CWT Export Update

News Editorcwt

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted five requests from Dairy Farmers of America and one request from Land O’Lakes for assistance in selling a total of 1,226 metric tons (2,702,868 pounds) of American cheese to customers in the Middle East and Asia. The product will be delivered October 2010 through April 2011.

Since CWT reactivated the Export Assistance program in March 18, 2010, it has assisted members in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Gouda cheese totaling 22,894 metric tons (50.5 million pounds) to 23 countries on four continents. In addition, sales of butter and anhydrous milkfat totaling 14,968 metric tons (33.0 million pounds) have been made to nine countries on three continents.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term and in the long-term by helping member cooperatives to gain and maintain market share thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products.

CWT will pay export bonuses to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.

Source: Cooperatives Working Together (CWT)

Acquisitions Move Novus Ahead in Cattle Products

Cindy ZimmermanAnimal Health, Audio, Novus International, World Dairy Expo

world dairy expo 2010 novusIt has been a busy year for Novus International when it comes to acquisitions in the ruminant market.

“In February, we acquired the animal nutrition division of Albion, which brought us a second line of minerals that we can sell to the dairy and beef market,” said Ruminant Sales Manager Gary Winter during an interview at World Dairy Expo. “More recently, we acquired IQF, which is primarily in Spain and Mexico, but it does have some products that will apply into the dairy and beef industry in the U.S. as well.”

Listen to my interview with Gary here. Gary Winter Interview

Thanks to Novus International for helping us bring you coverage of the 2010 World Dairy Expo.

2010 World Dairy Expo Photo Album

Sweet and Salty Treat

News EditorGeneral

Looking for a new cookie recipe to try this weekend? Do you like peanut butter and bacon? Then this is your recipe! Thank you to the Wisconsin Cheese website for posting this great combination!

Peanut Brittle Bacon Cookies
Servings: 4 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup peanut brittle, cracked into 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups bacon, crisply cooked and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Cooking Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients one cup at a time to the butter mixture, scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in peanut brittle and bacon.

Roll dough into 1/2-inch balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with the palm of your hand to about 1-inch in diameter. Bake about 15 minutes or until the edges begin to lightly brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

New Alliance Formed

News EditorIndustry News

More than 60 representatives from more than 20 national food and agricultural organizations today agreed to incorporate a U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) to focus on working together to enhance U.S. consumer trust in modern food production that ensures the abundance of affordable, safe food.

“Today represents a start toward a unified voice for U.S. agriculture,” says Rick Tolman, chief executive officer of the National Corn Growers Association and chair of the USFRA Steering Committee. “While the results of today’s organizational meeting represent the culmination of six months of planning, it is only the beginning of a process designed to create a coordinated effort by and on behalf of U.S. farmers and ranchers. Several participants have stepped forward to officially join the Alliance. Others need to return to their boards to determine whether they will join.”

Listen to an interview with Rick Tolman about the new alliance: Rick Tolman Interview

USFRA plans to incorporate this week. Organizations have been asked to respond about affiliation no later than Nov. 1. After that date, a board of directors will be established and will elect an executive committee.

Members of the USFRA Board, its executive committee and its affiliated organizations will be announced formally in mid-November.

Source: Dairy Herd Management; U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance

New Scholarship Honors Dr. Hutjens

News EditorCompany Announcement, Education

BASF Plant Science has established the “Michael F. Hutjens BASF Graduate Student Travel Awards” scholarship fund with a $2,000 donation to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Animal Sciences. The fund recognizes retiring professor Dr. Michael Hutjens for his contributions to the dairy industry.

The “Michael F. Hutjens BASF Graduate Student Travel Awards” fund will grant $500 travel scholarships to exceptional graduate students, two each in 2011 and 2012, whose research and career interests are in dairy cattle nutrition and management. The funds will cover travel and other expenses associated with attendance at the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) meetings.

“We are pleased to support dedicated students in the University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences and demonstrate our appreciation of Dr. Hutjens’ service to the dairy industry. The scholarships will allow Dr. Hutjens’ contributions to continue to grow even after his retirement.”

Dr. Hutjens, professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008 American Dairy Science Fellow and 2008 World Dairy Expo Industry Person of the Year, has provided significant developments in dairy nutrition and research. In his 2010 World Dairy Expo seminar, Dr. Hutjens discussed strategies for evaluating forage inputs, building rations for optimal performance in high-producing cows, and determining nutrient levels and forms.

Source:NutriDense

Munes to Work for DBMMC

News EditorCompany Announcement

Congratulations to Scott Munes the new Business Development Manager for Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative (DBMMC).

DBMMC is a newly formed cooperative which recently received qualification from the USDA that recognizes them as a bargaining (testing) cooperative.

In his new position, Scott will direct member recruitment and retention within the cooperative promoting efforts within the state of Wisconsin and nationwide. Munes will help formulate and execute a business development program and will contact current and prospective DBMMC farmer members to coordinate and execute membership.

Prior to joining DBMMC, Scott worked for Accelerated Genetics. With over ten years of sales and service in the AI Industry, he also has three years herd experience and two years experience within the biotechnology/ pharmaceutical industry. Munes earned a Dairy Science Degree from University of Wisconsin in Madison and currently resides in Sun Prairie, Wis. He has a passion for dairy cattle genetics, owns registered Holsteins and hopes someday to be able to market them.

Source: Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative

Novus Does Oxidative Balancing Act

Cindy ZimmermanAnimal Health, Audio, Novus International, Nutrition, World Dairy Expo

The oxidative balance of a dairy cow is one of the many factors that can limit milk production and a producer’s bottom line. That’s why Novus International places a lot of emphasis on helping dairy producers control or eliminate oxidative stress in their animals.

world dairy expo 2010 novusDiet plays a key role in oxidative balance since vitamin and mineral imbalances can be linked to oxidative stress. There is a natural balance between free-radical formation and the defense system and for a dairy cow to stay healthy, the systems should stay in balance. But when the body is under stress, free radicals can get out of balance. When this system is out of balance, the body initiates an oxidative chain reaction, resulting in oxidative stress. The nutrition program can benefit from the proper balance of antioxidants, minerals and amino acids.

world dairy expo 2010 novusAt World Dairy Expo, I sat down with Dr. Dennis Nuzback, Technical Services Manager for Novus, and got a lesson in oxidative balance. “Novus’ oxidative balance program is basically designed around three products,” Dennis explains. “First is the anti-oxidant package called Agrado-Plus, and the minute that gets mixed with the TMR that product can begin to scavenge free radicals in the diet, decreasing the free radical load to the cow.”

Next is an amino acid product like Alimet or MFP, “that has both a ruminal effect and a metobolizable or bypass methionine effect.” The methionine can be converted into the amino acid cysteine, which is used extensively by the immune system. Finally, trace mineral supplements such as Mintrex and Zorien SeY provide key components of antioxidant enzymes.

It’s all pretty technical stuff, but a dairy producer doesn’t need a degree in chemistry or biology to understand the bottom line. “Through a variety of field trials we try to present the results of our products in something the dairyman can understand,” he said. “If for a 15 cent investment in those different products, you can get three more pounds of milk, which hit 16 bucks in Iowa last month – 48 cents for a 15 cent investment, that’s a very reasonable return on investment.”

Find out more at dairybalance.com and listen to my interview with Dennis here. Dennis Nuzback Interview

2010 World Dairy Expo Photo Album

CWT Export Update

News Editorcwt

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted four requests from Dairy Farmers of America and two requests from Foremost Farms for assistance in selling a total of 1,338 metric tons (2,949,786 pounds) of American cheese to customers in the Middle East and Asia. The product will be delivered October 2010 through February 2011.

Since CWT reactivated the Export Assistance program in March 18, 2010, it has assisted members in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Gouda cheese totaling 21,668 metric tons (47.8 million pounds) to 23 countries on four continents. In addition, sales of butter and anhydrous milkfat totaling 14,968 metric tons (33.0 million pounds) have been made to nine countries on three continents.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term and long-term by helping member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products.

CWT will pay export bonuses to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.

Source: Cooperatives Working Together (CWT)

Butter Institute Elects New Board

News EditorButter

At the fall Board meeting of the American Butter Institute (ABI) held last week in Las Vegas, Mark Korsmeyer, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Kansas City, MO, was elected President of ABI and two new officers were seated.

David Riemersma, Butterball Farms, Grand Rapids, MI, was elected to serve as First Vice President and Irv Holmes, Challenge Dairy Products, Inc., Dublin, CA, was elected Second Vice President. Each position serves a two-year term. ABI Board members also elected Tom Johnson, President of National Dairy Brands, Houston, TX, as their new Board representative.

President Korsmeyer stated that his goal as President over the next two years will be “to change the Institute’s ability to drive communications to members and the dairy industry, all with a goal of increasing consumption of high quality butter products.”

In addition to officer elections, ABI Board members conducted several other items of business at the meeting, and welcomed a presentation by keynote speaker, Dr. Terry Barr of CoBank. Dr. Barr provided a Global Perspective on the Economy and Agriculture and explored how to turn a risk into opportunity. ABI’s Board also reviewed and approved their budget for 2011, received an update on the National Butter Promotion Programming for the fourth quarter, got an update on economic & market outlook, reviewed regulatory issues and got a Washington Update.

Jerry Kozak, Executive Director of ABI, noted that the meeting was well attended and provided an opportunity for members to learn more about where the industry is heading in the domestic market as well as in the global marketplace.

ABI’s next meeting will be held in conjunction with the American Dairy Products Institute April 24-26, 2011 at Chicago Marriott Downtown in Chicago, IL.

Source: The American Butter Institute

Dairy Field Trip Grants Available

News EditorEducation

Here’s a wonderful opportunity for schools in California – the Agricultural Awareness and Literacy Foundation (AAL) has announced over $5,000 in grants are available to fund dairy industry-related fieldtrips.

Through funding provided by the California Milk Advisory Board, AAL is offering $4 per student towards the cost of transportation and/or the entrance fee for a dairy focused field trip where students will spend the majority of the field trip learning about dairy farms and/or dairy processing.

The grant guidelines are as follows:
Grants will be awarded on a first come, first served basis until the grant funds have been used.
Only public schools or private schools with non-profit tax ID numbers are eligible.
Only one grant will be made per school.
One teacher may apply for an entire grade level/group participating in the field trip.
To be eligible, each classroom must complete one of seven free dairy related education programs.
Teachers must submit 2-3 pictures of completed assignments and/or students and their work with your application.

Source: Famology