SpongeBob Loves Cheese!

News EditorCheese, Dairy Checkoff, Government, Health

spongebobOk readers, this story just plain makes me mad. Banning cheese ads from children’s programming? Shouldn’t we be more worried about fries, chips and candy? What do you think of this activist group’s tactics?

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which encourages a vegetarian diet, is taking aim this time at cheese — and SpongeBob SquarePants. The group has asked the Federal Trade Commission to follow the lead of the U.K. and ban ads for cheese and other foods high in fat, salt and sugar during kids’ TV shows.

“A similar ban in the United States would prevent pizza companies, candy companies, and other makers of unhealthy food from advertising on SpongeBob SquarePants and similar shows,” PCRM said. “One serving of cheddar cheese gets a whopping 73% of its calories from fat, which is more fat than children would get from a 3 Musketeers candy bar,” PCRM nutritionist Dulcie Ward said in a statement.

Greg Miller of the National Dairy Council countered that “Cheese is a nutritious food that kids love.” With “nine out of 10 girls and seven out of 10 boys failing to meet current nutrition recommendations for calcium,” it would be a big mistake to remove cheese from youngsters’ diets, he said. More pointedly, he added: “We need to get our nutrition guidance from professional groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics… and not from an animal-rights group.”

Ethanol Plant Powered by Manure

News EditorIndustry News, Waste Management

Here’s more news out of California – a new ethanol plant in the San Joaquin Valley that will utilize dairy manure.

Human BioSystems (“HBS”) announced today that HBS BioEnergy (“HBSE”), has formed a joint venture with Visalia based Dairy Development Group and Agrimass Enviro-Energy to build a park in the San Joaquin Valley of California, which will utilize waste from surrounding dairies to provide the power needed to fuel the proposed ethanol plant to be located on site.

“The joint venture involves developing and operating an innovative agricultural waste-to-energy park,” explained Len Chapman, CEO of Agrimass Enviro-Energy and Dairy Development Group. “This is the perfect model for agricultural production because it takes a problem – manure – and turns it into power, which then powers the ethanol plant that produces cleaner-burning fuels. This is the kind of green industry we need in the Valley.”

Agrimass Enviro-Energy blends technology, engineering and dairy expertise to help Valley dairymen implement systems that help them meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations. Dairy Development Group assists dairymen in planning, permitting, building and operating their dairies, with a focus on environmental mitigation and compliance.

CWT Export Assistance Bids

Chuck ZimmermanDairy Group, Export

Cooperatives Working TogetherHere’s the latest announcement from Cooperatives Working Together:

Cooperatives Working Together announced today that it accepted thirteen export assistance bids last week for the sale of cheese, anhydrous milkfat and butter. The first eight bids are from Dairy Farmers of America of Kansas City, MO: 594 metric tons (1.3 million pounds) of Mozzarella cheese to Japan: 190 metric tons (418,000 lbs.) of Cheddar to Egypt; 152 metric tons (334,400 lbs.) of Cheddar to South Korea; 114 metric tons (250,800 lbs.) of Cheddar to the Netherlands; 111 metric tons (244,200 lbs.) of Cheddar to
Panama; 38 metric tons (83,600 lbs.) of Cheddar to South Korea; and 38 metric tons (83,600 lbs.) of anhydrous milkfat to the Dominican Republic.

Land O’Lakes of Arden Hills, MN, had four bids accepted: 130 metric tons (286,000 lbs.) of Cheddar cheese to South Africa (the first CWT export to that country); 3 metric tons (6,600 lbs.) of retail packaged cheese to Bahrain; 2.9 metric tons (6,380 lbs.) of retail-packaged cheese to Qatar; and 76 metric tons (167,200 lbs.) of butter to Turkey.

The last two bids were from Darigold of Seattle, WA, for the export of two separate shipments of 250 metric tons (550,000 lbs.) of butter to Saudi Arabia. CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidders, once completion of the butter, milkfat and cheese shipments is verified.

CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidders, once completion of the butter and cheese shipments is verified.

World Ag Expo 2007

News EditorIndustry News

WorldAgLogoWe are only a few days away from the opening day for the 40th annual World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif. Always a great show, this year will feature many high-quality information sessions, including this one. To see a complete schedule and read more about the show, click here.

A.G. Kawamura, Secretary for California Department of Food and Agriculture, will host an information session entitled, “Propositions 1E and 84: Water Bonds and their Impact on California Agriculture,” on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif. Joined by Mike Chrisman, Secretary of California Resources Agency, and Jason Peltier, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Secretary Kawamura will provide insight to farmers and agribusiness representatives on the impact these propositions will have on water quality and supply in California. The session will run from 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in the International Agri-Center’s Heritage Complex Theater, 4500 South Laspina Street, Tulare, CA 93274.

Duwe Joins DBA

News EditorIndustry News

KristinaDuweThe Dairy Business Association welcomes Kristina Duwe to their organization. Kristina position as Director of Sales and Member Services is sure to bring added value to Wisconsin’s dairy industry.

Duwe’s dairy industry experience began while growing up helping on her grandparents’ dairy farm in Sussex, Wisconsin. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism in May of 2005. Previously, she served as an advertising account executive for Capital Newspapers, Inc., animal pharmaceutical sales intern with Fort Dodge Animal Health and public relations intern for the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, Duwe is actively involved with the Cows on the Concourse committee, serving as its sponsorship chair and the Association of Women in Agriculture’s Alumni Marketing Committee.

In her position with DBA, Duwe will develop and execute membership promotions and is responsible for member recruitment and retention within the organization.

Dairyline Markets In Review

Chuck ZimmermanDairyline, Markets

DairylineDairy Markets Week in Review
The cash markets were mixed the first full week in February. Block cheese ended the week at $1.3450 per pound, up 1 1/4-cents, and 11 1/4-cents above that week a year ago. Barrel closed Friday at $1.32, down 5 1/2-cents on the week, but 11 3/4 cents above a year ago. Fourteen cars of block traded hands on the week and 29 of barrel, of which 14 were traded on Friday. The latest NASS-surveyed block price hit $1.2968, down 1.2 cents. Barrel averaged $1.3368, up 0.3 cent.

Butter closed Friday at $1.22, down a half-cent on the week, but 2 cents above a year ago. Only three cars were sold. NASS butter averaged $1.2204, up 0.6 cent. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged $1.0796, down 0.8 cent. Dry whey averaged a record 53.31 cents, up 4.9 cents. Keep in mind, every penny movement on whey equates to about 6 cents on the Class III milk price.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.

CWT Export Assistance Bids

Chuck ZimmermanDairy Group, Export

Cooperatives Working TogetherHere’s the latest announcement from Cooperatives Working Together:

Cooperatives Working Together announced today (Feb. 5) that it accepted four export assistance bids last week for the sale of cheese and butter. The first three bids were from Land O’Lakes of Arden Hills, MN: one for 432 metric tons (950,400 lbs.) of Mozzarella cheese to Saudi Arabia; one for 20 metric tons (44,000 lbs.) of Mozzarella to Jordan; and one for 100 metric tons (220,000 lbs.) of butter to Israel. The fourth bid was from Darigold of Seattle, WA, for the export of 160 metric tons (352,000 lbs.) of butter to the Netherlands. CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidders, once completion of the butter and cheese shipments is verified.

CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidders, once completion of the butter and cheese shipments is verified.

National Animal ID Documents Available for Review

News EditorAnimal ID, Government

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of three National Animal Identification System documents for review and public comment.

“NAIS is a true partnership among states, industry, and USDA, and by working together, we have met our goal of having twenty-five percent of the Nation’s premises registered by the end of January. However, we continue to seek our partners’ input on the design and implementation of NAIS,” said Bruce Knight, undersecretary of USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs mission area. “The documents we are releasing today will further advance the dialogue on NAIS and guide our collaborative efforts as the program moves forward. We are committed to working together to build a system that works for everyone.”

The Draft User Guide includes the most up-to-date NAIS information. It provides details on participating in the program and discusses NAIS’ three components, premises registration, animal identification, and animal tracing. USDA initially posted the document in November 2006 with a request for comments and to date, has received valuable feedback. Publishing the Draft User Guide in the Federal Register expands the opportunities for interested parties to comment on the document.

USDA encourages all interested parties to submit comments on any of the three documents or other aspects of NAIS. Comments are now being accepted through the NAIS Web site email address animalidcomments@aphis.usda.gov, or by mail to NAIS Program Staff, Veterinary Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737.

Canadian Bull BSE Confirmed

News EditorIndustry News, International

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a mature bull from Alberta. The animal’s carcass is under CFIA control, and no part of it entered the human food or animal feed systems.

Preliminary information indicates that the age of the animal falls well within the age range of previous cases detected in Canada under the national BSE surveillance program. This signifies that the animal was exposed to a very small amount of infective material, most likely during its first year of life.

An epidemiological investigation directed by international guidelines is underway to examine what the animal was fed early in its life and to identify its herdmates at the time. All findings will be publicly released once the investigation concludes.

The finding of a mature animal should not impact Canada’s BSE country categorization submission to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The science-based BSE risk-level determination process requires that a country is able to demonstrate a full understanding of the pathways that resulted in BSE exposure and expression, as well as the implementation of appropriate comprehensive measures to block those pathways and protect human and animal health, leading to the eradication of the disease over time.

The animal was identified at the farm level by the national surveillance program, which has detected all cases found in Canada. The program targets the highest risk cattle populations and has tested roughly 150,000 animals since 2003. The surveillance results reflect an extremely low incidence of BSE in Canada.

Downed Animal Legislation

News EditorGovernment

Make sure your congressmen and representatives know how you feel about the proposed legislation to ban the slaughter of non-ambulatory animals. Let your voice be heard!

Legislation banning the slaughter of non-ambulatory animals has been introduced into the House of Representatives by Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) and Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-New York). Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) sponsored the companion bill in the Senate. Both houses have approved similar legislation in the past, but the full Congress did not pass it. USDA imposed a temporary ban on the slaughter of downed cattle in 2004, but the policy was never finalized or fully enforced, according to LaTourette. This would make that ban permanent.