Although the U.S. House Agriculture Committee has a new farm bill ready to go to the floor for a vote, leadership decided late on Friday to instead vote this week on a one-year extension of the current legislation, coupled with an extension of disaster aid for livestock producers. According to Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK), drought fears are prompting the … Read More
High Feed Prices Prompt SDSU Strategy Meeting
The high cost of feed compared to what producers are getting for their milk prompts the South Dakota State University Science Department to offer a a public “Options and Ideas” meeting on Tuesday, July 31st, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the SDSU Alfred Dairy Science Hall on the campus in Brookings, SD. “Market globalization has resulted in higher price … Read More
Long Live Those Dairy Cows!
Research in Texas is looking into the relationship between the breed of dairy cows and the longevity of the herd. This article from Texas AgriLife (and this story from the USDA’s Rod Bain) talks about how researcher Dr. Pablo Pinedo, AgriLife Research ruminant animal health scientist in Amarillo, is conducting a year-long study funded by the American Jersey Cattle Club … Read More
New York Hosts Veal/Dairy Tour
The New York Beef Industry Council (NYBIC) once again invited more than 50 industry influencers to an educational veal/dairy tour of New York State. The dynamics of this year’s tour was different than the tour of 2010 as this year’s attendees were a mix of chef educators and their students. Six different culinary schools, along with food service, retail, dietitians … Read More
DFA Chairman Honored for Agriculture Achievement
Randy Mooney, chairman of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.’s (DFA) Board of Directors, has been honored by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon with the Governor’s Award for Agricultural Achievement, which honors outstanding farmers, growers and processors in a variety of agriculture commodities. During a visit to Mooney’s M&M Dairy in Rogersville, Mo., this week, Gov. Nixon toured the dairy and presented … Read More
Learning About The Dairy Business In Canada
Last week I joined with other members of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) for the 2011 IFAJ Congress. We meet every year in a different country to learn about agriculture there and for professional improvement sessions. This year we were in Canada and visited some dairy farms. My tour group visited Claynook Farms where we met owners, Wayne … Read More
Governor Heineman Pledges Support for Nebraska Youth Initiative
In a press conference yesterday, Governor Dave Heineman joined Nebraska dairy industry representatives to highlight a national program designed to encourage healthy food choices and physical activity for Nebraska school students. Gov. Heineman, along with Nebraska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joann Schaefer and other state representatives, outlined the “Fuel Up to Play 60” program, which aims to raise awareness of … Read More
Conservation Tour Features Ohio Dairy
One of the stops on the 2011 CTIC Conservation In Action Tour in northwest Ohio last week was Bridgewater Dairy in Montpelier, where tour participants heard from owner Dr. Leon Weaver about the conservation practices they use to protect water quality in this area so close to Lake Erie. “We explained the operation of our large dairy farm where we … Read More
Dairy Farm Conservation
Last week the Conservation Technology Information Center conducted a field tour as part of their Indian Creek Watershed Project in Livingston County, IL. This project is funded in part by the Illinois EPA and other stakeholders. I participated and was pleasantly surprised to find a dairy farm on the tour! We visited Kilgus Dairy. The family dairy farm is the … Read More
Dairy Farmers Help Rebuild New Orleans Gardens
Just more than five years after Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans is still trying to rebuild. To help those efforts, the Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA) recently took some time from an annual training conference to help put in two community gardens in the city’s Ninth Ward. The cooperative says it was coordinated and managed by HandsOn … Read More