Dairyline Markets in Review

Chuck ZimmermanDairyline, Markets

DairylineDairy Markets Week in Review
Checking the markets for the week of April 16; cash block cheese closed Friday at $1.4825 per pound, up 5 3/4-cents on the week, 32 1/4-cents above that week a year ago, and the highest block price since October 2005.

Barrel closed at $1.4850, up 7 1/4-cents on the week, and 35 1/4-cents a year ago. Nine cars of block traded hands on the week and 13 of barrel. The NASS U.S. average block price hit $1.3970, up 1.2 cents, and barrel averaged $1.4135, up 0.7 cent.

Butter closed Friday at $1.39, up 1 1/2-cents on the week, and 22 cents above a year ago. Only one car was sold all week. NASS butter averaged $1.3237, up 0.9 cent. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged $1.3920, up 4.2 cents, and dry whey averaged a record high 77.94 cents, up 1.7 cents.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.

Broering Appointed to Promotion Board

News EditorDairy Checkoff

Paul Broering, an Ohio dairy farmer, was appointed by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to the National Dairy Research and Promotion Board. Broering will fill the Region 9 board position that became vacant in 2006. His term will end Oct. 31, 2007.

The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, composed of 36 dairy farmers representing 13 regions of the contiguous United States, administers a coordinated program of promotion, research and nutrition education.

The board was established by the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983. It is authorized to design programs to strengthen the dairy industry’s position in domestic and foreign markets. The national program is financed
by a mandatory 15-cent per hundredweight assessment on milk produced in the contiguous 48 states and marketed commercially by dairy farmers. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the operation of the board.

Dairy Club Creates Flavor

News EditorEducation, Ice Cream

The Iowa State University Dairy Club has created a new ice cream flavor in celebration of the school’s 150th anniversary. The club will sell Cyclone Celebration at the annual VEISHEA event this weekend as a fundraising event. You can click here to watch the dairy club members making the special ice cream flavor.

The annual VEISHEA event at ISU was named in 1922 and is an acronym made up of the first letters of the colleges at ISU at that time — Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics and Agriculture.

The rich flavor combines nearly 300 gallons of vanilla cream with boxes upon boxes of cake batter and 650 pounds of red and yellow sprinkles. Volunteers will keep the ice cream machines humming and scoop up the 8,000 cups of ice cream needed for this weekend’s sesquicentennial celebration.

HealthMark Helps Breeders

News EditorIndustry News

Through advances in DNA technology and a synergistic partnership with IGENITY®, a business unit of Merial, Select Sires is proud to become the first A.I. organization to designate a category of sires, called HealthMark£, which combines predicted transmitting ability (PTA) data for health and fertility traits with genetic marker information.

“To help dairy producers zero in on balanced health-trait bulls, Select Sires has developed HealthMark as an indicator of sires that transmit improved performances in SCS, DPR and PL,” said Chuck Sattler, vice president and manager of genetic programs for Select Sires. “HealthMark is a unique and powerful tool that identifies positive health trait bulls sooner than ever before and allows producers to meet their breeding goals faster.”

The comprehensive IGENITY profile now includes DNA markers for PL and dairy form (DF), both leading indicators of cow longevity. Bulls at Select Sires have been analyzed for these important traits using the IGENITY profile. HealthMark sires must score above average in all three health trait areas (SCS, DPR and PL) to qualify for this designation. Data from the bull’s IGENITY profile, which includes DNA marker analyses for PL and DF, provides extra information about each sire’s ability to transmit positive health traits.

New Look of School Milk Recognized

News EditorDairy Checkoff, Milk

dairyinnovationlogoThe National Dairy Council recently received high honors from the 2007 Global Dairy Innovation Awards in the “Best School Milk Initiative” category for its partnerships with local dairy processors and six school districts to encourage milk consumption among children and adolescents. Each school district has adopted white and flavored milk in kid-friendly plastic packaging.

St. Vrain Valley School District (Colo.) experienced a 40 percent increase in milk purchases following the introduction of 10-ounce single-serve bottles of white, chocolate, strawberry and orange crème flavored milk, in conjunction with Robinson Dairy. Marietta City Schools (Ga.) Middle School promoted reduced-fat white and low-fat chocolate milk in 8-ounce plastic bottles as a part of the school’s “Grab-and-Go Breakfasts” initiative, in partnership with Mayfield Dairy. Omaha Public Schools (Neb.) teamed up with Roberts Dairy to introduce milk in plastic bottles and encouraged kids to drink milk with help from Olympic Gold Medal wrestler Rulon Gardner. Strongsville City Schools (Ohio) introduced low-fat and fat-free milk in plastic bottles and displayed them in open-air merchandising. The district conducted milk sampling events in conjunction with Dairymen’s Milk & Ice Cream Co. Chicopee Public Schools (Mass.) partnered with Garelick Farms to double milk consumption through the introduction of low-fat and fat-free milk in 10-ounce plastic bottles. Spring Independent School District (Texas), with the help from Borden Dairy and NFL player David Carr, the district promoted white and flavored milk as part of school meals and vending offerings.

“The New Look of School Milk’s innovative plastic packaging and flavors have redefined milk’s place both inside the cafeteria and throughout the school campus, making it more appealing to students and staff. We hope our efforts here will inspire other schools and processors across the country to work together and increase milk consumption through new packaging and flavors,” said Camellia Patey, vice president, school marketing, Dairy Management Inc.

CWT Export Assistance Bids

Chuck ZimmermanDairy Group, Export

Cooperatives Working TogetherHere’s the latest announcement from Cooperatives Working Together:

Cooperatives Working Together announced today that it accepted one export assistance bid last week for the sale of butter. The lone bid was from Land O’Lakes of Arden Hills, MN, for 36 metric tons (79,200 lbs.) of butter to the United Arab Emirates. CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidder, once completion of the butter shipment is verified.

I missed posting this announcement from last week:

CWT announced that it accepted six export assistance bids last week for the sale of cheese and butter and anhydrous milkfat.

For the first time, CWT accepted a bid from Michigan Milk Producers Association for the export of 95 MT (209,000 lbs) of butter to Turkey.

Two bids were accepted from Dairy Farmers of America; one for 37 MT (81,400 lbs) of Cheddar cheese to Japan and another for 19 MT of anhydrous milkfat to Peru (the first CWT export to that nation).

Two bids were accepted from LOL; one for 5 MT (11,000 lbs) of retail-packaged cheese to the Philippines and 0.25 MT (550 lbs) of retail-packaged butter also to the Philippines.

Finally, one bid was accepted from Foremost Farms for the export of 18 MT (39,600 lbs) of butter to Morocco.

Indiana Dairy Youth Conference

News EditorEducation, Industry News

There’s still time to register for the third annual Indiana Dairy Youth Conference! Held at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds at Danville, Indiana on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., this hands-on dairy conference will teach youth the skills needed for a successful show season.

Speakers and their presentations include:
• Mike Schutz, Purdue Extension Dairy Specialist and Kelly Easterday, Purdue Extension Educator – “Papers and numbers: What do they mean for my show heifer?
• Ken Kotouc, Cargill dairy management and nutrition consultant – “Creating a feed guide pyramid: Basic nutrition for your heifer.”
• Elizabeth Finke and Nathan Kuehnert, both past 4-H members from Bartholomew County and Allen County – Grooming preparation leads to show ring success.”
• Mike Jones and Tim Timmons, nationally known dairy judges – Backwards or forwards: Showmanship tips for the winner’s circle.”

IDFA Offers Orientation Book

News EditorAgribusiness, Industry News

What a great idea! IDFA has made availalbe a workbook to help new professionals in the dairy industry to understand all facets of the complex industry.

The new Dairy Industry Orientation Workbook to help familiarize people with the industry’s main dynamics, including consumer trends, farm production, manufacturing and government regulations. The workbook offers clear and concise descriptions of complex policies and offers valuable insight and analysis. Dairy professionals who are new to the industry or who want to expand their knowledge of the industry will find this workbook useful. The cost is $95 for members and $145 for nonmembers.

WMMB Approves Budget

News EditorDairy Checkoff

WisMilkMarketingBoardLogoThe Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget during its April board meeting.

The budget will be invested in state and national promotion/marketing programs from July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. The budget is $510,000 larger than the previous year, a reflection of the continuing growth in Wisconsin milk production. The program budget also underscores the state’s dairy producers’ commitment to promotion and marketing programs that reach consumers throughout the nation while maintaining strong promotional activities in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest.

On the national level, WMMB’s FY2008 budget continues to support cheese marketing and promotional programs in all 50 states in the national retail grocery and foodservice market segments. Activities include national magazine advertising, trade show promotions, educational tours, cheese usage training/education and special events showcasing Wisconsin’s award-winning cheese industry.

Next year’s budget includes increased activity in the areas of in-store product demonstrations and brand equity partnering with Wisconsin manufacturers and marketers. The Cheese Business budget also includes support for the Wisconsin Center or Dairy Research, which administers the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® Program and provides technical assistance to cheese and dairy processors.

Activities in the Communications and Local Promotions budget include nutrition education programs conducted by the Wisconsin Dairy Council and promotion programs for fluid milk, butter and other Wisconsin dairy products. Also included in this budget area are June Dairy Month activities and other seasonal promotions such as fall chocolate milk and holiday promotions.

Dairyline Markets in Review

Chuck ZimmermanDairyline, Markets

DairylineDairy Markets Week in Review
There was little change in prices the week of April 9. Block cheese closed Friday the 13th at $1.4250 per pound, up a half-cent on the week, and 26 1/2-cents above that week a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.4125, down a quarter-cent on the week, but 29 cents above a year ago. Six cars of block traded hands on the week and 20 of barrel. The NASS-surveyed U.S. average price on block cheese hit $1.3846, up 0.4 cent. Barrel averaged $1.4064, up 0.9 cent.

Butter closed Friday at $1.3750, up 1 3/4-cents on the week, 22 3/4-cents above a year ago, and the highest it’s been since late August. Five cars were sold. NASS butter averaged $1.3152, up 1.5 cents. NASS nonfat dry milk jumped 5.5 cents, to $1.3513, and dry whey hit a record 76.25 cents, up 1.7 cents on the week.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.