Industry Loses Morrell

News EditorGeneral

The dairy industry lost another dairyman this week – Robert Charles Morrell, of Cochranton, Pa. Morrell died Monday, July 12, 2010 as a result of a traffic accident.

Born April 6, 1957, in Meadville, he was a son of Charles (Bud) and Kathryn Elaine Shartle Morrell. He married Candace Hollabaugh on Oct. 10, 1976. He was a lifelong dairy farmer at Morrell Farms on Harvey Road and recently he and his son were owner/operators of Morrell Trucking.

His passion for showing and judging cattle was immeasurable. He judged cattle in Mexico, Canada and all over the United States as well as nine other countries. A few highlights of his judging career include the 2000 Royal Winter Fair in Toronto and the 1998 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. Also, he traveled the Tanbark Trail (a cattle show circuit) since the age of 16.

He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed watching all kinds of sporting events and playing shuffleboard. He enjoyed watching NASCAR and rooting for Carl Edwards, and would drop what he was doing to watch the O’Reilly Factor on TV.

He was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Cochranton and the Holstein Association of the United States and the Canadian Holstein Association.

When he wasn’t showing or judging cattle, his favorite thing was being a dad and grandpa.

The family asks that memorials be made to Crawford County Dairy 4-H Dairy Leaders in care of Chris Waddell, Guys Mills Road, Townville, Pa. 16360.

Source: Meadville Tribune

Stauffacher Re-Elected WMMB Chairman

News EditorCompany Announcement

Congratulations to Jay Stauffacher for being re-elected to a sixth term as chairman of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB). Stauffacher’s term is for the 2011 Fiscal Year which began July 1, 2010 and concludes June 30, 2011.

Connie Seefeldt, Coleman, was re-elected vice chairperson, and Ed Jasurda, Phillips, was re-elected Secretary. Stacy Eberle, Monroe, was elected Treasurer. Also serving on the seven-person Executive Committee are Communications Committee Chair, Lanette Harsdorf, Beldenville; Channel Management Committee Chair Ken Heiman, Marshfield; and Policy/Bylaw Committee Chair Kay Zwald, Hammond.

During the reorganization meeting, each of the 25 dairy producer Board Directors was assigned to one of WMMB’s two standing committees.
Members of the Communications Committee include: Chairperson Lanette Harsdorf, Beldenville; Romona Averbeck, Fond du Lac; Stacy Eberle, Monroe; Mary Cook, Wilton; Ed Jasurda, Phillips; Patricia Kling, Taylor; Rosalie Geiger, Reedsville; Tina Hinchley, Cambridge; Lyle Jensen, Amery; Steven Sternweis, Marshfield; Vivian Thompson, Cadott; and Judy Wubbenhorst, Westby.

Members of the Channel Management Committee include: Chairperson Ken Heiman, Marshfield; Connie Seefeldt, Coleman; Ben Peterson, Grantsburg; Roger Buresh, Luxemburg; Jeff Strassburg, Wittenburg; Dean Strauss, Sheboygan Falls; Bill Herr, Greenwood; Kay Zwald, Hammond; Sharon Laubscher, Wonewoc; Robert Letter, Seymour; Sarah Lloyd, Wisconsin Dells; Mary Wackershauser, Lancaster; and Judy Wubbenhorst, Westby.

In addition, two WMMB Directors were chosen to represent Wisconsin’s dairy producers in other industry organizations. Connie Seefeldt was elected to serve as WMMB’s representative on the board of directors of the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) and Steven Sternweis was elected to serve as chair of the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) liaison committee.

Sourc: WMMB

Hartwig Midwest Intern

News EditorCompany Announcement

Congratulations to Ashlee Hartwig of Swanville, Minnesota, for being named the summer intern with the industry relations team at Midwest Dairy Association’s St. Paul, Minnesota, office. She returns to the association after having served in its Ankeny, Iowa, office in 2009, and leads a team of four interns.

Hartwig’s duties include writing and distributing media materials, assisting with coordinating special dairy events, working with the Minnesota State Fair project team, shooting video and taking photos for social media and working with the dairy princess program. Hartwig will also play a key role with the Princess Kay of the Milky Way competition and planning, and coordinate Princess Kay and the finalists’ appearance schedule during the Minnesota State Fair.

Hartwig’s internship began in late May.

Hartwig is an incoming senior at the University of Minnesota Duluth with a double major in theater with an emphasis in acting and journalism. On campus, she is active both on-stage and behind the scenes in UMD’s Marshall Performing Arts Center and the student-run Stage II theater group, with whom she will be directing a theatrical production next spring. She also works as an on-campus peer educator in the Career Services office and as a mentor for incoming freshman pursuing a theater degree.

Hartwig is no stranger to the dairy industry as she grew up on her family’s 65-cow dairy farm. She was a member of the Culdrum Comets 4-H Club and showed cattle at the Morrison County Fair and the Minnesota State Fair. She was also a Morrison County Dairy Princess and runner-up for Princess Kay of the Milky Way in 2008.

Source: Midwest Dairy Association

Entries Now Accepted for WDE

News EditorWorld Dairy Expo

World Dairy Expo is now accepting entries for the 2010 show. “Crowning Achievements – Golden Opportunities” is the theme for World Dairy Expo 2010, which will take place Tuesday, September 28, through Saturday, October 1 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Cattle exhibitors wishing to compete may enter online or request a premium book and paper entry forms by calling 608-224-6455. Paper entry forms are also available on the website.

According to Dairy Cattle Show Manager, Laura Herschleb, entries will be accepted now through midnight (CDT) on Wednesday, September 1.

Animals may still be entered after September 1, but the online entry system will no longer be available. Late entries must be submitted on paper entry forms, and accompanied by appropriate late fees.

Late fees for entries postmarked September 2 through September 5 are $50 per animal, and those posted after September 5 are $100 per animal.

Source: World Dairy Expo

CWT Export Update

News Editorcwt

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted one bid from Foremost Farms for 100 metric tons (220,463 pounds) of Cheddar cheese to the Africa. The product will be delivered in August 2010.

Since CWT reactivated the Export Assistance program on March 18, 2010, it has assisted members in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Gouda cheese totaling 17,095 metric tons (37.7 million pounds) to 22 countries on four continents. The change in the totals is due to a reduction in the amount of product for which CWT assistance was provided.

The Export Assistance program was reactivated when economic analysis indicated that sizeable Cheddar cheese inventories overhanging the market are hampering a recovery in producer milk prices. Assisting CWT members in exporting American-type cheeses provides the most immediate way to positively impact producer milk prices in both the short-term and the long-term.

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)

LOL Honored for International Work

News EditorCompany Announcement

Congratulations to Land O’Lakes for being recognized by the Philippines government. The company’s International Development’s long-term program have developed the country’s dairy industry and improved nutrition among its children.

Beginning in 2002, funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture enabled Land O’Lakes to lead school nutrition programs that provided more than 168,000 children across 447 schools in areas with severe malnutrition with daily snacks of milk and biscuits.

With less than 1 percent of milk in the Philippines produced locally, Land O’Lakes also helped establish “dairy zones” across the island of Mindanao, improving breeding and animal husbandry, access to local feed and veterinary services, strengthening dairy processing and quality assurance programs, in efforts that benefit 118,000 people. One of the earliest dairy zones established by Land O’Lakes is now being used by the Philippines government to provide tens of thousands of schoolchildren with fresh milk each day.

Developing the country’s dairy industry should play a critical role in promoting economic opportunity and work for impoverished people across the island.

“We are enormously honored to be recognized by the Philippines government, particularly for our supportive role in enabling them to realize priority policies,” said Tom Verdoorn, vice president of Land O’Lakes International Development. “While our ultimate goal is to improve people’s lives through effective food and agriculture programs, our work is most effective when it supports country-led plans for long-term growth.”

Source: Star Tribune

Keep Flavored Milk in Schools

News EditorMilk

Here’s a study that confirms what most school lunch professionals already know – take away flavored milk, and overall milk consumption drops, along with the opportunity for students to benefit from dairy’s many nutrients.

Eliminating chocolate and other flavored milks from school cafeteria menus resulted in a dramatic drop in milk consumption along with a substantial reduction in nutrients – which are not easy or affordable to replace, according to a new study presented today at the School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conference.

The largest of its kind to date, the study included nearly 700 measurement days over three months at 58 elementary and secondary schools across the country. It found that when lowfat flavored milk was not available in school cafeterias, many children chose not to drink milk and missed out on the essential nutrients that milk provides. On days when only white milk was offered, milk consumption dropped an average of 35 percent, with some schools experiencing a decline of more than 50 percent. The study also revealed that milk consumption stayed down in schools that were in their second year of eliminating or restricting flavored milks.

“When flavored milk was not an option, many children wouldn’t take the white milk or if they did, they frequently threw it away,” said Linda Stoll, MPH, executive director of food services at Jeffco Public Schools in Jefferson County, Colo., which participated in the study. “It was tragic to see all the nutrients go down the drain.”

The researchers estimate that this decline in consumption translates to an alarming drop in nutrients – including calcium, vitamins A and D, potassium, magnesium and protein. This includes three of the four “shortfall nutrients” the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has said both adults and children need to consume more of: vitamin D, calcium and potassium. The researchers concluded it would require up to four different foods to match the nutrient contributions of milk, yet these foods would add back more calories and fat and cost up to $4,500 more annually per 100 students.

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How About Some Barbecued Ice Cream?

Cindy ZimmermanIce Cream, Video

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.

NMPF Gets Funding for Producer Education from NRCS

Cindy ZimmermanNational Milk, usda

nrcsUSDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has awarded the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) matching funds of $25,000 to inform and educate producers about revised regulations for oil storage and pending regulations for milk storage containers.

nmpfThe funding will be used to help dairy producers understand the Environmental Protection Agency’s Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulation, including development of a self-certification template. NMPF is planning to conduct a series of webinars later this year to train dairy producers in the use of the self-certification template. Additionally, NRCS will work with NMPF to evaluate how NRCS can most effectively provide technical assistance to dairy producers to comply with the SPCC regulations.

“Dairy farmers are excellent stewards of our natural resources,” said Jamie Jonker, NMPF Vice President Scientific and Regulatory Affairs. “The USDA grant and NRCS technical assistance will provide dairy producers with valuable tools to successfully implement SPCC plans on their farms and continue that stewardship.”

The goal of the SPCC program is to prevent oil spills into waters of the United States and adjoining shorelines. A key element of the program calls for farmers and other facilities to have an oil spill prevention plan, called an SPCC plan. The SPCC plans are required for farms which have an aggregate storage capacity of oil products of 1320 gallons, or more, for every storage container larger than 55 gallons. A farm with less than 10,000 gallons of total storage capacity and no single storage greater than 5,000 gallons can self-certify its SPCC plan. Farms that do not meet this exemption must have a plan certified by a professional engineer. In a letter to NMPF dated June 9th, the EPA committed to finalizing the SPCC exemption for bulk milk storage “as expeditiously as possible…to have that process completed by early 2011.” In addition, EPA will be extending the compliance deadline for the revised regulation.

(Source: NMPF news release)

Madison's Dickson Has Died

News EditorIndustry News

A sad announcement today from Madison, Wis. – Dr. David Dickson has died, after a courageous battle against cancer. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

One of the foremost authorities on dairy cattle judging passed away Friday, July 9. During his distinguished career, Dickson judged more shows (13 total) at World Dairy Expo than any other official. In addition, he placed dairy cattle in over 20 countries and served on the All American selection committees for all seven recognized Purebred Dairy Cattle Association breeds. He was the first American to judge the European Championship Holstein Show and the New Zealand Royal Agricultural Holstein Show. He has led judging conferences throughout the U.S. and in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Italy, Japan and Spain. During his career as the University of Wisconsin-Madison dairy cattle judging coach which officially began in 1968, Dickson led teams to seven national championships at the National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest. Perhaps more impressive, his teams won 18 team reasons titles at the national contest.

David P. Dickson was born in Everson, Wash., on February 26, 1939, and graduated from Meridian High School as class valedictorian. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in dairy science from Washington State University. In 1960, Dickson became the second person (a fete that was later matched by one other person) in the U.S. to earn high individuals honors at both the National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest and at the Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest. It was that second honor, high individual at the college contest, that earned Dickson National Dairy Shrine’s famed Kildee scholarship. He used that money to further his dairy education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he went on to earn both a Master’s and a PhD.

After graduation, Dickson joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison Dairy Science Department where he served as professor for over three decades. As his career unfolded, he was chosen by his peers to chair the department from 1984 to 1990. Dickson served on the World Dairy Expo board of directors and also was a Holstein Foundation trustee. He was the founding advisor to UW-Madison’s Badger Dairy club. Dickson was a long-time chapter advisor for UW-Madison’s Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity and a long-time advocate and supporter of Madison’s Association of Women in Agriculture (AWA) . . . both agricultural professional-social organizations for young men and women. AWA has awarded him Honorary Membership. Additionally, he served as advisor to the Midwest and National student affiliate divisions of the American Dairy Science Association.

His ability to teach students was recognized by the American Dairy Science Association in 1996 when he won the Purina Mills Teaching Award in the first year he was nominated. In 2005, Dickson was honored as an Alpha Gamma Rho “Brother of the Century” during the Fraternity’s 100th anniversary celebration and has won the Distinguished Service Award from multiple organizations. Always an educator, Dickson was the Kickoff Inspirational Speaker at the National 4-H Dairy Conference for ten consecutive years. During his tenure, he helped to produce over 20 videos on oral reasons that were shared with others across the country. Additionally, his dairy cattle judging brochure, “Dairy Cattle Judging Made Easy,” has been translated into Italian and Spanish. Later on, that publication was made into an effective interactive teaching tool available on CD. Many dairy producers also may remember Dickson’s Christmastime poems deeply rooted in dairy tradition.

Source: Hoard’s Dairyman