We’re leaving beef month behind to enter into dairy month. Midwest Dairy Association invites you to celebrate and learn how dairy can make sense for you. Check out their blog.
June Dairy Month started out as a promotion to help distribute extra milk when cows started on pasture in the warm summer months. Today, its rich history continues, with communities, companies and people from all over the country observing June Dairy Month in a variety of ways. In the Midwest, dairy farms and families often open their gates to visitors at breakfasts and tours, while stores and other business feature dairy products. We’re excited to share facts and information about June Dairy Month, ones we hope you can use for your own recognition of the observance.
Alice in Dairyland Pumps Ethanol
Alice in Dairyland (aka Cheryl O’Brien), Wisconsin’s official agricultural ambassador, helped to promote ethanol last week during a Minnesota-Wisconsin “Border Battle” between two fuel retailers on opposite sides of the St. Croix River.
The promotional event on Thursday featured a rush-hour special where both stations sold E85 (85 percent ethanol fuel) at an 85 cents per gallon discount from 4-6 pm. The promotion was supported by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, Holiday Companies, Erickson Oil, American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest and MN & WI Clean Air Choice Teams.
Bob Moffit with the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest reports that the Wisconsin station ultimately won the border battle, selling 589 gallons of E85 during the two-hour promotion, while the Minnesota station sold 447 gallons.
Thanks to Bob for the photo!
Milking Parlor: NCBA Leaders Address Governance Changes Concerns
The Milking Parlor podcast is sponsored by:
There have been some concerns raised about proposed changes to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association governance, not the least of those concerns raised by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. He wants to make sure the NCBA changes don’t affect the independence of the Federation of State Beef Councils, they keep separate checkoff and policy dollars… maintaining a firewall between the two, federation members won’t be required to buy a seat, and USDA’s Ag Marketing Service will maintain regulatory oversight of the federation and the board.
In this episode of the Milking Parlor, we’ll listen in to part of the press conference where Illinois cattle producer and NCBA President Steve Foglesong and Scott George, NCBA Federation Division Chair and Wyoming dairy/beef producer, address those concerns.
To subscribe to the Milking Parlor podcast, click here. Listen to or download this episode in the player below.
Dairyline Markets In Review
Cash dairy trading in the final week of May saw block cheese close at $1.4650 per pound, down 3 1/2-cents on the week, but 31 1/4-cents above a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.43, down 4 3/4-cents on the week, and 33 cents above a year ago. Eight cars of block traded hands on the week and 14 of barrel. The lagging NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price gained 0.9 cent, hitting $1.3988. Barrel averaged $1.4155, up 1 1/2-cents.
Butter closed the week at $1.5575, down 2 1/4-cents but 29 1/4 above a year ago. Only one car was sold all week. NASS butter averaged $1.5837, down 0.6 cent.
Cash Grade A and Extra Grade nonfat dry milk held all week at $1.30 and $1.29 respectively. NASS powder averaged $1.2722, up 1.9 cents, and dry whey averaged 36.46 cents, down 0.1 cents.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.
Athletes Named SAMMY Winners
Congrats to the 2010 Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year Award winners! Each winner will receive a $7,500 college scholarship, appear in a special Milk Mustache ad in USA TODAY and attend a special awards weekend in Disney World in June where they’ll get to meet Milk Mustache celebs— NBA All-Star and Denver Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups and gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson.
Whether it’s chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery drink, starting the day with lowfat milk over cereal, or grabbing an afternoon latte with fat free milk, SAMMY Award winners know that making smart choices like eating right, exercising and drinking lowfat milk will help them stay at the top of their game in the classroom and their chosen sports.
The 2010 SAMMY winners are:
Alexander Golovin—Round Lake, Ill.
Alexandra Geesey—Palm Beach, Fla.
Amanda Hall—Farmington, Maine
Anne Rempel—Fresno, Calif.
Ashley Vandolah—Choteau, Mont.
Celeste Hoelzl—Wilton, Conn.
David Daines—North Ogden, Utah
Ellie McCardwell—Pendleton, Ind.
Emma Lucken—Roseville, Minn.
Eric Steingruber—Meridian, Idaho
Hannah Fitton—Appleton, Wis.
James Mackovjak—Silverdale, Wash.
Katherine Skinner—Wading River, N.Y.
Kathryn McVay—Leawood, Kan.
Kyle Pollock—Wiggins, Colo.
Laura Peterson—Omaha, Neb.
Lauren Boden—Atlanta
Leah Coates—Colonial Beach, Va.
Mary Bennion—Medford, Ore.
Nicholas Hadorn—Oxford, Mich.
Shelby Lawson—Bowling Green, Ky.
Stetson Thacker—Valley View, Ohio
Tevin Hood—Scottsdale, Ariz.
Wynton El—Albuquerque, N.M.
Zakaraya Aossey—Austin, Texas
Source: Body by Milk
Eat Cheese, Stay Healthy
Here’s some good news for older adults – scientists in Finland have discovered that cheese can help preserve and enhance the immune system by acting as a carrier for probiotic bacteria. The research, published in FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology, reveals that daily consumption of probiotic cheese helps to tackle age-related changes in the immune system.
“The increase in the proportion of aged individuals in modern society makes finding innovative ways to thwart the deterioration of the immune system a priority,” said lead author Dr Fandi Ibrahim from the University of Turku in Finland. “The intake of probiotic bacteria has been reported to enhance the immune response through other products and now we have discovered that cheese can be a carrier of the same bacteria.”
Dr Ibrahim’s team believe that the daily intake of probiotic cheese can tackle the age-related deterioration of the immune system known as immunosenescene. This deterioration means the body is unable to kill tumour cells and reduces the immune response to vaccinations and infections. Infectious diseases, chronic inflammation disorders and cancer are hallmarks of
To tackle immunosenescene the team targeted the gastrointestinal tract, which is the main entry for bacteria cells into the body through food and drink and is also the site where 70% of vital immunoglobulin cells are created.
The team asked volunteers aged between 72 and 103, all of which lived in the same care home, to eat one slice of either placebo or probiotic Gouda cheese with their breakfast for four weeks. Blood tests where then carried out to discover the effect of probiotic bacteria contained within the cheese on the immune system.
The results revealed a clear enhancement of natural and acquired immunity through the activation of NK blood cells and an increase in phagocytic activity.
“The aim of our study was to see if specific probiotic bacteria in cheese would have immune enhancing effects on healthy older individuals in a nursing home setting,” concluded Ibrahim. “We have demonstrated that the regular intake of probiotic cheese can help to boost the immune system and that including it in a regular diet may help to improve an elderly person’s immune response to external challenges.
Source: Science Daily
AgChat Foundation Dairy Farmer Board Member
What better timing could there be to meet a dairy farmer from California? You know what I’m talking about. Let’s meet Ray Prock, Ray-Lin Dairy. Ray serves with me on the board of the AgChat Foundation. We got together on the phone today to talk about the Foundation and farmer use of social media. He’s one of the ones who’s walking the talk. We also talked about this week’s animal abuse video from Ohio. If you want to hear from a real dairy farmer on the subject then give a listen to our interview.
Ray is a second generation dairy farmer in Central CA working to secure a future for the third and future generations to one day help feed the world as farmers. Ray sees social media as a great way to connect with others and to have conversations about what, why and how farmers feed, clothe and fuel today’s ever growing population. He says, “The Agchat Foundation is a way to focus social media efforts across all segments of Agriculture in one coordinated effort whether farmers or ranchers, veterinarians or Extension agents, salespeople or bankers.” You can follow Ray on his blog, on Twitter or on Facebook.
You can listen to my interview with Ray below and also watch a video from the AgChat Foundation YouTube Channel of him talking about our plan for technology scholarships.
Thank You Dairy Cows
I don’t know about you but I am plenty tired of the whole Ohio dairy animal abuse story. It is encouraging that the main person featured in it has been arrested and is facing multiple charges. Authorities are investigating the whole situation and hopefully justice will be served to those responsible. I thought the video below might help bring a smile to your face as we get ready for the holiday weekend.
I’m going to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who wishes to make comments on our posts to be respectful, don’t use profanity and address the topic. I’ve had to delete numerous hate language comments.
So, let’s turn to something a little more lighthearted. Müller Dairy says, Thank You Cows. Here’s their mission.
“To bring sustainable dairy goodness from the heart of Shropshire for the good of everyone.” And over the last 18 years we’ve been doing just that. We believe that this effort has led to stronger relationships with our local farmers, better quality Müller products and happier customers.
So while we thank dairy farmers everywhere for all their hard work, dedication and care for their cows, let’s remember to Thank The Cows!
New Board Members Named
Congratulations to the dairy farmers who were recently elected to leadership positions for Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI), the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB) and the United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA).
Current DMI officers are:
Chair – Paul Rovey, Glendale, Ariz.; Vice Chair – W. Ryan Anglin, Bentonville, Ark.; Secretary – John Larson, Okeechobee, Fla.; and Treasurer – David “Skip” Hardie, Lansing, N.Y.
DMI, which manages the national dairy producer checkoff program, is funded by the NDB and the UDIA.
Current NDB officers are:
Chair – Paula Meabon, Wattsburg, Pa.; Vice Chair – Stephen Maddox, Riverdale, Calif.; Secretary – Kenton Holle, Mandan, N.D.; and Treasurer – Grant Kohler, Midway, Utah
The 36-member NDB, formed in May 1984 under the authority of the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 and Dairy Promotion and Research Order, carries out coordinated promotion and research programs to help build demand and expand domestic and international markets for U.S.-produced dairy products and ingredients. NDB oversees the national dairy producer checkoff.
Current UDIA officers are:
Chair – William Siebenborn, Trenton, Mo.; 1st Vice Chair – Neil Hoff, Windthorst, Texas; 2nd Vice Chair, American Dairy Association® (ADA) Chairman – Billy Travis, Princeton, Ky.; 2nd Vice Chair, National Dairy Council® (NDC) Chairman – Lester Hardesty, Greeley, Colo.; 2nd Vice Chair, UDIA Member Relations – Paul Broering, St. Henry, Ohio; Secretary – Steve Frischknecht, Manti, Utah and Treasurer – Allen Merrill, Parker, S.D.
The UDIA is a federation of state and regional dairy producer-funded promotion organizations that provide marketing programs that are developed and implemented in coordination with its members. The UDIA is overseen by a board comprised of dairy producers elected by their respective boards of their member organizations.
Current ADA officers are:
Chair – Billy Travis, Princeton, Ky.; Vice Chair – Jerrel Heatwole, Greenwood, Del.; Secretary – Earl Horning, Manchester, Mich.;Treasurer – Gerald Fieser, DeLand, Fla.
ADA is the domestic marketing arm of DMI.
Current NDC officers are:
Chair – Lester Hardesty, Greeley, Colo.; Vice Chair – Bob Strasser, Nashville, Tenn.; Secretary – Joan Smith, Sauquoit, N.Y.; and Treasurer – Lynn Ramsey, Emory, Texas
NDC, founded in 1915, is the producer-funded nutrition education and research arm of DMI and provides nutrition information through national, state and regional dairy council organizations.
Source: Dairy Checkoff< /strong>
CWT Announces Tenth Retirement
Cooperative Working Together announced today their tenth herd retirement. Bids will be accepted starting Friday, May 28th with a cutoff date of Friday, June 25th.
“It is our belief that a herd retirement at this time will add to the positive momentum already building and should result in speeding up the milk price recovery already in progress,” said Jerry Kozak, President and CEO of NMPF, which manages CWT.
“With beef prices very strong, and replacement cow and springer prices still relatively low, CWT has determined that it will consider bids up to, but not to exceed, $3.75 per hundredweight,” noted Mr. Kozak. “However, there is no guarantee that a producer who bids at the maximum level will be selected.”
Producers must still bid on a per hundredweight basis, and CWT will continue to review and accept bids beginning from the lowest bids received, moving up toward the maximum level. Farmers whose bids are accepted are paid by CWT for their milk production, and they also retain the beef value of the cows they send to processing.
As was the case in 2009’s herd retirement rounds, CWT has no set target for the volume of milk or the number of cows to be removed in this herd retirement.
“Whether CWT will remove a significant number of dairy animals will depend on the number of bids received and the price level of those bids. CWT will not pay more for cows than what they are currently worth in the marketplace,” he said.
In 2010, participating farmers will not have the option of offering bred heifers. In addition, two significant program rules remain unchanged from 2009:
1. Members of CWT whose bids were accepted in a previous CWT herd retirement may not bid in this round;
2. Producers whose bids are accepted will be paid in two installments: 90% of the bid amount multiplied by the producer’s 12 months of milk production when it is verified that that all cows have gone to slaughter, and the remaining 10% plus interest at the end of 12 months following the farm audit IF both the producer and his dairy facility – whether owned or leased – do not become involved in the commercial production and marketing of milk during that period.
Source: Cooperatives Working Together