Get Your Ag Club Involved in College Aggies Online

News EditorCompetition, Education, Industry News

College_Aggies_BodyThe American National CattleWomen (ANCW) is excited to announce the launch of College Aggies Online, a new program aimed at helping today’s college students become confident advocates for the agriculture industry.

College Aggies Online, a joint venture of the Animal Agriculture Alliance and American National CattleWomen, Inc., will connect college students from across the country who are interested in promoting agriculture by sharing their story. Participants will receive training and instructions from industry professionals and will enjoy access to a private forum to post information about current and emerging issues facing farmers and ranchers.

The online community will provide resources to students on key issues to help them better utilize tools such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to share agriculture’s story with the public. “Social networking Web sites offer an effective platform for reaching large audiences of people who do not have farm backgrounds,” said Alliance Executive Vice President Kay Johnson Smith.

Agriculture-related clubs from all universities with an agricultural academic program are invited to sign up for the program. Each member will receive an individual account, where they can customize their homepage and upload information. Student groups will earn points by posting blogs, photos and videos to the forum and by participating in online outreach activities.

College Aggies Online will officially launch on Oct. 15, 2009 and the first year’s competition will conclude in April 2010. After final point counts are tallied, the winning club will receive a $750 scholarship, national recognition and a trip for one representative to Washington, D.C. for the Animal Ag Alliance’s annual Stakeholders Summit.

Dairy Farmers Can Get Nutrient Mangement Help From CLEANmp

Cindy ZimmermanWaste Management

cleanmpDairy producers in the western half of the United States can get free, confidential help to develop and implement plans to limit their environmental impact through a program called Comprehensive Livestock Environmental Assessments and Nutrient management plans, or CLEANmp.

The program, which is managed by the Missouri-based Environmental Resources Coalition, is designed to provide services to all types and sizes of livestock and poultry production operations west of the Mississippi River. Technical assistance for the project is confidential and free to all producers. ERC is a non-profit group dedicated to water quality protection and improvement efforts and the program uses federal grant dollars from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Find out more here.

Dairy Producers Help Grow Sales with New Yogurt Smoothie Product

News EditorCompany Announcement, Dairy Checkoff, Industry News, Yogurt

yoplait yogurt smoothieHere’s a new product worth talking about: Yoplait® Yogurt Chips. Did you know that as a dairy producer you helped to launch this new product, which use both yogurt and milk, through your dairy checkoff investment? Dairy Management Inc., in partnership with General Mills, owner of the Yoplait® brand, helped to developed this new line of frozen fruit and yogurt smoothies. The yogurt chips use a breakthrough technology to develop a yogurt product that is blended with fruit and eight ounces of fluid milk.

The smoothies were developed to help meet consumer needs for nutritious and convenient dairy products that also taste good. The smoothies, which can be found in the frozen fruit section in grocery stores nationwide, are available in three flavors — Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Mango Pineapple and Triple Berry.

“Sales of yogurt and smoothie products have been a shining star for the dairy category in recent years,” said Paul Rovey, Arizona dairy producer and chair of Dairy Management Inc.™, which manages the national dairy checkoff. “Checkoff-funded dairy ingredient marketing efforts work with key food and beverage manufacturers to assist in the development of new products that drive volume by highlighting the nutrition, functionality, versatility and good taste of dairy ingredients.”

General Mills, in collaboration with national and local dairy promotion organizations, is rolling out the frozen fruit and yogurt smoothie products in grocery stores across the nation this fall. The launch also will include in-store sampling events to boost sales. Consumer research indicates that, once consumers tried the smoothies, they became regular customers. The smoothies will result in an estimated 120 million pounds of additional milk volume used each year.

Editor’s Note: The Yoplait trademark is owned by Yoplait Marques Internationales SAS (France) and used under license by General Mills. General Mills proudly owns and operates the Yoplait yogurt business in the United States.

Chinese Dairy Team Gains Experience in U.S. Dairy Techniques

News EditorInternational

Team_at_Coliseum_for_WEBThe current state of the Chinese dairy industry is described best as being in a period of transition, with small herd owners and managers facing the decision between expanding their operation and going out of business. As low milk prices continue to create a challenge for smaller producers, it is anticipated the trend toward larger operations will be steady, in order to balance the rising costs of doing business.

This rapid herd expansion creates an identified need for the continued education of dairy producers on modern dairy management practices, with close attention being paid to developing least cost ration formulations, while maintaining the integrity and nutrient content of feed ingredients. With this in mind, the U.S. Grains Council recently sponsored a Chinese Dairy Study Team to the United States.

The team’s itinerary included activities encompassing all aspects of the dairy business, from corn and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) production to modern facilities, farm equipment and genetics, giving participants a breadth of exposure to U.S. industry technology and trends. Attending a short course specially designed for the group by the Babcock Institute, team members were trained by university instructors who are experts in their fields.

The team was also afforded the opportunity to visit World Dairy Expo, meeting with agribusiness representatives, attending seminars and discussing dairy techniques with dairy producers from 88 countries. Walter Chen, USGC consultant who traveled with the team, said the participants were very impressed with U.S. dairy management systems and was optimistic about the future of the Chinese dairy industry.

“This is also a good opportunity for them to learn more about U.S. DDGS,” said Chen.

As the price of Chinese corn is on the rise, the Council has seen rapid growth in DDGS imports, with approximately 250,000 to 300,000 metric tons estimated to be imported in 2009. These numbers far exceed the 8,000 tons imported in all of 2008. In order to give the team an in-depth view of the production and utilization of the co-product DDGS, they met with ethanol plant manager and toured their facilities, as well as visiting dairy operations in Wisconsin and California.

With the information the team gained from this study tour, “There is a lot of hope for the import of DDGS and some U.S. feed grains,” said Chen.

European Breeding Partners Join Forces in EuroGenomics

News EditorGenetics, International

euro genomicsFive European cattle breeding partners have decided to join forces to further improve results from genomic selection under the name of EuroGenomics. The cooperation will give an important boost to the reliability of genomic values for Holstein.

Several European partners will aggregate the reference populations they are using for a number of Holstein breeding programs. A reference population is a group of bulls with breeding values from progeny tests and known DNA profiles. It provides breeding organizations the indispensable basis for the calculation of reliable genomic effects and genomic breeding values. The enlargement of the total reference population within EuroGenomics will therefore further increase the reliability of genomic breeding.

The aggregation of the reference populations will take place in two steps, resulting in a total reference population of 16,000 proven bulls by the end of this year. This first common European reference population will be one of the largest in the world.

The customers of the EuroGenomics partners will benefit highly from this important cooperation, because it will further improve the accuracy and reliability of the genomic breeding values. Furthermore the ongoing development of genomic selection will result in extra genetic progress and eventually lower costs of the individual breeding programs, retaining the same or even higher quality. EuroGenomics will therefore position Europe as a leading continent in the world of Holstein breeding.

The following partners are the founders of EuroGenomics:

UNCEIA – French national Association of Livestock & Artificial Insemination Cooperatives
CRV – International cattle improvement organisation with headquarters in the Netherlands
DHV and vit – German national umbrella organization of the Holstein breeding industry and the German computing centre of cattle data
VikingGenetics – Danish-Swedish cattle breeding association

The above mentioned partners will be working closely together with a number of research partners, amongst which are the University of Liège (Belgium), INRA (French research centre), the Nordic Cattle Genetic Evaluation and Aarhus University/Foulum (Denmark).

National Jersey Queen Contest Benefits from Heifer Donation

News EditorCompetition, Jersey Association

lyon jerseysThe National Jersey Queen contest will benefit from the donation of a March junior calf donated by Lyon Jerseys of Toledo, Iowa. The calf will sell in the 57th All American Jersey Sale on November 8, 2009 for the benefit of the National Jersey Queen Scholarship Fund.

The heifer, Lyon Blackstone Steffi, is a daughter of Lencrest Blackstone-ET, JPI 191, and out of a Very Good-86% BW Legion daughter with 16,819-906-626 m.e. on her first lactation. The next dam is also Very Good with six records averaging 16,943-722-589 m.e.

The National Jersey Queen Scholarship Fund was established in 2005 by a group of Jersey women interested in expanding travel and educational opportunities for the National Jersey Queen and members of the court. It provided a $500 scholarship and travel support to three national Jersey events for 2008 National Jersey Queen, Kristin Hogan, Tillamook, Ore. Scholarships of $300 and $200, respectively, were also provided to the two alternate Queens: Julie Ann Ozburn, Nolensville, Tenn., and Katie Wirkus, Athens, Wis.

The National Jersey Queen contest is held in conjunction with The All American Jersey Shows and Sales, scheduled for November 7 through 10 in Louisville, Ky. Over the two-day contest, the contestants complete a general dairy knowledge test, are interviewed by a panel of judges, and prepare a two-minute video presentation demonstrating their public speaking skills.

Deadline for applications to enter the 2009 National Jersey Queen contest are due October 15.

Iowa Dairy to Hold Policy Meeting

News EditorGeneral

isda_logoThe Iowa State Dairy Association (ISDA) will hold its annual Policy Drafting Meeting on Wednesday, November 18. The meeting will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Iowa State University dairy farm classroom in Ames, Iowa. All ISDA members are invited to attend, lunch will be provided.

Attendees will review current policy and proposed resolutions, as well as draft new resolutions. This is an important meeting for ISDA members to share opinions and review ISDA policy. The 2010 legislative session starts in early January and it is essential for Iowa’s dairy industry to come together to draft resolutions that will drive the association’s initiatives in the year to come.

After the Policy Drafting Meeting, proposed resolutions will be sent to ISDA Annual Meeting Delegates for review. Final voting on resolutions will take place at ISDA’s annual meeting. No new resolutions will be accepted after the Policy Drafting Meeting.

In order to get an accurate count for lunch and meeting handouts, please RSVP to Jessica Bloomberg by calling (515) 971-3620 or email jessicab@iowadairy.org.

ISDA members unable to attend the Policy Drafting Meeting are welcome to submit resolutions and suggestions in writing. All comments must be received by Friday, November 13. You may submit via email to jessicab@iowadairy.org, by mail to 101 NE Trilein Dr., Ankeny, IA 50021 or by fax to (515) 964-5498.

PDPW Has New Website

News EditorIndustry News

pdpwCheck out the updated website for the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin! The site has a fresh updated look and provides more information than ever before. Dairy producers and industry leaders can now turn to the web site for weather information, markets updates, national agricultural news headlines as well as information related directly to PDPW, its members and activities.

Formed in 1992, PDPW has grown into a network of 1,600 members from 11 states who represent every type and size of dairy operation and various agribusinesses.

“As the largest producer-led education organization in the nation, we have a responsibility to provide our members and others within the dairy industry with information that is important to them,” states Doug Knoepke, a dairy producer from Durand, Wis., and president of PDPW. “The redesign of our web site allows us to include more information, provide more helpful resources and let individuals know about scheduled educational events that can help improve their bottom line.”

In addition to the quick-read weather, market reports and national agricultural news headlines, tabs across the top allow web site visitors to know more about PDPW as an organization, hear from PDPW members themselves and access and sign up to receive the organization’s three key communication vehicles: the monthly Manager’s Memo and Capitol Link e-newsletters and the PDPW-sponsored AgriView’s Dairy’s Bottom Line tabloid. Plus information about the Education Foundation is provided.

Dairy Farmers and Social Media

Chuck ZimmermanCommunication

There’s a good story about farmers using social media in the Fresno Bee titled, “Facebook draws a growing crop of farmers, Many in the ag industry are using Twitter and blogs to communicate, educate.” ZimmComm’s own Cindy Zimmerman spoke with author Robert Rodriguez and pointed him to a few other folks to contact for the story. She is quoted in the article.

The story starts out with a description of how and why one dairy farmer (Barbara Martin) is using social media.

For Martin, using social media and blogging is a way to dispel some myths about farmers and encourage a greater understanding of the slumping dairy industry.

She’s blogged about everything from fixing the pricing structure for milk to sharing her childhood memories about growing up on a farm. Her most recent post is a video diary about her heifer Chica.

So are you dairy farmers leading the way or what?

Dairyland Seed's Second Generation Hybrid Alfalfa

Cindy ZimmermanAlfalfa, Audio, Charleston-Orwig, Feed, Forage, World Dairy Expo

WDXBack in 2001, Dairyland Seed released the world’s first hybrid alfalfa, HybriForce-400. This year, they took that up a notch and introduced the next generation – HybriForce-2400 Gen-2.

WDX“It’s giving us a five percent yield advantage over generation one,” said Dairyland Seed Forage Product Manager Chad Staudinger during an interview at World Dairy Expo. “Through the hybrid breeding system we are able to commercially place F1 generation with 100 percent yield potential on-farm.”

Chad says this provides a definite yield advantage for producers and the hybrid system brings with it a uniformity of crop, which ultimately means more uniformity of feed for the animals.

Listen to my interview with Chad here: