The World Dairy Expo is looking for someone to help in the sales area. If you’re interested you can download the position description here.
The Sales Specialist is to assist the Sales Manager with the sales and marketing efforts for World Dairy Expo and other events managed by WDE Management, Inc. These tasks will include sales of booth space, sponsorship coordination, customer service, event management and other assigned responsibilities.
Contact John Rozum for more information.
Production Climbs Yet Again
Milk production numbers continue to advance. USDA announced that total output for the 23 major dairy states is up to 14.6 billion pounds, up 3.7% from a year ago. There may be some hope, however. The production total was down four million pounds from last month. A very slight figure, to be sure, but perhaps a light at the end of the supply-building tunnel.
California continues its reign as the production leader, putting 3.3 billion pounds into the tank. New Mexico continues its rapid ascent however, increasing its production 13.7% above 2005 to 654 million pounds.
Have A Milk Moment To Share
Lactaid wants everyone to enjoy what they call, “Milk Moments.” In fact, they are having a contest to win a $10,000 kitchen makeover. They describe Milk Moments as, “the joy that comes with seeing kids take part in a milk mustache contest, the instant that your cereal begins to snap and pop when you splash your milk on it, or even the time when you and your sisters huddled over hot chocolates listening to a bedtime story by grandma.”
The LACTAID(R) MILK MOMENTS(TM) consumer campaign kicks-off nationally on May 15th with a coast-to-coast children’s art contest called “Searching for LACTAID(R) MILK MOMENTS(TM).” The contest asks kids ages 11 and under to illustrate their favorite LACTAID(R) MILK MOMENTS(TM), such as having a milk and cookies treat with mom or drinking a smoothie, for the chance to win prizes worth $10,000 in value.
Three first place winners will receive a:
* Full kitchen makeover for the family that includes tableware, small appliances, refrigerator and more
* Deluxe “art studio” that includes art supplies, a digital camera and a computer
* The opportunity to see their winning artwork on LACTAID(R) Milk carton panels starting in October
Second and third place winners will also be selected to receive the deluxe art studio. A new website has been launched and consumers can visit the bilingual website www.lactaidmilkmoments.com for contest rules and more information. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2006.
Lactaid is a McNeil Nutritionals product.
People Announcements From Accelerated Genetics
Here’s a couple of announcements from our sponsor, Accelerated Genetics. To start with Jim Martin (pictured) has been promoted to the management team in the position of Vice President—Semen Production and Technology. In this new role, Jim will be responsible for all lab personnel and will direct the quality control program at the Production Facility in Westby, Wisconsin.
In addition, he will continue to work with new technology in regard to semen and processing—including field trials if appropriate. His assistance in semen collection training will also continue. Jim will also maintain a close working relationship with Roger Hanson, Vice President—Farm and Barn Operations, through many of the coordinated production activities as they have in the past.
New to the Accelerated Genetics team this summer is Charlotte Muenzenberger of Coon Valley, Wisconsin. She has been selected as Accelerated Genetics’ Public Relations and Advertising Intern. She will be based out of Administrative Headquarters located in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
During the summer, Charlotte will be responsible for interviewing, researching and writing feature articles for the Genetic Trends newsletter, writing news releases, designing promotional brochures, helping with the development of advertising campaigns, and representing Accelerated Genetics at various conferences, conventions, dairy shows and events throughout the summer. Maybe we can even talk her into sending us some blog material!
Charlotte grew up on Bo-Valley Swiss, her family’s Brown Swiss and Holstein dairy farm. On the farm she has been involved with many aspects of the operation including: sire selection and mating decisions along with milking, calf rearing and general farm chores. With Charlotte’s combined passion for the dairy industry and the Brown Swiss breed, led her to be selected at the 2005-06 National Brown Swiss Youth Ambassador. In this role, she has promoted the breed through attending many shows, sales and conventions.
Powdergate Conspirators Finally Fined
Six New Zealanders have finally been fined for their roles in “Powdergate,” the multi-million dollar scandal involving export regulations and powdered milk. The six men in question admitted their roles in the scam, submitting to charges of producing false customs documents to export milk powder labeled as meat produce. The original charges were much more severe, originally handed down five years ago as conspiracy to defraud. In total, the six Kiwis were fined just $58,500.
The conspiracy stemmed from the state export monopoly New Zealand Dairy Board, which controlled dairy export markets for the island nation. The men broke regulations, exporting the dairy product under less tightly-regulated meat export laws. The legal team representing the accused submitted that the practice of repackaging milk powder to escape export regulations was commonplace.
The defendants were fairly bitter, noting that many of their colleagues involved in the unethical maneuvering are now well employed at Fonterra, the conglomerate formed from the merger of Kiwiw Cooperative Dairies, the New Zealand Dairy Group and the New Zealand Dairy Board.
Dead Cow Stinking Up The Joint
West Milford, WV – Just outside this quaint village of 500 folks just south of Clarksburg, residents are concerned about a foul problem. A foul-smelling problem, that is. It seems that along the edge of town runs the West Fork River, and just outside town the river is dammed. Typically, the dam is a great fishing hole for the locals. Rather, it was a great fishing hole. Now it just stinks.
The reason for the offending odor? A cow – check that; a cow’s remains – have become lodged on the dam and spent the past three weeks decomposing. Citizens are innudating city officials with calls to get the cow off the dam.
That’s the problem, though. The city doesn’t have the equipment or personnel necessary to accomplish the mission. They’re recommending citizens contact appropriate state level agencies who do have the necessary resources. Unfortunately, those agencies are throwing up their hands, calling the problem a local issue. The Governor’s office has referred the matter to the State Department of Agriculture, which has allegedly referred the matter to the local officials.
Oh, as to how the cow got on the dam? No one knows at this point, but the concensus about town is that one of the farms upstream is short one cow, but due to the whiff of controversy, has decided to remain anonymous.
Chick-fil-A Cows Inducted into Hall of Fame
Persuading their way into history, the sign-holding cows of Chick-fil-A were inducted into the Outdoor Advertising Hall of Fame last month, joining the likes of Budweiser, Bank of America, Target, Nike, Coca-Cola, and Levi’s.
Recognized by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America as “an American advertising icon,” the cows were credited with “enticing travelers with entertaining wit.” I must admit, other than the Budweiser Clydesdales, the Chick-fil-A cows are my most favorite pitchmen… er, spokes-animals.
The Richards Group of Dallas created the “Eat Mor Chicken” campaign over a decade ago with a 3D billboard. The cows have now gone multi-media, becoming synonymous with the brand of Chick-fil-A and its stores.
Chick-fil-A operates of 1,215 locations in over 38 states.
#26
That’s the word from Japan this morning – the 26th confirmed case of BSE in the Land of the Rising Sun. This time, cow in question is a 5-year old dairy cow from the Hokkaido province.
Inspectors say that no part of the carcass entered the human food or animal feed chains. Each beef animal slaughtered for human consumption in Japan is tested for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.
Jaguar Green Eye Adds More Horses to Forage Harvest
CLAAS of America is raising the horsepower of the JAGUAR line of forage harvesters with the announcement of the GREEN EYE lineup. The GREEN EYE features a host of technical innovations designed to imporve productivity and efficiency.
The most noticeable upgrade may be the sheer power of the Tier III Engine – a range from 345 to 623hp in either a 6 or 8-cylinder engine, depending on which model Jaguar you choose. Both engines feature electronic fuel injection to improve fuel efficiency.
The GREEN EYE also features a multifunction pivoting lever to upgrade control accuracy with a choice of three sensitivity modes. Additive tank flow can also be adjusted from the cab for added convenience in varying field conditions.
Finally, the Jaguar now features an optional COMFORT CUT infinitely variable length of cut gearbox with in-cab dial settings, as well as a feed roll opening allowing 28% higher capacity and a new metal detector with metal location indicator.
Big Demand for Milk in China
American Dairy, Inc. of Bejing reported a whopping 81 percent increase in net income for the first quarter of 2006, according to a press release that came out today after the markets closed in China. Gross profit for the company was up 116 percent. Leng You Bin, Chief Executive Officer and President of American Dairy stated, “Chinese consumers increasingly demand our premium milk products and the first quarter of 2006 was no exception. Our overall sales quantity increased 71%, to 6.3 million kilograms, driven by our leading products such as milk powder with nucleotides. We also invested heavily in our Feihe brand by significantly enhancing our advertising efforts, and our top-line growth speaks to this as well.”