This edition of the Milking Parlor podcast focuses on what is being done on the national level to address the current dairy industry crisis. From congressional actions to USDA to the dairy industry itself, we hear from Congressman John Boccieri, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, University of Wisconsin Ag Economist Dr. Bruce Jones and National Milk Producers Federation … Read More
Pfizer Shows Its Industry Pflair
Dr. Gary Neubauer, Pfizer Animal Health, attended World Dairy Expo to meet dairy producers and he had a lot of them to meet with! I stopped to ask him about all the activity which included what looked like a lot of political campaign buttons. He says it’s called their Industry Pflair program. “What Pfizer is trying to do is have … Read More
Childhood Nutrition Fitness Initiative On Target
Grant Kohler is a dairy farmer from Utah where he milks 300 cows with a family operation. He was attending World Dairy Expo to talk about the Childhood Nutrition Fitness Initiative that’s a joint project of the National Dairy Council and the National Football League. He says, “It brings a package not just to the cafeteria of the school but … Read More
Getting GEA Farm Technology Feedback
Last week GEA Farm Technologies was announced as the new “brand” for WestfaliaSurge, Houle and Norbco. Before Expo was over I spoke with Linda Mrugacz, Director, Marketing & Communications. I wanted to find out what kind of feedback they had been receiving from producers attending the show. According to Linda, “Actually, it’s going very well. There’s a lot of interest … Read More
Silage That's All About Fiber Digestability
After the virtual farm tour that BASF Plant Science sponsored at World Dairy Expo, I spoke again with Jerry Weigel, Global Nutrition Manager, about their Nutridense silage product. He says there’s a real distinction between what they’re doing and what other companies are doing. “We are focused in two different directions. We are focused on a grain direction and a … Read More
Meet Ashley Huibregtse
The 2008-2009 Alice in Dairyland is Ashley Huibregtse. She serves June to June and promotes agriculture all over the state. I met her at this year’s World Dairy Expo. She says she’s “an ambassador for everything from the dairy industry which we have here at World Dairy Expo, to cranberries, cherries and ginseng.” Her travels take her to media interviews, … Read More
Nutridense Trial Shows Higher Protein Percentage
The main presenter at the SUNY Cobleskill virtual farm tour was Tom Poltynski, farm coordinator. He talked about the school’s facility and says it’s unique because they’re very far north for using a flush system. He says they have good student involvement as evidenced by the fact that more students apply for jobs than are available. One of the things … Read More
Flat Irons in the Beef Board Booth
The Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Wisconsin Beef Council were exhibiting at World Dairy Expo. Lucinda Williams is a dairy producer and Vice Chair of the Beef Board. She says they were there to remind dairy producers that they’re also beef producers. I got there just in time to sample some of their flat iron steaks they were serving. In … Read More
BASF Plant Science Sponsors Virtual Farm Tour
One of the features of World Dairy Expo is the virtual farm tours. BASF Plant Science sponsored one by State University of New York – Cobleskill. Jerry Weigel, Global Nutrition Manager, says these tours allow producers to look at some of the top dairies in the country and they also allow those same dairies to showcase their innovative ideas. He … Read More
Marion Barlass Dairy Woman of the Year
This year’s World Dairy Expo Dairy Woman of the Year is Marion Barlass. She has a family farm where they milk about 400 Jerseys. I got to meet her during the Talk Session. She’s seen here getting interviewed by another reporter after the session. Marion says she’s very honored to have been chosen. “I feel like I’m a representative of … Read More