IDFA is happy that the president signed the Milk Regulatory Equity Act into law on Tuesday. According to a press release, “We commend the President for signing this piece of legislation,” said Chip Kunde, senior vice president of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). “His action today brings this long-fought battle to a close.”
The bill, which was passed by the Senate in December and the House last month, closes a loophole that had allowed regulatory inequities between federal and state milk marketing orders in Arizona, California and Nevada.
A Dairy Interview From BIO 2006
Hello from BIO 2006, the annual convention of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. It’s taking place in Chicago, IL.
I’ve been looking for a story on biotechnology related to dairy. It hasn’t been an easy search. However, I was introduced to Dr. Suzanne Bertrand, Innovation Manager, Livestock Improvement. This is a genetics company based in New Zealand.
I sat down with Suzanne in the New Zealand pavilion earlier this morning at the huge trade show they have here. I think you’ll be interested in hearing what she has to say. She talks about her company and the role that biotechnology plays in it.
You can listen to the interview here: 
Dr. Suzanne Bertrand Interview (7 min MP3)
AgWired coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by: 
Dairy Farmers Protest Futures
About ten members of the National Family Farm Coalition gathered at the Chicago Merchantile Exchange Monday to protest futures trading as the cause for low milk prices. According to Reuters, “the protesting dairy farmers said the price is being manipulated in the cash cheese market traded at the CME which accounts for only a small fraction of the cheese sold in the U.S. They want the government to step in and protect the family farm by overseeing the cash cheese market.” Some of the protesters were reportedly dressed as cows to make their statement. Unfortunately, Chuck was too busy covering the nearby BIO Conference to get a picture of that. Because some 20,000 people from 60 countries are attending the BIO, police kept the small NFFC protest confined to an area near the exchange building in downtown Chicago but there were no arrests.
Chuck was also too busy covering the BIO for AgWired to get any posts on WDD today, so this is Cindy covering for him under his name. He does expect to get some dairy bio stuff on soon. Stay tuned.
Lots of Dairy on Ebay
I almost never click on the advertising in a Google search. But it’s a slow news kind of day and I’m getting ready to go to the BIO 2006 Convention. So when I Google’d the word “dairy” of course there’s an Ebay ad. Well I clicked and there are 2,970 items for sale at the moment labelled with that word.
The top item is a set of dairy cow bookends. The list just goes on and on and on. I refreshed the page and the list totalled 2,990. I’m kind of glad I really don’t want to buy anything.
Blogging The BIO
Beginning late Sunday I’ll be blogging the BIO 2006 Convention in Chicago. This is a very large event that covers the full range of biotechnology, including agriculture. I’m going to be on the lookout for news related to the dairy business and will post it here.
World Dairy Diary coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by:
Milk Price Support Program Changes Announced
USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation announced today the issuance of a newly revised contract for purchasing bulk dairy commodities under the Milk Price Support Program. Bulk dairy products include salted butter, block cheddar cheese, American cheese packed in barrels and nonfat dry milk.
In its efforts to update program requirements, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) held meetings with dairy
industry associations, representatives, trade groups and government agencies to obtain input on this new contract and related procedures. As a result, CCC has been able to streamline purchasing specifications and develop requirements that more closely adhere to commercial practices. Some of the streamlining improvements include eliminating outdated packaging requirements; enhancing grading guidelines; allowing for use of electronic
transmission of data for upcoming purchase requests; updating references to FSA’s Web site and generally making the contract more user-friendly and reflective of current industry practices.
The Latest From CWT
Cooperatives Working Together has been really busy working. Here’s a list of recent announcements they’ve made in the last week or so:
Dairyman Tapped to Promote Tasker Footbath and Calf Spray
He may not be your typical company spokesman, but Tasker Capital has tapped a New Mexico dairyman to lead the sales and marketing efforts of their new footbath and calf spray products. Klaas Sonsma, breeder and manager of the K&B Dairy in Hobbs, New Mexico will be the face of the company’s sales efforts on these two products. K&B is a 1400 cow facility that has been testing Tasker’s Unifresh Footbath, a concentrate that cleans and disinfects the hooves using Tasker’s proprietary pHarlo technology, a highly charged and acidified bacteriostatic solution. After using the footbath, Sonsma commented that the product had “virtually rid my fairy of digital dermatitis and interdigital papillomatosis.”
The company also produces Unifresh Calf Pen Spray, is designed to neutralize ammonia in bedding areas.
Gehl is Out of the Ag Business
For the most part, that is. In the next 60 days, Gehl will shutter its Wisconsin-based Agriculture Implement division, ending its long-standing production of hay, feed, forage, and manure handling tools. William Gehl, President and CEO of the company, cited the changing face of the dairy industry as the reason for the discontinuation of the product lines: “Over the last twenty years, there has been a continuous consolidation of the US dairy industry. Consequently, the customer base for our agricultural implement lines has declined dramatically.
He did, however, indicate that Gehl would continue to support its dealer network and customer base through ongoing parts and service for the implement lines. Also, Gehl pointed out that 90% of the company’s business in 2005 came from the lines of Compact Equipment, including skid steer loaders, track loaders, compact excavators, wheel loaders, and telescopic handlers, all useful tools in the ag industry.
Pedigree Planner From Holstein Association
Holstein Association USA is offering a new service to diaryman. It’s the Pedigree Planner.
The online program allows breeders to order pedigrees for embryos or planned matings. The Pedigree Planner gives dairymen the opportunity to see the pedigree of a planned mating. Users can enter up to five different sires for the planned mating, choosing from the top 100 TPI list, or by entering the sire’s registration or NAAB number. For $1 per mating, the Pedigree Planner will list the unborn animal’s projected TPI and parent averages. For an additional $4, users can print a three-generation pedigree immediately.