Favorable market conditions, dynamic farm challenges and proven technology are accelerating the integration of robotics on dairy farms across North America. DeLaval is prepared to meet this demand with the addition of several new employees across the United States. These individuals will work together with DeLaval dealers to help dairy producers succeed.

Francisco Rodriguez, Project Coordination and Sales Support Manager, Robotics – NA, said the new employees will help DeLaval carry out its strategy to be the number one supplier of robotic milking solutions in North America.

“To support the sustainable and accelerated growth of our dairy robotics business, we need to expand our presence,” Rodriguez confirmed. “In doing so, we looked at the different components of the customer cycle – before and after the sale. With an expanded team, we will help our dealers continue to fulfill their customers’ expectations.”   

New large herd, sales, design, solution support, technical and integration specialists add even more experience and skill to a team that has been helping customers succeed for more than two decades.

Large Robotic Herds Specialist, Shane St. Cyr, will support dealerships in providing excellent service to large, robotic herds across the US and Canada.

Sales Specialists will serve as consultants to dairy producers – identifying issues on the farm and providing appropriate solutions.

Jeff Harman joins DeLaval as Robotics Sales Specialist, covering Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and Virginia.

Mary Murray transitioned from another role within DeLaval to provide robotic sales support to DeLaval Dairy Service – Twin Tiers, NY location.

Don Mayer becomes a Robotic Sales Specialist, applying dairy equipment expertise to dealerships and dairies across the Midwest.

Project Design Specialist, Robert Pol, will lead the creation and development of high-performance barn designs across North America. His expertise paves the way for the DeLaval Facility Planning and Design Group to offer additional services and support to changing and expanding dairies.

Solution Support Specialist, John Gerbitz, will support dealerships in the Midwest in providing herd management support to their customers in both conventional and robotic milking systems.

Technical Specialists will provide technical support and training to Automatic Milking System (AMS) customers. These people will also assist with the installation, start-up and follow-up of new systems.

Kevin Bernardo joins DeLaval as Robotics – Technical Specialist, working with dairies in California and other western states.  

Randy Kuntz joins DeLaval as Robotics and Conventional Milking – Technical Support Specialist, serving customers from his home in California.

Integration Specialists will support dealers in new robotic installations, upgrades and updates to facilities.

Dustin Stugart joins DeLaval as Robotics – Integration Specialist, working with customers across the country.

Brendon McBee transitioned from another role with DeLaval to Robotics – Integration Specialist. He will help producers throughout the United States.

Rex Frazier joins DeLaval as Robotics – Integration Specialist, working with customers around the US.

DeLaval continues to expand its team across North America. Numerous positions are available now; candidates are encouraged to contact Glenn Webber for more information: Glenn.Webber@DeLaval.com

TPP could mean hundreds of millions or billions in new agri-food sales

Yesterday, groups representing canola, pork, beef, wheat and other commodities celebrated the news that Canada will be part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

One ag group was not celebrating — the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

In a release, the Dairy Farmers said that Jan. 23 was a “somber” day for Canada’s dairy industry.

“We are still giving up access to the remaining countries without the benefits of access to the American market,” a Dairy Farmers spokesperson said in an email.

“This is not in the best interest of Canadian dairy farmers and the 221,000 Canadians that depend on the dairy sector for their livelihood.”

On Jan. 23 the federal government announced that Canada will sign a revised version of the TPP, now known as the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade deal with Japan and nine other Pacific nations.

Canada’s trade negotiators were in Japan for meetings on TPP. The deal was announced following those discussions.

The U.S. was part of the original TPP but U.S. President Donald Trump pulled America out of the agreement last January.

The remaining countries almost signed a revised deal in November at a meeting in Vietnam. However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had second thoughts and threw a wrench into the works. Trudeau asked for new provisions, such as chapters on the environment, worker’s rights and gender issues.

Since November, Canada’s pork, beef, canola and wheat industries have been urging the federal government to finalize the new TPP.

The deal should help those commodities compete in the lucrative Japanese market and provide more access to emerging markets like Vietnam.

The TPP-11 could mean hundreds of millions or billions in new agri-food sales to Japan and other nations. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association expects additional beef exports of $200 million because TPP will reduce tariff levels in Japan.

But the trade deal may have negative consequences for Canada’s dairy sector.

Under the agreement, the other 10 nations will have market access that equals 3.25 percent of Canada’s annual milk production.

If dairy imports from TPP countries reach that level, it would represent a $246 million hit, annually, for Canada’s dairy industry.

Since the U.S. is no longer part of the deal, it doesn’t make sense to give up 3.25 percent of Canada’s dairy market, the Dairy Farmers said.

“The loss of the U.S. represents a loss of approximately 60 percent of the original TPP market,” they said. “We are still giving up the same amount of access (3.25 percent) to the remaining countries without the benefits of the access to the American market.”

The 3.25 percent figure, in terms of volume, would be comparable to the yearly milk production in Saskatchewan. In 2016, Saskatchewan’s share of the national milk quota was three percent.

Source: The Western Producer

Dairy farmers say they’re concerned about NAFTA renegotiations given how much of the Canadian market has already been given away under WTO, the Canadian-European Trade Agreement and TPP.

Canada’s dairy industry says it has given up enough in past trade deals and shouldn’t bear any additional hardship in NAFTA renegotiations.

The head of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario says the U.S. should join the Trans-Pacific Partnership if it wants increased access to Canada.

Graham Lloyd says giving the Americans any more access to Canada won’t solve massive overproduction but would cause serious harm to the Canadian dairy farmer.

He says Canada should have recalibrated the amount of foreign access permitted under TPP when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the trade deal. The remaining 3.25 per cent quota means that dairy from Australia and New Zealand will displace American product.

Dairy farmers say they’re concerned about NAFTA renegotiations given how much of the Canadian market has already been given away under WTO, the Canadian-European Trade Agreement and TPP.

New Brunswick farmer Michael Bouma says he’s hoping the federal government will honour its commitment to defend supply management despite intense pressure from U.S. negotiators.

He says the dismantling of the current system would be devastating for farmers in Quebec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada, forcing many small farms to close.

The Dairy Farmers of Canada says Ottawa must recognize the cumulative impact of the trade deals and shouldn’t give up any more on the backs of the hundreds of thousands of dairy farmers and workers.

Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay insisted the government fully supports the supply-managed sector and that it intends to consult with industry stakeholders about potential compensation.

The supply management system was created in the early 1970s in response to wide swings in prices and interprovincial trade disputes as technology and other developments disrupted the agricultural markets.

The system sets prices and protects Canadian farmers from competition, creating stability for dairy, egg, chicken and turkey producers.

It also blocks out foreign production from the Canadian market through the imposition of tariffs, a mechanism that has resulted in long-running disputes with Canada’s trading partners.

Source: CTV

The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, which had been on life support since Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US a year ago, has finally been resuscitated.

The 11 remaining countries are expected to sign an amended agreement on 8 March in Chile, Australia’s trade minister, Steve Ciobo, has confirmed.

Canada threw a spanner in the works at the Apec summit in Vietnam last year, derailing efforts to finalise the deal.

Ottawa has since been coaxed back to the fold after lobbying efforts from Tokyo and Canberra.

Trade officials had been meeting in Tokyo to resolve rifts including Canada’s insistence on protections for its cultural industries such as movies, TV and music.

Canada’s trade minister said the pact included an improved arrangement on cars with Japan and the suspension of intellectual property provisions that had been a concern.

The timing of the deal is significant for Canada, which is trying to diversify its exports. US, Canadian and Mexican negotiators opened a key, week-long round of talks to modernise Nafta on Tuesday.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, overnight, Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, called the agreement the “right deal”.

Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said last week the new agreement would leave a door open for eventual US participation.

The deal is planned to eliminate 98% of tariffs in a marketplace worth close to $14tn.

Nearly a quarter of Australia’s exports last financial year, worth almost $88bn, went to the countries in the TPP-11.

Ciobo said the TPP included new bilateral free trade deals with Canada and Mexico and “enhanced access into a number of markets”.

The deal includes the abolition of all tariffs on seafood, wine, sheep meat, cotton wool and manufactured goods across the region.

Speaking from Davos, Ciobo told Australia’s Radio National the deal would increase access to Japan for Australian beef producers, resulting in a “more rapid decrease on tariffs” that would provide a competitive advantage “at the expense of US beef producers”.

The TPP has been controversial in Australia owing to concerns about the investor state dispute settlement clause and because it lowers the requirement to test the local labour market before allowing skilled migrants from member nations.

Ciobo dismissed both concerns as part of a “scare campaign” against the deal. He said it was “absolutely not” the case that the TPP would give the government less ability to regulate corporations and the deal would not result in “an invasion of unskilled or unqualified foreign workers”.

Australia’s National Farmers’ Federation chief executive, Tony Mahar, said the resurrection of the TPP was a “really good thing for farmers”. “It will provide more opportunities and market access for us to sell our food and fibre,” he said.

The Australian Industry Group’s chief executive, Innes Willox, said the breakthrough was a “very positive step” and he expressed hope that the US would join the TPP in future.

Holstein Canada is pleased to announce six new Canadian Champions for 2017. Canadian Champions are awarded to Holstein cows (75% pure or higher) that surpass the previous all-time highest performance for milk, fat, protein, or total BCA in their age at calving category. If more than one animal in a given year exceeds the previous highest level, only the top individual will be recognized as a new Canadian Champion.

If you wish to view the current list of the all-time highest production Canadian Champion cows, visit Holstein Canada’s web site under Awards and Shows, Cow Award Lists.

Congratulations to the breeders and owners of the new Canadian Champions for 2017!

Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board, or PSP Investments, got a green light to buy a medium-sized dairy farm and a neighbouring dairy support block in Canterbury for $17.7 million just ahead of tougher requirements on land sales to foreign buyers.

Ramsay Dairy Farm, which is indirectly owned by PSP Investments, was granted consent to buy 335.2 hectares of land and 77.2 hectares of land in Hororata, Canterbury by the Overseas Investment Office.

According to the OIO, the properties will be amalgamated to create a larger dairy farm. “The applicant proposes to convert some of the dairy support land to create a larger milking platform, and to support increasing the total number of cows by approximately 400 cows,” it said in a summary of the decision.

The move got in ahead of tougher requirements for foreign buyers to provide additional benefits to the New Zealand economy and also slashed the size of farms covered by OIO applications to any land purchase over five hectares, other than forestry.

In late November, Associate Finance Minister David Parker said the then-existing directive to the OIO was “too loose”, applying only to “very large farms more than 10 times the average farm size”.

He underscored sales restrictions generally applied to sheep and beef farms over 7,146 hectares or dairy farms bigger than 1,987ha. The “new directive tightens how we assess overseas investment in New Zealand to ensure authorised purchases provide genuine benefits,” he said at the time.

The OIO said Canadian the pension fund met the test of generating a benefit to New Zealand with the creation of additional jobs, an increased volume of milk being processed domestically, higher export receipts and capital investment to convert dairy support land to dairying.

The government agency also noted PSP Investments has previously made beneficial investments in New Zealand, creating jobs and introducing extra investment for development purposes.

PSP Investments is one of Canada’s largest pension investment managers, with C$139.2 billion of net assets under management as at Sept. 30, 2017, according to its website. Funds are invested for the pension plans of the federal public service, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Reserve Force.

In New Zealand, the Canadian pension fund owns dairy farms, a stake in Kaingaroa Timberlands and a portfolio of properties.

Source: Scoop Business

Holstein Association USA, Inc. has hired Ryan Zimmerman as a Regional Sales Representative. In this role, he will work with dairy producers in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Eastern New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. 

Zimmerman, a 2017 graduate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State College, holds a Bachelor of Science in Dairy Science. Before joining the Association, he worked in the AI industry and as a national sales representative for cowbuyer.com. 

Throughout his time at Virginia Tech, he was an active brother of Alpha Gamma Rho and member of the Virginia Tech Dairy Club. As a member of Virginia Tech’s dairy judging team, he placed seventh overall at the All-American Dairy Judging Contest. He then worked with the dairy judging team as the assistant dairy judging coach. He has also taken active roles in the Maryland Holstein Association. 

“Regional Sales Representatives are a vital link between the Brattleboro office and the customer. They know how Holstein products and services fit into any size dairy farm better than anyone in the Association. If you want a professional opinion of how our services can fit your farm, call your Regional Sales Representative. The Representatives will help you become more profitable,” says Steve Peterson, National Sales Manager.

Along with Zimmerman, there are seventeen other Regional Sales Representatives representing the Association in the field. These dairy experts help producers utilize Association programs to improve their herds and increase their bottom lines. To find which Regional Sales Representative covers your area visit www.holsteinusa.com.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the biggest problem with the North American Free Trade Agreement “comes from the North,” with Canadian dairy producers dumping low-cost products on the market to compete with Wisconsin farms.

Ryan said Jan. 12 that NAFTA needs to be “updated,” but the U.S. should work within the framework of the deal that took effect in 1994, rather than pulling out. Speaking at an event sponsored by WisPolitics, a Wisconsin outlet for political news, Ryan said ending the free trade agreement would risk higher tariffs for cheese that American producers export to Mexico.

Reuters reports that trade relations between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. have been rocky since President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign bucked traditional Republican support for free trade and dubbed NAFTA “the worst trade deal in the history of the world.” Congressional Republicans, especially those from border states whose economies depend on trade, have urged the Trump administration to modernize NAFTA, rather than risking the economic consequences of ending it.

Dairy has long been one of the sticking points in Canada-U.S. trade, especially for Ryan’s native Wisconsin. Canada’s system of tariffs and quotas, known as supply management, restricts much of its market. The U.S. is proposing in NAFTA talks to blow up that system, but the Canadians argue the U.S. still has a leg up.

In a letter last year sent to the governors of New York and Wisconsin, the Canadian ambassador to Washington, David MacNaughton, cited data showing dairy trade between the countries benefits the U.S. by a five-to-one margin.

Agriculture, including dairy, has been one of the main focuses of several rounds of NAFTA negotiations, according to Reuters.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Trump was updated Thursday on the status of NAFTA talks, and he’s “very pleased on where things are going.” Mnuchin said, “we are expecting that will be re-negotiated or we will pull out.”

Trump also this week repeated his claims that the U.S. “has been treated very, very badly” under NAFTA, citing trade deficits with Canada and Mexico. He said he’s willing to be “flexible” but wants a fair deal, which he described as a “Trump deal.”

Source: Reuters

Joy, thanksgiving and excitement are key words to describe attitudes in Canadian Jersey circles!

Outstanding 2017 results from Jersey Canada reflect incredible upward momentum for the breed. Over 2016, Jersey Canada experienced an 8.5% increase in memberships and a 7.5% increase in registrations! These increases led to the highest membership and registration total for Jersey Canada since 1965, fifty-two years earlier.

Leadership of the Guelph, Ontario based breed association attributes the phenomenal accomplishments to a bevy of reasons. “The Jersey cow of this era excels in efficiently producing high value milk and in adapting to modern management practices,” says Russell Gammon, Interim Manager of Jersey Canada. 

President Tim Sargent commented on the hard work by Jersey Canada staff and regional Jersey associations as another key contributor to historic success in recent decades. In addition, the expanding number of Jersey owners in all regions of the country see the crucial value of accurate, verified identification and the value-added component of registered animals.

Overall, activity levels are soaring as membership totals and registrations have both grown by 20.5% since 2014! 

As exciting as 2017 year-end totals are, Jersey Canada forecasts that the best is yet to be – and the Canadian Jersey celebration continues at full force!

A Clunes farmer who was speeding to hospital after he cut the top of his finger off has been convicted and fined $550.

A road safety camera clocked Benjamin Dimond travelling 95km/h in a 60km/h zone in Service Road, Clunes, on September 20, 2017.

Dimond told the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Friday he was working on a farm north of Clunes when he cut the top of his finger off.

“I was worried I would lose my finger. I was losing quite a lot of blood,” Dimond said.

He said police stopped him speeding in Blowhard but was let off after he explained his situation.

“I realise I put the lives of others at risk,” he said.

Magistrate Ron Saines suspended Dimond’s licence for one month. He was ordered to pay $81.10 in court costs.

Dimond pleaded guilty to one count of speeding.

Source: The Land

New Zealand’s a2 Milk Company Ltd said on Tuesday that it was expanding its operations in the United States to include the country’s north-east region.

The dairy company said in a statement that it aims to expand to states such as New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and that the a2 Milk brand has been accepted by retailers in the region including Safeway, H-Mart and Fairway Foods.

The expansion will be funded by the higher sequential marketing investment mentioned at the annual meeting in November 2017 for the second half of the fiscal year 2018, it said.

Shares in the dairy firm ended Tuesday 3.8 percent higher at NZ$8, while New Zealand’s main index added 0.5 percent.

In 2017, the company’s shares gained more than 275 percent and were among the country’s top gainers.

Source: Reuters

French police raided the headquarters of dairy giant Lactalis and a nearby factory on Wednesday amid a salmonella scare that has resulted in 18 babies being hospitalised.

At least 37 babies in France are known to have fallen sick and another in Spain, while Greece has also seen one unconfirmed case.

Of the babies taken ill in France, 18 were hospitalised. All are now recovering well, according to the public health agency.

Hundreds of lawsuits have already been filed against Lactalis by families who say their children got salmonella poisoning after drinking powdered milk made by the company.

Reporters at the scene said police arrived early on Wednesday at the embattled company’s main officers in Laval, western France, and the factory in nearby Craon, identified as the source of the tainted milk.

The French government has laid the blame for the widening crisis squarely on both Lactalis, one of the world’s largest dairy groups, and on retailers who sold the tainted products despite a recall.

“When you have a case of milk on the market which has clearly caused complicated health problems for children, it means at some point there was negligence,” Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said Sunday.

Lactalis CEO Emmanuel Besnier said at the weekend that more than 12 million packages of Picot, Milumel, Celia and other brands of powdered baby milk had been recalled in 83 countries.

The CEO offered to compensate the affected families.

Buy victims silence?

An association of victim’s families, which met with the government on Monday, has firmly rejected the compensation, accusing Lactalis of trying to buy their silence.

The association’s president Quentin Guillemain said the explanations given by Besnier fell far short of expectations.

“We still don’t know where they are, we don’t know if they have been destroyed or if they’ve been drunk,” he said.

Guillemain said it also remained unclear when the salmonella outbreak at Lactalis’s Craon plant first occurred, suggesting it could have been before 2017, the period initially covered by the recall announced in December.

His group has disputed health authorities’ tally of 37 children sickened by the salmonella outbreak in France, saying that without systematic testing of babies brought to doctors, the true figure remains unknown.

Salmonela discovered in August

Anger has been growing since it emerged that Lactalis’s own tests had discovered salmonella at the Craon site in August and November, but did not report the findings because it had no legal obligation to do so.

Besnier denied claims that Lactalis had lied about the dates and number of stocks affected by the salmonella outbreak.

Created in 1933 by Besnier’s grandfather, Lactalis has become an industry behemoth with annual sales of some 17 billion euros ($20.6 billion), with products including Galbani ricotta and mozzarella in Italy.

With 246 production sites in 47 countries, its list of products also features household names like President butter and Societe roquefort.

Two of those brands, Picot and Milumel baby milk, were the subject of chaotic international recalls issued in mid-December after dozens of children fell sick.

Source: France24

Two dairy workers were detained by immigration authorities at separate farms in Washington County Friday, an immigrant rights group said.

Voces de la Frontera identified the men as Agustin Aguirre Villa and Firo Jesus Gamboa Hernandez and demanded their release. A third man who was not identified was also taken into custody.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency is not raiding dairy farms. She said officers were looking specifically for the individuals.

Two of the men are married and both have two United States-born children, according to Voces de la Frontera Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz. She led a news conference and protest outside the ICE field office in Milwaukee.

Neumann-Ortiz said Hernandez has been a farm worker for six years and worked at a farm in the Town of Farmington while Villa has lived in the United States for 12 years and has been a dairy manager for nine years. He worked at a farm in the Town of Wayne.

She said the group was notified of the arrests by the wives of the men.

“We suspect from preliminary information that these are due to traffic infractions, no serious charges,” she said.

The third man was also arrested in Washington County near his home, ICE said.

“ICE officers target specific individuals based on investigative leads,” an ICE statement said. “The three men were arrested based on recent contact with the criminal justice system, and they all have pending criminal charges.

“All three men were served with a notice to appear before a federal immigration judge in immigration court. They are in ICE custody pending disposition of their immigration cases,” the statement said.

Source: Journal Sentinal

Two cows died in a barn fire in the 6600 block of Outagamie County JJ on Tuesday morning. 

There were about 60 cows inside the barn when the fire started, Ellington Fire Department Chief Jim Bentle told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. 

The fire was reported about 9:35 a.m., according to police call records. A passerby on County JJ saw smoke and flames coming from the back of the barn and pulled in to alert the farmer.

The structure is a total loss, and the cows have been moved to another farm. 

How the fire started is under investigation.

There were no injuries, Bentle said.  

Source: Post Cresent

Since they were fledgling members of the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Association, Carley Krull and Joseph Opsal have looked up to the older members in the statewide organization—each harboring hopes that one day they would be tapped to receive the highest honor conferred on a junior member.

“When I was 4 years old, I remember sitting there and looking up to the Outstanding Boy and Girl receiving their award,” an emotional Krull told Wisconsin Junior Holstein Association (WJHA) members gathered at the annual conference last weekend. “I was thinking, ‘I just know that will never be me because I’m me’. Anyone out there who thinks they can’t achieve this, you can!”

Each year at the annual convention, two individuals who have excelled and grown throughout their experience as a junior member are selected to receive the WJHA’s Outstanding Boy and Girl award.

“I have always kept this goal in mind as I have progressed in my junior career,” said Opsal. “There were several other amazing juniors in contention who also deserved this award. I was very humbled that I was selected.”

Carley Krull

The Wisconsin Holstein Association has always been a part of Carley Krull’s life. The Lake Mills native says her parents, Cindy Krull-Begeman and the late Brian Krull (a former WHA director) were active members of the association and shared their enthusiasm with their children.

“The time and dedication that my parents had for the WHA showed me just how important it was to be involved,” Krull said.

That bond with the WHA and WJHA was never more evident after Krull’s father passed away nearly eight years ago in a farm accident at the age of 44.

“The outpouring of love and support I felt through that tragic time in my life from the WHA and WJHA friends was indescribable. I knew then that this was a place I could call home,” Krull said. “Even though he was not able to see me receive this award, I know my dad lives on through each one of the Juniors in our association as that is where his passion lay—with the youth of our industry.”

Source: Wisconsin State Farmer

More than 12 million boxes of French baby milk products are being recalled from 83 countries for suspected salmonella contamination.

The recall includes Lactalis’ Picot, Milumel and Taranis brands.

The head of the French dairy Lactalis on Sunday confirmed that its products are being recalled from countries across Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia after salmonella was discovered at one of its plants last month. The United States, Britain and Australia were not affected.

Emmanuel Besnier told weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that his family company, one of the world’s biggest dairies, would pay damages to “every family which has suffered a prejudice.”

The paper said 35 babies were diagnosed with salmonella in France, one in Spain and a possible case in Greece.

Salmonella can cause severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting and severe dehydration. It can be life-threatening, especially in young children.

Lactalis officials have said they believe the contamination was caused by renovation work at their Celia factory in Craon, in northwest France.

France’s agriculture minister said products from the factory will be banned indefinitely during the investigation.

Source: VOA 

Idaho’s ban on spying at farms, dairies and slaughterhouses violated free speech rights, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

“The panel held that the subsection criminalized innocent behavior, was staggeringly overbroad, and that the purpose of the statute was, in large part, targeted at speech and investigative journalists,” wrote U.S. Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown in a 56-page ruling.

Idaho lawmakers in 2014 passed the law making it a crime to surreptitiously videotape agriculture operations after the state’s $2.5 billion dairy industry complained that videos of cows being abused at a dairy two years earlier unfairly hurt their businesses.

The measure passed easily in Idaho, where agriculture is not only one of the leading businesses but also the occupation of many state lawmakers.

Animal rights activists, civil rights groups and media organizations quickly sued once the bill received the governor’s signature, arguing the law criminalized a long tradition of undercover journalism and would require people who expose wrongdoing to pay restitution to the businesses they target.

In Thursday’s decision, the appeals panel upheld a prior federal judge’s ruling that the ban was an unconstitutional infringement of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution safeguarding free speech.

The panel also ruled the law correctly criminalized those who made false statements to either obtain records at an agricultural facility or to obtain employment with the intent to inflict harm.

“We are sensitive to journalists’ constitutional right to investigate and publish exposes on the agricultural industry. Matters related to food safety and animal cruelty are of significant public importance,” McKeown wrote. “However, the First Amendment right to gather news within legal bounds does not exempt journalists from laws of general applicability.”

The panel then reiterated a federal judge’s point that there are already state and federal laws on the books that protect private property.

The Idaho attorney general’s office was reviewing the decision and planned on discussing it with state officials, said spokesman Scott Graff.

According to the opinion, the panel particularly took exception to the law’s ban on audiovisual recordings but not photography, rejecting the state’s argument that the act of making a video or audio recording is not protected by the First Amendment.

“Without some legitimate explanation, we are left to conclude that Idaho is singling out for suppression one mode of speech — audio and video recordings of agricultural operations — to keep controversy and suspect practices out of the public eye,” the opinion stated.

The Idaho Dairymen’s Association — a trade organization that represents Idaho’s dairy industry — wrote the measure after the Los Angeles-based animal rights group Mercy For Animals released videos that showed workers at Bettencourt Dairy beating and stomping cows in 2012.

At the time, one legislator supportive of the bill dubbed animal rights groups as terrorists while another described videos depicting animal abuse were used to publicly crucify a company and as a blackmail tool.

A separate lawmaker noted that if the Mercy For Animals video had never been published, the bill wouldn’t have surfaced.

Seven states have similar measures — Kansas, North Dakota, Montana, Iowa, Utah, Missouri and North Carolina. Legal challenges are pending in Utah and North Carolina.

Source: AP News

Ed Friesen was re-elected Chair of the Board of Directors and Matthew Flaman was re-elected Vice-Chair at a regularly scheduled Board Meeting of CanWest DHI held January 10, 2018 in Toronto, Ont., following CanWest DHI’s 37th Annual Meeting.

A milk producer from Kleefeld, Manitoba, Ed Friesen is serving his twelth year on the CanWest DHI Board and eighth as Chair.

Matthew Flaman, a milk producer from Vibank, Saskatchewan, is serving his seventh year on the CanWest DHI Board and his second as Vice-Chair.

Joining Ed Friesen and Matthew Flaman on the CanWest Executive Committee are Directors Harold Kress of Lucan, Ontario, and Bob Matzek of Rosedale, British Columbia.

Australian beef and dairy farmers are facing a growing threat from the emerging global taste for “substitute” meat and milk products which are often derived from plants and nuts rather than animals.

Increasingly, consumers around the world have been adopting a plant-based, or alternative protein, diet. This can involve abandoning meat in favour of products such as chickpea patties or drinking non-dairy milk made from items such as soy, almond and rice.

At cafes and health food stores, such choices have become increasingly popular and customers apparently sometimes struggle to tell the difference.

Ms Allie Pyke, a café owner in Melbourne, told ABC Rural News earlier this month that she has been using jackfruit – a tropical tree fruit – as the “meat” in a Hawaiian burger, with some occasionally surprising results.

“I had a girl come up the other day who was devouring it,” she said.

“This poor girl, she was halfway through her Hawaiian burger when she came up to one of the cashiers and said ‘I think there’s meat in my burger and I’m vegan’. My cashier had to assure her there was no meat in her burger.”

This changing diet has been motivated by health reasons and lactose intolerance, or by a preference for a vegetarian diet.

In addition, there are growing concerns about animal welfare and the environmental impact of traditional farming. About 15 per cent of global greenhouse gases come from livestock, particularly from methane emissions.

But the shift has raised concerns in Australia about the potential impact on the nation’s farmers.

A report by agribusiness specialist Rabobank in November found that alternative proteins are likely to capture an increasing share of the market. It said the alternative protein industry in Europe was likely to grow 8 per cent annually over the next five years.

A similar trend in Australia could have huge implications. Australia produced about A$4.3 billion (S$4.5 billion) worth of milk last year and A$20.6 billion worth of slaughtered livestock and meat such as beef, lamb, chicken and pork. There are about 22.3 million beef cattle in Australia and about 2.7 million dairy cows. The farming sector, excluding food processing, employs about 250,000 people.

Meat & Livestock Australia, which does marketing and research for the meat industry, said the growing desire for alternative protein had increased the need for the sector to promote the benefits of meat, particularly its health benefits and the use of sustainable farming practices.

“It is slow, but we are seeing current patterns of consumption change,” the organisation’s chief marketing and communications officer Lisa Sharp told The Straits Times.

“We need to ensure that our product delivers the benefits that consumers seek better than any other.”

Experts say the emergence of alternative proteins will not replace traditional meat and dairy products in the immediate future. But it will affect the market share of traditional farmers, who are increasingly seeking to promote their products as sustainable, unprocessed, and higher in protein than most alternatives.

Some dairy farmers in Australia have been lobbying to reclaim the word “milk” which they say is unfairly being used by producers of plant-based products.

A group which represents the dairy industry, Dairy Connect, has been running a campaign for “truth in labelling” targeting non-dairy products made from soy, cashew, almond, oat, hemp, rice and coconut extracts. It wants these products to be barred from using labels such as milk, cheese, yoghurt or cream.

“Fresh liquid milk is a premium quality, short shelf-life food of immense nutritional value,” the group says in an online petition it has launched.

“(It) has for generations been a fundamental pillar of the Australian rural and regional economies and communities; unlike less nutritional plant-derived liquids calling themselves ‘milks’.”

The campaign follows a decision last June by the European Union’s court which ruled that plant-based items cannot use terms for dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. Canada has a similar requirement.

Ms Sharp said the meat industry could face a similar fight in the coming years if products started using terms – such as “cutlet” – which are specifically related to meat.

Many dairy farmers have already been struggling in recent years due to lower wholesale prices. Some say it is unfair for plant-based items to call themselves milk, noting that cow milk can cost as little as A$1 a litre compared with up to A$5 for some nut-based “milk”.

“People are increasingly concerned about the health implications of consuming meat and milk, rightly or wrongly,” Mr Tim Hunt, Rabobank’s head of research in Australia and New Zealand, said in an interview recorded by the bank.

“(The alternative protein sector) is unlikely to take a major market share in the next five years, but the key caveat is that the growth will be enough, particularly in Europe, that it is going to impact the growth opportunities for traditional food products.”

He added: “You can be quickly left with a stagnant or declining market… We need to keep an eye on this.”

Source: The Straits Times

Sue Dettmann, along with the entire Dettmann Dairy Farms crew shares the following:

Today has left me speechless. I really don’t know how we can ever thank all of the people who stepped in and helped us when we needed it so much.

Our parlor caught fire around 3:30 this morning. Mike and his morning milking crew tried to get it out, or at least a little more manageable, while the fire crew was on their way.

The fire departments that came did a great job working together to get it out, especially in such cold weather. We thank them for working so hard to get it taken care of. There were so many different departments that came, and others that covered the fire stations of the departments that were here. They were able to keep the fire contained to the bathroom/laundry room, kitchen, office, and holding area, without it spreading to the milkhouse and the attached freestall barn. The milking parlor’s roof was on fire and it has fallen down in some areas, but the milking equipment looks oddly in place, although covered in ice and soot, stinking of smoke, and I would assume melted in places.

As soon as the fire was out, our immediate need was to get the cows milked. We received many offers of places for our cows to go and greatly appreciate them all. Fortunately, we have two farms near us that between the two of them, actually had room enough to take all of our cows. We are beyond thankful to them for their willingness to take on so many cows with basically no warning. We know this increase in cows is a lot to handle. (I do need to say that Drew’s fair cow, Rain, ended up just down the road from us when my awesome farm friend realized I needed her to be closer to home than the others and she had room to squeeze Rain in. I’d like to say that the kids were crying/insisting, but it was actually me.)

Then came the task of moving the cows. 500 cows are a lot to move considering most trailers can hold about 9 or so full grown cows. We were blessed to be able to use a semi from a neighboring farm for one load, which could hold many more. Then, the trailers started showing up. So many people put their Saturday plans on hold to help us take load after load of cows to their temporary homes. Despite the cold weather, everyone pulled together to get these cows loaded up as quickly and calmly as possible.

And I really can’t forget to thank the people who brought food. The coffee and breakfast sandwiches right away, and then the food that showed up all day long to feed the hungry people coming into the shed to warm up. Food people rock. As do friends who snatch my 2 littlest kids up and take them rollerskating to get them good and tired (and fed) for me.

So now, our freestall barn is empty and eerily quiet. Our calves and dry cows are still here at least, but we will now be figuring out how to rebuild the parlor and get our girls back home.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers today.

Several cows were killed during a massive blaze at a barn in Wayne County.

Those flames sparked around 2 p.m. Tuesday at Jonas Cold Springs Farm near Pleasant Mount.

Smoke could be seen billowing from the charred remains of that barn on the family-owned dairy farm as fire crews used an excavator to get to hot spots.

A fire lieutenant said 120 cows were in the barn when the fire broke out. It’s believed many of them died inside.

The cows that did make it out were moved to another nearby barn. It’s not known at this time how many of the cows were killed.

“There’s a large number of cows that were lost. It was an operating dairy farm. They did move some cows to another location to milk them later tonight. Right now, the family is gathering things up and trying to figure out what to do with the farm and what’s left,” said Lt. Robert Muller, Mount Pleasant Emergency Services.

No people were injured.

The lieutenant says a state police fire marshal will be called, but he expects there is too much damage to find what caused the fire.

Source: 16News

Dairy farmer Chris Baker says he is “hellishly lucky” to have survived a stampede by his 180 cows that left him trampled, unconscious and with broken bones.

The 61-year old Ruawai man has been a dairy farmer for 40 years, and has never before been in such a life threatening situation.

He does admit to being kicked in the chest and elsewhere a few times by cows, “but that’s just day to day farming.”

Baker said he did nothing different or wrong last Tuesday but the freak occurrence could have left him dead. He now has a cautionary tale for anyone working on their own on a farm, and with animals.

“They must be very vigilant.”

Last Tuesday morning, a sudden spooking of cows at the back of the herd caused his 180 cows to stampede through the gate he had just opened and was walking away from. He instantly became aware of the rush but was smashed into and bowled over before he could get out of the way.

“I just went down. I thought, ‘hell, this is it’. Next thing I’m waking up and there wasn’t a cow in sight.

“They’d settled down, walked themselves to the shed and were there waiting for milking.”

The cows had to wait some time.

Baker remembers being knocked to the ground then kicked and stamped on as cows went over the top of him. He rolled into a fetal position, kept his face down and protected his head.

“I could feel myself being kicked. They stood on my neck, my head, their hooves scraping. Each one of those weighs, what, 400 to 500 kilos.”

He thinks the following cows became aware he was on the ground and began to sidestep him. He doesn’t know how long he was out for the count.

He would later learn he had two breaks in one arm, degloving on that arm, broken ribs, bleeding ears, bumps to his skull and lacerations and bruising all over his body.

Baker and his wife Raewyn Dalbeth had been holidaying at Waipu Cove and he went home every day to do the milking, so no-one else was on the farm.

When he “realised I was alive, but hurt,” he reached for his phone, then remembered he’d left it charging in the milking shed on his way to bring in the cows.

He staggered to the quad bike but his twice-broken arm was hanging in an odd way, with the hand needed to start the bike ”dangling uselessly”.

Trying to support that injured right arm, Mr Baker reached across to start the bike with his left hand, then drove down the race to the road where he waved down a neighbour who was driving past. The neighbour took him to a doctor in Dargaville, from where he was sent to Whangarei Hospital.

He now has plates in his arm and, a week after being trampled nearly to death, new aches and bruises are ”coming out every day”. His wife will now have to do the milking for about eight weeks.

“It was her birthday today. I wished her happy birthday before she went off to milk the cows this morning,” Mr Baker chortled yesterday.

Most people who have been trampled by cattle do not live to tell the tale. But he won’t hear a word said against the cows he raised from calves. They are gentle and usually easy to handle — and he does not appreciate people jokingly referring to ”killer cows”, he said.

“But I did say to them the other day, ‘which one of you was it?’ None of them said anything.”

Source: NZ Herald

Britain’s teenage girls are ditching dairy, according to a survey among 2,000 UK adults, including over 1,000 parents, which showed that almost 1 in 5 teenage girls aged 13-19 are drinking less milk than two years ago, and 1 in 6 have cut it out of their diets altogether.

Sophie Medlin, leading dietitian and lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at King’s College London, suggests that this is a result of fad diets, presumed intolerances and a preference for what they perceive are ‘healthier’ plant-based alternatives. She predicts a generational health crisis of osteoporosis and poor health in the future should this trend continue. “Many teenage girls are completely unaware the majority of calcium needed for good bone health is stored in the body during your early years, and your opportunity for strengthening bones ends after the age of 30. Iodine is also critical for a functioning metabolism and proper growth and development. Cows’ milk is one of the richest sources of both in the UK diet.”

Intolerances – Sorting fact from fiction
A fifth (19%) of teenage girls surveyed blamed an intolerance to lactose for their avoidance of cows’ milk. However, the Food Standards Agency reports that the actual proportion of Brits who suffer from true lactose intolerance is as low as 5% – meaning there could be something else at play.

New clinical research published in the UK Nutrition Journal last year suggests an alternative cause for those who report issues with dairy – it could be the A1 protein triggering their symptoms, not the lactose. A simple switch to a cows’ milk that is naturally free-from the A1 protein, such as a2 Milk, could be the answer.

Sophie Medlin says: “A number of people misdiagnose themselves with lactose intolerance when there is some evidence that it could be intolerance to the A1 milk protein. There is an increasing body of research to show that those who previously thought they couldn’t drink milk because of lactose, may be able to tolerate milk containing only the A2 protein. I would always prefer to recommend a dairy milk over a calcium fortified alternative due to the abundance of nutritional benefits that are particularly pertinent to the health of teenagers.

Following fashions not health professionals
Only 16% of 18-35 year olds who had given up cows’ milk had done so as a result of talking to a health care professional such as a dietitian or a GP. This compared to a whopping 41% of that age group who cited friends and family, celebrities, bloggers and social media as the influences for such an important dietary change.

Sophie Medlin says: “The current fashion for eliminating key food groups, promoted by the new generation of online influencers who have adopted dairy free diets for themselves, is concerning and without proper guidance could lead to many negative health consequences.”

Last year, The National Osteoporosis Society announced new research suggesting under 25s are much more likely than any other age group to be following health, diet or nutrition bloggers on social media. ‘Dairy-free’ is now seen as a buzz word as more online influencers than ever before are promoting dairy free recipes, leading to concern from health professionals over their influence on young people’s eating habits.

The ‘alternative’ milk trend
This latest research showed that out of the teenage girls who had ditched dairy, 1 in 5 (21%) said it was because they prefer alternative drinks such as almond milk, or think they are healthier than the real thing – but this could not be further from the truth. Often, these drinks are filled with a long line of additives and emulsifiers, as well as artificial nutrients that are not easily absorbed by the body. And some almond milks can contain only 2% almonds! That’s around 6 almonds per litre.

Worryingly, a quarter of respondents aged 18-35 (25%) choose the least nutritionally beneficial alternative – coconut milk. The average carton of coconut milk contains nearly twice as much fat as other alternatives and over five additives.

With a recent study by the University of Surrey showing that the popular plant-based milks on the market had only around 3% of the iodine content of cows’ milk, any nutritional benefits claimed to make the case for alternative milks are difficult to prove.

Research undertaken by Opinium on behalf of a2 Milk. 
a2 Milk is 100% natural cows’ milk that comes from selected cows that produce milk containing only the easier on digestion A2 beta casein protein and which is naturally free from the A1 protein. Originally all domesticated cows produced milk with only the A2 beta casein protein type. During domestication in European herds, another milk protein emerged (A1 protein) and is now highly prevalent in Western herds. a2 Milk is available in most supermarkets in the UK – all other cows’ milk found in British stores is likely to contain the A1 protein.

Source: The Hippocratic Post

A recent study has proven that feeding cows microalgae can increase the omega-3 fatty acid content of the milk they produce.

Bethan Till, a Ph.D. student at Harper Adams University, reports that her project, which involved feeding cows microalgae to increase the omega-3 content of their milk, was successful. The cows that she observed for her project were able to produce milk with reduced levels of saturated fatty acids, and the milk was used to make cheese that contained more omega-3. Till adds that the cheese tasted the same even though the cows were fed microalgae.

Till, a resident of Caernarfon, Wales, explains that she designed the project to “improve how healthy dairy products are” by boosting the omega-3 content of the milk, which could then be used to create omega 3-rich cheese. She said, “Western diets are providing less than recommended levels of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which are beneficial to human health.”

Till adds that even though fish is often considered “a natural source of omega-3s,” fish levels are steadily dwindling and the consumption of fish has also declined. She stresses the importance of omega-3, which has various benefits such as helping lower one’s risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and depression. Omega-3 can also improve general mental health and even improve the learning ability of children. 

Cheese is already a part of the diet of most individuals, and according to Till, increasing its omega-3 content is one way of giving people added health benefits without having to drastically change their current eating and shopping habits. And since children consume a lot of milk and cheese, milk from cows that are fed microalgae is a practical way of increasing kids’ omega-3 intake.

Till’s study was conducted on high-yielding Holstein Friesian dairy cows that were given one of four diets. Three of the diets contained microalgae at varying levels to determine which one can help the cows produce milk with more omega-3s.

Till notes that adding microalgae to the cows’ diet did not affect cow performance along with “dry matter intake, milk yield, body condition score, and live weight.” She concluded that based on the cheese tasting panel, making changes to the cows’ diets did not have any “negative effects on taste,” making them safe for public consumption.

The health benefits of cheese

Aside from being a delicious snack, cheese has various health benefits such as:

• High calcium content — Cheese is full of calcium, which is important for strong teeth.
• Rich in vitamin B — Cheese is also rich in vitamin B, which is good for children, women (especially if they are pregnant or lactating), and elderly people. Vitamin B is necessary for the formation and strengthening of bones and cartilage. The vitamin B in cheese also aids in the proper absorption and distribution of calcium.
• Helps fight osteoporosis — Osteoporosis, a disease caused by the non-absorption of calcium (deficiency), results in bone mineral density. The disease can be treated with a diet rich in protein, calcium, and vitamins. Cheese is full of these three components, making it an ideal food for individuals with osteoporosis.
• Promotes weight gain — If you are looking for a healthy food that can help you gain weight, consider eating more cheese. It is rich in proteins, fats, calcium, vitamins, and minerals. Protein is necessary for muscle formation and growth, fats are used for fat-based processes in the body, calcium strengthens bones, and vitamins and minerals can improve metabolic function. Eating food rich in these components, observing a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep can help you gain weight.

Source: Natural News

Over the last several years, Wisconsin has seen thousands of dairy farmers leave the industry. New statistics show the state lost more than 500 farms in 2017. 

Remaining farmers are trying to attract college students to continue the tradition of being America’s Dairyland. 

“As an industry, we have to figure out how we’re going to be able to have farms of all sizes and allow those farms to be profitable and how we can get the next generation of farmers on our farms,” said Mystic Valley farmer Mitch Breunig. 

Numbers from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection show 8,801 milk cow herds were registered at the start of 2018. In 2017, there were 9,304 farms, compared to 11,761 five years before that. 

Despite this, the state is still producing the same amount of milk and the number of cows has remained close to the same. 

But losing farms in rural areas of Wisconsin could hurt smaller communities. 

“There was a time there were 40,000 farms… this is a continuing trend that’s been happening since I was a little boy,” Breunig said. 

He adds that years of low dairy prices caused many farmers to leave the industry. He thinks the intense career of running a farm 24/7 with the struggle to remain profitable has forced Wisconsin families to make the difficult decision to close their farm. 

“To be honest, right now I think all farms are struggling, whether you’re small or whether you’re big,” he said. 

Breunig has become a mentor for the next generation, hoping they can take over for the farms lost. 

UW-Platteville student Elizabeth Arrigoni has been following Breunig to decide what area of the dairy industry she wants to get into. 

“Without agriculture, we would have absolutely nothing. And it definitely needs our generation to step up and replace those farms that are leaving. It’s not just in Wisconsin, it’s everywhere. And it’s definitely a huge issue. You could almost call it a crisis,” Arrigoni said. 

Although she didn’t grow up with a farming background, she is double majoring in agriculture business and animal science. 

Source: Channel 3000

Joy, thanksgiving and excitement are key words to describe attitudes in Canadian Jersey circles!

Outstanding 2017 results from Jersey Canada reflect incredible upward momentum for the breed. Over 2016, Jersey Canada experienced an 8.5% increase in memberships and a 7.5% increase in registrations! These increases led to the highest membership and registration total for Jersey Canada since 1965, fifty-two years earlier.

Leadership of the Guelph, Ontario based breed association attributes the phenomenal accomplishments to a bevy of reasons. “The Jersey cow of this era excels in efficiently producing high value milk and in adapting to modern management practices,” says Russell Gammon, Interim Manager of Jersey Canada. 

President Tim Sargent commented on the hard work by Jersey Canada staff and regional Jersey associations as another key contributor to historic success in recent decades. In addition, the expanding number of Jersey owners in all regions of the country see the crucial value of accurate, verified identification and the value-added component of registered animals.

Overall, activity levels are soaring as membership totals and registrations have both grown by 20.5% since 2014! 

As exciting as 2017 year-end totals are, Jersey Canada forecasts that the best is yet to be – and the Canadian Jersey celebration continues at full force!

For more information visit www.jerseycanada.com or call Russell Gammon at 519-821-1020 (ext 102).  

Source: Farmers Guardian

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Monday urged Canada to more fully engage in the push to complete an update of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Hill.com reports that Perdue, who called the upgrade of NAFTA a top priority for the Trump administration, specifically asked Canada to step up and “get in the game” to modernize the 24-year-old three-nation agreement, during remarks to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention in Nashville, Tenn.

“To get a deal we need all sides to seriously roll up our sleeves and get to work,” Perdue said. “We have put a number of proposals on the table to modernize NAFTA, and critically for agriculture, to address key sectors left out of the original agreement–dairy and poultry tariffs in Canada.”

He asked convention attendees to talk to Canada’s Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay “to get our partner to the north to get the deal done for them and for you.”

The remarks closely echo those of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who said in the fall that he was “surprised and disappointed” by the resistance of Mexico and Canada to updating NAFTA.

Both nations have complained that many of the U.S. proposals put forth early in the talks were non-starters.

NAFTA negotiations are headed for their sixth round later this month in Montreal.

Source: The Hill

Dairy producers are invited to a tour of two rotary parlor farms in Pixley and Tipton, CA on February 15, 2018 in conjunction with World Ag Expo. Departing from Tulare, a bus will take the tour group to Four J Farms and Jerseys and Robert Vander Eyk and Sons Dairy.

“We know a lot of our large-herd customers are looking towards rotaries, or even robots, as they face labor challenges and look to milk more cows, more quickly,” says Gavin Strang, DeLaval Market Development Manager. “Producers on our tour will be able to see how their peers are doing it as they consider what might work for them at home. Those interested in robots can stop by our booth at the show to see how our VMS preg-checks.”

Four J Farms and Jerseys, owned and operated by Ryan Junio, has been a familiar name to the Central Valley since the 1920’s. They installed their rotary parlor in November of 2014. Four J Farms relies heavily on genomics to continually grow and improve the herd, further maximizing productivity and efficiency. 

Vander Eyk Dairy in Pixley, CA is run by Robert Vander Eyk and his two sons. Established in 1982, they are currently milking in a herringbone parlor. The farm is adding a 72-stall parallel rotary to enhance efficiency and cow comfort.

The PR3100HD features high-capacity milking, high-quality and heavy-duty materials, and low operating costs. Rotary systems are some of the most efficient on the market today. DeLaval rotaries are designed to encourage fast milk let-down and milk-out, easy platform entrance and exit, and improved milker comfort. 

The bus will load at 9 AM in front of the Heritage Complex fountain on the World Ag Expo grounds, and will return by 2 PM. Lunch and light refreshments will be provided. Producers and industry members planning to attend should register on the DeLaval website, or stop by the DeLaval booth at the show: DS93-96.

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About DeLaval

DeLaval is a worldwide leader in milking equipment and solutions for dairy farmers, which make sustainable food production possible, warranting milk quality and animal health. Our solutions are used by millions of dairy farmers around the globe every day.

DeLaval was founded more than 130 years ago in Sweden, when the visionary Gustaf de Laval patented the cream separator. Today, DeLaval has 4,500 employees and operates in more than 100 markets. DeLaval, alongside Tetra Pak and Sidel, is part of the Tetra Laval Group. See more at www.delavalcorporate.com.

102nd Pennsylvania Farm Show theme reflects wide range of agriculture people, production methods

Pennsylvania’s 2018 butter sculpture was unveiled today at the 102nd Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. The sculpture, sponsored by American Dairy Association North East (ADANE), highlights just four of the hundreds of career choices available to nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians who work in the state’s agriculture sector. Using half a ton of donated butter, the sculptors crafted five figures to embody this year’s theme.

“The 2018 Farm Show theme is ‘Strength in our Diversity,’” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Visitors to this year’s event can explore the wide range of career options in the agriculture and food industry – from apiarist to zoologist. We invite Farm Show guests to learn about the people, products, and production methods that generate $7.5 billion annually for Pennsylvania’s economy.”

Redding unveiled the sculpture with help from Lancaster County dairy farmer Maria Forry, Pennsylvania State Dairy Princess Yvonne Longenecker of Blair County, and sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Montgomery County. The sculptors began work in mid-December to create the five figures – an agronomist, a dairy farmer, a processor, a consumer, and a cow – to represent the diversity in Pennsylvania’s food, fiber and fuel sector.

“The butter sculpture is a creative way to showcase the dairy industry, and this year it also provides an opportunity for us to join with our partners in agriculture and show Strength in Our Diversity,” said Maria Forry of Oregon Dairy in Lititz. “Providing milk and food for our communities is important to us all, so I’m proud to represent Pennsylvania’s dairy farm families today.”

The butter sculpture will remain on display in the Farm Show’s Main Hall, literally, until the cows go home. Then, the butter, which was donated by Land O’ Lakes in Carlisle, Cumberland County, will be moved to the Reinford Farm in Juniata County to be converted into renewable energy in the farm’s methane digester.

The Red and White Dairy Cattle Association is proud to announce the winners of the annual Cow and Heifer of the Year Contest!  Nominated and voted on by the membership of the RWDCA, winners were named in both the Open division and Junior Division.

Winning Cow of the Year in the Open Division is Meadow Green Abso Fanny-Red-ET. Fanny is owned by Triple T Holsteins, T&L Cattle Company, Mike Berry, Frank & Diane Borba and Frank & Carol Borba, North Lewisburg, OH.  The highlight of Fanny’s year was topping both the International Red & White Show at World Dairy Expo, Madison, WI and the Royal Red & White Holstein Show, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Fanny has also been named the Unanimous All American Red & White Aged Cow.

Sweeping both the Heifer of the Year and Junior Heifer of the Year  was  MS-AOL DB Raspberry-Red-ET, bred by Jason Tooley & Lucy Stockwell and exhibited by Jaydn Kimball, Windham, ME.  Raspberry is now owned by Jaydn, Kennedy, Caroline & Andrew Kimball.  Raspberry topped off her show season being named the Junior Champion of the International Red & White Junior Show and the Reserve Junior Champion of the International Red & White Show at World Dairy Expo, Madison, WI.  She was also named the Junior Champion of the Royal Red & White Holstein Show, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Raspberry has been named the All American Red & White Fall Calf and the Junior All American Red & White Fall Calf.

Winning the Junior Cow of the Year in the Junior Division is Redtag Destry Sneezy-Red.  A Four year old, Sneezy topped the International Red & White Junior Show at World Dairy Expo, Madison, WI, the Premier National Red & White Junior Show, Harrisburg, PA and the MidEast Fall Red & White Open & Junior Shows, Louisville, KY for owner Chase Savage, Union Bridge, MD. Sneezy has also been named the Unanimous Junior All American Red & White Four Year Old.  

Full articles on the winners will be featured in the upcoming issues of The Red Bloodlines, the official publication of the Red and White Dairy Cattle Association.  

The RWDCA strives to encourage and promote the progressive breeding and development of superior Red & White Dairy cattle providing breeders with information, programs and services to help track, evaluate and improve the breed from one generation to the next.  Visit RedandWhiteCattle.com for more information. 

The Results are in!  

Click Here for the 2017 All American Results! 

Click Here for the 2017 Junior All American Results!

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) urged state and federal regulators today to take enforcement action against a plant-based food company whose imitation “yogurt” violates the federal definition for dairy foods and fails to provide the same nutrition as real yogurt.

NMPF called out Hayward, California-based Kite Hill for illegally labeling its line of products and implying the nut-based foods are suitable substitutes for the real dairy foods it attempts to mimic.

NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern said that Kite Hill’s line of products “is doubly deceiving, first as it declares the use of ‘almond milk’ as the main ingredient in their foods, and second in calling the resulting product ‘yogurt.’ A whitened slurry of nuts does not make milk, and adding bacteria to that mix and pouring it in a cup does not make yogurt.”

In letters sent today to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) and California Department of Food and Agriculture, NMPF said that under existing federal regulations, the proper term for Kite Hill’s products is “imitation yogurt product.” The FDA standard of identity for yogurt defines a product made by culturing cream, milk, partially skimmed milk, or skim milk, alone or in combination, with specific lactic acid bacteria. NMPF said that “without real milk’s many nutrients as a base, this fake yogurt product fails to deliver the same nutrition as the real thing.”

NMPF noted that the Kite Hill imitation delivers 40 percent more calories and 10 more grams of fat compared to an equivalent serving of vanilla yogurt, while providing one-third less protein and zero calcium. “This is another outrageous example where plant foods misappropriate the names of real dairy products, but offer inferior levels of nutrition,” Mulhern said.

“Adding a word or two in front of the name of a standardized dairy food does not represent an appropriate common or usual name of the food. It only adds confusion for consumers about the nutritional content of foods,” according to the letter signed by Beth Panko Briczinski, Ph.D., NMPF’s Vice President of Dairy Foods and Nutrition.

National Milk also wrote to the California Department of Food and Agriculture because Kite Hill is based in northern California, and because the agency has jurisdiction over the labels of products manufactured and marketed in that state.

NMPF is revealing the company’s nutritionally inferior product in a shareable graphic, the latest installment in NMPF’s “Dairy Imitators: Exposed” effort that illustrates the nutritional disparities between imitation foods and real dairy foods, such as yogurt.

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. The members of NMPF’s cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF’s activities, visit our website at www.nmpf.org.

New logo.

New logo represents renewed commitment to converting data points into management info

As we welcome a new year full of promise and hope, AgSource is settling in to a new brand and new look for its two divisions, AgSource Dairy and AgSource Laboratories.

“AgSource is known for delivering traditional DHI services and laboratory analysis,” states COO Pat Baier, “but in recent years, products and services have radically expanded. We need to call attention to what makes our cooperative different and valuable.”

AgSource is the only full-service dairy management information provider in the country, conducting research and development, field data collection, laboratory analysis and diagnostics, meter service and outreach and education, resulting in high-quality decision tools for dairy producers.

AgSource continues to provide for the changing needs of its dairy cooperative members with advanced management reports, such as the Transition Cow Index® and KetoMonitor® and popular programs like AgSourceDM™ and MyAgSource®.
Through several strategic laboratory acquisitions, AgSource Laboratories has become a leader in agricultural and environmental laboratory analysis and information management services. AgSource Laboratories is one of the largest soil testing organizations in the country, with samples submitted from all 50 states and over 20 countries worldwide. The lab group, which includes six locations across the country, has testing abilities ranging from standard NPK fertilizer soil testing to more unique onion pungency testing and milk pathogen analysis.

AgSource’s new logo represents a renewed commitment to converting data points into valuable management information. AgSource is second to none when it comes to assisting members, customers and industry partners to collect, record, store and layer data in order to make the most informed decisions possible.

But we also take pride in our history. Producers came together to organize a cooperative that would provide records and reports to help improve production and overall profitability. In 1959, with collaborative leadership from the Wisconsin A.I. industry, the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin DHI Associations, the Agricultural Records Cooperative (ARC) was formed. ARC revolutionized data processing, delivering electronically computed records across the agriculture industry.

During the past five decades, AgSource underwent three name changes and multiple logos. The Agricultural Records Cooperative became known as Wisconsin DHI Cooperative (WDHIC) during the 80s, and in 1996, became AgSource. The name AgSource better reflected the growing scope of the cooperative’s business, which was not confined to the dairy industry or state of Wisconsin and had grown to include laboratories in multiple states. Last year, the company again took time to re-evaluate and consider what it meant to be AgSource.

“Re-branding AgSource involves more than a new logo,” notes Baier. “It hinges on our members, customers, employees and partners understanding our brand promise: AgSource is relentless in the pursuit of continuous and measurable progress.”

Though our name and logos have changed through the years, our purpose and brand promise remains steadfast.
“AgSource is committed to working with producers and customers around the world to deliver the data they need to be successful for the long-term,” says Baier.

Source: Morning Ag Clips

A Michigan dairy farmer is to spend a couple of years in federal prison and owes a six-figure fine for hiring undocumented immigrants.

U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington on Thursday, Jan. 4, sentenced Denis Burke to two years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Ludington did not order Burke taken into custody on Thursday, but gave him time to self-report to the U.S. Marshals Services.

The judge also ordered Burke to pay a fine of $187,500 and an assessment fee of $100.

Burke in September pleaded guilty to knowingly harboring illegal aliens for private gain and/or commercial advantage.

In exchange for his plea, the prosecution dismissed four more counts of the same charge.

Burke’s wife and codefendant, Madeline Burke, in June pleaded guilty to one count of hiring without verification of employment eligibility. In September, she received two years’ probation and was also ordered to pay the same fine with monthly installments of $15,600.

The Burkes own Parisville Dairy in Huron County and Dunganstown Dairy in Tuscola County. Between February 2008 and May 2013, the couple hired and harbored more than 100 undocumented immigrants to work on their farms, Denis Burke’s plea agreement states.

“Denis Burke gave the illegal aliens free housing on or next to his farms so the illegal aliens would be readily available for work and less accessible to immigration authorities,” the document states. “Because the illegal aliens lacked valid documentation, they could not get driver’s licenses, open accounts at financial institutions so they could cash paychecks themselves, or register vehicles with the Michigan Secretary of State.”

As a result of this, the workers relied on others to drive them around.

On Feb. 1, 2013, a Bad Axe police officer pulled over a vehicle driven by Yolanda Stewart and containing five passengers. All of the passengers were undocumented immigrants working at the Burkes’ farms.

Denis Burke was aware that Stewart regularly drove his employees to town so they could go shopping and wire money to their families in other countries, the plea agreement states. Investigators found paystubs from the farms, MoneyGram receipts, and an identification document issued by the Mexican consulate in Stewart’s car.

Stewart’s five passengers were arrested. As a result, his remaining employees were afraid to leave the farms. Denis Burke thus paid Stewart $800 to buy groceries for his workers so the farms could continue operating, the document states.

In July 2016,  Stewart pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport, harbor, and shield illegal aliens from detection for private financial gain. In November, a judge sentenced her to 27 months in federal prison.

A grand jury had indicted the Burkes in September 2016.

Source: MLive

The announcement of the Master Breeder recipients has become an annual tradition at Holstein Canada, and this year is certainly no exception. Holstein Canada is pleased to announce the 20 Master Breeders who will be honoured at the 2018 National Holstein Convention Master Breeder Banquet in Quebec City, on Saturday, April 14, 2018.

Of the 20 breeders who received exciting news today, 70% (14) are first-time recipients of a Master Breeder shield, while the remaining are previous shield winners with four breeders receiving their second shield and two receiving their third shield! The country is well represented with winners from six provinces! Nine breeders are from Ontario, six are from Quebec, two are from Saskatchewan and one each from Prince Edward Island, Alberta and Manitoba.

Congratulations to the 2017 Master Breeder Recipients:

Source: U.S. News

• New rules remove 60% of infant-formula products from shelves
• Overhaul comes as scandals persist after melamine poisonings

A safety overhaul of China’s notorious baby-formula industry removed about 1,400 products from store shelves this week, clearing the way for international brands such as Nestle SA and Danone to grab greater shares of a $20 billion market.

Source: Bloomberg