Athletes Refuel with Chocolate Milk

News Editorgot milk?, Milk

Finished your work-out? Make sure to grab a glass of lowfat chocolate milk, the “natural” way to help you refuel and replenish your body after strenuous exercise. The “Refuel America” program aims to educate Americans that no matter what sport they play, lowfat chocolate milk is an easy, effective and cost-efficient way to refuel the body after a tough workout.

Eight-time speed skating medalist Apolo Anton Ohno and USA Basketball Men’s National Team member Chris Bosh are the latest celebrities to don a Milk Mustache and join some of America’s most-loved and top-performing athletes to announce a new campaign highlighting the importance of the two-hour recovery window after they have left the court, training and locker rooms.

Refueling after exercise, especially during the two-hour recovery window, is key in helping the body recover and prepare for the next workout or competition. And, when it comes to recovery, lowfat chocolate milk offers post-exercise benefits. It includes the right mix of protein and carbohydrates to repair and refuel exhausted muscles, plus fluids and electrolytes to rehydrate and help replenish what’s lost in sweat. With nine essential nutrients, milk contains key vitamins and minerals your body needs every day.

“The trainers, coaches and athletes that I work with agree that the two hours after exercise is a crucial part of training to help your body recover and refuel,” said speed skating superstar Apolo Ohno. “My races are often right after one another, so recovery is essential. I grab a lowfat chocolate milk to help me get fuel and nutrients back into my body quickly to help me refuel for the next race.”

USA Basketball Men’s National Team member Chris Bosh also is letting fans know that chocolate milk helps keep him at the top of his game. “Lowfat chocolate milk is an important part of my recovery plan – plus it tastes great,” he said. “I’m excited to be part of this important campaign to help teach athletes the importance of fitness and nutrition, and how drinking chocolate milk can help them refuel after exercise.”

Chocolate milk is making star appearances in locker rooms around the country as more athletes and top level coaches discover the benefits of refueling with chocolate milk after training. Experts agree that the two-hour window after exercise is an important, yet often neglected, part of a fitness routine. Active bodies need the right mix of nutrients and fluids to properly recover and get back in the game.

“What’s so great about lowfat chocolate milk is that it delivers the things the body really needs to recover – like carbs, high-quality protein, fluids and electrolytes – with the bonus of other nutrients like bone-strengthening vitamin D and calcium, all in a great-tasting, affordable drink that’s probably already in your refrigerator,” said nationally-recognized certified sports dietitian Tara Gidus, RD, who works with some of the nation’s top athletes.

A growing body of research supports chocolate milk’s recovery benefits. Most recently, a series of four studies presented at the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that drinking lowfat or fat free chocolate milk after exercise can help the body retain, replenish and rebuild muscle to help your body refuel and could even help prepare muscles to perform better in a subsequent bout of exercise.

To educate teen athletes on the role of chocolate milk in refueling their bodies after exercise and reward them for choosing milk, teens can join the “Refuel & Reward” program which provides them with a “virtual personal trainer” via their mobile devices. By texting REFUEL to 80800, teens will receive tips from world-class athletes and opportunities to win cool prizes including autographed gear.

The new program will provide school coaches with information and materials to help educate their teams about the benefits of post-exercise nutrition. Coaches, teachers, students and parents can nominate secondary schools that refuel their athletes with chocolate milk for a chance to receive one of ten $1,000 Refuel Grants to help them further efforts to teach the benefits of exercise and nutrition.

Source: National Milk Mustache “got milk?”(R) Campaign http://www.whymilk.com/

Moser Named Iowa Dairy Princess

News EditorCompetition, Dairy Checkoff

Congratulations to Kendra Moser, Colesburg, Iowa, for being crowned the 57th Iowa Dairy Princess. The Iowa Division of Midwest Dairy Association annually sponsors the Iowa Dairy Princess contest. The young woman chosen as the Iowa Dairy Princess acts as a spokesperson for the dairy industry and Midwest Dairy Association.

Eleven women competed for the 2010 Iowa Dairy Princess title and were judged on their knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills, enthusiasm for promotion and personality. Both the Princess and the Alternate will also receive scholarships sponsored by Midwest Dairy Association.

Moser is the daughter of Todd and Lynn Moser. She plans to attend Luther College in Decorah this fall. Meyer also won the presentation portion of the contest. She represented Clayton County in the competition.

Alyssa Meyer, Sumner, Iowa was named Alternate Iowa Dairy Princess. The Alternate shares duties with the winner, helping to expand the reach of the dairy princess program. Meyer represented Bremer County in the contest. She will attend Iowa State University this fall. Meyer also received the Miss Congeniality award from her fellow contestants. Her parents are Mike and Laure Meyer.

Moser and Meyer will participate in public appearances, speaking engagements and other promotional activities across the state of Iowa over the next 12 months.

Source: Midwest Dairy Association

Dairyline Markets In Review

Chuck ZimmermanDairyline, Markets

High temperatures and humidity are driving dairy prices higher. School pipelines are refilling and making less milk available for the churn or the vat. The block cheese price closed Friday the 13th at $1.62 per pound, up 1 3/4-cents on the week, and 25 3/4-cents above a year ago. The barrels closed at $1.5850, also up 1 3/4-cents on the week, and 24 1/2-cents above a year ago. Two cars of block traded hands on the week and one of barrel. The NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price hit $1.5834, up 3.7 cents. Barrel averaged $1.5779, up 2.3 cents.

Butter closed Friday at $1.9175, up 6 3/4-cents on the week, 69 3/4-cents above a year ago, and the highest in over five years. Only one car was sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.8025, up 3.2 cents. NASS powder averaged $1.1766, up 0.2 cent, and dry whey averaged 35.9 cents, up 0.6 cent.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.

Take a Judging Challenge

News EditorGeneral

Calling all dairy judges – put your skills to the test with the River Valley Style & Performance Placing Challenge, held in conjunction with the 2010 Illinois State Fair. To participate, visit the River Valley Facebook page to register and judge.

Five, Excellent-93%, cows owned solely by River Valley Dairy will compete in the Five- and Six-Year-Old Class in the Jersey Open Show at this year’s Illinois State Fair on Thursday, August 19. If you accept the placing challenge and correctly lineup all five River Valley cows the same way as they place the day of the show, you will be entered into a prize drawing for one of five $50 gift certificates to NASCO.

Paper copies of the official ballot will be available at the River Valley stalls on the grounds at the Illinois State Fair. Ballots must be submitted online or in person to a River Valley Dairy representative prior to the start of the class. The River Valley Style & Performance Placing Challenge will end promptly at the start of the Illinois State Fair, Five- and Six-Year-Old Jersey class on August 19 at approximately Noon (CST).

*Rules and Usage: Visit the River Valley Facebook page, and complete the River Valley Style & Performance Placing Challenge between the week of August 9, 2010 and the start of the Five- and Six-Year-Old cow class on August 19, 2010 at the Illinois State Fair. Place all five River Valley owned cows in the correct order and be eligible for one of five grand prize gift cards for NASCO complements of River Valley Dairy. No purchase necessary.

Source: River Valley Dairy

First Robotic Milking Farm in US to Hold Open House

Cindy ZimmermanEquipment, Milk

The first robotic milking farm in the United States will host an open house next month to highlight the latest in robotic milking technology ― the Lely Astronaut A3 Next.

lely dairy milkingThe event will be held at Knigge Farms near Oshkosh, Wisc., which became the first U.S. robotic milking farm ten years ago. In May of this year, the Knigge’s replaced their original Lely Astronaut equipment with the Lely Astronaut A3 Next.

After installing the new equipment, the Knigges shared the news on their Facebook page: “We installed new Lely robotic milkers. The cows seem to like them quite well. Crew from Central Ag Supply Inc. have been here for 48 hrs now, sleeping in their truck to make sure it’s all working.” That just goes to show that dairy farmers are among the best in the agriculture industry at using new social media as well as using new technology!

Attendees at the September 14 event at the Knigge operation will have the opportunity to view the A3 Next in action and have questions about robotic milking technologies answered by experts in the field. The open house is being hosted by the Knigge family and Central Ag Supply Inc.

You can see more photos of the A3 Next on the Lely website. Lely also has a Facebook page, and a Twitter account – http://twitter.com/dairyrobot. We love to see that!

Country Classic Joins Northwest Dairy Association

News EditorCompany Announcement

Northwest Dairy Association (NDA) and its marketing subsidiary, Darigold, Inc., have announced that it will be combining its respective business operations with the Montana dairy cooperative Country Classic Dairies (CC).

Under the agreement, current CC members will become part of the larger cooperative, NDA. Country Classic’s sales and marketing, along with its plant operation, will be incorporated into Darigold, Inc. Members of both cooperatives have approved the merger.

“Combining the two business operations, especially given the historical relationship between the two cooperatives, will benefit all parties involved. We will be able to provide our new Montana member-owners with a secure market for their milk while maximizing its value.”

The two entities have a long cooperative working relationship as Country Classic at one time used the trademark name “Darigold” to market its products. Formed in 1932 under the name of “Gallatin Valley Creamery Cooperative,” Country Classic began by processing cream into butter in Bozeman, Montana. Today, the 33 members who make up Country Classic Dairies (CC) produce between 13 and 14 million pounds of milk per month, representing approximately 55% of Montana’s milk supply. CC currently processes milk at its facility in Bozeman, Montana, which will now become a Darigold processing plant producing the Darigold label.

Source: Business Wire

Educational Conference Calls Offered

News EditorEducation

The Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence will host two educational conference calls in August as part of its ongoing “Mastering the Dairy Business” learning series.

The first call, set for Tuesday, Aug. 24, will feature Paul Craig, from Penn State Cooperative Extension, who will offer tips for harvesting and storing this year’s forage crop to maximize quality. Rick Grant, president of the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute in Chazy, N.Y., will discuss reducing production costs through feed efficiency and cow comfort on Wednesday, Aug. 25. Both calls will be held from noon-1:30 p.m.

“The past year has forced all dairy farm families to think more strategically about how they manage their feed supply and their cows to make the greatest profit from their operation,” says John Frey, executive director of the Center for Dairy Excellence. “The center is hosting the conference calls to give producers the opportunity to hear the latest research on techniques used in harvesting and storing crops and in feeding and caring for cows.”

Craig has worked with Penn State Cooperative Extension for the past 31 years and is currently the regional forage agronomist housed at the Dauphin County Extension Office. Since 2004, Craig has conducted on-farm bunker silo management investigations on 195 bunkers at 85 different farms across Pennsylvania, evaluating bunker silo density levels and feed-out practices to minimize shrink.

At the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, which is a privately funded educational and research institute focused on dairy, equine and agronomy, Grant leads a team of researchers focused on forage quality, dairy cattle nutrition, behavior and management.

There is no charge to participate in the calls, but pre-registration is required. Each conference call is limited to 60 producers. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, call the center at 717-346-0849 with name, phone number, e-mail address and the date of the call on which you plan to participate. Once registered, participants will receive the call-in number and code.

Source: Center for Dairy Excellence

Jorgensen Comes on Board at Pfizer

News EditorCompany Announcement

Congratulations to Christina Lood Jorgensen for being hired as the new manager of dairy marketing communications at Pfizer Animal Health.

A Minnesota dairy farm native, Christina brings more than 13 years of international and domestic experience in agricultural marketing communications to her new position. Most recently, she was vice president at Filament Marketing, a Wisconsin-based strategic communications firm, where she led the development and implementation of marketing communications strategies for a variety of the firm’s clients, including Land O’Lakes Animal Milk Products, NMC and Pfizer Animal Health. Prior to that, Christina worked at Bader Rutter & Associates on a leading animal health account. She also has led international and domestic marketing communications efforts for Alta Genetics and Select Sires in her career.

In her new role, Christina will manage the planning, development and implementation of our strategic brand and communications plans for the dairy business. She is working from our New York City headquarters.

Source: Pfizer Animal Health

CWT Export Update

News Editorcwt

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted three bids from Dairy Farmers of America and three bids from Land O’Lakes for a total of 644 metric tons (1.4 million pounds) of butter and anhydrous milkfat (AMF) to Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America. This product will be delivered August through December 2010.

Since CWT reactivated the Export Assistance program in March 18, 2010, it has assisted members in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Gouda cheese totaling 18,616 metric tons (41.0 million pounds) to 23 countries on four continents. In addition, sales of butter and AMF totaling 11,237 metric tons (24.8 million pounds) have been made to nine countries on three continents.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance Program positively impacts producer milk prices in the long-term by helping member cooperatives to gain and maintain market share thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products.

CWT will pay export bonuses to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.

Source: Cooperatives Working Together (CWT)

Register Now for National Mastitis Council

News EditorGeneral

The National Mastitis Council, Inc. (NMC), will hold its 2010 Regional Meeting Sept. 8-9, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Mich. This meeting will highlight mastitis control and overall milk quality improvement as they relate to people, cows and the environment.

The two-day conference kicks off with specialized short courses and a farm tour on Wednesday, Sept. 8. The short courses will cover topics relative to visual inspection techniques, controlling somatic cell counts, and on-farm culture-based treatment of clinical mastitis. The farm tour features the robotic milking system and pasture-based dairy center at Michigan State University’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. Attendees must pre-register for the short course or farm tour by Aug. 31. An informal reception will culminate the first day of the meeting.

The second day of the program features presentations by David Sumrall, Dairy Production Systems; Janice Swanson, Michigan State University; Aaron Gasper, Lew-Max Holsteins LLC; Jim Dickrell, Dairy Today; Pamela Ruegg, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dale Moore, Washington State University; Andres Contrares, Michigan State University; and Ron Erskine, Michigan State University. Featured topics include making quality milk simple, animal welfare in legislation, creating a positive farm image, dairy export issues, making better mastitis treatment decisions, eliminating drug residues, disease susceptibility in the transition cow, and vaccinating for coliform mastitis.

The NMC Regional Meeting again will feature a special program for Spanish-speaking employees involved in the milking process on Sept. 9, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Topics will be presented in Spanish and include basic quality milk production tips, management efficiencies, and proper cow management in the parlor.

Individuals interested in attending the sessions on Thursday, Sept. 9 can pre-register by Aug. 31, or register at the door. Additional program content and registration information can be found online.

Source: National Mastitis Council, Inc.