Pro-Act Biotech Introduces SandSmart

News EditorAnimal Health, Company Announcement, Industry News

topbar index 09Do you use sand as bedding material on your dairy farm? If you are reusing the sand, then Pro-Act Biotech has a product just for you! SandSmart™ is a biological product that allows dairy farmers to reuse their sand bedding after a quick, convenient and effective cleaning. The quality and quantity of recycled sand are important factors to consider.

SandSmart™ is a biological product designed specifically for sand-bedded dairy farms and is best used in a flush or flush flume manure system. The application is simple: The product is applied periodically to the last lagoon from which dairy draws their flush water.

The key to cleaner sand is cleaner flush water. SandSmart™ provides the dairy with superb flush water which cleans the sand with ease. Cleaner sand provides a healthier environment for the cows.

Proteiva Helps Calves Thrive

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

World Dairy Expo Photo Album

World Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
Novus Charleston Orwig

WDXDairy farmers often struggle with feeding young calves and getting enough high quality colostrum into their bloodstream in the first 24 hours, but a product called Proteiva from APC can help.

I talked with Dr. Jim Quigley, APC vice president and director of Calf Operations, about Proteiva and what it offers dairy producers who are visiting World Dairy Expo this week. “Our colostrum replacer technology is based on a couple of ideas,” Jim said. “First, the calf requires a certain amount of globulin protein in the first 24 hours after birth to make sure its immune system is functioning on all cylinders. The second idea is that the calf needs the right kind of nutrition in the first 24 hours to make sure that its going to be able to grow fast and effectively.”

Find out more in this interview with Dr. Quigley from World Dairy Expo:

International Junior Holstein Show Results

carlyAlpharma, Breeds, Charleston-Orwig, Hoard's Dairyman, Industry News, Novus International, World Dairy Expo

WDXThe International Junior Holstein Show was held on Tuesday at World Dairy Expo. Judge Brian Garrison of Tiffin, Ohio placed a total of 177 entries.

Hillmont Durham Lyndi, winner of the aged cow class and exhibited by Luther Hillegass of Berlin, Pa. was named Grand Champion and received the Udder Comfort $500 Grand Champion Cash Award. Sired by Reagancrest Elton Durham, at seven years of age in 365 days she produced 32,321M 1,295F and 1,053P. The winning five-year-old, Stonefront Advent Laverne, shown by Shane Nodolf of Belmont, Wis., received reserve Grand Champion honors.

Overall show results and top class placings are posted here on the World Dairy Expo site.

World Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
Novus Charleston Orwig

NDC Launches New Website

News EditorDairy Checkoff, Health, Industry News, Nutrition

Milk cheese yogurtThe National Dairy Council (NDC) is excited to announce the launch of its new blog, “The Dairy Report: News, analysis and opinion on nutrition and health research.” This new blog offers expertise, opinions and dialogue related to current trends and events in dairy foods, nutrition and science.

A new post on The Dairy Report highlights a study that provides further evidence that milk consumption, including flavored milk, is not associated with body fatness in children and adolescents. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that only sweetened beverage intake (such as sweetened fruit flavored drinks or sodas) at five years of age, but not milk, flavored milk or 100 percent fruit juice, was a significant predictor of girls’ body fatness from 5 years to 15 years.

Readers are encouraged to add The Dairy Report to their RSS feeds, join the e-mail distribution list, share feedback, express opinions regarding posts, and call attention to upcoming research or topics of interest.

Badger Club's Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

carlyAlpharma, Charleston-Orwig, Cheese, General, Hoard's Dairyman, Novus International, Video, World Dairy Expo

World Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
Novus Charleston Orwig

WDXThe Badger Dairy Club, a student organization on the UW-Madison campus, has become famous for their legendary grilled cheeses they bring to the World Dairy Expo. Every year members of the Badger Dairy Club come to the expo and prepare thousands of grilled cheeses to sell to hungry expo goers. This is one of the club’s biggest fundraisers. Members also put countless of hours before, during and after the expo making the sandwiches as well as setting up show ring displays, picking up milk, and cleaning up the barns.

I took a moment to try one of their famous grilled cheeses. After just one bite you can tell they have grilled cheese sandwich making down to an art. Take a look at a video below of my experience.

World Dairy Expo Photo Album

The Legendary Hoard's Dairyman

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

World Dairy Expo Photo Album

World Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
Novus Charleston Orwig

WDXThe theme of this year’s World Dairy Expo is “Legendary” and with nearly 125 years of service to the dairy industry, it’s hard to beat Hoard’s Dairyman for legendary.

The legend began in 1885 with W.D. Hoard who published a weekly newspaper, according to managing editor Steve Larson. “He was from New York and he had seen dairy farming and home butter and cheese making there and he saw this as a potential source of income for Wisconsin farmers,” Steve says. “Wisconsin at that time was the leading wheat producing state with very little animal agriculture, so he began to advocate keeping dairy cattle as a way to make use of this land.”

Mr. Hoard began to talk about that in his weekly newspaper which over time became the Hoard’s Dairyman magazine, which has been a pioneer in the dairy industry. They own and operate a dairy farm that was purchased by Mr. Hoard in 1899 to serve as a model for the industry.

Hoard’s continues to be a pioneer in communicating to dairy producers as well, featuring a well-populated blog from World Dairy Expo this year, according to Gary Vorpahl, director of marketing. “We have an hourly blog that’s being updated as different events happen and different activities such as the cow judging and the student competitions become finalized, we’re reporting those on an instantaneous basis.”

Listen to or download an interview with Steve and Gary here:

Holstein Association Breeds Young Leaders

Cindy ZimmermanAlpharma, Audio, Charleston-Orwig, Hoard's Dairyman, Holstein Association, Novus International, World Dairy Expo

World Dairy Expo Photo Album

WDXWorld Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
Novus Charleston Orwig

Holstein dairy cattle continue to be the leading breed in the dairy industry and the Holstein industry has also been breeding leaders in the agribusiness industry as well through the Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI).

WDXJodi Hoynoski with Holstein Foundation and Holstein Association USA says they are planning for the seventh YDLI class. “It is a two year, intense leadership training program,” Jodi told me. “There’s three phases for the program. The first phase is dedicated to developing individual skills, learning more about who you are, a bit media training to help them speak up more for agriculture.”

Phase two is a year of “homework projects” promoting the dairy industry and agriculture. Phase three, everyone gets back together for more advanced teamwork skills, board member training, more media training and affecting public policy. She says that graduates of the program have gone on to become influential movers and shakers in the agribusiness industry – like Mike Opperman with Charleston Orwig who was in the very first graduating class!

Jodi says applications are due next summer for the next class that begins in February of 2011. Sign up to receive an application from a link on the front page of the Holstein Foundation website.

Listen to or download an interview with Jodi from World Dairy Expo here:

Virginia Tech Wins Judging Contest Again

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

WDXWorld Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
Novus Charleston Orwig

Virginia Tech received top honors for the second year in a row at the 89th Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo. Paula Craun and Hannah Smith led the team placing second and third, respectively. Virginia Tech also won High Team in Reasons. Sandra Kirchner took home High Individual Overall leading the UW-River Falls team to second place team overall.

Find out how all the top teams and individuals placed here on the World Dairy Expo site.

World Dairy Expo Photo Album

Agency Serves Dairy Industry

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

World Dairy Expo Photo Album

World Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
Novus Charleston Orwig

WDXCharleston Orwig must have more dairy industry related clients than any other communications agency in the country, which makes sense since they are located literally in the heartland of the state synonymous with dairy production – Hartland, Wisconsin. That keeps them pretty darn busy during World Dairy Expo every year.

I met with Mike Opperman with Charleston Orwig in the agency’s suite overlooking the expo arena and we talked about what they are doing at the event and their philosophy when it comes to serving dairy industry clients and producers. “We always like to think that it’s a great time to be in agriculture, no matter what the season or the climate,” Mike said. “Certainly being in the dairy industry over the last 6-8 months has been a very difficult time for producers and for some of our clients as well, but we always like to see the silver lining and we see the sun coming up on the dairy industry again.”

Here is a YouTube video of my short interview with Mike and the audio interview follows:

Dairy Farmers, Task Force Grapple With Policy Reform

Amanda NolzGovernment, Industry News, Policy

Dave Lefever with Lancaster Farming wrote an article titled, “Dairy Farmers, Task Force Grapple With Policy Reform,” and it highlights the efforts of dairy producers in dealing with dairy policy reform. Stay up-to-date on the issues and check out this informative article.

Dean Jackson’s dad told him that a roomful of farmers would never agree on a solution to a problem. But the Bradford County dairyman showed up at a special meeting Tuesday hoping to make a case for proving his father wrong on that particular point.

“There’s got to be unity,” Jackson said during the Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence Task Force, called to solidify the state’s plan of action for addressing dairy policy reform.

Jackson’s call for solidarity was echoed by others at the meeting, including Gordon Hoover, director of eastern milk supply for Land O’ Lakes.

“If the industry ever got unified, legislators would breathe a sigh of relief,” Hoover said.

Jackson and Hoover were among about 40 attendees, including a number of dairy farmers and industry support people at the meeting, scheduled by Acting Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding to coincide with the All-American Dairy Show.