The Blue Ribbon Cheese Company, owned by American Dairy Parks, LLC, is planning on building a new cheese plant in 2009. The projected $225 million project will be located in the Fresno, California area and is planned to be state-of-the art. The new plant would use a projected 6.8 million pounds of milk a day to make cheddar and mozzarella … Read More
Hesston Header Heightens Drydown
AGCO’s Hesston line of hay equipment now features a new disc double conditioner header for faster drydown. The 9180 disc header features two sets of steel-on-steel herringbone conditioning rolls for smoother crop throughput and more thorough crimping. This system is known as the Advanced Conditioner System, or ACS. AGCO says efficent haymaking is about quality and time, and that the 9180 delivers, processing heavy crops faster and more evenly. The header also produces windrows that will dry down faster, with a more even crimping for a more palatable forage.
New Sires at Select
Select Sires added six high-components breed sires to the active A.I. lineup this week. The new Jersey lineup includes three new graduates, alongside one new Brown Swiss, Guernsey, and Ayrshire sire.
The Jersey sires feature 7JE714 Sunset Canyon MATINEE-ET, with a debut at #1 in the breed for fat poinds and #12 for percent. MATINEE is a maternal sibling of MAXIMUS-ET and MECCA, both already in the Select Sires lineup.
Jersey sire 7JE641 Sunbow Freedom ROMO-ET and 7JE679 All Lynns Hallmark RAY-ET both join the team, with ROMO standing 10th in the breed for milk yield.
Brown Swiss sire 7BS769 Oak Forest Ace CHRIS ET*TM in a Top-5 PTI bull, topping the breed for fat, calved from a Excellent 93 dam making over 42,000 pounds of milk.
Guernsey grad 7GU391 Jens Gold G HAWK signs on tied for the #1 spot in the breed for Protein, as a Top-5 PTI sire, and with a three-generation Gold Star Dam maternal family.
Ayrshire sire 7AY76 Kellcrest AVENGER-ET ranks fourth among Ayrshires for PTI, standing first in the breed for Fat percent.
A Seasonal Grazing Dairy Interview
While broadcasting from the National Farmers Union Farm Bill Listening Session in Columbus, Ohio, I was intrigued by the farm story of one of the panelists discussing the dairy components of the farm bill. Stacy Hall, along with her husband, operate a seasonal dairy in Southeastern Ohio that relies totally on grazing to feed their cows. We had a fascinating conversation about the concept of milking cows from March through Thanksgiving, taking off for the Caribbean for the holidays, and then coming back and starting all over again. I also learned how the EQIP program has helped the farm install important heavy-traffic lanes that the cows use to get back and forth from the parlor to the paddock. I think you’ll enjoy the conversation.
Stacy Hall talks seasonal grazing 
Hall Seasonal Grazing Interview (7:45, mp3)
Heat Effecting Milk Production
The heat is having an effect on milk production as evidenced by USDA’s July milk production numbers. USDA Chief Economist Keith Collins says it’s down thanks to the heat in major producing state California and it’s lowering annual production forecasts as well.
Big County Fair Dairy Show
Each summer, the Buckeye Ag Radio Network embarks on a huge adventure – county fair season! The 2006 County Fair and Festival Tour Powered by Propane will take Lindsay Hill and I across at least 40 county fairs, as well as the 11 days of the Ohio State Fair, and several other farm field days and events. In all, we’re on the road, Monday through Friday, each day from now until September.
Earlier this week, our Lindsay Hill was in Clark County (Springfield, OH) broadcasting live from their Junior Fair area. She spoke with two Senior Fairboard Members about one of the largest dairy feeder shows in the state, which also happens to be one of the fastest growing project areas at the fair!
Listen to Lindsay Hill discuss Dairy Feeders (6:24, mp3)
Attempt to Derail Livestock Permitting Program Thwarted
Ohio is well known among State Departments of Agriculture for its Livestock Environmental Permitting Program – it is one of the most well regulated state programs in the country, permitting and inspecting over 157 large livestock operations in a state with a very tight rural-urban interface. These facilities, in the case of dairy, are larger than 700 animal units, and require a permit to build facilities, and a permit to operate once constructed. For the past year, ODA has been defending the program from an appeal waged by Citizens Against Megafarm Dairy Development before the Environmental Review Appeals Commision.
I spoke with ODA’s Director of Communication Melanie Wilt about the decision in the case, and learned how the attempt at curbing the regulatory program actually galvonized it. Listen to Melanie Wilt Discuss the ERAC Decision (7:51 mp3)
Organic Infighting Now Official
Organic and “natural” or “whole” foods comprise one of the fastest growing niches in food marketing today. Consumers are open to messaging decrying conventional commodity agriculture and touting products that are somehow more wholesome and nutritious due to their specialized production style. These interests are now attempting to eat their own, it appears.
Accelerated Genetics Releases New PACE Sires
Accelerated Genetics released 12 new bulls for the Progressive Action Through Cooperative Efforts (PACE) program this week. Ayrshire, Jersey, and Holstein bulls will be randomly sampled by dairy producers participating in Accelerated Genetics’ PACE program.
Production Continues to Expand
Milk production totals continue to climb as they have each month this year. USDA reports that for the 23 major dairy states, total output is up 2.8% for the month of May over the same month in 2005. Production of 14.7 billion pounds is also 3.5% above the April 2006 figure.