Jersey Cheese Awards Seeks Entries

News EditorCheese, Company Announcement, Competition, Industry News

cheeseNorth American cheese and butter makers are invited to showcase their all-Jersey milk products in the first North American Jersey Cheese Awards, July 2 in Syracuse, N.Y. The competition is being held during the joint meetings of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau, the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. Awards will be announced July 3 during the “Jersey Worlds Combine” festivities at Sycamore Hill Gardens, Marcellus, N.Y.

There is no fee to enter the contest, or a limit on the number of varieties that a cheese maker can enter. Entries will be accepted through Monday, June 15, and products must be received at the contest location on or before July 1.

The contest is modeled after the highly successful World Jersey Cheese Awards, the first breed-specific cheese competition held last May in Jersey during the International Conference of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau. Judges will provide an objective assessment of all entries, which must be made from exclusively Jersey cow milk. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards will be given in 17 classes for cheeses, and a single class for Jersey cream butters.

Gold Award cheeses from each class will then go forward for the best in show class. A trophy plate designed by the artisans at Jersey Pottery, the world-renowned ceramics house, will be presented to the maker of North America’s Best Jersey Cheese.

Members of the judging panel will include:
Charles Lindberg, a Supervising Dairy Products Specialist with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets who has worked with cheese and other dairy products for 27 years. In addition to dairy product inspection and safety assurance duties, he is chief judge of the New York State Fair Dairy Products Competition. He has also served as a judge at several past United States and World Championship Cheese Contests.

Eric Dutton, who worked for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Milk Control as a Dairy Products Specialist for 35 years. He retired as a Regional Supervisor. Along with his regulatory work, Dutton was a New York state cheese grader and one of the founders of the New York State Fair Dairy Products Contest. He also served as a grader and grading instructor for various Department cheese quality improvement programs over the years.

Debbie Groom, agribusiness and farming writer for The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.

Classes

1. Fresh and cream cheese, plain
2. Mold ripened soft or unpressed cheese, plain
3. Soft or unpressed cheese, ripened, plain
4. Blue vein cheese, any variety, uncut
5. Continental style hard cheese, style to be indicated
6. British style hard cheese, style to be indicated
7. Continental style semi-hard cheese, style to be indicated
8. British style semi-hard cheese, style to be indicated
9. Very hard cheese
10. Rind washed cheese
11. Smoked cheese
12. Flavoured cheese, sweet
13. Flavoured cheese, savoury
14. Reduced fat cheese, fat percentage reduction to be indicated
15. Hard cheese produced on farm/dairy with a total output not exceeding a weekly average of two metric tons (4,400 pounds), i.e., farmstead produced
16. Semi-hard cheese, farmstead produced
17. Soft cheese, farmstead produced
18. Jersey cream butter, any style

For more information on the Awards competition and festival and to submit entries, contact Dr. Cherie L. Bayer, North American Vice-President for the World Jersey Cattle Bureau, at (614) 861-3636; Russell Gammon, Executive Secretary of Jersey Canada, at (519) 821-1020; or contest superintendent Sarah Mullen, Customer Service Coordinator with National All-Jersey Inc., at (614) 266-6916 or email smullen@usjersey.com.

Godfrey Named CEO of MilkPEP

News EditorCompany Announcement, Industry News, Milk, Promotion

logoThe board of the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), funded by U.S. milk processors, has announced the appointment of Vivien Godfrey as chief executive officer of the organization, which manages the award-winning and iconic National Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign. Godfrey replaces Kurt Graetzer, who is retiring from MilkPEP after leading the program for the past 14-plus years in its 16-year history. Godfrey’s first official day as CEO is May 11.

Godfrey’s experience includes an extensive period of strategic consulting with McKinsey & Company in London and Toronto; high-level consumer goods marketing and advertising experience with Diegeo Plc.; and U.S. dairy credentials as CEO of Haagen-Dazs North America (The Pillsbury Co.) from 1996-2000. Since 2000, Godfrey has managed her own business, Far Horizons LLC, a marine data retailing company. Godfrey grew up in London, England, and lived in four countries before moving to the United States in 1992.

Said Godfrey, “I’m thrilled to be taking the reins of this great program, at what is a pivotal time for milk. This program and the hard work of milk companies over the past decade have built the foundation for milk as a competitive, contemporary beverage in the United States. Now the program is ready to take steps toward a longer-term, strategic vision. This will allow the milk industry to more fully leverage the program, keep it relevant and fresh, and make it even more effective.”

Godfrey added her perspective on the importance of the program in a highly competitive beverage marketplace. “There’s no question that milk’s voice might easily be drowned out without this excellent program. The campaign is highly recognized by the retail trades and other milk customers, as well as moms, teens and other key audiences — there’s a lot of positive energy behind milk.

Dairyline Markets In Review

Chuck ZimmermanDairyline, Markets

DairylineDairy Markets Week in Review

Cheese trading at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ended April on a down note. The blocks closed Friday at $1.1525 per pound, down 2 3/4-cents on the week, 78 3/4-cents below a year ago, and just 2 1/4-cents above the support price.

The barrels closed Friday at $1.0875, down 2 cents on the week, 84 1/4-cents below a year ago, and 1 1/4-cents below support. Fourteen cars of block traded hands on the week and 15 of barrel. The lagging NASS-surveyed U.S. block price average slipped to $1.2482, down 2.9 cents from the previous week while barrel averaged $1.1781, down 7.1 cents.

Cash butter closed Friday at $1.23, up three quarters on the week, but 21 cents below a year ago. Only three cars were sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.1645, down 0.9 cent. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged 82.21 cents, up 0.3 cent. Dry whey averaged 20.68 cents, up a half-cent.

Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Friday at 87 cents per pound, up a half cent on the week, and Extra Grade closed at 85.5 cents, also up a half on bids.

Price support purchases for the week totaled 5.1 million pounds of nonfat dry milk, raising the cumulative total to 230.9 million so far for the year.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.

National DHIA Announces Award Winners

News EditorGeneral

Congratulations to Donald Shaw and Edward Fiez, both recognized by the National Dairy Herd Information Association’s (NDHIA) for the work they’ve done.

Donald Shaw, Southeast DHIA meter and training coordinator, received the Martin A. Wilson Memorial Award, which honors a person who has been dedicated to improving DHIA and employed in a DHIA management position for at least five years.

For nearly three decades, Shaw has served dairy producers and the DHI system, with roles as supervisor, state fieldman, field manager and relief supervisor and assistant. Early in his DHI career, Shaw was identified as an innovator. He was asked to help with the original field test of DART (direct access to records by telephone) and gained extensive experience with on-farm data entry. In 1981, he was the first DHI field technician to electronically transmit milk weights from a farm (Hilltop Dairy in Trenton, Florida, with more than 1,800 milk cows) to a dairy records processing center. As field manager, he led the effort where Florida became the first DHI affiliate to achieve 100% electronic input where all technicians used on-farm data entry for all DHI information.

John Clay of Dairy Records Management Systems (DRMS) supported Shaw for this award due to his tireless efforts to ensure the delivery of top-notch DHI services. “Don probably does some of his best work at Southeast technician conferences and at DRMS regional meetings. In these settings, Don calmly teaches his peers how to take advantage of technology to ensure collection of accurate information and how to deliver valuable test day reports.”

Edward Fiez, Caldwell, Idaho, received the DHIA Outstanding Service Award. A University of Idaho Extension dairy specialist from 1970-1999, Fiez continues to work closely with the Idaho DHIA program even though he’s retired.

He presented at the 2000 Idaho DHIA Supervisor Conference and assisted with the 2000 Idaho DHIA Sample Takers Conference. The National DHIA Outstanding Service Award honors a person who has dedicated service to improving DHIA and provided notable leadership to advancing DHIA.

From 1999-2006, Fiez continued to evaluate exams submitted by prospective supervisors following completion of the self-teaching packet that he developed. These workbooks, used by dairy cow and dairy goat supervisors, provide general information on record keeping systems, data reporting and DHI rules and regulations.

Fiez was instrumental in organizing Idaho DHIA and provided guidance through the critical transition to hired management. He offered key support to Idaho DHIA in meeting initial National DHIA Quality Certification standards by working effectively with the board of directors, supervisors, milk testing laboratories and dairy records processing centers.

GEA Group acquires DB Wilaard Holding BV‏

News EditorInternational

gea_logoGEA Group AG continues its expansion strategy towards becoming a total solutions provider in livestock farming through the acquisition of DB Wilaard Holding BV.

With its main brands “Royal De Boer” and “Brouwers”, the firm is a leading manufacturer of barn equipment in Europe. The company is headquartered in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, and in 2008 generated revenues of approximately EUR 40 million with a workforce of 160 employees. The acquisition includes Wilarus LLC, founded in 2004 as the sales and production facility for Russia and other CIS states. The acquisition is subject to the approval of the Russian antitrust authorities.

Since 1869, Royal De Boer Barn Equipment, the oldest subsidiary within the Wilaard Group, has expanded the horizons of animal housing, successfully setting benchmarks and modern standards. Together with Brouwers Equipment, founded in 1919, it has been playing a leading role in Dutch livestock farming for decades. GEA Farm Technologies will continue the well-known, high-quality, premium brands Royal De Boer and Brouwers, as they are dedicated to growing the barn equipment and manure-handling product lines globally out of the Wilaard Group headquarters and manufacturing facility Wilarus in Kolomna, Russia.

The GEA Group, headquartered in Bochum, Germany, is a globally successful technology group owning more than 250 companies in 50 countries, with an emphasis in the field of process engineering and equipment. GEA Group technologies are applied in the food, chemical and petrochemical industries, the energy sector, air treatment and shipbuilding, as well as the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The GEA Group is one of the world’s market and technology leaders in 90 percent of its businesses.

GEA Farm Technologies, a division of the GEA Group, is a worldwide leader in milking, manure and housing equipment technology. GEA Farm Technologies is dedicated to saving producers time, labor and money through increased efficiency, management assistance information and leading-edge technology. GEA Farm Technologies provides a complete line of WestfaliaSurge, Houle and Norbco products to meet producers’ needs of all sizes and management styles.

Dairy Queen Survey Says Not Everyone is Eating Out Less

Amanda NolzDairy Business

n116507701_32556166_2195 As a college kid, there is nothing my friends and I like to do better than take a homework break for a Dairy Queen run. It seems that a lot of people have the same idea, too. While sitting in the long drive-thru line, we debate our many ice cream choices. Should I get the strawberry dipped cone or the cookie dough blizzard? The Moolatte or the hot fudge sundae? So many great dairy options, and so little college spending money. Yet, despite this economy, it seems that people continue to dine at restaurants. (Side Note: My college friend would KILL me for posting this photo of her scarfing down ice cream. I’m in the background, covered up by her spoon. Ha!)

According to a recent study by Dairy Queen, Almost half of U.S. adults are eating out about the same or more than they did a year ago. (Or rephrased, more than half of adults are eating out less often.)

This consumer survey report was released at MinnPost.com. The survey was taken by Harris Interactive and involved interviews with 2,852 adults age 18 or older. Forty-six percent said they are eating out the same or more, presumably leaving 54 percent who are eating out less or didn’t answer.

To read the entire report and see what people think about the dairy products at Dairy Queen, link to MinnPost.com.

Impact of Growing Conditions on Nutritional Value of Silage

Cindy ZimmermanAudio, Feed, Forage Forum, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Podcast, Silage

Pioneer Hi-Bred Forage Forum PodcastGrowing conditions can vary from year to year and this variance can impact the nutritional value of the silage. In this edition of the Pioneer Forage Forum podcast, Pioneer livestock information manager Jim Smith explains the effects of solar radiation, moisture and heat at different stages of plant growth.

[audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3?http://zimmcomm.biz/pioneer/pioneer-podcast-53-wdd.mp3] Jim Smith on the Impact of Growing Conditions on Nutritional Value of Silage (5:00 min MP3)

To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.

AVMA Launches 'Chew on This' Podcast Series on Food Safety

News EditorGeneral

chew on thisThe American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is pleased to announce a new podcast series called “Chew on This,” dedicated to examining issues related to food safety and protecting our nation’s food supply. I haven’t

“America’s veterinarians play key roles in food safety, and these podcasts offer us an opportunity to speak directly to consumers, many of whom may not be tuned in to the latest science and research surrounding the food we eat,” said Dr. James Cook, president of the AVMA. “We’re going to explore and investigate many of today’s burning topics surrounding food – where it comes from, how it gets to our tables and why it’s important to keep our food safe, abundant and affordable.”

“Chew on This” podcasts — to be delivered biweekly on the AVMA’s iTunes Channel and online at the AVMA’s food safety advocacy site – will explore a variety of food safety topics, such as cloned animals, organic foods, pasteurization, animal and product identification, and food importation.

Also available on the AVMA’s iTunes channel is “AVMA Animal Tracks,” a weekly podcast featuring veterinary experts on subjects such as pet health and safety tips, the threat of diseases that can spread from animals to humans and the surprising variety of roles veterinarians play in ensuring animal and human health.

The AVMA and its more than 76,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of activities dedicated to advancing the science and art of animal, human and public health.

Dairy Foods are Best Source of Calcium

News EditorDairy Checkoff, Health, Industry News, Milk, Nutrition, Research

flavoredmilkA Purdue University study shows dairy foods have an advantage over calcium carbonate in promoting bone growth and strength.

Connie Weaver, distinguished professor and head of the food and nutrition department, found that the bones of rats fed nonfat dry milk were longer, wider, more dense and stronger than those of rats fed a diet with calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is the most common form of calcium used in calcium-fortified foods and supplements.

Weaver said the study, funded by the National Dairy Council, is the first direct comparison of bone properties between calcium from supplements and milk.

“A lot of companies say, ‘If you don’t drink milk, then take our calcium pills or calcium-fortified food,'” Weaver said. “There’s been no study designed properly to compare bone growth from supplements and milk or dairy to see if it has the same effect.”

Data from Purdue’s Camp Calcium, a research effort that studies how calcium and other nutrients affect bone growth, show that between the ages of 9 and 18 people require 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day for optimal bone growth. This is the equivalent of about 4 cups of milk or yogurt or the equivalent from cheese or other sources, Weaver said. After the age of 9, due mostly to peer pressure, the gap between the calcium youths need and actually get widens, she said.

The study involved 300 rats that were divided into two groups. For 10 weeks, the rats were given all the nutrients they require, but one group was given dairy and the other was given calcium carbonate as the source of calcium.

After 10 weeks, the bones of 50 rats from each group were measured for strength, density, length and weight.

“We found those measurements were up to 8 percent higher for those who had milk over calcium carbonate,” Weaver said.

The study also found a strong effect of having dairy as a calcium source followed by periods of inadequate calcium.

Over a second 10-week period, the remaining rats were fed as adults. Half of those were given adequate calcium as carbonate or milk. The other half were switched to half as much calcium as recommended, but were given calcium carbonate.

“This is comparable to humans who, during their early growth, drink a lot of milk to the age of 9 to 11, or maybe even adolescence, but then get only half as much milk calcium as they need after that,” Weaver said. “Some take calcium supplements, but few adults get adequate calcium.”

Weaver said the study showed the rats raised on dairy still had advantages over those who were given calcium carbonate even later when they were given half enough calcium as dairy or calcium carbonate.

“We found it was an advantage having milk or dairy while bones were growing over calcium carbonate, and it protects you later in life,” Weaver said.

She is not sure why dairy is better, but said further study is needed.

“I think this will spark some people to want to figure out what it is about milk that gives it an advantage,” she said.

“It’s not due to increased calcium absorption. It’s more about protecting against bones losing calcium, according to our results of calcium metabolism. Bones are in constant turnover, especially when they are growing. Youth need to have bone formation outweigh bone loss.”

Farm Aid Urging You to Take Action to Save Dairy Farmers

News EditorGovernment, Industry News

Farm AidWillie Nelson and his Farm Aid foundation is urging everyone to take action now to help dairy farmers by sending a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. According to the Farm Aid website: “America’s dairy farmers are rapidly disappearing, and we need your help to make sure they don’t lose everything they’ve ever worked for. Sign our letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and urge him to take bold action to help save our dairy farmers.” Click here to sign onto our letter urging Secretary Vilsack to take swift action to help dairy farmers today.

In the last few weeks, the dairy crisis in the U.S. has gotten even more desperate. Dairy farmers from California to Vermont are losing their farms and their livelihoods, struggling to survive while the bottom falls out of the industry. Things are so bad that we may immediately lose up to 20,000 of our nation’s dairy farmers and billions of dollars from our rural economies, which are already hurting.

But there’s something you can do to help right now to make sure we don’t lose one more dairy farmer: Send a message to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urging him to take immediate action to save dairy farmers. He’s the one person who can help change the fate of thousands of hard working families — and he needs to hear from you.

The causes of the dairy crisis are complex — including foreign imports and price manipulation by dairy processors — but the immediate solution is simple. To keep dairy farmers from losing their farms from coast to coast, the price of milk paid to farmers must be altered to reflect the farmers’ cost of production. On average, our farmers are currently being paid less than half of what it costs them to produce milk — and Secretary Vilsack is the only person with the legal authority to set a fair price for farmers.

Setting a fair price for milk won’t fix all the problems that led to the current crisis — but it may be the only way to keep thousands of dairy farmers on their farms this year. Unless Secretary Vilsack takes immediate action, huge areas of the United States may be left without any local dairy farms at all.