July is National Ice Cream Month, and it’s also one of the biggest months of the year for barbecues – so why not have both at your next cook out?
Rick Browne, host of Barbecue America and self-proclaimed “Grill Master of the Universe,” has a recipe for barbecued ice cream – or grilled Baked Alaska – that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Watch the “How to” YouTube video here.
What better timing could there be to meet a dairy farmer from California? You know what I’m talking about. Let’s meet Ray Prock, Ray-Lin Dairy. Ray serves with me on the board of the AgChat Foundation. We got together on the phone today to talk about the Foundation and farmer use of social media. He’s one of the ones who’s walking the talk. We also talked about this week’s animal abuse video from Ohio. If you want to hear from a real dairy farmer on the subject then give a listen to our interview.
Ray is a second generation dairy farmer in Central CA working to secure a future for the third and future generations to one day help feed the world as farmers. Ray sees social media as a great way to connect with others and to have conversations about what, why and how farmers feed, clothe and fuel today’s ever growing population. He says, “The Agchat Foundation is a way to focus social media efforts across all segments of Agriculture in one coordinated effort whether farmers or ranchers, veterinarians or Extension agents, salespeople or bankers.” You can follow Ray on his blog, on Twitter or on Facebook.
You can listen to my interview with Ray below and also watch a video from the AgChat Foundation YouTube Channel of him talking about our plan for technology scholarships.
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I don’t know about you but I am plenty tired of the whole Ohio dairy animal abuse story. It is encouraging that the main person featured in it has been arrested and is facing multiple charges. Authorities are investigating the whole situation and hopefully justice will be served to those responsible. I thought the video below might help bring a smile to your face as we get ready for the holiday weekend.
I’m going to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who wishes to make comments on our posts to be respectful, don’t use profanity and address the topic. I’ve had to delete numerous hate language comments.
So, let’s turn to something a little more lighthearted. Müller Dairy says, Thank You Cows. Here’s their mission.
“To bring sustainable dairy goodness from the heart of Shropshire for the good of everyone.” And over the last 18 years we’ve been doing just that. We believe that this effort has led to stronger relationships with our local farmers, better quality Müller products and happier customers.
So while we thank dairy farmers everywhere for all their hard work, dedication and care for their cows, let’s remember to Thank The Cows!
The Dairy Price Stabilization Act was introduced on the House floor today by Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and co-sponsors Peter Welch (D-VT), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rick Larsen (D-WA), and John B. Larson (D-CT).
Costa says the bill promotes market stability and individual dairy farmers’ ability to grow their own business. “While periods of boom and bust are not new to the dairy industry, our dairy families cannot afford another year of low milk checks that don’t even cover the cost of production,” said Costa. “The dairy price crisis is devastating our local economy and ability to create and sustain jobs. This bill will help the dairy industry get back on track and curb the milk price volatility that is driving dairy farmers in the Valley and our nation out of business”
Watch Costa introduce the bill here via YouTube:
The Dairy Price Stabilization Act would help stabilize dairy prices by better aligning supply and demand. Under the program, individual dairies would have the choice of either maintaining their current production level (plus an allowable year-over-year growth rate based on market indications) or expanding their production and increasing their share of the market.
Dairies choosing to increase their market share would pay a fee during the first year of expansion which is paid out to their fellow dairy farmers who are maintaining their current share of the market. This creates a rational system that allows the market to absorb increases in production by providing a tangible financial incentive for most dairies to manage their production growth.
The structure of the bill is based on unbiased economic analysis and modeling conducted in the past 18 months. Both the growth rate and market access fee would be determined based on market indicators including feed costs which are the largest cost factor for producers in states like California. A producer board of directors would be established to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on any necessary adjustments to program operations. The bill empowers farmers by allowing them to vote on whether to enact the program and, three years after it commences, to vote on whether to continue it.
A dairy farmer who is a YouTube hit with his original “Water ‘n Poo” song is the new chairman of the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee.
Will Gilmer of Alabama was elected as by the committee as chairperson for 2010 and will take over those duties in February to serve for one year.
Gilmer owns and operates Gilmer Dairy Farm, which includes a herd of 450 Holstein cows, heifers and calves, as well as more than 500 acres of pasture and forage crop production.
In addition to his daily farming duties, Gilmer maintains a Web site, www.gilmerdairy.com, along with The Dairyman’s Blog, in an effort to reach out to the public about modern farming practices. Gilmer also is active on the micro-blogging Web site Twitter under @gilmerdairy.
And if you have never heard or seen Will’s funny YouTube hit about nutrient management – viewed over 9,000 times – here it is. Heck, even if you have seen it – worth watching again so you can be singing “Water ‘n Poo” all day long!
The last stop for the U.S. Grains Council Corn Mission team I traveled with last month was a dairy farm. This is the Mirhom Farag Farm, owned by Suzanne Basilios. In the video we walk through the dairy with the farm manager so you can see how the animals are kept in open lots. They are feeding hay and a lot of corn mixed with ddgs.
The Chairman of the Egyptian Buffalo Producer’s Association is Dr. Saad Alhayani (pictured left). He also owns and operates a very new open water buffalo feedlot and dairy. The U.S. Grains Council Corn Mission team I recently traveled with visited. These cute, sweet, little creatures are very different than your average bovine.
Dr. Alhayani says he imports frozen semen to assist in breeding better quality animals which is something relatively new to the country. He’s raising thousands of buffalo and feeding them corn and ddgs as well as other ingredients. We saw lots of bags of ddgs at his feedlot. That looked very positive for American corn growers! He says sometimes they blend as much as 25% ddgs in the feed.
His goal is to produce a few thousand pregnant heifers for local producers and maybe even to export. He appreciates the assistance he’s received from the USGC.
You can listen to my interview with Dr. Alhayani’s below and watch a video clip of him showing us his operation as well:
USGC Corn Mission In Egypt Photo Album
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2009 World Dairy Expo coverage sponsored by:
With today’s economic situation in the dairy industry, it is very wise for producers to do all they can to protect the investment they have made in their animals.
At World Dairy Expo, I talked with Lance Fox of Alpharma about maximizing disease protection in the first critical weeks of a calf’s life.
“AS700, or Aureo S 700®, is a management tool, a medication that goes in the feed,” Lance told me. “Transitioning calves, weaning calves, can be a very tough time in their lives, lot of stress going on. It’s a tool to use to help those calves get through that transition a little smoother, maintain their weight gains and ultimately their performance.”
Aureo S 700® is a combination of Aureomycin® (chlortetracycline) and sulfamethazine. Lance says this product has been on the market for 35 years, and Aureo itself is about 58 years old. “So the products have been around a long time and they work just as well today as they did when they were first released.”
What about return on investment? “If you look at the cost of feeding the product for a 28-day feeding period, it’s about $2.50 per head for the entire period,” Lance said. Keeping the calves healthy, preventing disease is the key and that helps the animals perform better and make more milk for the dairyman.
Listen to an interview with Lance below or watch this YouTube interview from World Dairy Expo:
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Before getting back to the dairy portion of the Global Dairy 500 Conference I have one more video clip from our visit to the Kentucky Horse Park. This one was during our ring show that included a set of miniature horses pulling a wagon. I thought you’d enjoy it.
2009 Global Dairy 500 Conference Photo Album
World Dairy Diary coverage of the Global Dairy 500 Conference is sponsored by 
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The participants in the Global Dairy 500 Conference were treated to a show at the Kentucky Horse Park that included many different horse breeds and traditional costumes.
I spoke with rider of the Arabian horse named D’artagnan.
He’s 11 years old and on loan to the Park by his owner.
The Kentucky Horse Park opened in 1978 and is the world’s only park dedicated to man’s relationship with the horse.
I also shot a video clip which includes an interview with the other horses and riders.
You can listen to my interview about the Arabian horse below:
2009 Global Dairy 500 Conference Photo Album
World Dairy Diary coverage of the Global Dairy 500 Conference is sponsored by .
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I mentioned the breakout discussion groups that took place at the Global Dairy 500 Conference. The Alltech YouTubers put together a nice video to give you a very good perspective of what it was like to participate.
2009 Global Dairy 500 Conference Photo Album
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Dinner time last night at the Global Dairy 500 Conference featured multiple subject discussions. You picked your topic and then participated in a discussion after eating.
I attended the Silage Discussion Dinner led by Matthew Smith, Alltech. You can see Matthew getting his slides ready for the start of the discussion. He works for the company in New Zealand and has focused on silage during his career. When it comes to silage he says he encourages producers to “get excited about it.” He says the important thing to remember is how important it is as a feed ingredient. Deciding what seed to put in the ground is one of the most important decisions to make up front according to Matthew.
Here at the dinner his hope was to present silage as “good news.” He says cutting your way around the corners with silage in your operation is just not the way to go.
You can watch a portion of Matthew’s discussion dinner here.
2009 Global Dairy 500 Conference Photo Album
World Dairy Diary coverage of the Global Dairy 500 Conference is sponsored by .
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The afternoon breakout sessions at the Global Dairy 500 Conference are summarized immediately in a group setting and the session is led by Dr. Pearse Lyons, President of Alltech. Here is one of the participants stating what his discussion table talked about.
We get a break after this session until a series of discussion dinners this evening which I’ll be participating in so there’s plenty more to come. The Conference doesn’t conclude until mid day on Wednesday.
To get a feel for the discussion you can watch a video of Dr. Lyons speaking to another discussion group participant.
2009 Global Dairy 500 Conference Photo Album
World Dairy Diary coverage of the Global Dairy 500 Conference is sponsored by .
It’s always good to hear what other dairy farmers have to say. In this video clip you can hear several of the farmers attending the Global Dairy 500 Conference talk about their industry and the challenges facing it. Topics include the economy, overproduction of milk, silage quality, and people management.
This is another of the videos you’ll find in the Alltech YouTube account.
2009 Global Dairy 500 Conference Photo Album
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The YouTubers at Alltech have put together a short video from the tour to Fair Oaks Dairy which I thought you’d enjoy.
2009 Global Dairy 500 Conference Photo Album
World Dairy Diary coverage of the Global Dairy 500 Conference is sponsored by .
The Got Milk folks and milk loving rock star White Gold are about to introduce “The Battle for Milkquarious” which debuts on October 5.
Here’s a YouTube video which features “White Gold and Strawberry Summers make some sweet, sweet music… until the milk runs out.”
World Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
Alpharma Animal Health is reaching out to teach young people more about agriculture through a grassroots educational program called “Reach Teach and Learn.”
The company launched the program earlier this year at the 2009 Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. The program supports local school districts and colleges through initiatives that encourage students to learn more about agriculture and how their food is produced, and to share their insights and knowledge about what they learned. I talked with Dr. Lance Fox, Alpharma’s Director of Technical Services, at their exhibit during World Dairy Expo about the purpose of the program.
“Essentially the program is designed to reach out to our youth – elementary, high school, college-level students – our future leaders of tomorrow, to promote agricultural awareness,” Lance told me. “It’s not about products, it’s just about reaching out to the youth.”
It’s also about motivating young people to reach their own personal and professional goals, something Lance has done in his own life and he shares that story when he talks with young people of all ages. He grew up in the Wisconsin dairy industry, became a veterinarian, joined Alpharma as a technical services manager, and earlier this year achieved the personal goal of climbing to the top of Mt. Everest. “If you believe, you can achieve,” Lance says.
Find out more about the Reach Teach and Learn program, which features an essay and video contest for different age level students, at reachteachlearn.com.
Watch my interview with Lance here – listen to or download the audio version below.
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The Badger Dairy Club, a student organization on the UW-Madison campus, has become famous for their legendary grilled cheeses they bring to the World Dairy Expo. Every year members of the Badger Dairy Club come to the expo and prepare thousands of grilled cheeses to sell to hungry expo goers. This is one of the club’s biggest fundraisers. Members also put countless of hours before, during and after the expo making the sandwiches as well as setting up show ring displays, picking up milk, and cleaning up the barns.
I took a moment to try one of their famous grilled cheeses. After just one bite you can tell they have grilled cheese sandwich making down to an art. Take a look at a video below of my experience.
World Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
Charleston Orwig must have more dairy industry related clients than any other communications agency in the country, which makes sense since they are located literally in the heartland of the state synonymous with dairy production – Hartland, Wisconsin. That keeps them pretty darn busy during World Dairy Expo every year.
I met with Mike Opperman with Charleston Orwig in the agency’s suite overlooking the expo arena and we talked about what they are doing at the event and their philosophy when it comes to serving dairy industry clients and producers. “We always like to think that it’s a great time to be in agriculture, no matter what the season or the climate,” Mike said. “Certainly being in the dairy industry over the last 6-8 months has been a very difficult time for producers and for some of our clients as well, but we always like to see the silver lining and we see the sun coming up on the dairy industry again.”
Here is a YouTube video of my short interview with Mike and the audio interview follows:
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I’ve been a fan of Leon The Milkman for a long time. Finally I got to meet him via YouTube. Leon says he’s starting Midweek With The Milkman, a video newsletter for dairy fans. Say hello to him: