Join the Big Discussion at AgWired!

Amanda NolzAnimal Welfare

Yesterday, I posted a call to action on AgWired, and the blog post was titled, “A Special Cause: Vote for ACMA Entertainer of the Year.” The HSUS is trying to slip one past country music fans by getting its members to secretly head on over and vote Carrie Underwood in as Entertainer of the Year. Underwood is a fan of the HSUS, and as we all know, that organization wants to eliminate animal agriculture and put us all out of business. Anyway, the blog post must have struck a cord with Carrie fans, and we already have 29 comments on this one blog entry! I need all dairy producers to head on over and weigh in on this discussion.

In the meantime, here is the link to vote for a different entertainer. (I voted for George Strait because he is a great performer, a member of PRCA, a competitive team roper and a supporter of agriculture.) Want to learn more about the sins of the Humane Society of the United States? Head to Activist Cash, where you can learn about the dirty laundry of all kinds of organizations. If you need a little more information on this situation, watch my YouTube video of my peaceful walkout of a Carrie Underwood concert at the National FFA Convention in 2006. Oh, and don’t forget to head on over to AgWired and add your comments in this heated discussion!

Vilsack to Make Announcement Tomorrow

News EditorGovernment, Industry News

usdaStay tuned to World Dairy Diary for the latest news on this announcement.

On Thursday, March 26th at 1:00pm Eastern, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will hold a news teleconference call to make an announcement benefiting both the dairy farmers and domestic nutrition programs. Representatives from National Milk Producers Federation and Feeding America will also take part.

Pa. Dairy Farmer Featured in USA today

News EditorIndustry News, Media

dairyxMany of you may have already seen the USA Today article on dairy farmer milk prices. If you haven’t, be sure to take the time to read it, and be sure to leave a comment at the end of the article.

Walt Moore, a dairy farmer in Pennsylvania is featured in the article, as well as in a nicely-done video. Thanks Walt for taking time to talk to the media!

Dairy farmer Walt Moore, 41, is general manager/owner of Walmoore Holsteins, in West Grove, Pa. He is a fourth-generation farmer whose family has worked the farm for nearly a century. “This is an unprecedented time,” Moore says of the decline in dairy demand.

Winners for the Western Regional Dairy Challenge Announced

News EditorGeneral

image001The winners for the annual western regional Dairy Challenge contest, held February 27 and 28, 2009, have been announced. Forty-two students from six universities competed including California Polytechnic State University, California State University–Fresno, University of Idaho, South Dakota State University, Texas A&M University and Washington State University.

Team Coronado was the Platinum-ranking team, composed of students Matt Strickland from Fresno State University, Samantha Wahls from South Dakota State University, Shane Smith from the University of Idaho, and Luke de Jong Cal Poly State University.

The three Gold award teams were:

Big Bar
Trent VanLeunen, University of Idaho, Andy Gray, Washington State University, Desiree McIntyre, Fresno State University, Amy Odens, Cal Poly State University, and Conner Martin, Cal Poly State University

Indio
Lauren Reid, Fresno State University, Katie Maples, Texas A & M University, Jarred Mello, Cal Poly State University, and Maci DePaoli, Cal Poly State University

Firebaugh
Kayla Machado, Cal Poly State University, Tim Korver, South Dakota State University, Megan Bettencourt, Fresno State University, II Hun Jeong, University of Idaho, and Carrie Crane, Cal Poly State University

The six teams earning Silver awards were:

Stockton
Travis Kamper, Cal Poly State University, Chloe Dixon, Washington State University, Daric Ameye, Fresno State University, and Courtney Curti, Cal Poly State University

Suttercreek
William Van Beek, Cal Poly State University, Kelsey Blagg, Fresno State University, Amelia Naher, University of Idaho, and Kevin Hooley, Washington State University

Mendota
Luke Gallegos, Texas A & M University, Kassie Romero, Fresno State University, Eric Schultz, South Dakota State University, and Susan Buttram, University of Idaho

Napa
Richard Mayo, Fresno State University, Neal Frerichs, Texas A & M University, Amber Terhaar, University of Idaho, and Corey Zonneveld, Cal Poly State University

Gilroy
Abigail Wirt, South Dakota State University, Philip deVries, Washington State University, Joel Goedhart, Cal Poly State University, and Jeanene Russo, University of Idaho

Morro Bay
Jordan VanGrouw, Cal Poly State University, Melody Jaime, Fresno State University, Shay McDonald, Texas A & M University, and Andrew Nicholson, University of Idaho

Dairy Challenge to Be Held the Weekend

News EditorEducation

image001aGood luck to all the participating dairy students! Can’t wait to hear the results! Thirty-one universities from the United States and Canada will compete in the eighth annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, March 27-28 in Syracuse, N.Y.

The annual competition draws the best and brightest among college students enrolled in dairy science programs across North America to compete in a management analysis and recommendation program. According to contest co-chairs Michael Van Amburgh of Cornell University and Barry Putnam of Genex, 124 students will participate in this year’s contest.

Over the two-day event, they will visit selected dairy farms and evaluate the business through both observation and interviews with the herd owner and/or manager. Working in teams, they will identify management recommendations, then present these for evaluation by a panel of judges with expertise in herd management, animal health and ag business finance.

Currently, more than 120 sponsors support NAIDC contests, programs and activities. Sponsors include companies, organizations and dairy business owners committed to cultivating tomorrow’s dairy leaders. Their support encourages enhanced training and motivation of dairy students to be better prepared for the dairy industry’s future. Many sponsors take an active role in the contest, giving them an exciting recruitment opportunity where they get to meet some of North America’s brightest students and see them in action.

The mission of the North American Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) is to facilitate education, communication and an exchange of ideas among students, agribusiness, dairy producers and universities that enhances the development of the dairy industry and its leaders. Supported financially through generous donations by industry and coordinated by a volunteer board of directors, NAIDC has been held annually since April of 2002.

Progress for Dairyland State Academy

Amanda NolzEducation, General

0224 It’s been three years in the making, but it looks like the proposed Dairyland State Academy might have gotten a new pair of running shoes and will soon take launch. The Dairyland State Academy is a two-year associates degree that will focus on energy efficiency in dairies. The program would be based on Northeast Iowa Community College’s dairy science program at its dairy education and applied research center in Calmar, Iowa.
This degree would be transferrable to a four-year institution. I think it sounds like an amazing program to help jumpstart an individual into the dairy production and manufacturing world. The Wisconsin Ag Connection shares the news of the approved funding for this program.

The proposed Dairyland State Academy was given a much needed lifeline on Tuesday when the Marathon County Board voted to provide $1 million in funding to help buy farmland and classroom facilities for the project. Organizers of the central Wisconsin-based school, which would offer classes from Northcentral Technical College, the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County, UW-River Falls and UW-Madison, have been on edge lately after county supervisors postponed their decision to provide the money during recent board meetings.

According to Gannett Newspapers, board members didn’t approve the taxpayer funding without some lengthy discussion. One amendment to the resolution would have given the school incremental payments over a certain time period. But that idea was later dropped.

Central Plains Dairy Expo

Amanda NolzEducation, General

n116501120_32343232_3313It’s a big week at South Dakota State University with Little International, the largest two-day livestock exposition run completely by students for students. Little “I” will be held on the SDSU campus March 27-28, 2009. As a member of the executive team, I’m keeping busy making sure things run smoothly, and that this year’s event is one for the books. This is a photo of me showing a bull last year during Little “I” competitions! (I know, it’s not dairy…I did get to show a dairy heifer in the Round Robin competition, though!) However, despite my busy and exciting week, I can hardly wait for next week when I head to the Central Plains Dairy Expo in Sioux Falls, S.D. on April 1-2, 2009!

This two-day trade show features nearly 200 all-dairy exhibitors and includes entertainment and seminars. This year cowboy poet and humorist Baxter Black will provide entertainment at the Welcome Banquet. Trent Loos, of Loos Tales, is one of the keynote speakers during Expo. On top of the exciting entertainment and dynamic speakers, I plan to listen in on the educational seminars that tackle the following topics titled: “Effective Safety Training For A Multicultural Workforce — What You Need To Say in Spanish and English,” “Outlook For Milk Prices,” “Is Competitive Advantage Shifting to the Central Plains?” and many more. I thought I would let you know this event is on my agenda for next week, in case you wanted me to take notes for you!

Interested? Meet me at the Central Plains Dairy Expo. If it’s not in the cards, don’t worry! I will capture the details with highlights as the event takes place. Stay tuned!

Jersey Youth Get Entries in by June 5

News EditorEducation, Industry News, Jersey Association

JerseylogoJersey youth – don’t forget that Friday, June 5, 2009 is the deadline to enter the fourth edition of the national Jersey junior presentation competition, TalkJersey. All AJCA junior or lifetime Members, ages 7 through 20 as of January 1, 2009, are invited to enter either the live public speaking contest or the recorded presentation division. Judging will be held on Thursday, July 2 during the Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. at the DoubleTree Hotel Syracuse, Syracuse, N.Y. The contest entry form and evaluation scorecards are posted on the USJersey web site under the “Jersey Youth and Student Projects” heading.

Live Public Speaking

Demonstrations or speeches are to focus on any phase of the Registered Jersey™ business, including current affairs and dairy industry trends. Judges will evaluate the speaker’s personal interest in the topic, as well as its appropriateness for a general dairy audience.

Participants will be divided into groups by their age on January 1, 2009 as follows: Division I, 7 to 10 years; Division II, 11 to 13 years; Division III, 14 to 16; and Division IV, 17 to 20 years.

Division I contestants present demonstrations between four (4) and six (6) minutes in length. Posters may be used in addition to demonstration materials.

Participants in Divisions II, III and IV present speeches between five (5) and seven (7) minutes in length. Visual aids are not allowed. Speaker notes are permitted. No more than four (4) 4″ x 6″ notecards may be used. Judges will ask questions after each presentation is completed.

Contestants will be scored on the basis of 50 points, as follows: topic selection and content, 15 points; organization of speech, 10 points; vocal presentation, 10 points; presentation and effectiveness, 10 points; and response to questions, 5 points.

One (1) point will be subtracted from the total point score for each 30 seconds over or under the required speaking time.

Recorded Presentation Division

Entries are also invited for video or PowerPoint narrated presentations. This presentation must be the contestant’s own production and created between September 1, 2008 and June 1, 2009.

The topic must be a subject directly related to Registered JerseysTM. Entries must be between five (5) and seven (7) minutes long, and feature the contestant as the only speaker. No costumes may be used, and no interviews with other persons are allowed. Musical tracks or background music cannot be used in these presentations.

Entries will be divided into three groups by contestant age on January 1, 2009: Division I, ages 7 to 12 years; Division II, ages 13 to 16; and Division III, age 17 and older.

The finished presentation must be saved in PC format (not Mac) on either a CD/DVD, a flashdrive/thumbdrive, or as a VHS video. Entries must be received in the AJCA office by Friday, June 26.

National DHIA Hosts Annual Meeting

News EditorAgribusiness, Animal ID

national DHIAWith a theme of “Sustainability through data-driven decisions,” National Dairy Herd Information Association (DHIA) held its 44th annual meeting March 4-5, in Boise, Idaho. Session topics included milk recording, management and analysis, animal identification systems, genomics, dairy beef quality assurance, worldwide dairy update and new economic realities.

“National DHIA is not talking sustainability; we are continuing on long-standing actions toward sustainability,” stated Jay Mattison, CEO and administrator. “As we move into the coming years, there will be as many challenges for the dairy industry as ever. One constant is the sustainability into the coming years will be driven by data for decision making.”

For five consecutive years, the number of U.S. dairy cows on DHI programs has increased – from 4.071 million cows in 2003 to 4.478 million cows in 2008. National DHIA President Dan Sheldon shared this remarkable news with delegates, managers and guests during the association’s annual meeting. Services and products offered by field service providers, labs and dairy records processing organizations drove this growth.

In addition, Steven Sievert, DHIA Services technical director, demonstrated some key features of EarTagCentral.com, a web site that offers a wide variety of animal identification (ID) ear tags and ID accessories. Open 24/7 and providing more than 7,500 ID products, the site offers visual and electronic animal identification ear tags (in various styles, shapes, sizes and colors), taggers, readers and accessories, mainly for dairy and beef cattle, but also for sheep, goats and swine.

Delegates re-elected Kent Buttars, Rocky Mountain DHIA, Lewiston, Utah; Bob McKaig, Indiana State Dairy Association, Logansport, Ind.; and James Zimmerman, Dairy One Cooperative Inc., Ithaca, N.Y.; to serve as National DHIA board members. Other board members include Dan Sheldon, Dairy One Cooperative Inc., Salem, N.Y.; Lee Maassen, Dairy Lab Services, Maurice, Iowa; Steve Hershey, Lancaster DHIA, Manheim, Pa.; Richard Kimball, Vermont DHIA, Spencer, Mass.; Susan Lee, Idaho DHIA, Twin Falls, Idaho; Bruce Dokkebakken, Minnesota DHIA, Buffalo, Minn.; Jon Tollenaar, San Joaquin DHIA, Elk Grove, Calif.; and Steven Smith, DHI-Provo, Provo, Utah, as the Dairy Records Processing Center ex-officio board member. At the board reorganization meeting, all officers were re-elected: President Dan Sheldon, Vice President Lee Maassen, Secretary Steve Hershey and Treasurer James Zimmerman.

National DHIA, a trade association for the dairy records industry, serves the best interests of its members and the dairy industry by maintaining the integrity of dairy records and advancing dairy information systems.

Get Your D!

News EditorHealth, Industry News, Milk, Nutrition

img_ellieThe Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) wants to remind you that milk is the leading source of vitamin D. Did you “Get Your D” today? Visit MilkPEP’s new website to find out if you are “D-prived”, to explore the latest scientific research about vitamin D, and to ask the expert – Ellie Krieger, Registered Dietitian and Food Network host.

Even though we have the ability to make our own vitamin D when the ultraviolet rays of the sun hit our skin, many Americans fail to get enough vitamin D. In fact, vitamin D deficiency in this country is being called a silent epidemic. The prudent use of sunscreen, sun-blocking pollution and long, cold winters indoors are partially to blame. That’s why it’s even more important to look to your diet for vitamin D.

Milk is one of the few food sources of vitamin D. In fact, it’s the leading source of vitamin D in the American diet. The recommended three 8-ounce glasses of lowfat or fat free milk provide 75 percent of the daily value for vitamin D. Milk also provides eight other essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium and vitamin A, which many Americans also lack.

Vitamin D was once known as simply a bone builder. It’s true that vitamin D works with calcium to keep bones strong, but new and emerging research suggests vitamin D may be far more versatile, offering an array of health benefits. Some preliminary research suggests vitamin D may support a healthy immune system, heart health, normal blood pressure and healthy aging. And, ongoing research continues to explore the potential connection between vitamin D and certain diseases, including some cancers.