body composition indicate that milk intake has a neutral effect on body weight and body composition in children and adolescents.
Posted: February 23, 2011 at 4:22 pm
By News Editor
Think that opening your farm to visitors; or speaking to consumers about your on-farm practices might not be effective? On the contrary, new research shows these types of activities are very effective.
But just how much good do events on the farm do in building goodwill with consumers? I mean, can opening the doors to a dairy once a year in this day and age actually help inform our non-farm neighbors of what we’re all about?
In a word, yes. Especially if it’s part of a larger communication effort.
Michigan State University researchers recently unveiled results from an exit survey taken from three Breakfast on the Farm (BOTF) events last year to find out more about attendees and their familiarity with farms.
Over the three locations, 37 percent grew up in an urban area; 14 percent grew up in an urban area not near a farm; 11 percent grew up in a rural area not near a farm; 23 percent grew up on a farm, and, 18 percent grew up in a rural area near a farm. (Click here for more results)
But perhaps more interesting was the fact that they didn’t have much experience with farms. At the three locations, 46 percent had not been on a farm before and 25 percent had been on a farm one to five times. Yet, they were willing to drive an average of 32 miles to attend a BOTF event.
The researchers theorize that it seems that these events provide another mechanism to educate the public. It’s likely there will be a greater impact with events located near large metropolitan areas, they note, “but we also can have significant impact in rural regions where the population is also unconnected with modern farming but may encounter it more often in their daily lives.”
Of course, any success depends on how well we present ourselves. Information from the Center for Food Integrity suggests that “early adopting” consumers — those who drive social change — are key to our future. When it comes to the areas of nutrition, food safety and humane treatment of farm animals, this critical segment has a higher level of concern than other societal segments, according to the Center’s research. However, these individual are also information seekers who are willing to consider credible sources.
And that means you, because dairy farmers live these principles every day. Consumer events like BOTF are just one way to open that dialogue.
“Our understanding of what the consumer/public really thinks, wants and why will lead us to better communication about how we manage animals and produce healthy food,” say the Michigan State University researchers. “Now more than ever we all need to be involved in ‘telling our story’ but not just in supporting media marketing of our products, we need to market ourselves. To do this we need to reconnect with our consumers and the public to rebuild trust in our industry. Perhaps BOTF along with a number of other industry efforts will help make this happen.”
Posted: December 28, 2010 at 3:01 pm
By News Editor
Scientists have found that lactoferrin, a whey protein found in milk, could be an anticancer agent for breast cancer. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding protein that has been reported to inhibit several other types of cancer.
According to a study that will be published in the January 2011 issue of the American Dairy Science Association’s Journal of Dairy Science, scientists in Portugal found that breast cancer cells treated with lactoferrin decreased the cancer cells’ viability by 47-54 percent and decreased the growth rates of the cancer cells by 40-64 percent.
“There is overwhelming evidence that biologically active food components are key environmental factors affecting the incidence of many chronic diseases,” says Lígia Raquel Rodrigues, author of the study. “However, because the full extent of such components in our diet isn’t known, nor is the understanding of their mechanisms of action, we undertook this study for a closer look.”
While additional studies will be needed to establish a clear role for lactoferrin as a potential tool in fighting breast cancer, the results from this study suggest that lactoferrin interferes with some of the most important steps involved in cancer growth.
Posted: November 8, 2010 at 10:27 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
“Everybody that comes out here wants to know about the steers with the windows,” according to Skip Hampton, manager of product research for Novus International.
Skip is also the manager of Novus’ new research facility Green Acres Farm in Montgomery County, Missouri. He says the Holstein steers are used for research trials to study rumen bypass – how an ingredient is degraded or protected in the rumen. To do so, they surgically implant a window into the rumen. “The port doesn’t hurt them and we can pop the center out of there and put products in that we want to test,” he said.
“Their feed consumption is just about the same as a lactating dairy cow,” Skip explains. “So, the idea is to use those as a model for a lactating dairy cow and we can look at a lot of different product concepts through the steers.”
Skip says the steers are much easier to handle and are really just like big dogs. “These guys are probably about 1300 pounds right now and they’re like a bunch of big German Shepherds.”
Posted: November 3, 2010 at 11:35 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
Novus International’s Green Acres Farm is the place to be this Saturday when they hold a ribbon cutting at the facility in Montgomery City, Missouri. The ceremony will be followed by a Fall Festival with food, entertainment and fun activities for the whole family.
The research farm, located about an hour or so from Novus global headquarters in St. Charles, has been under development for over a year. Novus purchased and renovated the 15 acre farm to serve as a multi-functional facility that will allow for research on swine, poultry, ruminants and equine. During a tour of the facility in April, Novus’ manager of product research Skip Hampton said the goal of the farm is to do real world research. “We’re trying to mimic things that are done in industry so it’s comparing apples to apples, to make sure that what’s relevant here is relevant in the industry.”
The Ribbon Cutting and Fall Festival will be held this Saturday from noon to 4 pm.
Milk proteins could be more effective than carbohydrates at aiding fluid retention after exercise, according to new research from the British Journal of Nutrition.
The study suggests that a replacing 25 grams per liter of carbohydrate with milk protein in standard carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink can improve the rehydration ability of the drink by improving fluid retention.
“The results of the present investigation indicate that, when matched for energy density, fat content and electrolyte concentration, a carbohydrate–milk protein solution is better retained than a carbohydrate solution after exercise-induced dehydration,” wrote the researchers, led by Dr Gethin Evans from the Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK.
Rehydration after exercise has been well investigated, with previous research showing that for complete recovery of fluid balance, both the volume and composition of a rehydration fluid are vital.
It is known that the volume of the fluid consumed must be greater than the volume of sweat lost, and account for ongoing – post exercise – fluid losses. However, for the effective, long term, maintenance of fluid balance the composition of the fluid is also of critical importance.
On top of the addition of electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, to rehydration fluids, the consumption of solutions containing protein has been suggested to offer advantages in terms of fluid retention. With previous research demonstrating that low-fat milk containing proteins is brought about better fluid retention than either a carbohydrate–electrolyte sports drink or water.
The new study investigated these findings in more details, examining the effects of milk proteins on rehydration after exercise in the heat.
The results observed that a solution made up of 40 grams per litre of carbohydrate and 25 grams per litre of milk protein was offered better fluid retention than a 65 gram per litre carbohydrate solution – as a post exercise rehydration drink.
The researchers stated that their research suggests that “gram for-gram, milk protein is more effective at augmenting fluid retention than carbohydrate.”
Source: British Journal of Nutrition
“Effect of milk protein addition to a carbohydrate–electrolyte rehydration solution ingested after exercise in the heat”
Authors: L.J. James, D. Clayton, G.H. Evans
Dr. Andre Bannink, Wageningen UR Livestock Research, conducted a presentation titled, “Variation in rumen fermentation and rumen wall during transition period” during the Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech. I spoke with him about his topic during our gala dinner reception.
He is a “modeler” which means he develops mathematical models which predict how the animal responds on a diet. He says there’s a big debate on rumen acidosis here at the symposium and a lot of questions being asked. For a solutions symposium he thinks more questions have been raised than answers. His presentation focused on how well a high yielding early lactation dairy cow rumen can adapt to a big increase in feed intake. He conducted a test comparing two groups of dairy cows. One received a very quick increase in feed and the other was “steamed up” (his term) much more slowly. The main conclusion was that the rumen wall was very capable of adapting to either strategy with very little difference between the two. They compared 10 days to 20 days. So now he thinks further work should be done to see if there is a limit to how fast you can “steam up” a dairy cow.
The final day of the Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech, was started by Dr. Ad van Vuuren, Wageningen UR Livestock Research. We sat together on the bus from our hotel this morning and I asked him about the session he would be moderating.
His session focused on rumen adaptation and animal health. He says “rumen fermentation in dairy cows is one of the main contributors to the feed efficiency of dairy cows so it’s very important to maintain good, healthy rumen fermentation not only from the point of view of the environment or animal welfare but especially from animal production.” He says that practical nutritionists often over simplify solutions when answers to rumen health problems are more complicated. So he sees a need for more out of the box thinking and encourages new ideas which is what the symposium is hoping to do.
Prof. Joachim Kleen, Alta Genetics Germany, told us all about SARA in dairy herds at the Dairy Solutions Symposium. SARA is sub-acute ruminal acidosis and becoming a real problem. Understanding it better and what is being done to reduce or control it was the subject of his presentation.
As most dairy farmers might think, proper nutrition and animal care is the best way to decrease the impact of this rumen fermentation disorder. I spoke with Joe before his presentation to get his take away message for participants of this Symposium.
He says that it’s a subject we know a lot about but “we do not know a lot how ruminal acidosis is working, what it’s effects are.” He says he’ll be happy if symposium participants take away from his presentation that there are conflicting aspects to this problem.
More good news about dairy!
There is some new evidence that dairy foods could actually benefit heart health, for example by lowering blood pressure or reducing cholesterol levels, Dr. Eva Warensjo of Uppsala University and her colleagues note in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
To get a clearer sense of people’s intake of fat from dairy and heart disease risk, Warensjo and her team measured blood levels of two biomarkers of milk fat in 444 heart attack patients and 556 healthy controls. The substances, pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid, indicate how much dairy fat a person has been eating.
The researchers found that people with the highest levels of milk fat biomarkers, suggesting they consumed the most dairy fat, were actually at lower risk of heart attack; for women, the risk was reduced by 26 percent, while for men risk was 9 percent lower.
Based on the American Heart Association’s Heart Attack Risk Calculator, a normal-weight 60-year-old man with no risk factors for heart disease (such as smoking or diabetes) has a 6 percent risk of dying over the next 10 years; the current study suggests, therefore, that if this hypothetical man ate lots of dairy food, he would reduce his risk by about half a percent. For a woman, or someone at higher risk of a heart attack, the benefit would be larger.
Dairy foods contain a number of potentially beneficial substances, such as calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, Warensjo and her team note. They have also been shown to increase people’s levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.
“The exact mechanism behind these associations cannot be deduced from the present study, but the range of bioactive components present in the food matrix of milk products as well as associated lifestyle factors may all have contributed to the observed associations,” the researchers conclude.
The study was funded in part by the National Dairy Council/Dairy Management Inc., a trade group for the US dairy industry. Dr. Warensjo has been a paid speaker for the Swedish Dairy Association and the International Dairy Federation.
Here’s some good news for older adults – scientists in Finland have discovered that cheese can help preserve and enhance the immune system by acting as a carrier for probiotic bacteria. The research, published in FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology, reveals that daily consumption of probiotic cheese helps to tackle age-related changes in the immune system.
“The increase in the proportion of aged individuals in modern society makes finding innovative ways to thwart the deterioration of the immune system a priority,” said lead author Dr Fandi Ibrahim from the University of Turku in Finland. “The intake of probiotic bacteria has been reported to enhance the immune response through other products and now we have discovered that cheese can be a carrier of the same bacteria.”
Dr Ibrahim’s team believe that the daily intake of probiotic cheese can tackle the age-related deterioration of the immune system known as immunosenescene. This deterioration means the body is unable to kill tumour cells and reduces the immune response to vaccinations and infections. Infectious diseases, chronic inflammation disorders and cancer are hallmarks of
To tackle immunosenescene the team targeted the gastrointestinal tract, which is the main entry for bacteria cells into the body through food and drink and is also the site where 70% of vital immunoglobulin cells are created.
The team asked volunteers aged between 72 and 103, all of which lived in the same care home, to eat one slice of either placebo or probiotic Gouda cheese with their breakfast for four weeks. Blood tests where then carried out to discover the effect of probiotic bacteria contained within the cheese on the immune system.
The results revealed a clear enhancement of natural and acquired immunity through the activation of NK blood cells and an increase in phagocytic activity.
“The aim of our study was to see if specific probiotic bacteria in cheese would have immune enhancing effects on healthy older individuals in a nursing home setting,” concluded Ibrahim. “We have demonstrated that the regular intake of probiotic cheese can help to boost the immune system and that including it in a regular diet may help to improve an elderly person’s immune response to external challenges.
No sunshine today? Too much work to get outside? Need more vitamin D? Drink a glass of milk, and problem solved!
America needs more vitamin D. It’s one more reason to grab another glass of milk, according to new research presented at the Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California. Milk is the primary source of vitamin D in the American diet, supplying nearly half of all of the much-needed vitamin D.
Using the latest national data (NHANES 2003-2006) on what more than 16,000 Americans ages two and older eat, researchers investigated the contribution of each food group to the total vitamin D intake. No other food item came close to the vitamin D contribution of milk. In fact, for kids ages 2 to eighteen, milk provided nearly two-thirds of all vitamin D in the diet.
“There are few true replacements for the nutrient package you find in one glass of fat free or lowfat milk,” said Dr. Keith Ayoob, a registered dietitian and pediatric nutrition expert. “Without milk in the diet, it’s hard to meet a number of nutrient needs – most notably vitamin D.”
Many Americans are not getting enough vitamin D, and this D-ficiency may put their health at risk. Well known for its role in keeping bones strong, vitamin D is now being hailed for so much more. Emerging science suggests vitamin D may also help protect against diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and certain cancers. It also supports a healthy immune system.
Despite a potential upside of boosting vitamin D levels, Americans of all ages still fall short of their vitamin D needs. In fact, current deficiency levels prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to double the vitamin D recommendations for children and teens. The Academy estimates that up to half of adolescents have low vitamin D levels.
Experts recommend 400IU of vitamin D each day – the amount in four glasses of fat free or lowfat milk.
Keast DR, Fulgoni VL, Quann EE, Auestad N. Contributions of milk, dairy products, and other foods to vitamin D intakes in the U.S.: NHANES, 2003-2006. FASEB Journal. 2010;24:745.9.
Posted: February 25, 2010 at 8:17 pm
By News Editor
Do you avoid dairy products because you have concerns about lactose intolerance? You may be missing out on key nutrients in your diet! A panel of experts assembled by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) warns that dairy foods do not need to be excluded from your diet if you have lactose intolerance.
The NIH Consensus Development Conference on Lactose Intolerance and Health was convened to examine the latest research on lactose intolerance, strategies to manage the condition and the health outcomes of diets that exclude dairy foods. Lactose is the natural sugar in milk and some people lack sufficient amounts of an enzyme that is needed to comfortably digest lactose. After a thorough review of the scientific evidence, the Consensus Development Conference panel completed a draft consensus statement that is intended to correct some of the common misperceptions about lactose intolerance, including the belief that dairy foods need to be excluded from the diet.
Without lowfat and fat free milk and milk products in the diet, it’s hard to meet nutrient needs, and available research suggests people with lactose intolerance can tolerate at least 12 grams of lactose (the amount in about one cup of milk) with no or minor symptoms. Plus, gradually re-introducing dairy into the diet can help manage symptoms and help those diagnosed benefit from dairy’s unique nutrient package, including calcium, vitamin D, protein, potassium and other nutrients that are critical for bone health and beyond.
Experts also suggest drinking lowfat or fat free milk (regular or flavored) with meals or a snack instead of an empty stomach, trying small, frequent portions or buying lactose-free or lactose-reduced milk – which contain all the same nutrients as regular milk. Yogurt and hard cheeses (the panel suggests cheddar, provolone and mozzarella) may also be more easily digested.
Conducted by the National Institutes of Health since 1977, the Consensus Development Program is an unbiased, independent, evidence-based assessment of complex medical issues. The purpose is to evaluate the available scientific evidence on a medical topic and develop a statement that will advance the understanding of the issue and help guide the advice given by health professionals and directed to the public.
Lactose intolerance is a topic that is frequently misunderstood, according to Dr. Robert P. Heaney, a prominent researcher at Creighton University who presented findings to the panel on the health outcomes of dairy exclusion diets.
“With modern diets, eliminating dairy from the diet – for any reason whatsoever – will result in poor nutrition with long-term consequences for health,” said Heaney.
Source: National Dairy Council and Milk Processor Eduction Program (MilkPEP).
IDF World Dairy Summits tackle issues that are ‘top of mind’ for the global dairy sector. The objectives of IDF Summits include identifying trends, formulating strategies to improve the overall performance of the industry and strengthening the industry’s ability to meet new challenges. The overall theme chosen for WDS2010, “Discover…natural inspiration” will capture the latest initiatives across the dairying spectrum to meet these objectives.
WDS 2010 provides the opportunity to:
• Report the results of completed research;
• Describe research in progress;
• Present a position on an issue related to the conference themes.
As a dairy producer, you are also a beef producer. Recently, the results of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) pilot project were released. The pilot project evaluated the quality of market dairy cows being sold at auction. The study was designed to give dairy producers more information about how their animals are valued within the beef chain when they are sold through auction markets. The BQA program is partially funded by the beef checkoff.
“Trickle-down economics is observed daily in the salvage cattle market,” says Gary Smith, Ph.D., Monfort Endowed Chair in Meat Science, Colorado State University. “Packer-buyers pay more for animals that will yield more or higher-quality products – and that goes straight to the producers’ bottom line.”
The goal of this project was to provide dairy producers information that was not previously available about the potential value of their market cows and bulls. It also underscores that existing industry recommendations to cull animals in a timely manner are one of the best measures to maintain their value and enhance their carcass quality.
While this study does support the concept that premiums exist in the marketplace for market cows of higher quality, an individual operation’s economic analysis should also be a part of the decision-making process.
The primary obstacle to educating dairy producers about Beef Quality Assurance principles has stemmed from the limited income generated from market dairy cows, and an apparent lack of perceived ability to add value. Ultimately, this research will help to meet consumer demand for high-value beef by improving the quality, consistency and safety of beef products from dairy cows.
“There are premiums to be had for producers who sell high-quality market cows. When every dollar counts, it’s important for producers to remember that six percent of total beef production is attributable to market dairy cows,” says Kevin Good, Senior Market Analyst, CattleFax. “Paying attention to quality issues improves salvage value by making animals more desirable for buyers.”
The pilot program was conducted in collaboration with the Idaho Beef Council and California Beef Council.
It’s amazing what science and technology can accomplish these days. The questions that can be answered through accurate research always surprise me. Currently, a study is being conducted by the University of California Davis, Cornell University, the University of Minnesota and Washington State University to measure the entire carbon footprint of fluid milk – from farm to the glass. The study is being funded by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Here is a little information about the study…
Any calculation of the carbon footprint of a gallon of milk needs to include fuel used by tractors and trucks, as well as electricity consumed by milking machines and refrigerators. But how much gas is coming from the cows themselves? That’s the question Purdue University researchers are investigating as they start a new study aimed at measuring greenhouse gases from dairy cows. Albert Heber, principal investigator and a professor of agricultural and biological engineering, said the study is part of an industry-wide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to fluid milk.
“The dairy industry understands that in order to adopt best practices that will help lower greenhouse gas emissions in the dairy supply chain, it must first know where the mitigation opportunities exist,” Heber said.
“Measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of dairy cows will help determine the extent to which the dairy industry contributes to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions,” said Rick Naczi, the group’s executive vice president of strategic industry analysis and evaluation. “Preliminary scan level research was conducted last year that showed the dairy industry accounts for less than 2 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Now, we are expanding our efforts by partnering with respected academic institutions like Purdue and engaging in extensive research to assure that our efforts are based on sound science as we address the environmental, economic and social importance of reducing our carbon footprint.”
Posted: September 27, 2009 at 2:13 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Exotic milk flavors could be a new way to sweeten up the dairy market.
University of Nebraska Food Science and Technology professor Rolando Flores says students from UNL have been visiting with counter parts in India to bring dairy diversity back to the United States. “One of India’s major staple foods is milk,” Flores says. “We went to India and saw the development that dairy has in that country. When you’re talking about close to a billion people drinking milk, there’s a lot that can be learned.”
UNL students Yulie Meneses and Alex Nelson visited India this summer and spent much of their time learning about the variety of dairy products in that country, where dairy is the most successful food industry organized as a co-op and owned by the milk producers. After watching Indian products being developed, they made the products themselves.
Flavored milk is common in India, and Meneses and Nelson enjoyed much of what they sampled, including almond and pistachio flavors. They decided the two products they would develop for the UNL Dairy Store would be pistachio-flavored milk and gulab jamun, a popular Indian dessert.
Before the products can be sold at the store, Meneses and Nelson will serve them at a seminar they will give this fall to food science administrators, faculty and students. They also need to get the green light from Flores, who said he hopes Indian food products could be available in the store by the end of this year.
Posted: September 23, 2009 at 5:56 pm
By News Editor
This is an interesting story – British researchers now believe that humans first evolved into milk drinkers 7,500 years ago in the Balkans and that they used the ability to drink milk in order to populate northern Europe, including Britain. The researchers are calling milk, the first superfood, since it helped the early humans to gain an advantage over non-milk drinkers. Cool!
Milk would have provided them with a steady and reliable source of nutrition – including essential vitamin D, which in warmer climes would have been provided by sunlight hitting the skin.
The success of the milk drinkers meant they went on to inhabit most of Europe and explains why everyone who lives on the Continent is tolerant to the milk sugar lactose – unlike 65 per cent of the globe.
It could also be why Europe became the first superpower.
Professor Mark Thomas, an evolutionary geneticist, at University College London, who led the study, said milk was “the world’s first superfood”.
His team used computer models to map the genetic change that enabled early Europeans to evolve their tolerance to lactose after the introduction of cattle farming.
Before this, Stone Age people were “lactose intolerant” – just like many modern humans today, according to the study published in the journal PLoS Computational Biology.
Prof Thomas said: “Conditions were really tough for early settlers. Crops regularly failed and they would have been on the edge of starvation.
“But they had cattle which meant they could produce milk. It would have made some of them sick and given them diarrhoea, and when you are starving this can be fatal. But by building up their tolerance to milk these people were gaining an enormous advantage.
“It was the world’s first superfood and without it the history of northern Europe would have been put back a thousand years.
“The Mediterranean countries would have become far more culturally significant and even our languages today would have been entirely different. Milk has given us a great deal to be thankful for.”
Michigan State University has opened an experimental dairy with the latest technology, including two robotic milking machines made by Maassluis, Netherlands-based Lely Group. Robot milking operations have long been in use in Europe but spread only slowly in the U.S. Part of the new dairy is also pastured-based paddocks. Financing for the 94-cow dairy at MSU’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station came from a $3.5 million 2007 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, along with university funds.
The best news? The dairy is open to the public! About 1,200 people toured the dairy Wednesday, when it was opened to the public for the first time. Along with the self-milking system, visitors saw such cow-friendly features as in-pen water beds, rotary back scratchers and automatic manure scrapers. To save energy, the barn has curtains along its side walls that are raised or lowered to control the temperature. It also was designed to make maximum use of natural light, cutting the electric bill.
“The robotic milking machine will measure the cow’s body weight, eating behavior, milking time per quarter, total and quarter milk yield and milk quality. The farmer gets a lot of information that can be used to make management decisions. Cows … come and go as they choose,” said Mat Haan, operations manager at the Michigan State dairy. “If a cow decides she wants to milk at two o’clock in the morning, she can, as opposed to the farmer bringing the whole herd together and working them through the parlor in one big group.”
The dairy is trying out practices and technology that could “help keep small and midrange family dairy farms in business,” Haan said. “It’s not going to happen at 1,000 or 2,000 animal operations.”
Equipment like the self-milking system can help reduce farmers’ labor costs, which is important when milk prices are low, as they have been in the past year.
The joint project between the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy™, the Dairy Research Institute™ and Idaho’s Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES) hopes to develop a national research program focused on enhancing the economic viability of dairy farms and rural communities.
“I’m pleased that the Innovation Center and our state resources through the CAES national research partnership are working collaboratively on renewable energy, sustainability and environmental impacts of the national dairy industry,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment. “The combined effort of private industry with state and federal partners is an example of sound use of public and private resources on behalf of Idaho and the rest of the United States.”
“Everybody that comes out here wants to know about the steers with the windows,” according to Skip Hampton, manager of product research for 
Dr. Andre Bannink, 
The final day of the Dairy Solutions Symposium, sponsored by Alltech, was started by Dr. Ad van Vuuren, 
Prof. Joachim Kleen, Alta Genetics Germany, told us all about SARA in dairy herds at the 
The 
As a dairy producer, you are also a beef producer. Recently, the results of the 
University of Nebraska Food Science and Technology professor Rolando Flores says students from UNL have been visiting with counter parts in India to bring dairy diversity back to the United States. “One of India’s major staple foods is milk,” Flores says. “We went to India and saw the development that dairy has in that country. When you’re talking about close to a billion people drinking milk, there’s a lot that can be learned.”
This is an interesting story – 