Dairyline Markets Week In Review

Chuck ZimmermanDairyline, Markets

DairylineDairy Markets Week in Review

Cash dairy product prices keep strengthening. The block cheese price hit $1.5025 per pound the second Friday in October, up 6 3/4-cents on the week and the highest it has been since last December, but 37 3/4-cents below that week a year ago. Barrel closed Friday at $1.43, up a penny on the week, but 40 1/2-cents below a year ago. Only two cars of each traded hands on the week. The lagging NASS surveyed U.S. average block price slipped 0.3 cent, to $1.3106. Barrel averaged $1.3428, up 3.8 cents.

Butter gained a penny and then gave some back Friday, closing at $1.2375, up a quarter-cent on the week, but 46 1/2-cents below a year ago. Eight cars were sold. NASS butter averaged $1.2065, down 0.1 cent.

Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk closed the week at $1.28 per pound, up a dime on the week. Extra Grade closed at $1.22, up 7 cents. NASS powder averaged $1.0102, up 3.2 cents, and dry whey averaged 30.18 cents, down 0.1 cent.

There were no price support purchases on the week and the new fiscal year began October 1. DEIP bid acceptances this week included 3.3 million pounds of anhydrous milkfat, 176,368 pounds of Cheddar cheese, and 90,389 pounds of Mozzarella cheese.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.

PDPW Offers Heifer and Calf Tours

News EditorTraining

pdpw-logoSign-up today for one of two days of four facility tours of Innovative calf and heifer operations, on Oct. 20 and 21. Developed by the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, the Tuesday, Oct. 20 tour will feature four facilities in northeastern Wisconsin while the Wednesday, Oct. 21 tour will highlight four facilities in northwestern Wisconsin.

“We’re going to check out low-cost, retrofitted and state-of-the-art facilities for dairy calves, heifers and springers and interact with dairy producers who will share their stories regarding challenges, triumphs and lessons learned,” states Doug Knoepke, a Durand, Wis., dairy producer and president of PDPW. “Both tours are all about information and idea sharing, networking and finding ways for dairy producers to be more profitable.

“You never know what you might learn on a tour that can be taken home and applied.”

Tuesday’s northeastern Wisconsin tour includes stops at Wiese Brothers, Greenleaf, a 2,300-cow dairy that raises calves and heifers on one site; Abel Farms, Eden, that grows more than 1,200 wet calves and heifers; 3-D Dairy, Malone, that uses computerized calf feeders for its 100 calves; and Schneider Farms, Hilbert, where 3,800 calves and heifers go from warm nurseries to bedding packs to freestalls.

Wednesday’s northwestern Wisconsin tour will visit Marty Weiss, Durand, who uses a self-cleaning, bunker pen system and has plans for another facility; Prissel Valley Farms, Durand, that raises 100 wet calves and recently added a 550-stall heifer barn; Bussee’s Barron Acres, Barron, a highly successful 2,800 calf-raising operation; and Sugar-Bol Farm, Chetek, that has retrofitted facilities with free-stalls and lots with mounds and uses a bedding recycler.

Both tours are open to dairy producers—PDPW members and non-members—as well as industry leaders. Registration fees covers round-trip bussing, lunch, refreshments and information that can’t be gathered anywhere other than from experienced calf and heifer raisers.

Malawi Dairy Producers to Receive Sponsorship

News EditorInternational

INTSPAH_logo_CMYK_RED_BLK_tcm50-169935Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announced that it has initiated a multi-year sponsorship project, supporting the Shire Highlands Milk Producers Association (SHMPA) in Malawi, a developing country in southeast Africa. The primary objective of the project is to support smallholder dairy farmers in the Shire Highlands to improve their capabilities to manage the milk production process.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health will provide financial and in-kind support that can annually be adapted as specified by SHMPA. Support will initially focus on increasing milk production by improvement of animal health and infrastructure. Short-term projects include the provision of funds to build and equip a veterinary laboratory as well as the supply of some urgently needed veterinary diagnostics and medicines. The scope of the support may also be extended to the improvement of milk quality, animal husbandry (nutrition, reproduction and breeding) and farm management. In-kind support may consist of the sharing of veterinary expertise as well as offering education and training.

“The challenges in dairy farming in this part of the world are many, and the road to progress is far from smooth, but most of the time in the right direction. Some of our biggest challenges are making sure that milk farmers have access to artificial insemination and veterinary services. We hope that through our links with Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health we will improve these services,” commented SHMPA Dairy Development Advisor Brian Lewis.

“We are proud to be able, with the help of veterinarians who purchase our products, to assist milk farmers in the Shire Highlands in a sustainable manner that contributes to economic improvement in Southern Malawi,” said Edival Santos, vice president, Global Ruminant Business Unit at Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.

Materials will preferably be sourced on site, thereby sustaining the local economy. The funds are earmarked for specific objectives and SHMPA management will be responsible for using these resources efficiently and reporting on their allocation.

Funding will be generated by customer-focused, sales-related incentive programs linked to the cattle business of participating country operations. This model is already being used successfully by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health to support the Afya Serengeti project, a dog rabies eradication program in Tanzania.

Adminstration Officials to Visit Crave Brothers Dairy

Cindy Zimmermanenergy, Technology, usda

dairySecretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle will tour Crave Brothers Farm and Dairy Operation in Waterloo, Wisconsin Friday to see bioenergy in action.

Crave Brothers is an example of a successful modern dairy, using green energy sources to power the farm, cheese factory and 120 area homes. Crave Brothers Dairy Farm and its cheesemaking enterprise, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, have a sophisticated, computer-controlled anaerobic digestion system that generates electricity that runs on organic waste from their 750 pampered and productive Holsteins.

The Administration and State officials will discuss the opportunities for rural America to embrace science and lead efforts to create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, mitigate climate change, and transition to a clean energy economy.

Alpharma Helps Producers Protect Investment

Cindy ZimmermanAlpharma, Animal Health, Audio, Charleston-Orwig, Hoard's Dairyman, Novus International, Products, Video, World Dairy Expo

2009 World Dairy Expo coverage sponsored by:
Novus Charleston Orwig

World Dairy Expo Photo Album

With today’s economic situation in the dairy industry, it is very wise for producers to do all they can to protect the investment they have made in their animals.

WDXAt World Dairy Expo, I talked with Lance Fox of Alpharma about maximizing disease protection in the first critical weeks of a calf’s life.

“AS700, or Aureo S 700®, is a management tool, a medication that goes in the feed,” Lance told me. “Transitioning calves, weaning calves, can be a very tough time in their lives, lot of stress going on. It’s a tool to use to help those calves get through that transition a little smoother, maintain their weight gains and ultimately their performance.”

Aureo S 700® is a combination of Aureomycin® (chlortetracycline) and sulfamethazine. Lance says this product has been on the market for 35 years, and Aureo itself is about 58 years old. “So the products have been around a long time and they work just as well today as they did when they were first released.”

What about return on investment? “If you look at the cost of feeding the product for a 28-day feeding period, it’s about $2.50 per head for the entire period,” Lance said. Keeping the calves healthy, preventing disease is the key and that helps the animals perform better and make more milk for the dairyman.

Listen to an interview with Lance below or watch this YouTube interview from World Dairy Expo:

Showcasing Manure Management

Chuck ZimmermanCommunication, Education

When it comes to connecting with consumers via social networking mechanisms like Twitter and YouTube dairy farmers are leading the way. We’ve pointed you to Will Gilmer before. He’s just started a new video series on YouTube called MooTube Minute. Additionally, he has created a video to demonstrate the eco-friendly way dairy farmers conduct manure management.

Find Will on:

The Dairyman’s Blog
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

Professional Dairy Producers at World Dairy Expo

Cindy ZimmermanAlpharma, Audio, Charleston-Orwig, Education, Hoard's Dairyman, Industry News, Novus International, World Dairy Expo

2009 World Dairy Expo coverage sponsored by:
Novus Charleston Orwig

World Dairy Expo Photo Album

Providing education and information for dairy producers is the goal of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW), which kept them busy at the 2009 World Dairy Expo last week.

WDXWhile Wisconsin is in the name of the organization, Executive Director Shelly Mayer says they actually have grown into a network of 1,600 members from eleven states who represent every type and size of dairy operation. “We have producers that are members from Pennsylvania, the Dakotas, California, Arizona – all over the country – because they seek the information that PDPW is providing,” Shelly says.

The organization provides information about topics that are vital and timely for the dairy industry, including animal welfare, environmental and labor issues. They also offer an annual Managers Academy, which will be held January 19-21 in Seattle, that helps producers focus on the business side of their operation.

In addition, PDPW sponsors several workshops, training seminars and tours throughout the year on various topics. For example, coming up October 20-21 is the Dairy Calf & Heifer Tour which visits innovative operations around the state of Wisconsin. A couple of sponsors for that tour are also sponsors of our World Dairy Expo coverage – Charleston Orwig and Novus International.

Listen to my interview with Shelly here:

The Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin

News EditorCheese, Dairy Checkoff, Industry News, Media

master cheesemakers of wisThis November, the University of Wisconsin Press is serving up a new book about the lives and practices of the Dairyland State’s cream of the crop: the Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin. Called THE MASTER CHEESEMAKERS OF WISCONSIN, the book is written and photographed by James Norton and Becca Dilley and is due to be published on November 24, 2009. Be sure to get your copy today!

This book—beautifully photographed and engagingly written—introduces hardworking, resourceful men and women who represent an artisanal craft that has roots in Europe but has been a Wisconsin tradition since the 1850s. Wisconsin produces more than six hundred varieties of cheese, from massive wheels of cheddar and swiss to bricks of brick and limburger to such specialties such as crescenza-stracchino and Finnish juustoleipa. These masters combine tradition, technology, artistry, and years of dedicated learning—in a profession that depends on fickle, living ingredients—to create the rich tastes and beautiful presentation of their skillfully crafted products.

Certification as a Master Cheesemaker typically takes almost fifteen years. An applicant must hold a cheesemaking license for at least ten years, create one or two chosen varieties of cheese for at least five years, take more than two years of university courses, consent to constant testing of their cheese and evaluation of their plant, and pass grueling oral and written exams to be awarded the prestigious title.

James Norton and Becca Dilley interviewed these dairy artisans, listened to their stories, tasted their cheeses, and explored the plants where they work. Publication of this volume has been made possible, in part, through support from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc. and the dairy farm families of Wisconsin.

This book includes:
• 52 color photos, 62 b/w photos, and 5 maps
• Profiles of the 43 certified Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin
• A glossary of cheesemaking terms
• Touring and tasting opportunities
• Tasting notes and food pairing recommendations
• Tasty curds of information about cheese

Dairy BQA Summary Released

News EditorBeef Checkoff, Industry News, Research

bqaAs a dairy producer, you are also a beef producer. Recently, the results of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) pilot project were released. The pilot project evaluated the quality of market dairy cows being sold at auction. The study was designed to give dairy producers more information about how their animals are valued within the beef chain when they are sold through auction markets. The BQA program is partially funded by the beef checkoff.

“Trickle-down economics is observed daily in the salvage cattle market,” says Gary Smith, Ph.D., Monfort Endowed Chair in Meat Science, Colorado State University. “Packer-buyers pay more for animals that will yield more or higher-quality products – and that goes straight to the producers’ bottom line.”

The goal of this project was to provide dairy producers information that was not previously available about the potential value of their market cows and bulls. It also underscores that existing industry recommendations to cull animals in a timely manner are one of the best measures to maintain their value and enhance their carcass quality.

While this study does support the concept that premiums exist in the marketplace for market cows of higher quality, an individual operation’s economic analysis should also be a part of the decision-making process.

The primary obstacle to educating dairy producers about Beef Quality Assurance principles has stemmed from the limited income generated from market dairy cows, and an apparent lack of perceived ability to add value. Ultimately, this research will help to meet consumer demand for high-value beef by improving the quality, consistency and safety of beef products from dairy cows.

“There are premiums to be had for producers who sell high-quality market cows. When every dollar counts, it’s important for producers to remember that six percent of total beef production is attributable to market dairy cows,” says Kevin Good, Senior Market Analyst, CattleFax. “Paying attention to quality issues improves salvage value by making animals more desirable for buyers.”

The pilot program was conducted in collaboration with the Idaho Beef Council and California Beef Council.

Global Dairy 500 Conference Conclusion and Wrapup

Chuck ZimmermanAlltech, Alltech Global 500, Audio

Dr. Pearse LyonsWrapping up the Global Dairy 500 Conference was Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech President. Dr. Lyons summarized many of the presentations with a series of take home messages. The focus was on the future of dairy farming, the integration of a brand, methane production, cow comfort, tourist attractions, education, milk marketing with nutrition also being a key topic. Additionally, a strong message that came out of the presentations was to “record the data” and that body conditioning is critical. As Dr. Lyons said, “Talk to the cow and the cow will talk to you.”

During his closing remarks Dr. Lyons introduced the Agri Aware program that Alltech has sponsored. The educational program for school children of all ages now has it’s first video module featuring “A Day in the Life of a Dairy Farmer.” We watched the video and then Dr. Lyons called on participants to go back home, take the program and have it translated into their languages.

You can listen to Dr. Lyons remarks below. And don’t forget to check out my photo album from the event. If you didn’t attend you can see what you missed!

2009 Global Dairy 500 Conference Photo Album

World Dairy Diary coverage of the Global Dairy 500 Conference is sponsored by Alltech.