New York Forms Center for Dairy Excellence

News EditorDairy Business, Industry News

NYFarmViabilityLogoThe New York Farm Viability Institute, an independent nonprofit and farmer-driven organization, announced the formation of the New York Center for Dairy Excellence last week. The Center will work to increase dairy farm profitability and build a stronger dairy industry in New York state, along with providing coordination and leadership for collaborative, focused efforts for the state’s and the Northeast’s dairy industry. It’s really great to hear about a positive move for the Northeast – I can’t wait to hear about some of the Center’s successes!

A New York Dairy Industry Task Force will be established to work closely with the Center and the Farm Viability Institute’s existing Dairy Committee. Representation will reflect the diversity of the dairy industry, including farms of different sizes, geography and production practices, as well as agri-business, New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, Cornell University and Cooperative Extension, State University of New York schools, farm groups and agencies and others.

The New York Center for Dairy Excellence will collaborate with the Center for Dairy Excellence in Pennsylvania and Vermont’s dairy leadership to seek solutions and coordinate efforts to reduce obstacles to success in the Northeast dairy industry. The dairy centers will work with the Northeast Dairy Leadership Team, forged from an agreement to work collaboratively and regionally that was initiated in June by the departments of agriculture from each of the three states.

In addition to the Center for Dairy Excellence, the Institute has funded two dozen projects throughout the state that are addressing a variety of barriers to success in dairy farming, including business and transition planning, farm uses for waste milk, organic dairy management training, distribution systems for value-added products, bilingual employee management, farm startup, manure management and more. Later this year, New York Farm Viability Institute will pilot a two-year dairy farm team project on 10 farms in two New York counties.

IDF Symposiums

News EditorEducation, Government, International, Milk, Research

idflogoMore news from the International Dairy Federation. Online registration is now open for two symposiums: “Lactose and its Derivatives,” May 14-16 and “Fermented Milks – Technology and Nutrition,” May 17, both in Moscow, Russia. Sounds like the perfect excuse to visit the beautiful Russia!

Dairy scientists and technologists from industry and academia, nutritionists, health professionals, representatives from regulatory authorities and dairy associations, suppliers to the dairy industry, interested students and other parties having an interest in the topics of lactose and its derivatives and fermented milks are invited to participate.

Proceedings from IDF Forum Available

News EditorAnimal Health, International, Veterinary

idflogoThe International Dairy Federation has made available the “Proceedings of the first ParaTB Forum,” the publication of the outcome of the first ParaTB forum on surveillance, control and eradication programmes on paratuberculosis in dairy herds. To order your own electronic copy, visit IDF’s website.

Paratuberculosis is an infectious disease that has emerged to become one of the leading causes of economic loss to the dairy cattle and small ruminant industries. The First ParaTB Forum was held in Shanghai, China, in October 2006 prior to the IDF World Dairy Congress 2006 with the aim of creating a synergy effect among national and regional control programmes on paratuberculosis. Updating and reporting progress on national and regional programs is essential for the successful maintenance and development of strategies for control of paratuberculosis globally.

Intern Needed in Illinois

News EditorDairy Checkoff, Education, Promotion

Looking for a great summer position? How about working for the Midwest Dairy Association Chicago and St. Louis Divisions? This sounds like a great opportunity for a young person interested in the dairy industry, but hurry, applicaitons are due by April 7th!

The position is designed to assist Midwest Dairy Association staff with marketing communication objectives on behalf of the dairy checkoff. Duties will include news release development and involvement with activities conducted by the organization in conjunction with the Illinois State Fair and June Dairy Month.

To be eligible, applicants must be at least 18 years of age and be a student in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma or Arkansas, or be a permanent resident of those states. The candidate need not be from a dairy farm, but those with knowledge of the dairy industry are preferred. Students possessing strong communication and organizational skills are preferred. The position, which is salaried, requires the intern to locate within commuting distance of Carlock and Springfield, Illinois, where most duties will be based.

North Dakota Girls Sought

News EditorDairy Checkoff, Education, Promotion

North Dakota girls…start honing your dairy promotion skills and get ready to enter the North Dakota Dairy Princess contest. The pageant beings on July 25 at the North Dakota State Fair. The winning girl will receive $900 in scholarships and the first runner-up will receive $500 in scholarships. Entry deadline is June 1st, so visit Midwest Dairy today to get your application!

The North Dakota Dairy Princess serves as an ambassador for the state’s dairy industry, helping the dairy checkoff program communicate with consumers regarding dairy farmers’ stewardship for animals and natural resources, the safety and wholesomeness of dairy products and the economic importance of dairy to North Dakota’s economy.

Candidates must be 17 to 23 years old, be a high school graduate and unmarried, and have parents or guardians who are actively engaged in the production of milk for sale to a licensed plant. A candidate also qualifies if she, her parents or guardian is employed on a dairy farm. At the state contest, candidates will be judged on their communication skills, personality, general knowledge of the dairy industry and enthusiasm for dairy promotion.

Hood Introduces Flavors

News EditorIce Cream

hoodicecreamSpring fever is hitting the country, and ice cream is gearing up for its favorite season – summer! HP Hood is getting ready too, with several new flavors.

Just as the Red Sox are tinkering with the pitching rotation, H.P. Hood Inc. is expanding its dessert rotation as ice cream season draws nigh. To prepare for warm months ahead, Hood, a dairy operator with headquarters in Chelsea, said it will augment the roster of its New England Creamery Ice Cream line by adding eight varieties.

Among the rookie entries are “Churned Light” versions of its Maine Blueberry & Sweet Cream, Martha’s Vineyard Black Raspberry, Coffee, and Moosehead Lake Fudge ice creams, the company said. According to Hood, Churned Light versions have 50 percent less fat and 33 percent fewer calories than traditional premium ice cream.

The flavor case of New England Creamery Sherbets will now include Black Raspberry, Orange, Wildberry, and Rainbow, the company said.

Dairyline Markets In Review

Chuck ZimmermanDairyline, Markets

DairylineDairy Markets Week in Review
The cash market saw little change the last week of March. Block cheese closed Friday at $1.42 per pound, up 2 cents on the week, and 25 1/4-cents above a year ago. Barrel also closed at $1.42, up a penny on the week, and 28 1/2-cents above a year ago. Three cars of block traded hands and nine of barrel. The NASS U.S. block average hit $1.3557, up a penny. Barrel averaged $1.3712, up slightly.

Butter closed Friday at $1.33, unchanged on the week, but 17 cents above a year ago. Fourteen cars were sold. NASS butter averaged $1.3712, down 0.3 cent. NASS nonfat dry milk averaged $1.2341, up 6.5 cents, and dry whey averaged 72.81 cents, up 2.1 cents.

Provided courtesy of Dairyline.

Bailey Predicts Higher Prices

News EditorIndustry News, Price

Dr. Ken Bailey from Penn State is predicting milk prices to rise from January’s $14.50 to a peak of $16.62 in August. But, along with that, Bailey is also predicting higher retail prices for consumers.

Ken Bailey, a milk-marketing expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, projects the average retail price of whole milk to rise to about $3.35 by October, up from $3.07 in January. Butter, yogurt, ice cream and cheese prices also will rise, and it’s not known when prices will subside.

But that doesn’t mean a windfall for dairy farmers, still squeezed from last year’s low milk prices. Dairy farmers are paying more for cow feed, since corn and soybean prices have risen rapidly.

Bailey blames that rise on increasing demand for these feedstocks for ethanol production. The associate professor of agricultural economics said international demand for milk protein is very high, and global supplies are limited. Also, a strong export demand for dry proteins — skim milk powder, dry whey and whey protein concentrates — is leaving very low inventories for nonfat dry milk and dry whey.

The result is that domestic supplies of these milk protein products are limited and global market prices are rising. Consumers may also have to pay more for food items that depend on dairy products such as candy bars, bakery goods, and sports and nutrition bars.

NMPF MILC Plan

News EditorGovernment, Industry News

The National Milk Producers Federation announced their support of the MILC program, and a plan to include it in the upcoming Farm Bill.

The National Milk Producers Federation today asked the Senate to provide funding for the Milk Income Loss Contract program for the month of September – a 30-day extension with larger implications for the upcoming five-year Farm Bill. The Senate is currently debating a measure that contains supplemental spending for the war in Iraq, along with the one-month MILC extension.

In a letter sent today to the entire Senate, NMPF pointed out that unless the Senate appropriates approximately $30 million for the one-month extension, the MILC program will expire prior to the end of Fiscal Year 2007, which ends Sept. 30th of this year. If the MILC program ends Aug. 31st, 2007 – which is when it is now set to conclude – there would not be a baseline of funding available in the next Farm Bill to renew the MILC, or a similar direct payment program that NMPF is supporting for the new Farm Bill.

NMPF recently unveiled a comprehensive proposal for the new Farm Bill that contains a Producer Security Program that would provide direct payments to dairy farmers. The availability of consistent, regular funding for such a program depends largely on getting a baseline for the MILC in the next Farm Bill. In the letter to the Senate, NMPF pointed out that the extension of the MILC “is even more important now in a time when record high feed costs are putting a huge burden on dairy producers. High corn and other feed prices, along with high energy costs, are a serious impediment to the future of milk production in the United States. It is critical that we maintain the economic health of dairy producers across the nation,” the letter wrote.

King of a Decision

News EditorIndustry News

burgerkinglogoThis story has been all over the news the last few days. What’s your take on Burger King’s decision?

Burger King, the world’s second-largest hamburger chain, said yesterday that it would begin buying eggs and pork from suppliers that did not confine their animals in cages and crates. The company said that it would also favor suppliers of chickens that use gas, or “controlled-atmospheric stunning,” rather than electric shocks to knock birds unconscious before slaughter. It is considered a more humane method, though only a handful of slaughterhouses use it.

The goal for the next few months, Burger King said is for 2 percent of its eggs to be “cage free,” and for 10 percent of its pork to come from farms that allow sows to move around inside pens, rather than being confined to crates. The company said those percentages would rise as more farmers shift to these methods and more competitively priced supplies become available.

While Burger King’s initial goals may be modest, food marketing experts and animal welfare advocates said yesterday that the shift would put pressure on other restaurant and food companies to adopt similar practices.

“I think the whole area of social responsibility, social consciousness, is becoming much more important to the consumer,” said Bob Goldin, executive vice president of Technomic, a food industry research and consulting firm. “I think that the industry is going to see that it’s an increasing imperative to get on that bandwagon.”

Last week, the celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck announced that the meat and eggs he used would come from animals raised under strict animal welfare codes. And in January, the world’s largest pork processor, Smithfield Foods, said it would phase out confinement of pigs in metal crates over the next decade.

The changes were made after discussions with the Humane Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, known as PETA. Mr. Grover said his company listened to suggestions from both groups, but ultimately relied on the advice of its animal welfare advisory board, which was created about six years ago and includes academics, an animal welfare advocate, an executive of Tyson Foods and Burger King officials.