Vista Grande Farm honored for beef quality commitment

At the annual 2010 Cattle Industry annual convention in San Antonio, Texas, Vista Grande Dairy Farm was recognized for its efforts in improving Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) on its operation while successfully encouraging others around them to implement BQA. This year's BQA award was given to one dairy and one beef producer. The winners were selected based on their commitment to beef quality assurance while operating sustainable cattle operations.

Vista Grande Farm was founded in 1937 by Phoebe Bitler's parents. Phoebe grew up on the registered Holstein farm, and her 4-H project cows paid for her college degree and also helped to build the foundation for the dairy herd that she and her husband, Dave, began in 1977. On January 1, 2010, they began a partnership with their son, Jesse, operating as Vista Grande Farms, LLC and Vista Grande Cattle Co., LLC.

The dairy farm currently consists of 100 registered milking Holstein cows; 23 owned by the Bitlers, and the balance owned by two young men developing their individual herds; they have placed 30 more milking Holsteins in other young farmers' herds, have a dairy replacement business with 150 females, and farm 600 acres, producing feed crops for the livestock. In addition, the family also performs a variety of custom farming operations, facilitates farm-to-farm dairy cattle sales, and Phoebe conducts educational agriculture tours that showcase what family farms have done to remain viable in the industry.

Vista Grande Farm is located in a densely populated county in southeastern Pennsylvania, and one of its "next-door" neighbors is an industry that employs 5,000 persons. The road that travels between the farm buildings is heavily traveled. This creates challenges for cattle and equipment movement but also provides the opportunity to showcase a tidy farmstead, along with clean and well-cared-for animals to the consuming public.

Phoebe and her family have hosted many “Ag in the Classroom” type events for schools, scouts, seniors and farm-city tours. They have also hosted “Breakfast on the Farm” for the Berks County Chamber of Commerce executive board. These types of events provide opportunities to share the truth about modern animal production, dispelling popular animal rights myths. Vista Grande Farm coexists with its community by offering a transparent view of its dairy practices.

Nominator Paul Slayton, Pennsylvania Beef Council executive director, says, “Phoebe believes firmly that they and their cattle are a team; they work in partnership. They also manage their dairy for increased returns on market cows at harvest by reconditioning prior to selling as "white cows." Currently, they are researching the costs and benefits of selling custom bulk freezer packs utilizing BQA labels and the farm logo to accommodate the changing consumer needs and wants. And she provides extensive training to hired labor. She is very deserving of this award.”

The National BQA award winners are selected annually by a committee of representatives from universities, state beef councils, and cattle industry groups.

For more information about the beef checkoff or BQA program, visit www.bqa.org, www.dbqa.org or www.MyBeefCheckoff.com.

Something too silly to make up

Don’t think the U.S. has a monopoly on social and political correctness gone berserk, or on oddball research to answer questions that no one cares about enough to ask. Britain is right there with us.

Earlier this month, global restaurant giant McDonald’s announced it is embarking on a three-year study to determine the amount of methane emissions produced by the 350,000 or so cattle it buys each year in Britain to become hamburgers. Seriously.

The announcement follows a request by Britain’s Environmental Secretary that the entire food industry look for ways to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, which the government has made a goal in 2030. Livestock have previously been estimated to produce four percent of Britain’s total carbon emissions.

Needless to say, the McDonald’s announcement brought a windfall of new creative material for British newspaper headline writers and illustrators. Do a Google search with the words “McDonald’s” and either “flatulence” or “flatulent” and you’ll see what we mean. Our favorite is the photo at the end of this commentary (but be forewarned; it is not socially correct):

http://www.thepiratescove.us/2010/01/10/mcdonalds-is-not-loving-the-cow-flatulence-in-britain/

Because McDonald’s is obviously so concerned about methane emissions and the environment, we have a suggestion for its next research study: With approximately 47 million customers served each day around the world, what is the environmental impact of their greenhouse gas emissions that result from eating its food?

USDA expecting strong milk per cow

Expectations of higher milk per cow during 2010 have resulted in USDA pushing up expected milk production this year and lowering milk price forecasts slightly. The agency still expects cow numbers to average below 9 million cows for the year. (The December national herd estimate was 9.08 million cows.) However, some analysts doubt that cow numbers will be as low as the USDA predicts.

The USDA expects the higher milk per cow (+1.9 percent) to come about for two reasons. First, feed prices will be lower, encouraging more grain and protein supplement feeding. Corn price projections are in the range of $3.40 to $3.85 a bushel ($121 and $138 a ton) and soybean meal between $265 and $315 a ton. With rising milk prices, the Milk-Feed Price Ratio will improve but not as high as 2.5 which is the level that generally encourages milk production growth because of heavier feeding and less culling.

Another factor affecting milk per cow is the amount of culling that took place during 2009. Between normal culling and CWT cow retirements, dairy cow slaughter last year was up 224,000 head or 8.7 percent from 2008. The nation's dairy herd is younger and healthier as a result of the culling and should be more productive on a per-cow basis.

In its most recent outlook report, UDSA projects 2010 milk production to be about 188.4 billion pounds. That would be 0.4 percent below the estimated 2009 milk production of 189.2 billion pounds.

USDA forecasts that the Class III price in 2010 will average about $15.15 (between $14.75 and $15.55). That estimate is between 30 and 40 cents lower than earlier forecasts. The average Class III price in 2009 was $11.36 per hundredweight.

USDA forecasts the All-Milk Price for 2010 to be around $16.60 (between $16.20 and $17). The All-Milk Price averaged $12.79 in 2009.

ABC's Nightline makes a direct hit at dairy farmers

Just last night, if you stayed up past your local news and turned on the TV you would have seen a disturbing negative report about the dairy industry on ABC. Before the piece even ran, we were led to believe the piece would be about milk quality, but it was nothing more than an attack on how dairy farmers care for their animals. ABC has posted the story online and has already received 529 comments as of this morning.

Undercover videos were shown of tail docking, as well as dehorning (did you notice the PETA stamp in the corner of the video?). The videos weren't pretty and were undeniably damaging to the dairy industry. You and I may know this is not the status-quo on dairy farms, but, for the average consumer, this may be as close as they ever get to a farm. There needs to be a zero-tolerance for this disappointing animal care shown in the Nightline "investigation."

Tail docking is an unnecessary practice and is not recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association. To see AVMA's stand on the practice, visit them here. AVMA also suggests disbudding along with a local anesthetic for dehorning — not the practice shown in the undercover video.

Chris Galen of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) was interviewed during the report, as well as the dairy farm owner. While the dairy farm owner relayed his belief that tail docking is a standard practice on dairy farms, we believe it is the contrary. Tail docking is now banned in California; however, prior to its ban, a survey of over 200 California producers (average herd size of 2,500) revealed that 89 percent of dairies did not dock tails. Comments from Chris Galen of NMPF were kept to a minimum — likely because he only had positive things to share about dairy farms.

A representative of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) also was interviewed and had the last word when the representative ended the piece with "Got ethics?" as a direct jab at the "Got Milk?" campaign. To answer her question, we say yes. Farms across the country work very hard to produce a safe, and humanely produced product. Let's work together to enforce a zero-tolerance standard for poor animal care.

What did you think of the piece? We'd love to hear your take on it.

Custom TMRs can work, but it must be a two-way street

Custom operators who also serve as feed suppliers was the topic at the January 26 panel discussion of the Wisconsin Custom Operators Symposium held at the Wisconsin Dells. Two panel members who actively sell feed as well as TMR mixes shared their thoughts on the process.

Daryll Woldt of Woldt Harvesting LLC, Brillion, Wis., has been selling TMR for nearly a decade to herds ranging in size from an Amish-dairy with 20 cows all the way up to a 200-cow dairy. At the present time, Woldt has four dairy customers. Woldt believes feed stored in silo bags is key to making the system work. Once feed is in the bag, it is very stable. The feed is stored in 12-foot by 500-foot or 12-foot by 300-foot long bags. Woldt crops some 3,000 acres.

"Once we take the forages out of the bag and haul it to the mixing pad, it is critical that we prevent the feed from getting rained on," says Woldt who mixes multiple TMRs for his clients. "If it doesn't get rained on, we have little issues with heating," he said. "In winter, our TMR mixes can last a week without heating. As we move into spring, TMR mixes last about four days. And on hot, humid summer days, the longest we push a mix is two days," says Woldt who has had one customer 60 miles away and took feed delivery once a week.

In addition to the custom TMR business, Woldt also has a bagging business and rents out 10 bagging machines that are run by tractors. They also have 2 self-propelled machines.

Outside of one customer who went out of business unexpectedly last spring, Woldt says accounts receivable have not been a problem. To get paid in a timely fashion for what can be the biggest expense on the dairy, he works with partnering dairies to either pay for feed on delivery or to get payment as part of a milk assignment.

Chris Hartleben of Hartleben's Custom Cropping, Wittenberg, Wis., sells TMR mixes and direct forages like haylage and corn silage. He said he has some customers who rented their land and let Hartleben handle the cropping operation.

"The customers who rented us ground and purchased back the TMR have done better financially," said Hartleben. "In most of these cases, producers were short on labor and didn't have time to manage inventories," he said. "Customers who kept an equipment line, ran some ground, and only purchased TMR when they needed it didn't fair as well because they kept assets they were not seeing maximum use. "

"When running a business like this, you are becoming a business partner," said Hartleben. "If you are delivering feed, you need a milk check assignment," he said. As for handing the cropping enterprise, “It only works if you are in the general radius of the partnering dairy." Hartleben commented that a 15-mile radius is the best fit for their operation.

The Symposium is held jointly each year with the Midwest Forage Association and the Professional Nutrient Applicators Association of Wisconsin.

In despair, dairyman kills milking herd, then ends his life

This past year has been challenging for dairy farmers across the nation. During the course of the past year, dairy producers have seen the average value of their milking herd drop by $700 per head across the board. In many regions of the country, milk checks have been barely enough to cover feed costs while in the Western U.S. milk checks didn't even cover feed bills in some cases. Mounting debt, long hours, low milk checks, and a host of other issues have led to depression and despair on many dairy farms. Even with higher milk prices on the horizon, there is no doubt, some dairy producers feel this weight on their shoulders is simply too heavy.

With all that in mind, on Thursday, January 21, Dean Pierson of Copake, N.Y., went through his barn with rifle in hand and ended the lives of his 51 Holstein milk cows, reports the Albany Times Union. When that last task was completed, Pierson turned the weapon on himself. No suicide note was left, his wife told Paul Grondahl a reporter of the Albany Times Union.

State Police investigators told the Albany Times Union that a neighboring farmer found Pierson and the cows at 1 p.m., on Thursday. "It's horribly sad," State Police Investigator Abdul Weed told the Albany Times Union.

According to published newspaper reports, Pierson's wife would like to keep the farm going. "It wouldn't be right for all that work he put into it to go to nothing," she told the Albany Times Union.

The entire story as printed in the Albany Times Union can be seen by clicking the title of this blog.

We urge all our dairy farm families to look out for their loved ones. Keep the lines of communication open. If a loved one is acting unusual, get them help immediately.

A memorial to Dean Pierson's life is planned for January 26 and 27. The family would ask that in lieu of flowers, please consider AFSP, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 120 Wall St. 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10005.

A link to Pierson's obituary can be found at http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2010/01/25/obituaries/doc4b5cfac9158bb335410000.prt

Hoard's Dairyman turns 125 years old on January 23

On January 23, 1885, Wisconsin's 16th Governor, William Dempster Hoard, launched the very first edition of Hoard's Dairyman. In Hoard's own words, the masthead read, "Hoard's Dairyman is especially devoted to dairy and stock interests, being the official organ of the Wisconsin Dairyman's Association," W.D. Hoard Editor and Publisher

Back in those early days, Hoard's Dairyman took on more of a look of a newspaper than that of a magazine. In the first edition, Hoard explained the launch of his new venture: "PLEASE READ THIS," Hoard set in bold type. "Hoard's Dairyman, a dairy edition of the Jefferson County Union, will be issued weekly hereafter, in the form of a six column to the page folio sheet.

"We have entered upon this enterprise in response to the request of a great many dairymen in outside portions of this and other states, who want a cheap weekly, dairy paper.

"We shall give the choicest original and selected dairy literature to be obtained on the Continent, as well as a wide range of market reports. We have arranged with several of the most practical dairymen in the Northwest, for frequent contributions from their pens. Our weekly Elgin Letter will alone be worth the price of the paper to any butter maker that wants to keep posted. The leading dairymen of the Northwest are subscribers to this paper." — W.D. Hoard, January 23, 1885.

In those days, when Hoard said Northwest, he wasn’t referring to Washington and Oregon, he was referencing what we now call the Midwest. At the time he launched Hoard's, Wisconsin had achieved statehood 37 years earlier.

If you wanted to order a copy 125 years ago, Hoard's Dairyman would set you back $1 for the year. For that price, you received 52 copies of the weekly publication. If you wanted both the Jefferson County Union and Hoard's Dairyman, the package deal was $1.75, paid strictly in advance, noted Editor Hoard.

As the year unfolds, we have more celebrations planned commemorating our 125th Anniversary. We look forward to sharing this special occasion with you throughout 2010.

The show is about to begin again at World Ag Expo

There’s been plenty of rain this week (and more is forecast next week) at the home of the world’s largest farm equipment show, buoying hopes that dry weather must be in store for World Ag Expo Feb. 9-10-11 in Tulare, California.

Economic recession will take a small bite out of overall exhibitor numbers at the 43rd annual show, although around 1,600 are still confirmed. Things will probably be more noticeably smaller in the dairy area, where exhibitor numbers are expected to be down about 15 percent from last year.

Major changes at this year’s show include a return to 9 a.m. opening times each day; elimination of the Dairy Technology Center exhibit area, which is now the Seminar Center that will host all free seminars at the show; and the Hilvers Building is now the Hilvers Career & Education Center, featuring exhibits promoting colleges and universities, and offering resources to help agricultural job-seekers find employment.

The first stop for anyone planning to attend World Ag Expo is http://www.worldagexpo.com/ where maps, schedules and perhaps more information about literally every facet of the show than one can imagine can be found. All visitors are also strongly encouraged to register for admission and buy discount tickets in advance on the website.

Supply management: Yes or no?

We're interested in your thoughts on supply management. Your answer may depend on what we mean by supply management. For the purposes of this discussion, let's just say that supply management is some form of production control, either government-run or government-authorized (so everyone participates) whereby dairy operations pay an assessment and, in return, are given financial incentives to either reduce milk production relative to some historical level or slow its rate of growth. The average price received would be higher than it would have been, including the assessment.

We realize most organizations and individuals, for that matter, either are for or against supply management. With that in mind, the Idaho Dairymen's Association took an interesting approach to the issue. In the organization's December newsletter, IDA indicates that it supports industry-controlled and voluntary supply management programs. However, IDA "will oppose all government-mandated supply management programs that HAVE NOT RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM A SUPER MAJORITY (66 percent) VOTE BY INDIVIDUAL PRODUCERS." Instead of being categorically against mandatory supply management, IDA is saying we have our concerns, but let the (super) majority rule.

Of course, this begs the question, What would the majority rule? It might be as difficult to conduct a referendum on supply management as it would be to get people to agree on what type of supply management we should have. So, maybe, the Idahoans are safe in their seemingly open-minded position.

Nevertheless, we welcome your thoughts on supply management as ground work begins on the 2011/2012 Farm Bill.

Specifically, we first want to know whether you are an owner of a dairy operation. Then we want to know whether you personally think supply management would be good for U.S. dairy farmers. Then, we we want to know whether you think a majority of dairy farmers would vote for supply managment if given a choice as individuals (without bloc voting).

Finally, you're welcome to make any related comments in the comment box.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Online Surveys & Market Research

Online Surveys & Market Research

Activity monitoring isn't just about heats

Activity monitoring systems for cows have become quite popular in recent times. Yes, not only can you measure how many steps you take by wearing a pedometer, you can measure how many steps your cows take by attaching a simple device to their foot or collar. In a 2008 survey by Hoard's Dairyman, 5.7 percent of all farms reported using electronic cow identification. Of that 5.7 percent, one-third reported using this electronic identification for activity monitoring with the goal to detect heats. Our cows at the Hoard's Dairyman farm wear activity monitors, and a portion of our breeding is done based off of its detection.

In a recent publication by Virginia Cooperative Extension, Christina Petersson-Wolfe, an extension dairy specialist, discussed the potential of using activity monitoring as a source for predicting disease. Typically, pedometer reports are watched closely for spikes of activity as a sign of estrus. However, Petersson-Wolfe reports that in recent studies at other universities, predicting disease may be a future job of activity monitoring devices. One study reported an increase in activity 10 days prior to a D.A. The Virginia Tech dairy center recently added a new activity monitoring system to their dairy. It is their hope to that results from an upcoming study will give them activity indicators of metabolic disease. That way, if we can detect ketosis before it happens, treatment can be administered and dollars can be saved. We're wondering — what are your experiences with activity monitoring?

December milk down 0.8 percent

December milk was down 0.8 percent compared to a year earlier for the top 23 dairy states, reports NASS in its January 19, 2010, Milk Production report. When looking at the entire country, milk production was down 1.o percent for the last quarter (October to December) and down 0.9 percent for December.

For the top 23 dairy states, total milk cows were down 206,000 head compared to last December. However, when compared to just a month earlier, milk cows are steady. Cows still in herds are more productive, up 29 pounds compared to a year earlier, for a 1,758-pound monthly average per cow.

On a national basis, preliminary numbers suggest milk production was down 0.4 percent for the past year. Total milk stood at 189,259 million pounds for 2009. The estimated 9.2 million cows in the national herd averaged 20,572 pounds per cow this past year. A finalized report will be released next month.

Western states again led the states that were down in production this past December. The largest drops in production included:
• Colorado, down 11.1 percent
• Arizona, down 10.9 percent
• Missouri, down 8.0 percent
• Kansas, down 5.1 percent
• California, down 4.6 percent
• New Mexico, down 3.2 percent
• Utah, down 2.7 percent

The Midwestern states again led the gainers:
• Wisconsin, up 4.3 percent
• Iowa, up 3.6 percent
• Minnesota, up 3.2 percent
• Washington, up 1.9 percent
• Indiana, up 1.8 percent
• Ohio, up 1.2 percent
• Michigan, up 2.4 percent


MilkProd-01-19-2010.pdf

Hoard's Dairyman bull list now available

For those looking for the latest genetic updates from this January's sire summary, you can download our entire bull list from this blog post. It includes the highest-ranking bulls for the top seven dairy breeds.

Holsteins are ranked by Net Merit, Fluid Merit, Cheese Merit, udders, feet and legs, productive life, daughter pregnancy rate, somatic cell score, sire conception rate, sire calving ease, and sire stillbirth. It is the most comprehensive bull list published by any dairy outlet that is available free for download.

In the Holstein breed: Freddie, O Man, Super, and Planet, are still in the top four. Shottle reappears among the top five after making a slight dip to 10 in the August run. In the Jerseys, Matinee now ranks top in that breed, a climb of 13 spots. Likewise, Phillip in the Ayrshire breed jumped four spots to take the lead. Vigor (Brown Swiss), Alstar (Guernsey), and Ted (Milking Shorthorn) all maintain their leader position in their respective breeds. Meanwhile, new-comer Fidelity-Red (Red and White) earned the top Net Merit position at 364.

jan_10_2010_bull_list.pdf

Expansion begins at Texas cheese plant

New walls are going up again at the Hilmar Cheese Co. processing facility in Dalhart, Texas.

Barely 28 months after its first milk shipments arrived for processing, phase two of construction at the plant got underway January 14 when cranes lifted concrete wall sections into place to start a $100 million expansion project. Completion is expected late this year.

Included in the project is additional milk storage capacity, natural American-style cheese production lines, and increased production capacity of Hilmar’s whey products.

“Ultimately, the addition will give us the ability to double capacity in Texas,” said company CEO and President John Jeter. “We are installing emerging technology to increase our ability to meet our customers’ changing needs.”

The Dalhart plant opened ahead of schedule in September 2007 after a $100 million initial construction phase that took just 18 months to complete. At its groundbreaking ceremonies in March 2006, a milk processing capacity goal of 4.5 million pounds per day was forecast.

Strategically located in northwest Texas near the convergence of five states, the plant is able to easily access milk from four key milksheds:

• The Hereford/Muleshoe, Texas, area
• The Clovis/Portales, N.M., area
• The Roswell, N.M., area
• The Garden City/Dodge City, Kansas, area

Dalhart plant site manager David Ahlem said the expansion will create 50 new jobs.

Hilmar also operates a cheese and whey products plant in Hilmar, Calif., which is the largest single-site milk processing facility in the United States.

Record crops of both corn and beans

U.S. farmers produced the largest corn and soybean crops on record in 2009, according to the Crop Production 2009 Summary released January 12 by USDA.

Corn production is 13.2 billion bushels, 1 percent above the previous record of 13 billion bushels set in 2007, and 9 percent higher than 2008. Corn yields reached an all-time high in 2009 at 165.2 bushels per acre, eclipsing the previous record of 160.3 bushels per acre set in 2004. Planted area, at 86.5 million acres, was the second highest since 1949, behind 2007’s 93.5 million acres.

Soybean production totaled 3.36 billion bushels, up 13 percent from 2008 and up 5 percent from the previous record set in 2006. The average yield per acre is 44 bushels, up 0.9 bushels from the previous record set in 2005. Farmers nationwide planted a total of 77.5 million soybean acres and harvested 76.4 million acres in 2009, both up 2 percent from the previous record set last year.



When producers were surveyed in late November and early December, there was significant unharvested acreage of corn in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, and significant unharvested acreage of soybeans in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The unharvested area and expected production were included in the totals released on January 12.

The graphs represent futures' settlement prices for September corn and soybean meal as of January 12. Since the new crop report was released, September corn has dropped between 25 and 30 cents a bushel and soybean meal has dropped between $20 and $30 a ton.

Keeping childhood memories and children safe

Have you ever seen a playpen (for children— not calves) in a barn? We have. Or maybe heard one of those "I milked cows the day I went into labor!" stories? Yep, it all happens on the farm. Have a story like this to share? Tell us below. These stories are truly a reflection of just how "family" the family dairy farm is. The whole family pitches in to get the work done — everyone. So how young did you start out in the barn? Was your job holding tails or feeding calves? Or was it to simply tag along with Dad in the tractor? Sadly, some of those fond childhood memories aren't so fond for everyone because accidents do happen. According to the National Farm Medicine Center headquartered at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wis., about 100 children are killed and 32,800 are seriously injured on farms and ranches in the United States each year. It is a disheartening statistic that makes us think twice before letting the 10-year-old drive the tractor.

The National Farm Medicine Center has developed the North American Guidelines for Agricultural Tasks to help keep children safe. These 62 guidelines for common agricultural tasks give you a risk assessment of many common jobs on your farm and include pictures and illustrations. For example, a common task for young children is to help feed calves. But, have you ever considered monitoring water temperature to avoid burning, or are you certain there is a protective barrier between children and calves (those babies can be fiesty!)? Milking cows and farming with an ATV are among their most popular guidelines, and all of them are now available online. Click here to see the available list. Some are even available in Spanish.

Let's make safe children a priority on our farms. Without safe farms, those cherished childhood memories could be tarnished forever.

Rural America Prospers

The notion that living in rural America yields a less prosperous life has been disproven. Of course, those of us living in rural America aren't surprised by this. We love where we live (most of us.) A recent study by the University of Illinois actually found that much of rural America is prosperous, particularly in the Midwest and Plains regions. In order to define prosperity, they analyzed unemployment rates, poverty rates, high school drop-out rates, and housing conditions. The result was that one in five rural communities nationwide is prosperous. In each of those aspects of prosperity, rural communities did better than the nation as a whole. Counties in America's heartland did the best — one-half of rural counties were considered prosperous. In the Southeast and Southwest, fewer than one in twenty counties were considered prosperous.

The research found that prosperous rural counties have more off-farm jobs, more educated populations, and less income inequality than other rural counties. Geographic factors like climate, topography, distances to cities and airports, and interstate highways are unimportant in distinguishing prosperous counties from others. You can see the graph below to find out where these prosperous counties are. The darkest shade of orange represents the most prosperous. Blackened areas are urban.
They also found that prosperity and growth are two different things. The prosperous counties averaged 2 percent growth, while the worst-off counties averaged 11 percent growth and had much lower average incomes. There was some disappointing news, however. Of 260 counties where African Americans or American Indians make up 10 percent or more of the population, only six were considered prosperous.

So why do some areas prosper and others not? One graduate student, Mallory Rahe, dug deeper into two prosperous communities. "She returned with impressive stories that link local churches, a shared ethnic identity, small colleges, locally owned manufacturing, innovative farmers, and extraordinary cooperation and civic engagement to job creation, education, and housing," said University of Illinois economist and coauthor Andrew Isserman.

Former Holstein head, Robert Rumler, passes away

Robert Rumler, long-time Holstein Executive Secretary and dedicated dairy industry leader passed away on January 10, 2010; he was 93 years old. Rumler served as Executive Secretary of the Holstein Friesian Association (now Holstein USA) from 1952 to 1975. In 1976, Rumler was elevated to the position of Executive Chairman. The Holstein breed's influence grew a great deal under his leadership. By the time Rumler retired, over 75 percent of the registered dairy cattle in the U.S. were Holstein. During his tenure, active membership in the Holstein Friesian Association grew from 15,000 to 27,000 with total membership in excess of 40,000. During his tenure in the mid-1970s, the Holstein Friesian Association installed a computer center and became the largest single source of genetic data and information on the Holstein breed in the world.

Born and raised on a Pennsylvania dairy farm, Rumler graduated with honors from Penn State University in 1936. After graduation, he went on to serve as assistant county agent in Missouri. Some 18 months later he came to back Pennsylvania, he became the youngest man to ever be named county agent in the history of the Pennsylvania Extension Service; it was a role he held for nearly eight years. His next challenge was serving three years as editor and assistant manager of the agricultural promotion division of Dupont before he was named, in 1948, as assistant Executive Secretary of the Holstein Friesian Association of America.

Rumler gave a great deal of his time to other dairy organizations. In 1967, he was selected by the USDA as one of four advisors to the newly appointed Joint Task Force on Dairy Research. The very next year, he was elected President of National Dairy Shrine. Rumler also served as an officer and director of the National Society of Livestock Record Associations. He also provided leadership to the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association and was an original member of the National DHIA coordinating group. In 1976, Rumler was named National Dairy Shrine Guest of Honor and in 1979 he received World Dairy Expo's Industry Person of the Year Award. In 1996, Rumler also received World Dairy Expo's International Person of the Year making him the only person to win two of World Dairy Expo's recognition awards.

In 1974, Rumler agreed to co-chair the fundraising committee with Robert Walton for National Dairy Shrine's permanent home in Fort Atkinson, Wis. At the National Dairy Shrine's dedication on September 29, 1981, Rumler said, "What you see today in this permanent home of the Shrine is a museum with a perspective of the future. It is a building, an exhibit hall, filled with memorabilia of the past, reminding us of how far our industry has come. It pictures those leaders who made the industry what it is today. It provides a suggestion of what is yet to come while we both see and hear the fascinating saga of the evolution of our industry."

Milk price average was $6.08 less in 2009

Although it ended on a two-month upswing when prices were unbelievably high by comparison, the worst producer milk price year perhaps ever has mercifully ended.

Announced USDA Class III price for December is $14.98 per hundredweight, an increase of 90¢ from November. This is both the highest price of the year and perhaps the only month it will cover production costs for most dairy producers across the country.

Even with those two months over $14, Class III price average during 2009 was an abysmal $11.36, a decline of $6.08 from the previous year and the lowest average since $10.42 in 2002. But there’s a huge difference between then and now. Production costs in 2002 were roughly $1 above Class III prices, while in 2009 they were $6 to $8 higher for much of the year.

The possibility that 2009 was the worst price year ever becomes a legitimate possibility when Class III levels are adjusted backward for inflation. For instance, $11.36 in 2009 is equal to $5.76 in 1986 – but actual Class III price average that year was $11.30. Adjusted back to 1979 it is equal to $3.81 – but Class III average that year was $10.91.

2009 prices still look horrible even when you go all the way back to the depths of the Great Depression. Adjusted back to 1935, the 2009 Class III price average is equal to just 72¢ per hundredweight.

Wisconsin study looked at air emission and odor control

A recently completed study by Wisconsin ag department and the Department of Natural Resources has increased the understanding of air emissions and odors on larger-sized livestock farms, and lays the groundwork for future studies in this important area. The multi-year project to study odor and air emissions from Wisconsin dairy and livestock farms was supported by a Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Larger livestock farms volunteered to be part of the study. Five dairy farms and one heifer raising operation were selected. The farms ranged in size from 400 to more than 2,500 head of cattle. Four manure management practices were evaluated: anaerobic manure digesters, an impermeable cover placed over manure lagoons, a permeable manure lagoon cover, and a solids separation and aeration system.

“The project evaluated the air emissions and odor levels from six dairy and livestock operations and then compared the odor levels both before and after the installation of best management practices that were intended to reduce odor or emissions,” said Steve Struss, project co-manager with the state agriculture department.

More than 2,000 air samples were collected during the project. The samples measured odors and the airborne concentrations of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, two compounds most likely to be present on livestock operations. Struss emphasized that the study did not attempt to measure emissions for the entire farms.

While the number of farms within the study was limited, it appears that impermeable covers significantly reduce ambient concentrations of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Not surprising, when stored manure was agitated or pumped, higher concentrations of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide were detected.

Based on sampling results, it appears that the odor model used in Wisconsin's livestock operation siting process accurately predicts the odor from covered manure storage lagoons and the amount of odor from manure lagoons between two and four acres in size. However the model appears to underestimate the amount of odor from small manure lagoons and manure digesters.

The findings of the study suggest options for farmers who wish to reduce odors from their farm, among them:

• Minimize surface agitation of waste storage lagoons to limit exposure to the air including the use of submerged inlet pipes and mixing below the surface of the lagoon.

•If a manure digester is used, maximize the time manure is kept inside the digester to reduce odors from the manure lagoon. A high quality flare with a reliable igniter to burn off gas also avoids unintentional releases of digester gas.

•Installation of new manure storage lagoons would benefit greatly from an impermeable cover which can reduce odors by 100 percent.

•Existing manure storage lagoons would benefit from a permeable cover which can reduce odor by about 70 percent.

•Keep stored feed clean and dry. Wet feed produces odors and reduces feed quality.

•A solids separator can be used to produce bedding materials and reduce odor by approximately 25 percent.

•Keep animal densities low on open feedlots as high stocking rates increase odors as well as runoff and erosion.

•Separation distance from neighbors is a simple, but effective tool to reduce odor impacts, place new livestock housing or manure lagoons as far as possible from nearby residents.

The final report and farm specific data is available on DATCP web site at http://www.datcp.state.wi.us/arm/agriculture/land-water/odor/index.jsp .

Priceless

That’s the value of youth conventions and activities. This past weekend, we had the opportunity to volunteer at the annual Wisconsin Junior Holstein Convention. With nearly 500 in attendance, excitement filled the air. It is events like this that are annual highlights for many dairy farm youth. It is a chance learn and enjoy a weekend among peers that share common bonds.

When farm kids are in school, they are outnumbered 50 to 1. Their thoughts on agriculture, animals, land, and food production have a different perspective than their urban classmates. At agricultural activities such as breed conventions, fairs, and so forth, the typical ag minority to becomes the accepted dominant majority. Talking about farm chores without intimidation or chuckles from others energizes youth to be proud of their heritage. This is known as networking to adults, but it can be even more valuable to young people as they build friendships.

Competitions at these events allow young people to show-off their knowledge about agriculture in an environment where knowing about cows, tractors, and crops is the “cool thing to do.” Nonfarm classmates may excel on the sports field or play musical instruments, but here, young people can participate in knowledge bowls, display their crafts and photography, and hone their speaking skills in speech contests — all while promoting and supporting agriculture among other like-minded youth. The camaraderie among these farm kids (even during competitions) is evident. Their personal and social development is significantly enhanced.

And while every contest has its winners, there are countless other wins for those without the blue ribbon: the exposure to public speaking, self-confidence, teamwork, sportsmanship, the value of working towards a goal, and the personal satisfaction of presenting your best effort. Aren’t those victories the best wins of all?

It was a dynamite decade for Jerseys

It is not going overboard to say that so far during the 21st century, Jerseys have been one of the dairy industry’s hottest trends. Not only does the soaring popularity of small brown cows not show any signs of slowing, but it only figures to increase as producers continue looking for ways to boost feed efficiency and profitability.

One obvious yardstick of this enthusiasm is the number of new animals registered with the American Jersey Cattle Association each year, which set an all-time record in 2009. New records don't happen very often at organizations that are 142 years old, but this was the second one in a row for AJCA.

Cherie Bayer, the breed group's Director of Development, said total registrations in 2009 were 95,557, breaking the previous record of 94,774 in 2008. She noted that registration numbers dipped as low as 33,104 in 1973 and did not regularly exceed 60,000 per year until the late 1990s.

What happened to suddenly make headstrong small brown cows the belles of today’s commercial dairy ball? There's little doubt that the answer is Multiple Component Pricing of milk, which went into effect in Federal Milk Marketing Orders on January 1, 2000. Switching volume-based milk pricing to a system that rewards protein and butterfat clearly caused interest in Jerseys to soar, and has boosted their retail value onto a par with Holsteins as well.

In addition to greater demand for Jersey cows, Jersey A.I. semen sales have also surged as many dairies have started crossbreeding programs to boost protein and fat production in their herds. Bayer points out that between 1997 and 2008, Jersey A.I. semen sales increased 183 percent.

Self magazine touts benefits of cheese

A recent article in Self magazine touts the fact that women who ate an ounce of full-fat cheese each day gained fewer pounds over time when compared to women who didn't eat cheese. That research came from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Whole dairy products contain higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and researchers believe that those healthy fats may stoke people's metabolism. Self magazine reporter Maridel Reyes suggests, "To get more waist-whittling power from your wedge, savor a single-ounce portion (about the size of your thumb) of one of these top picks daily."

The cheese options suggested in the article include: goat cheese, Parmesan, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Ricotta, Provolone, and Mozzarella.

Self Magazine is published monthly and has over 1.1 million paid subscribers. To read the full article, go to http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2009/12/stay-slim-benefits-of-cheese