… I mean, you can’t eat the paint, after all. The concept of new media may have gone a bit off the deep end with the introduction of “Cheddar Vision,” a website dedicated to, well, watching mold grow on a hunk of cheese. The story behind the story is a group of local cheesemakers in England have developed the site as a bit of curiosity to drive interest in their quality cheeses. West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers offer various products for sale and export on their website, further demonstrating the power of the internet to be used as a marketing tool for niche producers.
Colorado Dairy Producers Deal with Blizzard
Last week we heard a lot about the travelers stuck in the Denver airport and their harrowing stories to get home for the holidays. But, you don’t always hear about the dairy producers and how they cope with the difficult weather.
They had to keep “digging and pushing, digging and pushing,” but those in the milk production industry dealt with the challenge of the blizzard this week.
Keith Bath, who provides feed for dairies in Colorado, heard on Friday that sometimes it was close, coming within a half hour of having to pour out milk. It meant starting early and working late for what he called the “greatest challenge since the blizzard of ’83,” Bath said. However, it was also a question of where that milk would go.
Leprino Foods had the same problem — shipping its product out. It had plenty of producers sending milk, but its freezers were full of cheese. There were no refrigerated trucks to ship it. That meant the company could not take any more milk, said plant manager Kerry Mobley.
Leprino’s 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week production line was shut down for one and a half days waiting for trucks to come. That happened Friday, but even before the refrigerated trucks could drive to Leprino they had to drop off the loads they had when the blizzard hit, he said. By Friday, the situation was easing and cheese production could begin again, Mobley said.
Agriculture Year-in-Review
The last few days of each year there are always many “best of” and “year-in-review” lists and specials. Here’s an article from the NY Times that is an “agricultural year-in-review.”
“This is the year everyone discovered that food is about politics and people can do something about it,” said Marion Nestle, a professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University. “In a world in which people feel more and more distant from global forces that control their lives, they can do something by, as the British put it, ‘voting with your trolley,’ their word for shopping cart.”
The organics movement went mainstream this year, too, as Wal-Mart rolled out a wide selection of food bearing the United States Department of Agriculture’s organic certification. The chain also vowed to price these products only slightly higher than conventional foods.
But there were signs that organics may have become too successful for their own good. Once welcomed as the savior of the small farmer and the conscientious eater, organic farming has lost some of its luster, dulled by large operators who follow the letter of the law but ignore the larger principles that once characterized the organic movement.
After the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in spinach in August, sales of the vegetable plummeted 60 percent. With several outbreaks this year, including one involving E. coli at the Taco Bell chain, the idea that eating local may be safer is taking hold. The discovery of contaminated produce is happening at a time when advice about eating more fruits and vegetables seems to be having an impact. So concerns about safety may be contributing to the success of local farmers’ markets.
Fruit 'n Frozen Yogurt Shakes
I’ve never met a milk shake I didn’t like, and these new Steak n Shake Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes sound so good! Why don’t you go and get one?
The Steak n Shake Company adds four new Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes — Raspberry, Strawberry, Banana and, for those who might be overcome by indecision, Strawberry-Banana — to its popular line of milk shakes. The hand-dipped Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes will have a permanent place on the Steak n Shake menu and are available at more than 460 Steak n Shake locations in 19 states.
The Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes are made with low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt, which is hand-dipped and blended with real milk and either raspberries, strawberries, bananas or both strawberries and bananas. The new shakes are topped off with a sensible dollop of whipped cream and a cherry.
Steak n Shake currently offers a full line of hand-dipped milk shakes and malts that include traditional milk shakes and freezes, as well as Sippable Sundaes(TM), Bits ‘n Pieces(TM) and two-flavored Side-by-Side(TM) milk shakes. The Fruit ‘n Frozen Yogurt Milk Shakes are available in junior, medium and large sizes in the drive-thru or carryout, while dine-in guests can enjoy the new milk shakes in junior size or in an old-fashioned parfait glass.
Burger King "King" Ad
I had to post the newest milk mustache ad for our readers to see. I’ll go on record as saying I’m not the biggest fan of the BK King, but I think this ad is one of the best our promotion group has produced. Such a talked about pop culture icon will be sure to keep milk and the dairy industry in the media news!
In a new print ad from Lowe/New York that is a joint effort by the American Dairy Farmers, Burger King and Dairy Management Inc., the King has definitely arrived. The print ad manages to cover a lot of bases in one execution. It promotes the king and BK, which has just begun offering Hershey’s chocolate milk as a menu item, and it adds yet another dazzling celebrity to the more than 200 who have worn the milk mustache since the famous campaign began.
BTW, if you can’t read it, the ad copy says, “Life is Sweet. The King’s a star. That’s why his royal beverage is Hershey’s Chocolate Milk. Drinking milk 3 times a day gives him energy to ride in style all night long. And that’s just the way he likes it.”
DFA Website Combats Contamination
Reading this press release from DFA, I was glad the cooperative took the time to develop this software and on-farm protection. I hope members of DFA will take advantage of it!
Dairy Farmers of America has launched mySecurity, a voluntary information and awareness program designed to help members better protect their animals and the milk they produce from accidental or intentional contamination. The program was developed for DFA members who want the latest industry updates, techniques, tools and strategies pertaining to on-farm biosecurity, product and farm safety; and family and farm emergency action plans.
The new program is being rolled out in two phases. During phase I, each participant receives a free mySecurity tool kit containing an all-weather “Restricted Access” sign printed in Spanish and English, and a “DFA Guide to Farm Biosecurity” bilingual wall chart. The kit also contains an emergency contact form, farm security guidelines and fact sheets.
Phase II of the program, now under development, will feature a mySecurity Web site where participating DFA members can enter information about their farm and create a security plan tailored to their farm. They also will be able to access the Web site to obtain a summary of their state’s animal disease emergency plan, as well as a database that includes emergency contact information for various government agencies.
Class I Price
The Class I price will begin the New Year at $13.59, according to last Friday’s announcement of the January Class I price. That’s a $1.16 gain versus December and 21 cents higher than the January 2006 price. The price hike means the January Milk Income Loss Contract payment will be just three cents per hundredweight, which is about 40 cents less than the December payment.
World Dairy Situation 2006
As we look forward to 2007 how about reviewing 2006? The International Dairy Federation has released it’s annual World Dairy Situation report.
This major publication including statistics on production, consumption and trade assists researchers, policymakers, and economists in providing a tool for strategy formulation. The new authoritative World Dairy Situation survey is based on independent dairy sources. This new IDF publication presents a thorough and broad overview on trends in production, milk processing, consumption, trade and prices in major parts of the world. Detailed statistics by world, region and individual countries are also included. Data are compiled using the expertise of IDF members and other sources.
Comments from dairy specialists in many countries inside and outside IDF reveal the perceptions and preoccupations of the world dairy business and lift the curtain on the growing trend towards bilateral agreements affecting international trade in dairy products which has certainly been given a boost by the Doha failure. The 2006 edition includes special articles on the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN), on worldwide market prospects, on the collapse of the WTO Doha Round negotiations, on the EU Commission’s projections for dairy markets from 2006 to 2013, and on EU enlargement: the dairy sector in Bulgaria and Romania.
Happy Holidays From ZimmComm
I don’t have a good holiday picture for you but I do want to wish all our World Dairy Diary readers and subscribers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Our audience has continued to grow all year long and we’ve got some great plans to continue to develop this dairy industry news resource in 2007. Thank you to all our supporters and sponsors.
We’re going to take a break until after Christmas at this point and spend some quality time with family and friends. So until then, happy holidays.
Dairyline Markets In Review
Dairy Markets Week in Review
Block cheese closed today at $1.3250 per pound, up a half-cent on the week, but 10 1/2-cents below a year ago. Barrel closed at $1.29, unchanged on the week, but 11 cents below a year ago. Nothing traded all week. The latest NASS-surveyed block price dropped to $1.3384, down 4.2 cents. Barrel averaged $1.3247, down 6.5 cents. The cheese market is pretty balanced although holiday school closings are sending more milk into manufacturing. That is helping the tightness in cheese but the strong powder price is drawing milk into the dryers and churns.
Butter closed Friday at $1.23 per pound, down 2 1/2-cents on the week, and 10 1/2-cents below a year ago. Thirteen cars were sold. NASS butter averaged $1.2418, down 0.4 cent. Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk dropped a dime, to $1.55, while Extra Grade remained at $1.45. The NASS nonfat dry milk price averaged $1.0160, down 1.3 cents, and dry whey averaged 41.01 cents, up 0.9 cent.
Provided courtesy of Dairyline.