Gehl Bucks the Trend

Andy VanceAgribusiness, Production

Gehl Logo

This year has seen a downturn in farm equipment sales, with over sales in every category except compact utility tractors trending lower than last year. Some individual brands, on the other hand, have reported a significant increase in sales.

That’s the situation at Gehl, the manufacturer of both construction and agricultural equipment from Wisconsin. Gehl‘s farm equipment sales increased 13% to $134.2 million for 2005. Compact equipment was up 28%, with implement shipments actually down 16% from a year ago. Compact equipment sales now comprise 70% of the agricultural segment for Gehl. For fiscal 2005, Gehl net income was a record $21.8 million, or $1.97 per share, up from $13.4 million and $1.47 per share in 2004.

Gehl, of course, is known for their skid steers, hay tools, forage equipment, feedmaking implements, and manure handling.

Roundup Ready Alfalfa – Coming to a Field Near You

Andy VanceAgribusiness, Dairy Business, Industry News, Production

Monsanto Logo

I’ve been reading up on Alfalfa production. The last issue of Hoard’s Dairyman featured the final installment of the 55th Annual Roundtable, this session focusing on Alfalfa production. the four dairies who were represented in the disuccion had various perspectives on the different plants actually in their Alfalfa stands. Some sowed in other cover crops, some preferred a little addtional grasses, and all were curious about the introduction of Roundup Ready Alfalfa to the mix. Curiosity is probably going to be spreading considerably now that the product is available at market. At the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA last month, Monsanto Company introduced its newest member of the Roundup Ready family of products. The concept of introducing the Roundup Ready trait into Alfalfa seed is intended to give you a greater application window than conventional herbicides, theoretically giving you more flexibility in weed management. Monsanto’s Marketing Manger Chris Peterson noted that the product allowed for “superb weed control, crop safety, felxibility in application of herbicides, and that will translate into more yield and higher quality alfalfa for producers.

Monsanto developed the genetics with Forage Genetics International, and has liscensed the traits to several Seed companies: America’s Alfalfa, Crows, Dairyland, DeKalb, Doebler’s, Eureka, Farm Science Genetics, Fontanelle, Garst, Golden Harvest, Growmark, Jung, Legend, Midwest Genetics, Mycogen, NC+, NK, Pioneer, Stewart, Stone Tennessee Farmers Co-op, Trelay, and WL. AgriMarketing magazine notes that at the roll-out event, Monsanto also shared that there is enough seed on the market to plant roughly 4 million acres this year with production expected to far exceed that level for 2007. They also mention that while only 20% of alfalfa East of the Rockies is treated with herbicide annually, over 60% of the alfalfa West of the mountains is sprayed. The tech fees are expected to be $3/lb for the Western states and $2.50/lb East.

Monsanto and UC Promise to Play Nice

Andy VanceDairy Business, Education, Industry News, Milk, Production, University

Posilac Logo

On the very day the patent infringement trial was to begin, Monsanto Company announced they had reached a licensing agreement with the University of California resolving a dispute over bovine somatotropin or BST. Monsanto markets BST under the brand name Posilac, but the product was patented by UC back in 2004. BST, of course, is used to enhance milk production and efficiency of dairy operations.

Under the terms of the agreement, Monsanto has exclusive commercial rights to manufacture BST. The University, meanwhile, retains non-commercial rights for research and educational purposes. The University agreed to drop the lawsuit, and in exchange, Monsanto agreed to pay the University $100 million in royalties upfront, with an ongoing royalty of 15 cents per dose of Posilac sold through the expiration of the patent in 2023. The University will be paid a minimum $5 million in those royalties regardless of how many doses Monsanto sells. That means the company will have to sell over 33.3 million doses just to cross that threshold.

Monsanto’s Executive Vice President for North America Commercial Operations Carl Casale pointed out that “this agreement illustrates that we are willing to work jointly to resolve disputes, and it allows us to avoid the expense and inconvenience of protracted litigation.

Move Over Gatorade, Chocolate Milk is the Athletic Drink of Choice

Andy VanceDairy Checkoff, Education, Media, Milk, Nutrition, Promotion

Chocolate Milk Bottle

Belive it or not, the next time you go out for a run or hope on the treadmill, you may want to take along a bottle of ice cold chocolate milk. Sure, you love the flavor of chocolate milk, but leading researchers now say it may be a better athletic drink than what you typically see sports stars chugging on television. In a recent study published in the February issue of International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Excercise Metabolism, researchers report that athletes who drank chocolate milk after excercise were able to workout longer during a second workout compared to athletes who drank commercial sports beverages.

Dr. Joel Stager, professor of Kinesiology at Indiana University was the lead author of the study. He notes that “chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ration, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous excercise.” Dr. Stager and his colleagues studied cyclists who biked until their muscles were spent, then rested and biked again until exhaustion. During their rest period, the cyclists were tested drinking one of three beverages: chocolate milk, a fluid replacement drink, or a carbohydrate replacement drink. The researchers found that the athletes who drank the chocolate milk were able to bike twice as long than those who consumed the carb-replacement drink and as long as those who consumed the fluid replacement drink.

Alongside being a fun and flavorful alternative to commercial sports drinks, the researchers also point out that milk contains seven other essential nutrients; a combination not found in any other sports drink.

Nitrogen Cost Management Tools Are Available

Andy VanceAgribusiness, Dairy Business, Industry News, Production, University

USDA NRCS Logo

If you raise your own corn, either for grain or silage, you’re probably giving a lot of thought to how much more money you are going to be spending this year on nitrogen. As the cost of all our energy inputs have ebbed and flowed, Nitrogen costs are the one input no expected to soften, even as Natural Gas prices have retreated to more reasonable levels. To assist in planning your application rates, there are two great new tools available. The first is a Nitrogen Energy Estimator available at USDA’s website. This energy consumption tool enables you to calculate the cost of nitrogen product use on your farm. NRCS agronomists have developed these cost estimates based on nitrogen fertilizer management methods for the predominant crops in your state.

The second tool is available from The Ohio State University. They have developed a Nitrogen rate calculator that figures your application rate based on both desired yield AND both the cost of Nitrogen couple with the price of corn at which you will market. The combination provides for maximum efficiency by taking into account the profit potential of the crop and balancing those concerns at the time of application. OSU Extension soil scientist Robert Mullen commented that “Historically, we’ve treated excess nitrogen as cheap crop insurance. While that used to be the case, it’s not true any more.”

Each calculator is customized to your geography, and allows you to input several variables to get the most specific recommendation possible.

Australian Dairy Farmers In South America

Chuck ZimmermanDairy Group, International

Dairy Australia Tour Photo A group of dairy farmers from Australia are in South America on a tour to learn more about the challenges their peers face. Here’s a photo, courtesy of tour sponsor, Dairy Australia, of members of the study tour examining forage crops.

The competition for milk supply, the impact of cultural differences and ongoing effects of an unstable economy are some of the issues faced by South America’s dairy farmers. Four farmers and a milk processor representative are visiting factories and meeting government and industry officials in the major dairying regions of Mercosur as part of a 20-day study tour sponsored by the Gardiner Foundation and organised with Dairy Australia.

Mid-way through the tour are farmers Wayne Weller of Longwarry, John Keely of Cohuna, Michelle Whiteside of Terang and Allen van Kuyk of Toora, and Murray Goulburn Rochester production supervisor Andrew Wellington. The tour has given them valuable insights into this potential export market and cultures to which they would not normally have access and could impact the way they operate back on the farm. “We have had many opportunities to observe and discuss farming techniques and issues,” Wayne Weller said. “One of the major issues facing dairy farmers is the rapidly expanding soy industry which is limiting the opportunity for the expansion of dairy production. Although we are also seeing an industry with enormous potential for growth and prosperity.”

Guard Your Cows… The Aliens Are Coming!

Andy VanceDairy Business, Dairy Checkoff, Media, Milk, Promotion

Alien Warning Sign

I have officially found the coolest website of all time. The California Milk Processor Board, the Got Milk people, has launched cowabduction.com – The official site tracking the alien abduction of dairy cows around the globe. Site features are numerous, including video of victims’ herdowners, pictures of the missing and exploited cows, tips and tricks to ward off the alien abducters, and frequently asked questions about the aliens and the missing cows. There is also a feature where you can warn your friends and neighbors of the dangers of cow abduction. The site is fun, fun, and really really fun. Check it out, and let me know your favorite part.

Learn About Goat/Sheep Business In Italy

Chuck ZimmermanDairy Business, Education, International

SheepGot sheep? Maybe some goats? Want to know more about how to milk them for an income? Plan to attend the 5th International Symposium on the Challenge to Sheep and Goats Milk Sectors, April118-20, 2007, Alghero/Sardinia, Italy. You can’t plan ahead too soon.

The general objective of the symposium is to give a renewed vision of knowledge on husbandry and milk production, technology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, nutrition etc, without losing sight of the significance of markets and appropriate policies, as they have evolved since 2004, to scientists and other professionals involved in the sheep and goats dairy sectors (milk producers, dairy industry, trade associations, academia, research institutes, government).

A Cheesy Story From The Northeast

Chuck ZimmermanCheese, Industry News

Here’s an interesting story about making cheese in Maine on The Kindred Times. Sounds like a chore to get cheddar lovers in Maine to adapt to some new tastes.

Franklin Peluso uses his hands to squeeze and press heaping mounds of curds and whey to get the moisture content and texture just right as he makes up a batch of his brie-like cheese in a region best known for its cheddars.

A decade ago, just a handful of people made cheese in Maine. These days, the state has more than 20 cheese makers crafting varieties such as French and Tuscan herbed curd, Camembert, chevre in olive oil, and dill and garlic goat roule, in addition to traditional cheddars and Monterey Jacks.

The story sites a couple of websites you might be interested in, Maine Cheese Guild and The American Cheese Society.

Perennial Lactation – Keeping Cows In Milk Longer

Andy VanceAudio, Dairy Business, Milk, Production, University

Dr. David Zartman, The Ohio State UniversityThe typical dairy cycle is for a producing cow to enter a dry period from between 45 and 60 days prior to calving. That cycle, however, may not be the most profitable production practice available. Dr. David Zartman, Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University’s Department of Animal Sciences recently released an article examining the concept of perennial lactation – a lactation lasting over two full years, and in several cases, three and four years without a dry period. I spoke with Dr. Zartman on the subject, and you can listen to his comments here: Audio David Zartman Interview (8:54 mp3 file)