NCBA Names New CEO

News EditorBeef Checkoff

ncbalogoThe National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced that Forrest L. Roberts will be its next chief executive officer. Roberts, 42, will start Jan. 20.

Roberts grew up on a family-owned, diversified livestock operation in Uvalde, Texas. He worked side-by-side with his family when the operation expanded to include a retail meat market for “locally grown, corn-fed” beef and pork. Forrest went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in animal science from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina.

Roberts has held several marketing and sales positions in two animal health companies. He started with Upjohn Animal Health in 1992, and he remained with the company through its two mergers to Pharmacia Animal Health and later Pfizer Animal Health. In 2004, he left Pfizer to join Elanco Animal Health where he most recently served as the marketing manager for Elanco’s Beef Business Unit.

“Forrest’s agriculture background, business experience and his passion for the industry clearly made him the candidate we wanted to lead our association into the future,” Groseta said. “Forrest is a goal-oriented and dynamic leader, who will take NCBA to the next level to better serve the cattlemen of this country. We fully expect him to meet the challenges of our industry head-on with innovative solutions that will help producers succeed in the global marketplace.”

In addition to his agriculture and beef business experience, Roberts has served in several volunteer positions in NCBA. He has been a member of NCBA’s Executive Committee, board of directors, Allied Industry Council, Long-Range Planning Committee and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation Board of Trustees.

DFA Grazing Conference in February

News EditorEducation, Industry News

grazing-logo-copyRegistration is now open for Opportunities Explored: 2009 Grazing Conference, which will take place February 11-12 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. This two-day event, hosted by Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA), is open to all dairy producers and industry professionals.

The conference is open to all dairy producers and industry professionals who wish to learn more about pasture-based dairying. A nominal registration fee of $75 will cover attendance and all meals and breaks. DFA members may attend free of charge.

A dynamic lineup of speakers will help participants explore the opportunities and challenges for successfully incorporating grazing into a dairy operation through a variety of topics, including:
• Transitioning to a grazing operation
• Environmental issues
• Financing
• Mastering the “Grazing Wedge”
• Profitability

Starch Digestibility

Cindy ZimmermanAnimal Health, Audio, Feed, Forage Forum, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Podcast

Pioneer Hi-Bred Forage Forum PodcastMore than half of the digested fiber comes from the starch and sugar portion of the corn kernel. Therefore, it is vital for a producer to evaluate the availability of fiber in feed supplies this winter and look at factors such as kernel particles that can make a difference in the nutritional value of their silage. Energy from starch is available only if the material is digested. Smaller kernel particles are digested more easily by the intestines and rumen. Larger particles or whole kernels often are digested without breakdown, resulting in minimal nutritional value and, potentially, acidosis. Fredric Owens, Pioneer senior research scientist talks about starch digestibility and its importance.

[audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3?http://zimmcomm.biz/pioneer/pioneer-podcast-46-wdd.mp3]

Fredric Owens on Starch Digestibility (5:20 min MP3)

To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Previous Forage Forum podcasts are also archived at the Pioneer GrowingPoint website. To access them, go to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and click “Livestock Nutrition” and “Forage Blog.” Those not registered for Pioneer GrowingPoint website can call 800-233-7333 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT for assistance.

Dairyland State Academy: Growing Dairy in a Down Economy

News EditorEducation

dairyland state academyDairyland State Academy(DSA) is an historic collaborative effort of the DSA Board, Northcentral Technical College, the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County, University of Wisconsin-Extension, and University of Wisconsin-River Falls. At the working, for-profit DSA farm and in the classroom, students will be involved in every aspect of the farm from genetics, nutrition management, culling, waste management, and crop management to marketing, input costs, profitability, and taxes.

“Nearly 50 percent of all farms in the northcentral region of Wisconsin disappeared between 1987 and 2002,” says Dale Heise, President, Dairyland State Academy (DSA). “Education is the key to reversing this trend.”

Students of DSA can earn a two-year Applied Associate Degree in Dairy Science and transfer to a four-year degree program at UW-River Falls. “Students can be introduced to an idea in the classroom and immediately deal with it in the barn or field,” adds Mickelsen, “Everything is in place to reverse the decline in dairying – now we’ve taken the next step by launching our site.”

The site is designed along specific user paths, is peppered with three- plus years of research and hosts an online community. “We want to interact with people and start a conversation that benefits our state and the dairy industry,” notes Heise. “Everyone is affected by the dairy industry – whether you’ve lost a job because an ag-related factory closed or because you have to pay more for dairy products. We all should have a say.”

Top-Five New Dairy Products Revealed

News EditorAgribusiness, World Ag Expo

top_5_dairy_2001_scid24_919_thumbIt’s hard to believe that World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif. is a little more than a month away. Held February 10-12, the is the world’s largest annual agricultural exposition, with 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, over 1,600 exhibitors and an estimated 100,000 attendees.

World Ag Expo has selected the 2009 Top-Five New Dairy Products to be exhibited at the expo. The Top-Five were chosen by a panel of industry professionals and dairymen as the newest, most innovative dairy products for the upcoming year. The selections will be unveiled during Media Day on Feb. 9 and will remain on display throughout World Ag Expo on Feb. 10–12, 2009.

The new products will be located in the Dairy Technology Center (DTC), presented by Bella Health Systems.

Attendees can view the Top-Five New Dairy Products before the expo at the World Ag Expo’s new website. During the expo, attendees can speak with the winners and learn more about why these products were selected as the top products for 2009. The Dairy Technology Center is located on Expo Lane between R and S streets.

Reprinted from the International Agri-Center and Farm Press

Wis. Dairy Symposium is Jan. 28 & 29

News EditorEducation, Industry News

2009_front_imageThe Dairy Business Association invites you to attend the 4th Annual Expansion Symposium to be held January 28th & 29th, in Green Bay, Wis., at the Lambeau Field Atrium. Please register for the conference and/or dinner by January 23rd by contacting Michelle Philibeck at 920-788-7588, mphilibeck@widba.com.

The Expansion Symposium is a one-stop shop for producers serious about growing their dairies. DBA, the foremost organization experienced in dairy expansions, is eager to present this two-day event focused on the future of our state’s dairy industry. More than 600 attendees will leave this event fully informed with an arsenal of information on how to ensure that their dairies are progressive and profitable.

Conference Highlights:
Wednesday, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saving the Environment Through Capitalism
The eco-benefits of rbST are substantial, allowing more milk to be produced with less land, less waste and fewer green house gas (GHG) emissions. Hear how conventional production systems can provide a more affordable, economically sustainable food supply than natural or organic methods.
Presenter: Alex Avery – Center for Global Food Issues

Wednesday, 2-3 p.m. If I Knew Then What I Know Now …
Planning an expansion? Learn the correct way to permit your dairy operation prior to expanding and how to avoid unnecessary delays and costs.
Panelists: Jen Keuning – Conestoga-Rovers & Associates
Bryan Ellefson – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
John Roach – Roach and Associates, LLC

Noon-12:30 p.m. Learning As We Grow
Many changes have occurred in Wisconsin’s dairy industry. Hear from DBA producer-members as they share their thoughts and insights on the following topics:
Jay Richardson – Dairy Finance, Inflation & Cost of Production
Dr. Don Niles – Expansion Planning for Cattle Needs
Larry Dufek – Pitfalls and Potholes of Dairy Farm Expansion

Calcium 'Taste' Discovered

News EditorResearch

The capability to taste calcium has now been discovered in mice. With these rodents and humans sharing many of the same genes, the new finding suggests that people might also have such a taste.

The four tastes we are most familiar with are sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Recently scientists have discovered tongue molecules called receptors that detect a fifth distinct taste – “umami,” or savory.

“But why stop there?” asked researcher Michael Tordoff, a behavioral geneticist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. “My group has been investigating what we believe is another taste quality – calcium.”

So assuming the human palate can detect calcium, what does the mineral taste like?

“Calcium tastes calcium-y,” Tordoff said. “There isn’t a better word for it. It is bitter, perhaps even a little sour. But it’s much more because there are actual receptors for calcium, not just bitter or sour compounds.”

One way we might regularly perceive calcium is when it comes to minute levels found in drinking water.

“In tap water, it’s fairly pleasant,” Tordoff said. “But at levels much above that, the taste becomes increasingly bad.”

There may be a strong link between the bitterness of certain vegetables and their calcium level. High-calcium vegetables include collard greens, bok choy, kale and bitter melon. One reason some people might avoid these veggies, Tordoff suggests, is because of their calcium taste.

Ironically, while milk and other dairy products are loaded with calcium, the mineral tends to bind to fats and proteins, which prevents you from tasting it in these foods.

A taste receptor designed specifically for calcium makes sense for our survival, since the mineral is key to cell biology and good bones. Low calcium intakes have been implicated in several chronic diseases in people, including osteoporosis, obesity and hypertension.

“Many animals have a specific calcium appetite, which implies they can detect the mineral and consume sufficient quantities of it to meet their needs,” Tordoff said.

Tordoff and his colleagues detailed their findings Aug. 20 at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.

Activists Want Garden on White House Lawn

News EditorAgribusiness, Media

1whofarm_alabama540President-elect Barack Obama will have his hands full when he takes office in January, and some activists want to make sure his belly is full, too — full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Several campaigns are petitioning Obama to plant an organic garden on the White House lawn, and they’ve devised peculiar ways of getting attention.

Take, for example, Daniel Bowman Simon and Casey Gustowarow and their upside-down, topsy-turvy bus — a vehicle that is actually one school bus flipped on its back and fused on top of another. On the roof, where the second bus’s engine would have been, is a small but hardy vegetable garden.

“People have just kind of gravitated toward this upside-down school bus just because they want to know what it is,” Simon says. “So it opens up the potential for having a conversation.”

Simon and Gustowarow founded the White House Organic Farm Project –- or TheWhoFarm. Since August, they’ve driven through 25 states visiting farms, markets, schools and restaurants, asking people to sign their petition.

“We need to be more holistic in the way that we view health in this country, and a lot of it comes down to eating healthier,” Simon says. “People who eat healthier don’t get sick as much.”

But for the WhoFarm guys and other sustainable-food junkies, eating locally grown produce is not just about health. They say it’s also about cutting down the amount of fuel we use to transport food, encouraging communities to congregate around a garden and rediscovering America’s agricultural roots. Simon says the president should lead by example.

And the WhoFarmers are not the only grassroots gardeners trying to get the president-elect’s attention. In February, Roger Doiron, director of Kitchen Gardeners International, launched an online campaign called Eat the View — the “view” being the pristine White House grounds.

“It might sound a bit trivial to some people, the idea of a garden on the White House lawn,” Doiron says. “But it’s not. It’s something that would speak to millions of people in the United States and even more people around the world who look at gardens and small subsistence farms as a way of making a living, as a way of putting good food on the table.”

Like TheWhoFarm, Eat the View has an online petition. In total, the campaigns have collected about 18,000 signatures. (It’s hard to say how many are duplicates.) At one point, Doiron even raised money for his nonprofit by selling imaginary plots of the White House lawn on eBay.

But not everyone is so supportive of these campaigns. Alex Avery, author of The Truth About Organic Food and director of research at the Center for Global Food Issues, is critical of the larger organic farming agenda.

“I think the idea to put an organic farm on the White House lawn is as shallow a stunt as is the intellectual rigor of the organic movement as a whole,” he says.

According to Avery, feeding the world’s population organically — that is, without synthetic fertilizer — would require plowing down millions of square miles of wildlife habitat in order to achieve the same yield of food.

“It would create no solutions — it would, in fact, create nothing but problems,” Avery says.

Kraft's Facebook Application Feeds the Hungry

News EditorAgribusiness, Industry News, Media

app_3_51533392928_2258Kraft Foods is reaching out to its customers through social networking, and using the popular website Facebook to feed hungry Americans. Kraft’s new cause-related Facebook application was launched in conjunction with social marketing company SocialVibe. For each friend users convince to add the application, Kraft donates six meals to hungry families through the Feeding America charity.

So far, the program appears to be working. In less than two weeks, more than 25,000 Facebook users have added the Kraft application. That translates into 1.4 million meals donated. Kraft has promised to provide up to 3.2 million meals through the program. At its current rate, it is on pace to reach that goal, with 50,000 application installations, sometime next month.

Giving people the reward of social status to share the Kraft application was key to the program, according to Adam Broitman, director of strategy at Crayon, the new media consultancy that advised Kraft.

“There have been a lot of applications where people are ignoring them,” he said. “We had a number of conversations about how to get around that. One of the things that came to mind is you can go into a community by yourself and put your brand stake in the ground or you can meet someone in the community and have them intro you around.”

When a user adds the application, a notification is sent to friends via the News Feed, the ticker updating friend activities on the social network.

The concept behind SocialVibe is to tap into cause marketing to give people a tangible reason to flog brands in their personal spaces, whether it is through their blogs or social network pages on Facebook and MySpace. It claims 500,000 users on its platform.

Brands have mostly failed in social media, according to SocialVibe CEO Joe Marchese, because they have relied on the myth of viral distribution. Whether a Facebook application or a YouTube video, many brands have taken a myopic approach to encouraging users to spread their messages, he said. Instead, they need to make it worth their while.

“The only appropriate way to insert a brand into social media is to give some kind of benefit to people,” Marchese said. “More and more marketers understand that. You don’t trick people into sharing your brand.”