Plant in Calif. to Close

News EditorIndustry News

Dairy processor Land O’ Lakes is closing its cheese plant in Tulare, Calif. and laying off 80 employees.

The competition for milk among the region’s larger dairy processors played a role in the company’s decision, milk industry officials said.

“Idling the Tulare cheese plant was a difficult decision that was driven by a variety of factors,” said Jerry Kaminski, Land O’Lakes executive vice president and CEO, Dairy Foods Industrial. “We recognize that the plant’s idling will impact employees and the Tulare community, and we are working to ease the transition as much as possible.”

Tulare and Kings counties are home to several major milk, cheese and butter processors, including California Dairies Inc., Leprino and Saputo Cheese USA.

William Van Dam, CEO of the Sacramento-based Alliance of Western Milk Producers, said Land O’ Lakes had a challenge in getting an adequate supply of milk for its cheese plant.

“Some of the cheese plants they compete against can handle five times more milk than they can,” Van Dam said. “And milk goes where there is room to be processed.”

Land O’ Lakes plans to wind down production at the cheese plant later this year but will continue to operate its butter factory on the same site.
No decision has been made about the future of the cheese plant, officials said

Source: The Fresno Bee, Robert Rodriguez

A Glass of Milk Can Help Meet Your Vitamin D Needs

News EditorMilk, Research

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.

Source: PR Newswire

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.

New Yogurt Plant Being Built in Vermont

News EditorYogurt

A new yogurt facility broke ground in Brattleboro, Vermont this week. Commonwealth Dairy yogurt ompany will make yogurt for other companies under private label and will sell its own all-natural “Mountainberry” brand product.

“This is an exciting and critical milestone in the evolution of our project” stated Dieter Dobousek, Commonwealth Dairy’s vice president and chief technical officer. “It has taken over two years to get to this point, and everyone involved in the project is excited to finally see some real activity on the site.”

The biggest selling point for Commonwealth Dairy’s yogurt is it will be branded with the Vermont Seal of Quality, said Dobousek, which means 85 percent of its milk will come from the Green Mountain State.

Though no contracts have yet been signed, Commonwealth expects to get its milk supply from St. Albans Cooperative Creamery and Agri-Mark.

Because Commonwealth will be purchasing a large amount of Class II milk, which is used to produce ice cream, frozen desserts, yogurt, eggnog, cottage cheese, and cream cheese, the demand should drive prices up for Vermont dairy farmers.

The new 40,000-square-foot building will have an output capacity of 50 million pounds — or 130 million cups — of yogurt annually. To do so, it will need 32.5 million pounds of skim milk and 400,000 pounds of butterfat annually.

To achieve that, the factory will need up to 24,000 gallons of milk every day from 3,000 cows.

Source: Brattleboro Reformer

Apply Now for YDLI

News EditorHolstein Association

Young dairy farmers and professionals are urged to apply to the Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI). A program of the Holstein Foundation, YDLI is an innovative leadership and communication skills development program that has touched the lives of over 400 young adults since the program’s inception.

The next class, Class 7, will begin in March 2011. Applications can be downloaded from the Holstein Foundation Web site and must be postmarked by August 2, 2010 to be eligible for consideration. The class will meet in Albuquerque, N.M. for Phase I, March 2-5, 2011 and for Phase III, February 29-March 3, 2012.

YDLI is a three-phase program that takes place over thirteen months, and is open to young adults (ages 22-45) with an interest in the dairy industry. The class will meet in Albuquerque, N.M. for Phases I and III, with a series of projects to complete in the months between meetings. The program is designed to be both relevant and edgy, covering the hot topics facing today’s industry.

“YDLI is a program that is all-encompassing,” said Kathryn Walker, Class 6 graduate from Oregon. “It is so much more than learning how to be an advocate for the dairy industry. It taught me how to be a better member of the organizations I belong to and has allowed me to create a national network of colleagues.”

Phase I focuses on individual leadership and personal development. Workshops cover topics such as working with different personality types, developing an understanding of consumer relations and building media communication skills through hands-on practice.

During Phase II, participants complete a series of assignments in their community, which emphasizes the advocacy and outreach skills gained during Phase I.

The final on-site training, Phase III, features sessions on advanced media training, meeting and board skills, influencing public policy and continued advocacy. Throughout the program, an emphasis is placed on communication and networking amongst peers, a benefit that carries on long after a YDLI class is complete.

Source: Holstein Foundation

Novus Sponsors Science Student Tour

Cindy ZimmermanAnimal Health, Audio, Education, Novus International

About a dozen students along with some of their advisors toured the Novus International headquarters in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles and the company’s research farm last week as part of Novus’ 2nd annual “Science: A Foundation for Dynamic Careers” days, where students who have received Missouri Colleges Fund scholarships (funded, in part, by Novus) get to see firsthand how they might be able to apply their science degrees in the future.

“Our hope is really for them to get a glimpse of what a science and math degree can do for them out in the ‘quote-unquote’ real world,” said Dr. Joyce Cacho, Chief Sustainability Officer for Novus, during an interview with Agwired’s John Davis who covered the event.

Dr. Cacho says Novus supports these students through the Missouri Colleges Fund because of the nature of the students’ degrees.

“The largest plank in our relationship with the Missouri Colleges Fund is Novus’ commitment to encouraging a pipeline of young people to innovate in science and mathematics as it relates to health and nutrition for livestock, as well as the human area. [The] fund offers us a structure to reach out to young people to attract them to our industry and to attract them to our mission and vision of feeding the world sustainable food and improving the quality of life.”

She adds, however, Novus welcomes more than just people with math and science degrees. Dr. Cacho points out there are lots of employees who come from marketing, business, and even physical training backgrounds who have found homes at Novus. The key is to find people who want to innovate.

Listen to or download John’s interview with Dr. Cacho in the player below.

2010 Novus International Science: A Foundation for Dynamic Careers Photo Album

Engery-Related Grants Available to Farmers

News EditorGovernment

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement that $2 million will be made available to dairy, beef, poultry and swine producers to help cut energy-related production costs is a positive step that can produce long-term savings for dairy farmers, according to Richard Clauss, vice chair of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and a dairy producer from Hilmar, Calif.

“In these tough economic times, anything we can do to cut energy costs will improve our bottom line and help keep producers in business,” Clauss said. “Today’s announcement is a step forward in making energy evaluations more broadly available to producers.”

The new agriculture energy conservation and efficiency initiative, announced in conjunction with a meeting of the Innovation Center’s Sustainability Council here today, will provide funds for on-farm energy audits in fiscal year 2010 and will cover approximately 1,000 energy evaluations in 29 states. Funding for this initiative is being made available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

“This new energy conservation and efficiency initiative is an example of the kind of support envisioned in the memorandum of understanding between the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and the USDA,” said Thomas P. Gallagher, CEO of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Dairy Management Inc.™ “It makes good business sense for producers and is good for the environment.”

The first step of the new initiative is funding on-farm energy evaluations that can help producers identify how their operations can become more energy efficient. Producers will select an independent, certified Technical Service Provider who will conduct the audits. Energy savings recommendations identified in the evaluations may be implemented by producers at their discretion. Partial funding may be available from the USDA to assist producers in cost-effective implementation of audit recommendations.

“The energy assessments and management plans provided for in this initiative will give producers tools they can use to reduce on-farm energy costs at a time when they are being squeezed financially,” said Jerry Kozak, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “Producers who choose to take advantage of this program can benefit by identifying measures they can implement to cut on-farm production costs.”

States participating in the initiative are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Source: Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy

CWT Export Update

News Editorcwt

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted one bid from Darigold, one bid from Land O’Lakes, two bids from Foremost Farms, and two bids from Dairy Farmers of America for export assistance for a total of 2,452 metric tons (5.4 million pounds) of Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack to the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. The majority of the product will be delivered May through July 2010 with a quarter of the total quantity extending delivery into September.

Since CWT reactivated the Export Assistance program on March 18, 2010, it has assisted members in making export sales of cheddar cheese totaling 8,600 metric tons (19.0 million pounds) to 15 countries on four continents.

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 cheddar cheese will provide the most immediate way to positively impact producer milk prices.

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)

Alpharma Offers Booklet on Anaplasmosis

Cindy ZimmermanAlpharma

AlpharmaAnaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease that causes loss of production and abortion in beef cattle and significant decreases in milk production in dairy cattle.

Alpharma Animal Health has just come out with a new “Answer Book for Anaplasmosis” that provides straightforward answers to common questions about the disease, such as: What is anaplasmosis? How does anaplasmosis spread? How are infected animals diagnosed? and How can the disease be managed? Much of the information is based on advancing technology that has shed new light on the lifecycle and diagnosis of anaplasmosis.

Request a free copy of the Answer Book for Anaplasmosis by emailing uscattlemarketing@alpharma.com.

Study Regarding Different Milk Types

News EditorMilk

A new study has suggested that there may be little nutritional difference between conventional and organic milk. Writing in the Journal of Dairy Science, scientists at Cornell University set out to compare the nutritional profile of organic and recombinant bST (rbST)-free milks in the US with that of conventional milks.

They pursued this research because of concern that consumers may be misinterpreting organic and rbST-free labelled milks – which are an increasingly common sight in grocery stores.

“Consumers have little knowledge of the how milk is produced, and the information search for most Americans rarely extends beyond package labelling and retail marketing,” stated the scientists.

“Of particular concern is that some consumers may perceive that this type of specialty labelling indicates differences in the quality, nutritional value, or safety of dairy foods.”

To investigate the nutritional values of the different milk types, the researchers looked at a sample of 292 milks, and narrowed their investigation to an assessment of their fatty acid composition.

They only found statistically significant differences between the fatty acid profile of organic and conventional milk, but none of these were judged meaningful. The milks were all considered “similar in nutritional quality and wholesomeness.”

In addition, the differences were ambiguous. “From a public health perspective the direction for some of these differences would be considered desirable and for others would be considered undesirable.”

To improve the nutritional profile of a milk drink, the scientists concluded that dietary components and formulation are much more relevant than production management practices. For example, the scientists cited research indicating that feeding cows supplements of fish oil or other products rich in EPA and DHA can improve the fatty acid profile of milk.

Support for the study was provided by Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station, the Monsanto Company and the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, USDA.

Source: Journal of Dairy Science; Dairy Reporter.com
doi:10.3168/jds.2009-2799
Survey of the fatty acid composition of retail milk differing in label claims based on production management practices
Authors: M. O’Donnell, K.P. Spatny, J.L. Vicini and D.E. Bauman

Dairyline Markets In Review

News EditorDairyline

The block cheese price ended the third week of April at $1.3675 per pound, down 3 cents on the week, but still 18 3/4-cents above a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.3475, down 1 3/4-cents on the week, but 24 cents above a year ago. Fifty nine cars of block traded hands and 23 of barrel. The NASS U.S. average block price jumped 7.5 cents, to $1.3917. Barrel averaged $1.4330, up 7.3 cents.

Butter closed the week at $1.57, up a penny, and 34 3/4-cents above a year ago. Nothing was sold all week. NASS butter averaged $1.4958, up 2.1 cents.

Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Friday at $1.2975, up a half-cent on the week. Extra Grade closed at $1.25, up 4 cents. NASS powder averaged $1.1428, up 3.2 cents, and dry whey averaged 36.48 cents, up 0.2 cent.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.