American Cheese Society Hires Weiser

News EditorCheese

The American Cheese Society has named Nora Weiser as the new Executive Director in an effort to successfully transition its growing membership into a self-managed organization.

Nora Weiser, a retail business entrepreneur and former assistant director of the Museum Store Association in Denver Colo., takes the helm of the ACS, an organization that leads in the understanding, appreciation and promotion of farmstead, artisan and specialty cheeses produced in the Americas.

“At more than 1,200 members strong, this is the perfect time for the ACS to move to self management,” said David Gremmels, President of the ACS Board of Directors. “As our new Executive Director, Nora brings with her a great deal of experience, skill and passion to lead our growing organization into a future of increasing membership and financial stability.”

Weiser offers an extensive background in all facets of non-profit association management. In her former work with the Museum Store Association, she directed membership and trade show activities serving 1,800 museums and 900 industry suppliers. She has studied in both London and France, is fluent in French and Dutch, and holds a Master’s Degree in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She was profiled in the March 2006 issue of Business Week after successfully starting her own online retail business, BetterWall.com.

Source: American Cheese Society

Dairyline Markets In Review

Chuck ZimmermanDairyline, Markets

DairylineDairy Markets Week in Review

Cash dairy prices have the full attention of farmers, bankers, and processors as the “recovery” appears to be slowing, even though cash block cheese closed the second week of February at $1.5050 per pound, up 1 1/4-cents on the week and 26 1/2-cents above that week a year ago. Barrel closed Friday at $1.4450, down 2 3/4-cents on the week but 21 1/2-cents above a year ago. Four cars of block traded hands on the week and six of barrel. The NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price gained 2.5 cents, hitting $1.4750. Barrels averaged $1.5258, up 2.3 cents.

Butter closed at $1.34, up 1 1/4-cents on the week and 23 3/4-cents above a year ago. Eleven cars sold. NASS butter averaged $1.3912, down 1.3 cents.

Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Friday at $1.1050, down 4 1/2-cents on the week. Extra Grade held all week at $1.24. NASS powder averaged $1.1448, up 1.2 cents. Dry whey averaged 39 cents per pound, up 0.1 cent.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.

Young, Savvy and Into Dairy

Amanda NolzDairy Group, Education

If you’re young, savvy and into dairy, then have I found an organization for you. Recently established on Facebook, the Young, Savvy and Into Dairy (YSD) group met and enjoyed a night of social networking at the 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Frankenmuth, MI. YSD is a group of young people joined together by a common interest in the dairy industry. As their mission states, together, “We learn together, teach each other and have a great time doing it.”

Most of the YSD members are age 17 to 35, although there were several “older” dairymen that crashed the social last night! It was great meeting with so many folks who are passionate and enthusiastic about the agriculture industry, and I know this group will be a resource to lean on in years to come.

To become a fan of YSD on Facebook, click here. To follow all tweets on this conference, search #glrdc2010.

Tweet This

Amanda NolzPromotion

Sara Long, communications manager at Michigan State University Department of Ag and Natural Resources, along with Celeste Laurent, agriculture communications major at Western Kentucky University, shared an interactive session during the Partner’s Program at GLRDC in MI titled, “Tweet This: LinkedIn to the World o Social Media.”

The goal of this session was the urge dairy producers to attempt using social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for the first time. Here are a few tips and tricks provided by Laurent (pictured above) and Long during the presentation:

1. Be news junkys; spread the word and pass along interesting articles through tweets and Facebook status updates.

2. Appeal to consumers. Use the hashtag #moms to reach mothers about the importance of dairy in the diet.

3. Be transparent. Don’t be afraid to show your personality.

4. Post photos, share simple messages (“out milking cows!”) and stick to the basics.

5. Don’t get overwhelmed; just try a few things and see what social network fits your personality best.

Do you have questions, concerns or stories about your experiences using social media? Check out Laurent’s blog here and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

ANIMART Donates $1,000 to DBA

News EditorGeneral

ANIMART, Inc., which provides animal health products and veterinary supplies, in addition to show equipment and supplies, to dairy and livestock producers, recently donated more than $1,000 to the Dairy Business Association (DBA). DBA is a producer-driven organization working to assure that dairy producers, large and small, remain an active, thriving part of Wisconsin’s economy by fostering a positive business and political environment.

For every Pfizer Animal Health product purchased by a DBA member from ANIMART in December, ANIMART contributed a percentage of sales to DBA, totaling more than $1,000.

“We are proud to have offered a promotion during December for large animal clients and producers who are DBA members to support the efforts of the organization through Pfizer animal health product purchases from ANIMART,” says Dr. James Metz, co-owner of ANIMART with his wife, Ruth Metz. “ANIMART is pleased to partner with Pfizer and DBA in helping Wisconsin’s dairy businesses succeed.”

“We are honored ANIMART has chosen to donate a portion of sales to DBA efforts,” says Laurie Fischer, who serves as executive director of DBA. “We all know that these are difficult economic times for dairy businesses. The support that ANIMART is providing will help us be sustainable now and into the future.”

The initiatives addressed through DBA help identify business and environmental challenges facing the dairy industry and work to put practices in place that benefit all Wisconsin farms.

“We are proud to be a strong partner with Wisconsin’s dairy industry,” Dr. Metz says. “We feel supporting the efforts of DBA will benefit all farms for profitable agriculture.”

Source: ANIMART, Inc.

Dairy Down Under: Comparing the U.S. and Australian Dairy Industries

Amanda NolzAgribusiness, Milk

Nicole Schaendorf, 2009 Senior Michigan Dairy Ambassador, shared her experiences of her study abroad trip to Australia in her presentation during the Partners’ Program at GLRDC titled, “Dairy Down Under: Comparing the U.S. and Australian Dairy Industries.” Here are a few facts that I thought would be of interest to World Dairy Diary readers:

When comparing the U.S. to Australia, dairy contributes $31 billion to the U.S. economy, while Australia dairy producers contributes only $3.3 billion to their economy.

77% of dairy farms in the U.S. have fewer than 100 cows, while the average size of the Australian dairy farm is 214 cows.

There are 60,000 dairy farms in the U.S., with 99% being family owned. There are only 7,950 farms in Australia, down 50% from 25 years ago.

Just some interesting tid bits from down under, mate. I hope you enjoyed it!

Separating Fats from Fiction

Amanda NolzMilk

Dr. Adam Lock, assistant professor of animal science at Michigan State University, presented at the 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference. His speech was titled, “Separating Fats from Fiction: Unraveling the Truth Behind the Effects of Milk and MIlk Fat on Human Health.” Read my favorite quotes from Dr. Lock below.

“The concept of eating healthy has become synonymous with avoiding dietary fat, especially saturated fat and trans fat.”

“No one has ever died of high cholesterol, it’s heart disease. That fact that saturated fat increases cholesterol is too simple. It raises the good and bad equally. Saturated fat is only one of 270 factors that influence heart disease.”

“All milk should be promoted as a healthy part of the diet. Milk is a functional food. Many bioactive factors in milk have beneficial effects on human health.”

“We need to educate nutritionists, dieticians and the general public on the essential importance of fat in the diet.”

Consumers are from Venus, Farmers are from Mars

Amanda NolzCommunication, Dairy Business

“Consumers are from Venus, Farmers are from Mars,” was the interesting title of the opening speech at the 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference given by Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity and Founder and President of CMA Consulting. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Arnot, in his message to producers to help regain consumer trust and confidence about where their food comes from…

“The Center for Food Integrity aims to build consumer trust and confidence in the contemporary U.S. food system by sharing accurate balanced information.”

“Always remember that growing food is a noble pursuit. Farmers and ranchers are looking for the freedom to operate. You didn’t get in the dairy business to tackle social issues, but we have to.”

“Social license is the privilege of operating your farm or ranch with minimal formalized restrictions (legislation and regulation) based on maintaining public trust by doing what’s right. What people want is permission to eat meat and dairy products without guilt. We have to give this permission to consumers, policy makers and media. If we don’t, we will lose our social license.”

“When people question what you do on the farm, it’s easy to become defensive. However, if you’re able to operate with a social license, you have the ability to do business that also coincides with society’s beliefs and ethics. If we control the issues, we control the debate. If we know what’s coming and what the consumers want, we can be proactive in controlling the conversation.”

“There is a growing unease with consumers about where their food comes from. Yet, agriculture has changed for the better, but we haven’t necessarily brought the consumer along for the discussion. We should never abandon science in agriculture, but sometimes that science doesn’t always connect with our consumers. We need to use emotions and ethics.”

Dairy Conference Gets Technical

Amanda NolzTechnology

Things are getting “technical” at the 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Frankenmuth, MI. The first session kicked off with a survey with clickers. Producers were asked about their operations, their primary breed of dairy cattle and even their favorite ice cream flavor (mine is mint chocolate chip, by the way!)

In addition to the clickers, Twitter users are tweeting the highlights of the conference as it happens. You can follow my tweets @AmandaNolz and check out the tweets of others from the convention by searching #glrdc2010.

Right now, I’m sitting in on the Partner’s Program where we are learning more about social networking and how to use it to share the positive story of the American dairy producer. More on that later.

Greetings From Frankenmuth, MI

Amanda NolzGeneral

Today I’m joining you from the 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Frankenmuth, MI. A delayed flight, lost luggage and nasty little blizzard didn’t deter me from getting here, and it’s been a full day of hot topics pertaining to the dairy industry today.

Before I dive into some of the details from the sessions, I thought I would share a bit of information about where we are staying during this conference, The Bavarian Inn Lodge. It’s definitely a unique place!

The Bavarian Inn Lodge is a treasure in the heart of downtown Frankenmuth – Michigan’s #1 tourist attraction. Nestled on the banks of the beautiful Cass River, the Lodge is a world-class getaway destination for families and couples. The Bavarian Inn Lodge of Frankenmuth is about gathering. For generations, millions of people have come here to stay and play, to be welcomed with our home-cooked chicken dinners, delightfully cozy beds, and warm Bavarian hospitality. It’s like stepping into the heart of Europe without a passport or the jet lag!