Have Manure, Will Travel

News EditorIndustry News, Waste Management

proactmicrobiallogoPro-Act Microbial Inc. has announced a portable floating pump called the Scavenger. The portable pump will allow producers to remove bottom water between multiple lagoons. Sounds like a great addition to manure management to me!

The Scavenger is a portable floating pump that gives farms the flexibility of removing bottom water from their lagoons without disturbing the stratification of nutrients. The Scavenger is designed to work with Pro-Act Microbial’s manure treatment system to remove nutrient-rich bottom water. It is a retractable bottom pump with multi-stage capability and a flexible hose, allowing it to remove bottom water at any level with ease and without costly and time-consuming agitation. In addition, the pump is engineered for portability, allowing the user to move the pump between lagoons as needed. In addition to working in conjunction with the Pro-Act manure treatment system, the Scavenger can also be effective for dairies with a healthy lagoon and fairly loose solids.

Australian Producers Keep Levy

News EditorInternational

DairyAustraliaLogoDairy producers in Australia have voted in support of keeping the Dairy Service Levy at the current rate.

The levy funds a range of services including research, development and the promotion and protection of the dairy industry’s interests within Australia and internationally.

The results of voting in Dairy Poll 2007 were announced in Melbourne earlier today and show that more than two thirds of votes (68 per cent) were cast in favour of either keeping the Dairy Service Levy at its current rate (64 percent) or increasing it (4 percent). A total of 9540* ballot papers were distributed and 5039 or 53 percent were returned. It is the first time dairy farmers have been able to formally indicate their level of support for the levy.

Cheese Institute Directors

News EditorCheese, Dairy Business

wiscspecialtycheese.gifIt’s that time of year folks! Here’s another release on newly elected directors for the Wisconsin Specialty Cheese Institute.

The Wisconsin Specialty Cheese Institute (WSCI) on March 15 finalized elections and new officers for its 2007-2008 Board of Directors. The eight-member board welcomes two new members, Luke Buholzer, of Klondike Cheese, Monroe, and Tammy Welles of Northland Laboratories, Green Bay. Debbie Crave, of Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, Waterloo, was re-elected to a second term. Buholzer, a fourth-generation Wisconsin cheesemaker, was also elected as the new president of WSCI. He replaces Kay Schmitz, of Henning Cheese in Kiel, who was elected Secretary-Treasure.

Other remaining WSCI board members are Cathy Hart, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Madison; Jeanie Korth, Specialty Cheese Co., Inc., Lowell; Paul McShane, Roth Käse USA, Monroe; and Jeff Wideman, Maple Leaf Cheese, Monroe. Two members leaving the board, having completed their terms, are Todd Martin, of Johnson Industries International, and John Jacobs, of Foodmaster Logistics of Wisconsin.

Massachusetts Hearings

News EditorGovernment, Industry News, Markets, Milk

Massachusetts dairy producers are the latest in the industry to unite and try to affect change in their milk prices. A decision on the state’s hearings should be available by the end of the month.

With Massachusetts’ dairy farmers going out of business because of high production costs and stagnant revenue, Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s administration slated special hearings this week and next to decide whether the state needs to take action that could include setting the wholesale and retail price of milk.

The hearings are “part of an investigation as to whether the milk price to the producer can be maintained to insure an adequate supply of fresh milk,” said acting Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Scott J. Soares at the start of yesterday’s meeting, held at the University of Massachusetts.

In November the Telegram & Gazette reported the price of milk paid to farmers had been nearly flat, increasing from an average of $1.30 per gallon in 1983 to $1.49 per gallon in 2005, while the amount consumers pay at the store increased from an average of $1.78 per gallon to $3.28 per gallon in the same period.

Subway Offers Milk Options

News EditorDairy Checkoff, Milk

Subway Restaurants launched its new Fresh Fit meals for adults and children March 12th. The meals include low fat white milk and reduced fat chocolate milk in single-serve plastic bottles, along with a choice of apples or raisins in place of chips. The single-serve milks are being provided by Shamorck Farms in Arizona.

Dairy producers, through their checkoff investment, will work with Subway to promote the new milk offerings to the public throughout this summer and fall. This partnership brings the total number of restaurants offering milk in plastic bottles to more than 50,000 nationwide.

“Milk is the original, healthy beverage and a natural choice for kids and adults alike. It’s the perfect way for the SUBWAY chain to continue supporting well-balanced eating alternatives,” said David Zambory, a
research & development specialist with the SUBWAY(R) chain.

“Providing Arizona’s best-loved milk to nationwide SUBWAY restaurant customers is an incredible opportunity to offer a delicious, nutritious beverage choice for kids and adults. Consumers today continue to place an
importance on nutrition and this is an excellent option to increase dairy in their diets,” said Mike Krueger, senior vice president and general manager for Shamrock Farms.

CWT Export Assistance Bids

Chuck ZimmermanDairy Group, Export, General

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

Cooperatives Working Together announced today that it accepted nine export assistance bids last week for the sale of cheese and butter.

Five bids were accepted from Land O’Lakes of Arden Hills, MN: 237 metric tons (521,400 pounds) of butter to the United Arab Emirates; 6 tons (13,200 lbs.) of retail-packaged cheese to the Philippines; 6 tons (13,200 lbs.) of retail cheese to Bahrain; 3 tons (6,600 lbs.) of retail cheese to Kuwait; and 0.5 metric tons (1,100 lbs.) of retail cheese to Qatar.

Three of the bids were from Dairy Farmers of America of Kansas City, MO: 19 metric tons (41,800 lbs.) of Cheddar cheese to South Korea; 18 tons (39,600 lbs.) of Mozzarella cheese to Japan; and 15 tons (33,000 lbs.) of Mozzarella to Israel.

Finally, a bid from Foremost Farms of Baraboo, WI, was accepted to export 36 tons (79,200 lbs.) of butter to the United Arab Emirates. CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidders, once completion of the butter and cheese shipments is verified.

CWT will pay an export bonus to the bidders, once completion of the butter, milkfat and cheese shipments is verified.

The African Milk Man

Chuck ZimmermanInternational

Leon The MilkmanMy buddy Leon The Milkman has re-designed his blog.

He’s the African Milk Man who’s been blogging away about his business with lots of passion.

His new design lets you change the background with a variety of images like the one here in this post.

His blog is a great example of how you can toot your own horn and reach people around the world.

Dairy Calcium Reduce Excess Fat Levels

News EditorNutrition, Research

More good news on the benefits of including dairy products in your daily diet.

Calcium from dairy sources, but not supplements, decreased excess levels of fat in the blood after eating, says research from Denmark that is yet another twist to the calcium-dairy weight loss debate.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reports that triacylglycerol levels in the blood (the major fat form in the blood after absortpion) were between 15 and 19 percent lower amongst subjects consuming a dairy source of calcium than subjects receiving calcium carbonate supplements.

“As far as we know, the present study is the first to show that an increased calcium intake from dairy products exerts a lowering effect on postprandial fat absorption,” wrote lead author Janne Kunchel Lorenzen from the University of Copenhagen.

The researchers suggest that the form of the calcium may play an important role in the effects observed, with dairy calcium found mostly in the form of calcium phosphate. Previous studies have suggested that calcium phosphate may bind to bile acids and partially inhibit the formation of micelles that transport the fat from the intestine to the blood stream. The researchers called for further studies to re-examine these conclusions.

Alto Introduces Premium Cheese

News EditorCheese, Dairy Business

altodairycheeseThe new cheese offerings from Alto Dairy Cooperative sound delicious!

Alto Dairy Cooperative is proud to introduce their Alto Bello® brand, a family of premium Italian-style cheeses made with top-quality milk from Alto’s farmer-owners.

Formaggio Migliore, meaning “best cheese” in Italian, and Formaggio Indulgente, meaning “forgiving cheese,” are Alto’s first products released under the newly created brand. Specially formulated for foodservice operators, Alto Dairy created Alto Bello® products for customers seeking natural, high quality Wisconsin cheeses from a supplier that can provide custom-formulated products.