The Downes-ONeill brokerage firm and sister company eDairy have a new consultant. He’s economist Ken Bailey.
“We are very pleased to have Ken join us,” says Tom Gaughan, managing partner of Downes-O’Neill, the country’s largest dairy brokerage firm. “Our Downes-O’Neill clients will have access to Ken’s expertise, and he will also consult with eDairy clients.” Bailey is an associate professor at Penn State University, specializing in dairy marketing and policy analysis. His areas of research include dairy trade, policy analysis, and price analysis of dairy markets. “Ken’s research in trade is critical,” says Gaughan. “What happens in U.S. dairy markets is becoming increasingly tied to global markets. Ken’s research in the trade area will benefit our clients tremendously.” Bailey is currently building a detailed monthly database on dairy trade.
Dry Period Advantage
Heifer calves are only valuable to dairies when they are healthy. And one way to help maximize the survivability of a heifer calf is to vaccinate its dam at dry-off.
That’s the message from Novartis Animal Health professional service veterinarian Doug Scholz, DVM.
“This is a critical control point where producers can intervene on behalf of the cow to help prepare her for the next lactation and the arrival of her newborn calf,” he says.
Novartis recommends that producers consult your veterinarian to determine the best herd health program for your operation. For an example of a herd health program, click here.
NMPF in Vegas
The National Milk Producers Federation held it’s 90th annual meeting in Las Vegas this week. 
NMPF Chairman Charles Beckendorf celebrated the organization’s good fortunes this year in his annual address, starting with the 2006 Dairy Producer Conclaves.
This past winter, NMPF sponsored three farmer-only listening sessions, in California, Illinois and Virginia, to get input on our industry’s policy priorities for the future. We had great participation: nearly 200 dairy producers, representing 30 states and 41 different organizations, not just co-op leaders. When you lock farmers in a room, two things can happen: either they argue with each other and wind up further apart on issues than they were before; or, if you’re lucky, you find areas of consensus…places where you can work together.
Read Beckendorf’s full remarks here.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns delivered remarks at the meeting on Thursday morning. We’ll get those to you as soon as they are posted on the USDA website.
Goulda is Gooda
Now doesn’t that look tempting? Here’s some words of wisdom from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
Gouda is November’s featured cheese of the month in Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board’s Specialty Cheese program, designed to introduce shoppers to a selection of Wisconsin’s specialty cheeses.
Treat family and friends to the delightful flavors of pairing Wisconsin Gouda with a variety of fruits and beverages. The following tips will help get your party tray started:
* Mild Gouda Cheese: Typically found with a red wax rind, mild Gouda pairs well with fruits, such as fresh peaches, cherries, sliced melon or dried apricots. Fruity wines or lager beers enhance the cheese’s slightly sweet flavor.
* Aged and Flavored Gouda Cheese: Aged and flavored Goudas can be identified by a yellow or clear wax rind and are excellent with apple and pear slices. Serve with apple juice or a favorite beer to appreciate the smooth, creamy texture of the cheese.
* Smoked Gouda Cheese: Marked with black or brown wax rinds, smoked Gouda cheeses also pair well with apples and pears. Hearty red wines and most beers bring out the cheese’s rich, buttery flavor.
In case you’re wondering what’s in the picture: From left to right, a mild Gouda paired with a lager beer, a smoked Gouda paired with a red wine and an aged Gouda paired with apple juice.
Iowa Dairy Policy Meeting
Here’s another dairy meeting announcement. This time from Iowa.
The Iowa State Dairy Association invites Iowa dairy producers to attend their dairy policy-drafting meeting to be held Monday, November 20 at the Quality Inn, Ames. The meeting will start at 10:00 a.m. and feature three guest speakers:
Dale Thoreson – ISU Extension Dairy Specialist – Site locations and items to consider for new and remodeled dairy facilities
Eldon McAfee – Beving,Swanson & Forrest, P.C. – Livestock regulations and environmental issues
Jeff Ward – Iowa Agricultural Development Authority – Putting the Beginning Farmer Law into action
Other activities throughout the day include reviewing current policy and drafting new resolutions. This is an important meeting for Iowa dairy producers to share opinions and review ISDA policy. Producers need to RSVP by Monday, November 13. Call 515-971-3620 or email erinv@iowadairy.org to RSVP.
CWT Export Assistance Bids
Here’s the latest announcement from Cooperatives Working Together:
The other four bids are from Land O’Lakes of Arden Hills, MN – three for mixed consumer-packaged cheeses and butter to three destinations: 1.8 metric tons (3,960 lbs.) of cheese and .8 metric tons (1,760 lbs.) of butter to South Korea; 9.2 metric tons (20,240 lbs.) of cheese and .5 metric tons (1,100 lbs.) of butter to China; and 4 metric tons of cheese (8,800 lbs.) and .3 metric tons (660 lbs.) of butter to the Philippines; and a fourth bid for 20 metric tons (44,000 lbs.) of Mozzarella cheese to South Korea. CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidders, once completion of the cheese and butter shipments is verified. These are the first CWT-facilitated exports to China and the Philippines.
Wisconsin Dairy Business Conference
Here’s a dairy business conference that’s coming up in Wisconsin in just a couple weeks.
UW Discovery Farms is ready to unveil how the latest run-off research will affect Wisconsin dairy operations, and producers can hear it first at the Seventh Annual Dairy Business Association Business Conference set for November 29 and 30 at the Monona Terrace in Madison.
Dennis Frame, co-director of Wisconsin’s Discovery Farms program, will not only disclose the latest findings of the program’s research during the “Rules Won’t Improve Water Quality …” session, but also include how this data suggests that farming systems, soil moisture and time of the year are key factors in determining run-off.
For a complete conference schedule and registration visit www.widba.com or contact Michelle Philibeck at 920.788.7588 or mphilibeck@widba.com. The registration fee is $165, and single day registration is available.
Northeast Dairy Challenge Wrap-Up
The fourth annual Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge contest on October 19-21, 2006 was hosted by Cornell University in N.Y.
Participating colleges included Penn State University, Morrisville State College, University of New Hampshire, University of Connecticut, Delaware Valley College, University of Maine, SUNY Cobleskill, Cornell University, Alfred State College, University of Massachusetts, Vermont Technical College and University of Vermont. First-time participants were University of Guelph from Ontario, Canada; and McGill University from Quebec, Canada.
The Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge is an innovative three-day event designed by a team of industry and university professionals to promote a vibrant future for the dairy industry. Working in mixed-university teams of five students, contestants assessed all aspects of a working dairy farm and presented recommendations for improvement to a panel of judges and participating farm families.
The Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge is under the guidance and support of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC), which was established in April 2002, as a management contest to incorporate evaluation of all aspects of a specific dairy business. For more information, call 217-485-3441 or visit www.dairychallenge.org.
Record Month of Visitors
Since we re-launched World Dairy Diary earlier this year the number of visitors to the website has been growing. October was no exception as almost 6,000 people visited. We know that the information we provide is what makes for a place that attracts people so we’ve been focused on posting more and more information.
We hope you like what you find here and that’s it’s not just your ordinary information that you can get anywhere. We’re trying to provide dairy producers with a unique outlook on what’s going on in their business.
Always feel free to post comments or email us your ideas and suggestions.
Commodity Update Now Advertising
I’d like to welcome a new advertiser to World Dairy Diary. It’s Commodity Update. Here’s what the company’s latest announcement says about the service. By the way, I’ve been subscribing myself on my Palm Treo Sprint phone and I’m getting my market prices every day just like promised.
Commodity Update of Saint Paul, MN has successfully launched the first fully customizable cell phone delivery service for commodity markets. Commodity Update is the first service of its kind that delivers critical market data and other information instantly and directly to a user’s cell phone wherever they are. The service works on virtually any cell phone. It requires no new equipment and no cumbersome web browsing on your phone.
For any producer who has ever wished they had a market data terminal in their pickup, tractor, or pocket, Commodity Update provides the solution. Commodity Update CEO Joel Jaeger, who is a farmer himself, says their goal is to get farmers the information they need when they need it.
“It’s very difficult to get timely and accurate market information when you are sitting in your tractor out in the field. So, in many ways this service was born out of necessity for us and we found an opportunity to deliver information to the cell phone that the farmer carries in his pocket.”
Jaeger says the service was designed to be fully customized. “We call it on schedule or on demand so the farmer has full discretion over when they want the information delivered to them and what kinds of information they want delivered to them.”