Upgrades to Arm & Hammer Website

News EditorGeneral

Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition had made several upgrades to their website!

In addition to the upgrades, AHDairy.com currently allows producers and nutritionists access to important nutrition information in an easily accessible form. The Web site includes contact information for regional Arm & Hammer representatives, distributors or feed mills, as well as producer testimonials sharing their success stories with Arm & Hammer products. Take time to visit AHDairy.com today to see the resources available at your fingertips.

New Amino Acid balancing information. A new section focusing on the practice of amino acid balancing has been added to the Web site. Amino acid balancing ensures optimal levels of key limiting amino acids are provided for use by the cow. When amino acids are provided at optimal levels, performance can be enhanced even while dietary crude protein levels are reduced. These improvements can lead to greater income over feed cost (IOFC) for the dairy.

MEGAMINE-L®­ Rumen Bypass Lysine is a new, cost-effective, consistent bypass lysine source that will allow nutritionists to accurately balance for limiting amino acids, leading to maximized milking string performance and more efficient nutrient utilization. Collateral pieces focused on MEGAMINE-L—including an FAQ document, Research Bulletin and Benefit Summary—have been added.

Updated product research. More current research studies and overviews of the value-added products have been added to the Web site. These resources can help producers and nutritionists make nutritional decisions that will influence their herd productivity and IOFC.

FAQ documents. FAQ documents relating to reproduction and dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) balancing provide the latest research findings surrounding both areas and details on how proper nutrition can ensure cows perform to their potential.

Timely industry articles. The latest articles published in dairy trade publications relating to feeding cows for optimal performance have been added to the Web site. These articles are summarized so visitors can easily find information. New functionality also allows for easier viewing and sorting of recently published articles and releases.

Source: Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition

NutriDense Announces New Communications Manager

Chuck ZimmermanBASF Plant Science

NutriDense has a new marketing manager as announced by BASF Plant Science. She’s Heather Goode.

In this position, she will support the NutriDense sales and marketing team through the development of marketing communication plans and tools that align with NutriDense business strategies and objectives.

“Heather has worked on many agricultural accounts in an agency setting and is well-suited to lead our NutriDense marketing communications efforts,” said Fran Castle, BASF North American group communications manager. “We are excited to have her on board, and we are confident that she will be a strong addition to our BASF Plant Science company and NutriDense.”

Goode has eight years experience in agricultural communications. Prior to joining BASF Plant Science, she was a client service advisor at Quarry Integrated Communications Inc. in Durham, N.C., where she worked on the swine business for Novartis Animal Health. Goode began her career on the crop chemical side, working on the Syngenta Crop Protection horticulture business at Gibbs & Soell, Inc. in Raleigh, N.C.

Ultimate Flavor Tourney Kicks Off

News EditorIce Cream

Head on over to the Turkey Hill Ice Cream Journal for a little bit of “March Madness” – ice cream style! In it’s third year, the Turkey Hill Ultimate Flavor Tournament picks the best flavor, base on your votes. The first round is up – get online and vote!

Now in its third year, the Ultimate Flavor Tournament is a six-week showdown to determine the best Turkey Hill ice cream flavor of them all, and it’s all based on your votes. In 2008, Vanilla Bean emerged as the victor. Last year, Vanilla Bean made it to the final round, but was upset by Light Recipe Moose Tracks, which took the title and claimed a victory for the entire Light Recipe line-up.

Here’s how it works: Each week will feature a different series of one-on-one match-ups, all voted on by you (see the polls on the right). We’ll start with 32 flavors (the “Thrilling 32”), or 16 head-to-head contests, with the winner of each contest advancing to the next round, until only two flavors remain standing. The winner of that final showdown will be declared the Ultimate Flavor Tournament champion.

Of course, there will also be prizes. At the end of the tournament, we’ll give away a one-year supply of Turkey Hill ice cream to one commenter chosen at random from all the comments left during the tournament. We’ll also choose 10 of our favorite comments during the tournament to receive some free ice cream.

As always, Turkey Hill’s “Einstein of Ice Cream,” Ernie Pinckney, will offer predictions and expert commentary on each of the upcoming week’s match-ups, starting with the Thrilling 32 of round one below. Check back each Monday for the new match-ups, and may the best flavor win!

Source: Turkey Hill Ice Cream Journal

USDA Appoints Dairy Board Members

Cindy ZimmermanDairy Board, usda

USDAAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the appointment of 12 members to the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. All appointees will serve 3-year terms beginning immediately.

Newly appointed to the board are: George E. Marsh, Oregon (Region 1); Ray S. Prock, California (Region 2); Arlene J. Vander Eyk, California (Region 2); Brian W. Esplin, Idaho (Region 3); Neil A. Hoff, Texas (Region 4); Paul A. Fritsche, Minnesota (Region 5); Patricia M. Boettcher, Wisconsin (Region 6); Mark E. Erdman, Illinois (Region7); Susan D. K. Troyer, Indiana (Region 9); and Ronald R. McCormick, New York (Region 12). Reappointed to serve second terms were Randy G. Roecker, Wisconsin (Region 6) and Rita P. Kennedy, Pennsylvania (Region 11).

The 36-member board is authorized by the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983. The Secretary selected the appointees from nominations submitted by eligible producer organizations, general farm organizations, and qualified State or regional dairy products promotion, research or nutrition education programs.

Dairyline Markets In Review

Chuck ZimmermanDairyline, Markets

Dairyline Markets In Review

Cheese prices continued to bleed the second week of March but may have hit bottom. Dairy Profit Weekly’s headline last week that 2010 optimism may have been premature may be hauntingly true. Cash block cheese closed Friday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange at $1.2675 per pound, down 3 cents on the week, and just 1 3/4-cents above a year ago. The barrels closed at $1.2625, up a penny and a quarter on the week, but 5 1/2-cents below a year ago. The block price lost 23 3/4-cents in the last four weeks with comparable losses on barrel.

Twenty five cars of block traded hands on the week and 35 of barrel. The latest NASS-surveyed block price averaged $1.4378 across the U.S., down 5.4 cents, while barrel averaged $1.3976, down 6.9 cents.

Butter is, or was, the bright spot. After eight consecutive sessions of gain the butter price gave up 3 cents this week and closed Friday at $1.4550, up a half cent from the previous week and 27 cents above a year ago. Thirty six cars were sold on the week. NASS butter averaged $1.4076, up 5.2 cents.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.

DFA Testifies at Cuba Hearing

Cindy ZimmermanDairy Group, Export, Government

dfaEasing regulatory hurdles that are impeding exports to Cuba could contribute to recovery in the dairy industry.

That was the main point of testimony presented Thursday before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee of Agriculture by John Wilson, senior vice president of marketing and industry affairs for Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA).

Speaking in support of the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act (H.R. 4645), Wilson, who also serves on the board of directors for National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), emphasized that facilitating greater U.S. dairy exports to Cuba could be a step in the right direction toward helping the dairy industry regain ground lost during the 2009 dairy crisis.

dfa“U.S. participation in the global dairy market is essential to putting the U.S. dairy industry on firmer footing going forward,” Wilson said. “It is critical that we work to expand opportunities for our dairy exports to allow our dairy producers, as well as their dairy manufacturing partners, to grow and prosper.”

H.R. 4645 seeks to address the most significant issues hindering trade to Cuba under the 2000 Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSREEA). The bill calls for a clarification on the “cash in advance” requirement that – since being redefined by the Office of Foreign Asset Control in 2005 – has added complexity and expense for potential buyers. The bill also calls for the elimination of TSREEA’s “direct banking” provision, which similarly inflates costs and complicates transactions.

“Cuba is a market where we should be a natural preferred seller due to our strong proximity advantages,” Wilson said. “Yet it is clear that we are now among the least-preferred of suppliers given these technical and regulatory impediments to U.S. agricultural sales to Cuba.”

The bill – which was introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Rep. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and is co-sponsored by more than 30 members of Congress – also aims to eliminate restrictions on Americans’ rights to travel to Cuba. Allowing Americans to travel to Cuba would help stimulate demand for and sales of dairy products in that country.

A June 2009 International Trade Commission Updated Study on U.S. Agricultural Sales to Cuba found that fully eliminating financing and travel restrictions on U.S. exports to Cuba would have boosted 2008 dairy sales to Cuba from $13 million to between $39 and $87 million.

Read Wilson’s opening statement to the committee here.

Milking Parlor: Chair of FB's YF&R Sings Praises of Poo

John DavisAudio, Milk, Milking Parlor, Novus International, Podcast

The Milking Parlor podcast is sponsored by:
Novus

will gilmerHe’s the man behind the YouTube hit, “Water and Poo,” and now he’s also the new chairman of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. In this episode of the Milking Parlor, we meet Will Gilmer, a third-generation dairy farmer from Alabama, whose operation milks about 230 holsteins. And when those chores aren’t enough, he’s racking up more than 14,000 (and counting) views of his clever ditty sung about what to do with the waste from his cows, as he spreads that nutrient management across his pastures.

And if all that isn’t enough, Gilmer maintains a Web site, www.gilmerdairyfarm.com, along with The Dairyman’s Blog, in an effort to reach out to the public about modern farming practices. Gilmer also is active on the micro-blogging Web site Twitter under @gilmerdairy.

You can hear more of Peoria farm broadcaster Meghan Grebner’s interview with Will in this episode of the Milking Parlor in the player below. And if you haven’t seen Will’s hit, “Water and Poo” (and even if you have seen it!) it’s available right here:

To subscribe to the Milking Parlor podcast, click here. Listen to or download this episode in the player below.

New Directors on World Dairy Expo Board

News EditorWorld Dairy Expo

Congratulations to Angie Coburn, Mike Hellenbrand, Steve Larson and Bryan Voegeli, the new members of the World Dairy Expo’s Board of Directors.

Angie Coburn serves as Procurement Manager for Genex Cooperative, Inc./CRI of Shawano, Wis. She has been with the company for fourteen years, and is currently responsible for all bull and embryo acquisitions while overseeing their GENESIS nucleus program. With a degree is Dairy Science from Virginia Tech, she has been active on the NAAB Dairy Sire Evaluation Committee, AJCA Type Advisory Committee, and the Virginia Tech Dairy Science Alumni Association. Coburn has also been involved with the Pennsylvania All-American and WDE’s Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contests.

Mike Hellenbrand and his wife Linda, own and operate City Slickers Farm in Cross Plains, Wis. With a degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Hellenbrand began his career in the banking business in Madison. He later ran the Mortgage Securities Group for a Wall Street firm in New York City for 10 years and also developed a consulting firm while there, providing services to a number of financial firms throughout the country. Following the events of September 11, 2001, he and Linda decided to reenter the agricultural industry. They now manage an intensive embryo transfer business, currently implanting approximately 1,000 dairy embryos annually. City Slickers’ Farming operation consists of 250 recipients and 350 ET animals that are primarily owned in partnership arrangements.

Steve Larson has been with Hoard’s Dairyman in Fort Atkinson, Wis. since 1969. Since 1998, he has served as Managing Editor, and now directs the editorial content and production of the international dairy magazine. Besides his editorial responsibilities, Steve also prepares Washington News and the magazines’ coverage of milk marketing and dairy policy, dairy product promotion, feeding and nutrition, and mastitis and herd health. In addition, he works with the Hoard’s Dairyman Farm, consisting of 350 registered Guernseys and Jerseys on 530 acres. Larson serves on a number of industry advisory boards. He holds degrees from Kansas State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and his wife, Leota, have five children.

Bryan Voegeli is the fifth generation to operate Voegeli Farm, Inc., in Monticello, Wis. Registered Brown Swiss cattle have been on the farm since 1895. Today, Voegeli manages a milking herd of 200 registered Brown Swiss and works about 1,100 acres of cropland. A 1981 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a degree in Dairy Science, he has served on the Wisconsin State Brown Swiss Board of Directors for sixteen years. He also served as State Brown Swiss President for five years and as a National Director for the Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders Association of the USA for six-years. Currently, Voegeli is a member of the Equity and Cheese Committee for the Brown Swiss Association and a member of the WDE Dairy Cattle Exhibitors Committee.

Source: World Dairy Expo

California Dairy Industry Adopts National Dairy FARM

News EditorAnimal Welfare, Industry News

The members of California’s Dairy Cares coalition,made up of dairy farmers and dairy processors, have adopted the National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management as a statewide program to promote and verify responsible animal care.

“Responsible care and treatment of animals is a core value for our dairy families, and we know it’s important to dairy consumers,” said William C. Van Dam, chairman of the statewide Dairy Cares coalition. “This new program is a major step forward for our state, in that it provides a credible, verifiable way for dairy farmers to demonstrate to consumers that these core values are carried out in our daily management practices.”

Developed by the nation’s leading animal scientists, veterinarians and dairy industry experts, the National Dairy FARM Program contains a comprehensive set of animal care best management practices. As the nation’s leader in milk production, California dairy farmers are among the first in the nation to adopt the effort. Because California’s dairy products are marketed nationally and internationally, California dairy farmers recognize the importance of participating in a nationwide program to ensure national uniformity for customers and consumers.

“Actions, not words, are the only way to maintain and build trust with our consumers,” said Jamie Bledsoe, a dairy farmer from Riverdale and co-chair of the Dairy Cares Animal Well-Being Committee. “We’ve always cared for our animals, and now we have a program in place to validate that we care. And in those rare instances when animal care doesn’t measure up, we have a program to identify issues and address them.”

Dairy Cares will promote Dairy FARM throughout California using a five-point strategy, which includes:

1 – Adoption of the National Dairy FARM animal care best practice standards;
2 – Orientation of dairy farmers to National Dairy FARM standards through workshops and educational materials from the University of California and California Dairy Quality Assurance Program;
3 – On-farm evaluation of each dairy farm to assess compliance and provide a benchmark to measure improvement;
4 – Producer support and assistance to continuously improve animal care practices; and
5 – Independent third-party verification to demonstrate program integrity and credibility.

Source: Dairy Cares and National Dairy FARM