Montana Fire Kills 200 cows

News EditorIndustry News

mtfireOur thoughts and prayers go out to the Bostana Dairy in eastern Montana. A large fire this week killed about 200 cows and caused at least $2.5 million in damage.

Firefighters were called to Bostana Dairy, the dairy’s milking parlor, mechanical room, sick bay and vet clinic area were destroyed. Three loafing sheds and some outbuildings were spared.

The fire apparently started in the mechanical room. A state fire marshal was investigating.

Four dairy employees who were inside the facility when the fire started got out safely, but two firefighters were injured, Vojacek said. One suffered second-degree burns to his nose, lips and cheeks after a piece of insulation fell on him, and the other experienced heat exhaustion. About 1,000 cows were rescued from the burning dairy.

Addition to Wisc. Dairy Facility

News EditorEducation, Industry News, Research

The University of Wisconsin-Madison broke ground last week on an addition to the Integrated Dairy Research facility.

The new $5.1 million dollar modern facility will replace the Arlington Blaine Unit which was built in 1972. The new facility will be equipped with cutting edge technology allowing it to provide investigations and applied research studies on a diverse number of issues, including environmental impact studies, animal well being, genetic improvement and a host of other issues that will help define what Wisconsin’s dairy industry will look like in the decades to come.

“Many thanks go to Governor Doyle and the Wisconsin Legislature for their foresight by providing $4.8 million for the project as part of the 2001-03 biennial budget,” said Laurie Fischer, Executive Director of the Dairy Business Association. “This addition to UW-Madison’s integrated dairy modernization project will ensure that the College of Ag and Life Sciences has the tools it needs to meet the future expectations of Wisconsin’s dairy industry. This groundbreaking is the first step to ensure that CALS and Wisconsin’s dairy industry will remain competitive in the growing international market for dairy animals and products,” Laurie went on to say. John Pagel, Consultant for Dairy Building Contractors and Laurie Fischer, Executive Director of DBA were in attendance representing Dairy Business Contractors, LLC, the general contractor chosen for the project.

Other distinguished guests at the groundbreaking included Wisconsin’s Secretary of Agriculture, Rod Nilsestuen, State Representative Eugene Hahn, Alan Fish, Associate Vice-Chancellor for Facilities Planning and Management at UW-Madison, and Tab Tabrizi, Bureau Director of Architecture and Engineering at the Department of Administration, to name just a few.

WDPA Announces Contest Sponsors

News EditorButter, Cheese, Ice Cream, Industry News, Products

The Wisconsin Dairy Products Association (WDPA) is proud to announce that Dairy Field magazine and Cheese Market News have finalized an agreement with WDPA to become the exclusive sponsors of the Grand Champion Awards for the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest.

Cheese Market News will be the annual sponsor of the Grand Champion Award for Cheese and Butter, while Dairy Field magazine will be the annual sponsor of the Grand Champion Award for Grade A Products and Ice Cream.

“We’re extremely happy to have two of the leading dairy industry publications joining our contest,” says Brad Legreid, WDPA executive director. “Dairy Field and Cheese Market News are well-known and highly respected media sources within our industry and their participation will help our contest continue its phenomenal growth and success,” according to Legreid.

Kernel Texture

Chuck ZimmermanAudio, Feed, Forage Forum, Nutrition, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Podcast

Pioneer Hi-Bred Forage Forum PodcastJust what exactly is kernel texture? Dr. Bill Mahanna, Pioneer Global Nutritional Sciences Manager, explores this question while comparing hard starch vs. soft starch. He also explains the link to digestibility and touches upon current Ohio State University research on corn grain and corn silage – what are the influences on feedability and what is the role of fermentation?

Listen To MP3 File Bill Mahanna on Kernel Texture (4:30 min MP3)

To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Previous Forage Forum podcasts are also archived at the Pioneer GrowingPoint website. To access them, go to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and click “Livestock Nutrition” and “Forage Blog.” Those not registered for Pioneer GrowingPoint website can call 800-233-7333 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT for assistance.

Minerals and Dairy Products Symposium

News EditorEducation, International

Been wanting to take a romantic trip to France this fall? Now you can combine work with pleasure! The first “IDF/INRA International Symposium on MINERALS AND DAIRY PRODUCTS” is scheduled on October 1-3, 2008 in Saint-Malo, France.

Meet and network with the leading international experts from academia and the industry. It is organized by the French institute INRA (UMR Science and Technology of Milk and Egg) in collaboration with the French National Committee of IDF and under the auspices of the International Dairy Federation (IDF). Call for papers Dairy scientists are invited to report on their latest findings in a series of contribution papers.

Pioneer Makes Recommendations for Harvest

News EditorFeed, Pioneer Hi-Bred

Pioneer Hi-Bred is recommending that producers across the country concentrate on the moisture levels of corn as a signal that their crop is ready for harvest. This important step will help ensure a high yield for the producer. Read more below for more tips on the correct time to harvest.

“If growers wait for brown leaves, especially with today’s modern corn genetics that stay green later in the growing season, they may miss their harvest window totally,” says Bill Seglar, Pioneer Hi-Bred nutritional sciences veterinarian. “Instead, they should be looking at moisture content as the key corn silage harvest indicator.”

In order to achieve optimal moisture content, growers need to pay close attention to when corn tassels. This provides an estimate for the correct silage harvest window – approximately 40 to 45 days after tasseling, Seglar says. He suggests growers look closely at their fields two to three weeks before the date estimated by the crop’s tassels and assess the kernel milkline. University of Wisconsin research shows that while a two-thirds milkline is the optimal maturity indicator for corn in the 63 percent to 68 percent moisture range, weather and growing variables may result in a much larger moisture variability range.

“The only way a producer will really know the moisture content is to collect a representative sampling of the crop for determination of whole plant moisture content,” Seglar says. “Growers who expend efforts to evaluate their samples will have the reward of higher-quality corn silage as an end result.”

A sample of nine to 10 stalks (chopped with a landscaper’s chipper/shredder and dried in a Koster crop tester or microwave) is recommended for evaluating moisture content. If the crop is not at its most favorable moisture level, it can be expected to drop 0.5 percent to 1 percent per day under normal weather and growing conditions.

Additionally, Pioneer inoculants – such as Pioneer® brand 1132, 11C33 or 11CFT – work best when the crop is harvested at the correct moisture level. If the harvest window is missed, the benefit from inoculation will be less than ideal in reducing shrink losses, enhancing nutrient availability and/or improving bunklife properties during feedout.

Correct moisture content and use of well-researched inoculants are important for maximizing silage quality. Forage experts recommend a combination of other silage management practices for best results as well. These include ensuring proper chop length and kernel processor settings; packing tractor weight; appropriately sized storage structures; covering and sealing silage securely; and using appropriate feedout practices.

Triple Calcium Bolus Available

News EditorAgribusiness, Animal Health, Industry News, Nutrition

AgriLabs introduces a new tool for dairy producers, the Triple Calcium Bolus, a fast acting bolus that contains three calcium compounds.

Featuring an industry-high 44 grams of available calcium from calcium propionate, calcium chloride and calcium carbonate, it provides both rapid and sustained release of this important mineral.

Unlike other calcium boluses, which can take hours to begin delivering calcium to the bloodstream, the new Triple Calcium Bolus begins its release immediately. Whether used as supportive treatment or a preventive measure, this innovative bolus is designed to make it easy for producers to supplement cows with the calcium they need to maintain health at calving

“As a cow moves from her dry period into lactation, the amount of calcium she needs just to maintain her basic body functions doubles,” says Travis Thayer, technical service veterinarian, AgriLabs. “A cow milking 70 pounds needs an additional 40 grams of calcium every day for milk production. It’s extremely difficult for fresh cows to get the extra calcium their bodies need through their diets, which is why calcium supplementation is so important during the transition period.”

Each Triple Calcium Bolus, which contains 44 grams of calcium, uses a combination of calcium compounds to increase blood-serum calcium levels quickly and then provide a sustained release of calcium. For supportive treatment and prevention, producers should administer one 176-gram Triple Calcium Bolus a few hours before calving, and another from six to 12 hours after calving.

The Triple Calcium Bolus is available exclusively from AgriLabs in two convenient sizes: 88-gram boluses in case quantities of 12 or 72, and 176-gram boluses in cases of six or 36.

New Jersey Milk Goes Local

News EditorIndustry News, Markets, Milk, Products

Tomorrow consumers in New Jersey will be able to purchase their milk from cows that reside in their state – distributor Consolidated Dairies is launching a local milk called Jersey Fresh Skim Free.

Banking on a movement to promote eating locally grown foods, the state’s agriculture department is promising that 100 percent of Jersey Fresh Skim Free comes entirely from cows on dairy farms in the Garden State. Consolidated is betting consumers will pay more for the milk because they know exactly where it comes from and it helps local farmers, said Frank Ferrante, chief executive officer of distributor Consolidated Dairies.

Compared to generic milk, the cost is about $1 per half-gallon more for milk exclusively from the area, and sales have grown by 30 to 40 percent over the last year, said cooperative president Sam Simon. Increasingly, consumers want to know where their food is grown, said Valoria Loveland, director of Washington state’s department of agriculture and president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Consumers have already shown they will pay more for locally grown milk products, such as cheese and yogurt, as well as organic milk, where farmers adhere to a list of practices, said Rusty Bishop, director for the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research and professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

New Jersey officials had long wanted to follow up the success of their Jersey Fresh produce program with a local milk program to help dairy farmers struggling with high land costs in a state sandwiched between two major metropolitan areas. Jersey Fresh Skim Free promises no fat, added antibiotics or recombinant bovine somatotropin – hormones used to stimulate greater milk production. It will cost on average 50 cents more per half gallon than generic milk.

Outbreak in Britian

News EditorAnimal Health, Industry News, International

This is terrible news to have to report – an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britian. Authorities in that country are working tiredlessly to contain the outbreak.

British authorities rushed to halt an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease Saturday by slaughtering and then incinerating 60 cattle on an infected farm near London. Hours later, Britain’s environmental agency announced that the strain of the disease in the cattle was identical to one found at a nearby animal research lab.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown canceled his vacation and returned to London, where he summoned an emergency meeting of the government crisis committee. Speaking after the meeting, he said authorities would work round-the-clock to stamp out the disease that six years ago crippled the country’s farming and tourism industry.

Symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease were first reported Thursday at a farm near Guildford 30 miles southwest of London. By Friday, the British government had placed a nationwide ban on the movement of all animals with cloven hooves, including cattle, pigs, sheep and goats.

A six-mile surveillance zone was set up around the farm. Residents within the area were asked to inspect their animals for symptoms, which in cattle include smacking of the lips and blisters in their mouths and on their feet. The disease can be deadly in livestock but poses no risk to humans.

The strain of the disease on the infected farm has not recently been found in animals, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement. It was, however, “most similar to strains used in international diagnostic laboratories and in vaccine production, including at the Pirbright site shared by the Institute of Animal Health and Merial Animal Health Ltd., a pharmaceutical company.” The Pirbright site is a few miles from the infected farm.

Meanwhile, the British government banned the export of livestock, meat and milk, and several countries took precautionary measures of their own. The United States has banned swine products from the United Kingdom, the Department of Agriculture.