This past week the Cattlemen’s Beef Board had a meeting in Kansas City of the Promotion Operating Committee. This is the first time the committee has met with new members that were appointed at the winter convention.
I spoke with committee member and dairy producer, Gary Sharp. He explains what the committee was meeting for. You can listen to my interview with Gary here: 
Gary Sharp Interview (4 min MP3)
Here’s your personal invitation to attent an annual event. I’ve never been to Twin Falls but the dates don’t work for me. I hope they do for you. You can find the schedule of events here (Word file) and the program here (pdf file).
You are cordially invited to attend the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. This unique, dairy management contest, which moves around the country, will take place Thursday, March 31 – Saturday, April 1, 2006, in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Now in its fifth year, the Dairy Challenge brings together over 100 student participants from 27 universities located throughout the United States and Canada. It is made possible through the support of agribusinesses, universities and dairymen from coast to coast. Hosts of this year’s contest are the University of Idaho and Washington State University.
A cheese by-product has the potential to become a new energy source. According to this AP story, researchers and state officials are looking into converting whey into lactose sugar and then making that into ethanol. Whey recycling has been used as a protein supplement in low-carb foods for decades, said Mark Bade, operator of the whey recycling process and waste management facility at Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese in Rudolph. The state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is hawking the potential for whey sugar to be refined and used in ethanol. “Ethanol is hot,” the department’s Robin Engel said. Engel says they are thinking Wisconsin could have three refineries that would produce between 4 million and 7 million gallons of ethanol a year. The state is investing some $5 million in alternative energy research.
It’s almost time for the Tenth National Dairy Calf & Heifer Conference taking place in Visalia, Calif. from March 21-24 at the Visalia Convention Center. Apparently it’s not too late to register.
Those individuals who may wish to attend but have not yet registered, may do so at the Conference itself. PDHGA officials will be located at Booth #71. Incentives to attend include hands-on activities and learning opportunities such as 15 different break-out topics including Management Tips for Employees, Marketing Your Operation and Wet Calf Diagnostic Labs. A pre-conference forum entitled “A Proactive Dairy Industry; Perspectives to Include Animal Welfare, Bio-Security, Environmental Management, Animal I.D” will take place on March 21.
Additionally, all membership renewals and new membership applicants will be entered into a drawing for the use of a New 
Holland Skid Steer. Other opportunities to win will also be available to three runners-up, who will each receive a copy of the “Enchanted Pastures” painting by Bonnie Mohr, commissioned by PDHGA in conjunction with Elanco Animal Health and Vita Plus. More information about the Conference schedule, location and times is located on the association website.
This down under dairy group is proud to have a very important person on board. They believe it bodes well for the dairy industry in Australia.
Professor David Karpin has been appointed by industry to head Australia’s National Centre for Dairy Education steering committee in a move that is described as a major coup for the future of dairy education in Australia. Dairy industry leader, Allan Burgess said attracting such an eminent person to the committee emphasises the dairy industry’s commitment to providing world class education, skills and training.
Well this looks like it took a long time but worked out okay in the end. One of our sponsors is the Callicrate Bander by No-Bull Enterprises, LLC. They own several patents related to their castration products but had to bring suit against Wadsworth Manufacturing, Inc. for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the District of Montana.
That case was recently settled, with Wadsworth Manufacturing, Inc. agreeing to pay Mr. Callicrate an undisclosed sum. The Court has also now entered an Order permanently enjoining Wadsworth Manufacturing, Inc. from making, using, selling, offering for sale, importing or exporting Wadsworth’s EZE No. 2 and EZE No. 3 (T1) banding tools, as well as any tool for performing ligation/castration that involves use of a tool with a pulling device and an in-line lever for deforming a grommet. The Order also prohibits use of any preformed loop for use with or designed for use with such tools, including Wadsworth’s EZE No. 3 (T1) tool. Wadsworth retains the ability to manufacture and sell preformed continuous loops for use with banding tools that do not include the use of a grommet. Wadsworth also has the right to make and sell grommets for use with linear lengths of ligation material. The injunction extends until Midnight, December 16, 2011.
Mike Callicrate is glad the whole thing is over.
“It has been a long, hard battle, but the justice system worked. This outcome demonstrates the commercial value of obtaining patents on novel inventions.” The result of the parties’ settlement and Court-ordered injunction is that only Mr. Callicrate’s exclusive licensee, No-Bull Enterprises, will have the right to sell the patented castration devices and preformed endless loops.
The leaders of the dairy checkoff at the state, regional, and national levels have approved the Unified Marketing Plan budget for 2006, a $158.1 million strategy that this years focuses less on fluid milk consumption and more on dairy product demand enhancement. The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, along with state and regional promotion organizations have signed off on a program that leverages producer dollars with partners like restaurant chains and retail outlets. Naturally, the most successful programs of the checkoff were continued, including school milk marketing, 3-A-Day of Dairy, and consumer and health professional image campaigns. One of the more controversial decisions, however, was the authorization of a $6 million research project to develop methodologies for estimating air emissions from US dairy farms. The Board insists that the one-time allocation of funds will not affect 2006 dairy promotion programs.
We already brought you Alien Cow Adbuction, now it’s Brittlelactica: Planet In Need. This is well worth the time to visit. Do aliens say, “Got Milk?”
The dude in the picture will get you started and clue you in to his planet’s need for the “white wonder tonic” which as you might guess is, milk. These folks have found the tonic on a planet called Earth where the supreme one is named “Da Iry,” pronounced Da’ ee-ray.
It’s all part of the California Milk Processor Board’s new advertising campaign. It’s actually pretty much out of this world if you ask me.
Congrats to Morgan&Myers for being selected as “agency of record” for Bou-Matic. I assume this means they’ll be handling all the company’s advertising and communications work.
Morgan&Myers specializes in building brands, relationships and reputations throughout the food supply chain, and has experience with agricultural producers, processors, food and nutrition influentials and consumer product companies. “Morgan&Myers was the logical choice, thanks to their experience in
marketing communications, stakeholder relations, dealer, distributor and sales support, and international communications,” according to Mike Pawlak, Bou-Matic’s executive vice president of sales, marketing and engineering. “In addition, the agency’s 20-plus years of experience in all facets of the dairy industry made them the ideal choice.”
This is your final reminder to get your entry in for the New Holland “Down on the Farm” Classic iPod Keepsake Contest. It’s easy and the odds are better than the lottery. We’ve had a lot of entries so far but you’ve still got until the end of the day March 15. Don’t wait.
We have the iPod and it’s loaded and ready to find a new owner. On it the winner will get the video of Michael Peterson’s performance at Commodity Classic, his new CD, all the pictures I took at Classic and the interviews and speeches I recorded. It comes out of the box ready to entertain and inform!
Go ahead, enter. Do it. You might be glad you did.
