“The idea to reproduce the moment from the film “Christmas Vacation,” about a family whose Christmas plans turn into a massive disaster,” he said, “came at the ideal time, when we were emptying out the manure pit.” “Christmas Vacation” is about a family whose Christmas plans turn into a huge disaster.

In reference to the endeavour that his farm undertakes twice each year, he stated, “When she’s full, she’s full.”

In the film, the character of Cousin Eddie, who is portrayed by Randy Quaid, is seen parking his recreational vehicle in front of the house of a relative, saying, “That there’s an RV. It’s a nice-looking motor vehicle, wouldn’t you say? He then goes on to shake hands with the neighbours while simultaneously emptying the septic tank of the camper into the storm sewer. He does all of this while wearing a bathrobe and a winter cap, smoking a cigar, and drinking a beer.

“Farmer Blake” can be seen in the Hansen video, which was initially published on TikTok on Monday, “agitating the manure” in order to make it simpler to empty the pit. He puffs on a cigar while wearing an identical getup, which includes the bathrobe that belonged to his wife. He is not holding a drink but rather a gallon of Hansen’s milk in his hand.

According to Hansen, “we hope that it lightens the mood around the holidays, especially during these terrible times with the economy being how it is.”

TikTok, along with other sites such as Facebook, has already seen a significant number of users click on the video.

He initially watched the movie around the time it was released three decades ago, and ever since then, his family has made it a tradition to watch it at least once a year.

Hansen said that the book “has so many good lines that you can use in everyday life.” [Citation needed]

The farm is always looking for new and inventive methods to demonstrate its business practises and the steps that are taken to bring its produce “from the cow to the table.”

“People don’t comprehend how much money the manure saves us in fertiliser,” Hansen said. “People don’t grasp how much money the manure saves us.” It is of great assistance to us in the cultivation of our crops, which in turn provide food for our cattle.

Hansen thinks that the thing that’s really getting people’s attention is the fact that they can see his legs through the white bathrobe.

Hansen cracked a joke by saying, “My family claims I have the ugliest legs.”

Dairy Girl Network (DGN) honored four dairywomen with awards of leadership achievement at the recent DGN Forward TogetHER biennial national conference in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The four dairywomen recognized for the DGN Forward Under 40 (+4) sponsored by Compeer Financial were Julie Abrahamzon, Kansas City, Mo.; Amanda Freund, East Canaan, Conn.; Leaine Souza, Tulare, Calif., and Emily Yeiser-Stepp, Leesburg, Virginia.

The DGN Forward Under 40 (+4) Award sponsored by Compeer Financial, recognized four passionate dairywomen working to better our industry today. The DGN Forward Under 40 award is presented biennially at the Forward TogetHER Conference. For 2022 only, women age 44 and under were eligible for the DGN Forward Under 40 (+4) award. Because the 2020 DGN Forward TogetHER event was held virtually, award recipients were not honored. Therefore, the 2022 award criteria was modified to Forward Under 40 (+4) opening the door for women who may have missed the opportunity in 2020.

Julie Abrahamzon, Kansas City, Mo., was one of the DGN Forward Under 40 (+4) honorees of 2022 sponsored by Compeer Financial. Abrahamzon has experience in leading high performing teams, business development, strategy and financial management. She has a deep passion for delivering value to dairy customers and developing her teammates. Starting as an “only” in her early days as a management associate, she has risen to be an outstanding leader and enacted positive change for the Cargill organization along the way. Early in her career, she became one of the first, and youngest, female sales leaders within the Cargill Animal Nutrition business. Thanks to her incredible work ethic and key allyship—which she always is quick to mention— she became “the only” female on the Cargill dairy leadership team before she turned 30. She is currently the commercial director for the Cargill Animal Nutrition North America Dairy Business. She has been with Cargill for 16 years in a variety of leadership roles, all within animal nutrition and health.

Amanda Freund, East Canaan, Conn., was one of the DGN Forward Under 40 (+4) honorees of 2022 sponsored by Compeer Financial. Freund was raised on a multi-generational dairy farm, embracing responsibilities and privileges from childhood through her adulthood. She served in the Peace Corps in Zambia. Freund is involved with her family’s farm market, nursery and catering operation, in addition to being a principal employee of CowPots. She is active with her Cooperative’s Young Cooperators organization, served with Connecticut Farm Bureau, Connecticut Dairy Board and hosts her own podcast that focuses on connecting people to their food. She opens her farm and business to the public to encourage and improve consumer and neighbor perceptions and knowledge. Freund has been featured by Forbes, has engaged policy makers at every level from hosting the Undersecretary of the USDA to local and congressional officials. She lends her voice and talents as a speaker and panelist often, including at the DGN Forward TogetHER Conference.

Leaine Souza, Tulare, Calif., was one of the DGN Forward Under 40 (+4) honorees of 2022 sponsored by Compeer Financial. Souza is making a difference in her local, state and national community. Her husband’s family has a dairy farm in which she is active along with her husband and children, giving back to their local community and involvement in 4-H. She continually advocates for dairy producers to ensure their voice and specific issues and concerns are being heard. Souza also serves on the board of DairyCares and the California Ag Council. She has volunteered to assist DGN in organizing events at the World Ag Expo for dairywomen to connect during the event. Souza has been a Land O’ Lakes employee for over 15 years starting her career at the Tulare Butter Manufacturing Facility, holding several roles in quality and member and government relations organization. She is currently the director of the western region for member & government relations.

Emily Yeiser-Stepp, Leesburg, Va., was one of the DGN Forward Under 40 (+4) honorees of 2022 sponsored by Compeer Financial. Yeiser-Stepp has impressed many people by how she manages a team and the dairy farmers she serves. Through her professional career, she has always made it a point to uplift those around her. Her confidence and integrity have allowed her to always speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in – and who she believes in. This has a domino effect because of her mentorship and sponsorship of other women, they have been able to do the same. Her confidence and open mind allow her to effectively lead the National Dairy FARM Program, which is creating a better life for dairy animals and a stronger trust between farmers and consumers. She has been involved in a lot of dairy organizations including, but not limited to, Dairy Girl Network, YDLI, WDE Youth Planning Committee, WDE Dairy Judging Contest Official, Maryland State Fair, PSU Dairyman’s Scholarship Committee and her local bible study. Today, she serves as the Vice President of the NMPF FARM program.

Dairy Girl Network partners with organizations valuing personal and professional development for dairywomen. DGN national partners supporting all women in dairy by enhancing lives and creating opportunities are Undeniably Dairy, Cargill, Dairy Farmers of America, Diamond V, The National Dairy FARM Program, Farm Credit Services of America, Land O’ Lakes, Merck Animal Health, Michael Best and Zoetis.

Dairy

In October of 2022, dairy commodity markets fell further.

Spot prices throughout the dairy industry dropped by nearly double digits. Investors are getting increasingly anxious as they try to predict the future of consumer demand.

The current trend in prices is driven largely by the fact that Chinese buyers are not actively buying imports.

As of September 2022, New Zealand’s milk production had dropped back to 3.2% YOY, continuing a trend that began in the previous season. Year-on-year, seasonal supply is down 3.7% so far.

A lacklustre spring has impacted production in most regions. By the time peak flows occurred in late October, production may have been recouped in part.

Beef

The final tally for the 2022 season’s processing has been tallied. A total of 5.2% fewer cattle were processed this season compared to the 2020-21 period, with reductions across the board but especially noticeable in the numbers of prime beef, cows, and bulls.

In 2022, it was predicted that both the number of cattle slaughtered for beef and the number of female cattle slaughtered for meat would be about 1.5% and 5% lower year over year, respectively. Slaughter rates had been rising steadily since 2021, when they hit a peak due to rising bobby calf retention in 2019. There were about 69,000 fewer cows slaughtered in comparison to the previous year. This is likely because farmers were encouraged to keep more dairy cows by the high milk price.

Additionally, there was a 3% decrease from 2021 to 2022 in the number of bobby calves processed during the spring of 2022 (July, August, and September). Dairy farmers who supply Fonterra have been preparing for the implementation of zero on-farm euthanasia of bobby calves beginning in 2023, prompting the meat industry to anticipate an increase in the number of bobby calves presented for processing.
Sheepmeat

The price of South Island lamb reached its all-time high in September and has since steadily declined, reaching NZ$ 9.25/kg cwt by the end of October. Although the current price of lamb is still above average, it has dropped below the projection for the same period in 2021 (by NZc 15/kg cwt).

About 560,000 lambs were slaughtered in 2022, down 3.1% from the previous season.

New Zealand’s key lamb markets, including China, Europe, and the United States, are experiencing economic instability, which is affecting both demand and export earnings.
Fertiliser

Reduced natural gas prices restored manufacturers’ profitability, resulting in a drop from 67% to 37% for nitrogen plant curtailments across Europe.

This adds about 4 million tonnes of urea per year to the supply chain, which is a 45% increase in site numbers since the energy price increase in 2022. Prices around the world are starting to reflect this new reality, though in some areas, the effects have been muted. Spot prices for urea in the Baltic Sea decreased by 3% MOM in October, going from NZ$ 940 to 1,030/tonne to NZ$ 910 to NZ$ 1,000/tonne.
Quote for Exchange

By the end of October, the New Zealand dollar had recovered slightly from its year-low level of US$ 0.55, trading between US$ 0.55 and US$ 0.58.

The US dollar is expected to remain strong in the near future as investors prepare for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by another hawkish 75 basis points.

The New Zealand dollar’s correlation with commodity prices suggests further downside in NZ$/US$ despite forecasts for further RBNZ rate hikes.

In a year, we anticipate a reversal in the US dollar’s strength that will allow the NZD/USD exchange rate to recover to 0.62.

Dairy Girl Network (DGN) awarded Pam Selz-Pralle, of Humbird, Wis., with the Leading Impact sponsored by Beck’s at the recent DGN Forward TogetHER biennial national conference in Prior Lake, Minn.

New this year, the DGN Leading Impact Award sponsored by Beck’s, honored a distinguished dairywoman with passionate involvement and leadership achievements positively impacting the dairy industry. Members of the Dairy Girl Network from across the country nominated a dairywoman in their life who they believe is impacting the industry right now. The pool of applicants was judged by an outside panel of anonymous industry professionals and producers.

“Dairywomen are moving the arrow forward contributing success to the dairy industry,” said DGN President and Founder Laura Daniels. “DGN’s awards are milestone achievements honoring women in dairy who are positively influencing dairy farming into the future.”

The DGN Leading Impact nominations exemplified passionate involvement and leadership achievements that have impacted the dairy industry. Candidates have impacted dairy farming and are leaders within the agricultural industry, and their communities and paved the way for youth and/or young adults.

Pam Selz-Pralle, Humbird, Wisc., was honored with the first DGN Leading Impact Award sponsored by Beck’s. Selz-Pralle mentors and models making better leaders to lead stronger dairy organizations, be leaders in their communities, and the voice of dairy farming. Her experience and leadership range from production agriculture to industry development to consumer advocacy. Yet, Selz-Pralle still manages to adventure into new projects while still keeping things going strong at home farming with her husband, Scott. They have been awarded Holstein USA Outstanding Younger Breeders, Wisconsin Jaycee Outstanding Young Dairymen and bred the World Record Milk Cow. She was honored as a Wisconsin Master Agriculturalist, one of four women in its 45-year history to receive this award. On the farm, she instituted an uncommon calf feeding system of mob feeding, group pens, in a positive pressure ventilated barn. She has become a national spokesman for her program at major events and fields questions regularly from those touring her innovative, data-supported calf feeding program.

Selz-Pralle testifies and speaks directly to legislatures coordinated discussion forums for Wisconsin Farm Bureau and the American Dairy Coalition. She has served countless organizations impacting dairy through local, state, national, and international boards. She volunteers and speaks to consumers at farm-to-table events. She is a spokesman for Common Ground and has participated in national radio tours, national cooking shows hosted right from her calf barn, as well as in-person consumer connection events ranging from a Kansas City daycare moms’ event to regularly attending Wisconsin Dietetics annual meetings.

Selz-Pralle is a trainer in teaching other dairywomen how to tell their story. She’s also developing a “Speak up for Ag” 4-H training program to teach dairy and livestock kids not growing up on farms how to be our future farm storytellers. She has shared her successful “Dairy Day on The Farm” template with other farm women. Nearly 12,000 students follow her calves, podcasts, videos, and “Farmer Pam’s Moos” blog.

Dairy Girl Network partners with organizations valuing personal and professional development for dairywomen. DGN national partners supporting all women in dairy by enhancing lives and creating opportunities are Undeniably Dairy, Cargill, Dairy Farmers of America, Diamond V, The National Dairy FARM Program, Farm Credit Services of America, Land O’ Lakes, Merck Animal Health, Michael Best and Zoetis.

The co-op, which is made up of about 10,000 farmers, wanted to change its capital structure so that farmers would only need to own one share for every three kilogrammes of milk solids instead of one share per kilogramme.

With the new structure, different types of farmers would be able to own shares in the company, and the size of the associated shareholders’ fund would be limited to 10 percent of all shares on issue.

The changes are meant to protect the company’s finances and keep farmers on board in the face of a possible drop in milk supply and competition from other milk processors that don’t need farmers to put up capital.

Last night, Parliament passed the third reading of a change to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act that was needed for the restructuring to happen.

Peter McBride, the chairman of Fonterra, said that the passing of the bill gave farmer owners the clarity they had been looking for and meant that the business could move forward with putting in place the flexible shareholding capital structure at the end of March 2023.

He said that the decision was made based on a number of things.

“We think late March is the best time to start because it avoids the time when we can’t trade shares because of the co-interim op’s results.

“It also gives shareholders time to fully understand the detailed information we’ll send them before the change goes into effect and to talk to their financial advisors,” the company said.

Fonterra plans to announce the final date of implementation along with its interim results on March 16, 2023.

Dairy industry leaders discussed how USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities projects can help secure a climate smart and profitable future for farmers during the Dairy Sustainability Alliance® Fall Meeting.

The Alliance, formed through the checkoff-founded Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, consists of companies and organizations across the dairy community and others who want to contribute to dairy’s social responsibility journey. Nearly 300 industry stakeholders, including about 30 farmers, attended the Nov. 15 meeting.

Mike Haddad, who serves as chair of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and chair of Schreiber Foods Inc., opened the meeting with a message of how industry unity and alignment on sustainability goals can help secure a bright future for dairy.

“What we’re truly, ultimately after is trust,” Haddad said. “Nobody wants to consume our products just because we tell them, ‘these are so efficiently produced and we can’t believe the yields we got.’ They don’t care about that. What they want to know is that we took care of our animals, our earth and our communities along the way and we can prove it. It takes us all working together to do that.

“One of our Innovation Center guiding principles is that we are better together. We will go faster by teaching and learning and challenging each other. As an Alliance, we should share freely our best practices so dairy can be seen as a sustainability solution.”

The Alliance meeting provided insights into the USDA Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities grants totaling up to $2.8 billion for 70 projects announced in September. The projects that include dairy will provide technical and financial assistance for farmers, support the development of expanded markets and revenue streams, and help the industry make progress toward its collective 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals at the field and farm levels.

The meeting’s opening panel featured lead partners who previewed their projects and the goals they hope to achieve. The California Dairy Research Foundation, in partnership with 20 other organizations, including Dairy Cares, was among the projects selected. Michael Boccadoro, executive director of Dairy Cares, said the project was selected to receive an approximate funding ceiling of $85 million that will be enhanced with an additional $40 million from the state of California. The project will support efforts to build climate-smart dairy markets and provide financial incentives for the state’s farmers to adopt manure management practices that reduce methane emissions and manage nitrogen.

“It’s a tremendous project that is going to build on and leverage the real unique efforts California has initiated in dairy methane reduction,” Boccadoro said. “We’ve been working on this since 2016 and we have made tremendous progress reducing over 2 million metric tons of methane in the dairy sector.”

Another project led by Wisconsin-based Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative was selected to receive an approximate funding ceiling of $50 million to expand climate-smart markets and establish dairy and sugar as climate-smart commodities through the implementation of new production practices. Tim Trotter, CEO of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, said the co-op’s commitment to sustainable practices starts with farmer input.

“We are blessed to have a visionary membership who about six years ago decided sustainability is a topic we want to address,” Trotter said. “What we looked at was how can we build this from the ground up? We want the farmers to be centric in the conversation and be engaged with the conversation and make the best decisions for them, so we need to check all boxes.”

Lisa Watson, social responsibility officer of the Innovation Center, offered an update on the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment, launched in 2018 to support farmers, cooperatives and processors who voluntarily work across the industry to advance sustainability leadership and transparently report progress. Commitment terms of adoption are reviewed every 3 to 5 years for consistency with the latest science, insights and priorities. Commitment adopters represent more than 75 percent of U.S. milk production.

Watson thanked the companies that are part of the Commitment for “raising all boats for U.S. dairy.”

“The Commitment helps us earn the trust of stakeholders, achieve aggregate reporting and demonstrate that U.S. dairy is a true global sustainability leader,” Watson said. “The metrics within the Commitment are aligned with global standards and protocols that help us gain credibility for our work. Through the Commitment, we can say with confidence that U.S. dairy farmers and processors are making a real difference and moving the needle toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.”

The meeting featured other sessions focused on:

• Scientific evidence that shows feed additives carry potential in reducing enteric methane emissions from dairy cattle.
• The checkoff’s work in helping to create a program that integrates agriculture literacy into national high school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) standards.
• Dairy’s role in helping to nourish 34 million Americans facing food insecurity, including 9 million children, with insights from Feeding America leaders.
• How stakeholders across the dairy value chain are taking decisive action to improve water management in the face of economic and environmental uncertainties.

Dairy Farmers Participate in Sustainable Agriculture Summit

The Sustainable Agriculture Summit followed the Alliance meeting and is billed as “the premier sustainability event for agriculture and by agriculture.” The meeting featured more than 700 farmers, suppliers, processors, brands, academia, conservation organizations and the public sector and is produced in partnership by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Field to Market.

The dairy industry was represented on several parts of the Summit’s agenda, including a panel discussion moderated by New Mexico producer Tara Vander Dussen, who also is an environmental scientist and co-founder of Elevate Ag. The discussion centered on how western farmers, including Jim Boyle, Jr. of Casa Grande Dairy in Arizona, are advancing sustainability, while highlighting challenges they face and the need for industry-wide collaboration that can build economically viable pathways.

For information about the industry’s sustainability work and the dairy checkoff, visit www.usdairy.com.

Commodity brokers fretting over broken corn export contracts

Truck freight charges to carry corn increased by 20%, or 50 reais ($9.40) per tonne, as a result of the protests over Brazil’s election outcome that clogged roads in Mato Grosso state earlier this week, Abiove, an industry association representing global trading firms, told Reuters on Thursday.

Abiove President Andre Nassar indicated over the phone that the Sorriso-Miritituba and Sinop-Miritituba routes have been hit the hardest. As a result of the road blockades, Nassar added, some Abiove members were worried about being unable to fulfil maize export obligations.

On November 7-8, 2022, following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic returned to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. During the 100th anniversary of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, competitors from five provinces came to compete and put all on the line when displaying their animals. The event was attended by 313 4-H members from Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Early Sunday morning, teams began moving in to put up their exhibits and settle in their calves. During the famous competition, 4-H members competed individually in showmanship and confirmation and as teams for Best Exhibit, Best Group of Three Calves, and Champion County.

On November 7, representatives from each of the 49 competing teams, carrying signs bearing their team’s name and led by three Toronto Mounted Police on horseback, launched the performance. Maryn Hunter from Leeds County sang “O Canada,” and Troy Packett, Associate Vice President of Agricultural Services at TD Bank, began the performance. On Monday, Dominic Fortier of St-Christophe d’Arthabaska, Quebec and Kyle Rivington of Carp, Ontario were tasked with judging 4-H members’ showmanship talents in the Semex Ring of Excellence. Throughout the high-caliber competition, Fortier determined champions from each distinct group by selecting the best Junior, Intermediate, and Senior showpeople from multiple heats.

Winners in each group were as follows:

Junior Showperson: Bren Zeldenrijk, Oxford Reserve: Carson Phoenix, Durham West

Intermediate Showperson: Ty Finley, Durham West Reserve: Keaton Phoenix, Durham West

Senior Showperson: Tyler Canning, Dufferin Reserve: Sarah Dean, Dufferin

Monday night after 8 p.m., Tyler Canning was named Grand Champion Showperson, which was the main event in Showmanship. Keaton Phoenix was Honorable Mention and Ty Finley was Reserve. Holstein Canada Vice President Doug Peart gave Canning the President’s Cup on Monday evening. The President’s Cup is given to the Showmanship Champion every year.

On November 8, Emily Leblanc sang “O Canada” to start the show. Russell Gammon and Phyllis MacMaster were in charge of letting people know about the show, and then the conformation classes started. Conformation Judge Chad Ryan from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, put the best 4-H Holsteins, Jerseys, Ayrshires, and other coloured breeds from all over the country in their heats and classes. He chose Nolan Allardyce of Brant County’s Fall Heifer, MS-Aol Realist-RED-ET, which won first place, as the Grand Champion Calf. Reserve went to Keaton Phoenix of Durham West, who showed the first-place Spring Yearling, Kentville Chief Bodacious. Honorable Mention was given to Bosdale Lambda Lusteria, the Summer Yearling that won first place and was shown by Rhett Terpstra of Perth County.

Here is where you can find all of the show’s results: https://www.assistexpo.ca/results/rawf/20/1

At the TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic, one of the most coveted titles is “Best Exhibit.” On Monday and Tuesday, the exhibits were judged on how clean they were, how well they interacted with the public, how well they had signs, and how well they were displayed overall. Several teams brought back old Classics by getting creative with old photos and memorabilia. This award went to Middlesex County, which also won it at the last show held in 2019. Jensen Halters has been a generous sponsor of this award every year since the show began. They gave each team member a trophy and money. This year’s Best Group of Three was shown by members of a team from Brant. Durham West from Premier County won the “Bill Edelstein Bowl.” They got the most points as a county for Showmanship, Conformation, and Best Exhibit. Eden Vis of Wentworth was the lucky person who got to take home the Classic showbox, which was made by Chairman Murray Reissner.

Fraeland Holsteins of Fergus, Ontario, was this year’s “Breeder of Distinction.” Steve Fraser and his father, Jack Fraser, were there to greet people and give away five Stanton Alligator embryos from Fraeland Emilio Blizzard EX-90, a fourth-generation Excellent from their world-famous Bonnie family. Taylor Vandermeulen from Northumberland County won the embryos this year.

During this year’s show, two awards were given out. On Tuesday morning, the Justin Parish Memorial Bursary was given out by the Parish family. Justin’s dream was to make it to the Royal, and this award, which is given to a first-time competitor at the Classic every year, keeps his dream alive. Rhett Terpstra from Perth County won this year. On Tuesday afternoon, the Bertram and Hazel Stewart 4-H Dairy Youth Education Award and Bursary was given out by the Stewart family and 4-H Ontario. This award and conditional bursary of $1,000 is given to a 4-H Ontario Dairy Club member who meets the requirements every year to help pay for their post-secondary education. Addison Dwyre of Frontenac was a worthy winner this year.

During this year’s Classic, there were a number of important people there. This year, Mary Poirier was the Guest of Honor. Since the mid-1990s, she has been an important part of the Classic committee, and her influence on the show is hard to measure. Troy Packett from TD Bank, Paul Larmer from Semex, and Doug Peart and Sylvie Mahannah from Holstein Canada were among the other well-known guests. The President of the Royal Winter Fair, Ms. Shelley Peterson, was also there to say hello and wish the competitors well. Rene VanAkker, Dean of OAC at the University of Guelph, was there to meet everyone and talk about how interested people are again in the university’s Agricultural programmes. The Hon. Lisa Thompson, the Provincial Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, came to give an encouraging speech and praise 4-H and other youth programmes. At the end of the show, Clarissa McCallum of Frontenac and Savannah Crack of Quebec South East spoke on behalf of all 4-H members to thank sponsors, parents, chaperones, and the Classic committee. At the end of the show, Cassie MacIntosh from Glengarry County sang “O Canada.”

The Classic would not be possible without the generous donations from our major sponsors, TD Bank, Semex, and Holstein Canada, which show their commitment to youth. Thank you also to the many sponsors who helped make this happen. The people who helped set up the event and the 4-H members who came are very thankful. Without the help of local sponsors, parents, leaders, and other volunteers, many 4-H members would not be able to go to the TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic. They should also be thanked very much. The 41st TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic, which took place at the Royal’s 100th Anniversary Show, was a huge success, and we look forward to many more Classics in the future.

Thank you to everyone who helped with the Classic this year!

Show Sponsors: TD Bank, Semex, Holstein Canada, Gay Lea, Holstein Ontario, Walker Dairy Sales Ltd., Walker Farms, Jensen Halters, DeLaval, Dominion Regalia Meal Sponsors: Semex, Gay Lea Foods Ltd., Walker Dairy Sales Ltd., DeLaval Canada, Walker Farms

Committee: Murray Reissner (Chairman), Jason French (Vice Chairman), Ron Bird, Paul Cleave, Lowell Lindsay, Brad Sayles, Brian Slaughter, Doug Wagner, Alison West, Deanna Ringelberg, Brad Eggink, Pam Charlton

Administrators: Martina Arth, Molly McMillan, Andrea Emond, Amanda Comfort, Jenna Hedden Volunteers: Shelley Barfoot-O’Neill, Doug Green, Alain Blanchette, Bev Spriel, Roger Turner, Kris MacLeod Health Checks: Dr. Tim Henshaw and Dr. Rob Swackhammer
Ribbon Presenters: Josie McNab, Cailyn Charlton
Sanitation Technicians: Josh Brander, Dean Kelly, Emily Knutt
Hair Monitors: Robert Medwell, Al McPhedran
Announcers: Russell Gammon, Phyllis MacMaster
Singers: Maryn Hunter, Elizabeth LeBlanc, Cassie MacIntosh

Biskit the dog is one of the stars of the channel, and even has her own merchandise

A cattle farmer says that he makes more money from YouTube than from his dairy herd.

Since 2018, Ian Pullen from Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, has been adding content to the site.

His channel, Farmer P, has 37,500 subscribers, and some of his videos get hundreds of thousands of views.

Mr. Pullen shows both what goes wrong and what goes right on the farm, and he tells his audience to “stay honest.”

When Mr. Pullen started the channel, he didn’t think that anyone would pay him for his work.

“About two and a half years ago, Google sent me a message that said, ‘We just sent you £47.'”

“I thought, ‘What? Where did that come from?’

“The next was £80, and then it was £300. I now make more than 40 cattle from YouTube… who knew?”

He used the money he made online to buy a new barn and invest in high-end camera gear, such as a drone for taking pictures from above.

He has also learned what kind of content gets people most excited.

People like shiny tractors, and his dog Biskit is so popular that she has her own merchandise.

Ian Pullen’s drone and he
Mr. Pullen bought a drone licence so he can make his videos more interesting.
Mr. Pullen says that he puts all of the money he earns online back into his farm.

Katie Jarvis from the National Farmers’ Union in Gloucestershire thinks that more farmers who blog would be good for the industry.

She said, “This is a very uncertain time for farming, and it will be for a while.”

“It would be great if they could make some money while teaching people about what we do and how important it is to grow food and take care of the environment.

Michael Paul Halpin, 41, of Buckingham, passed away on November 23, 2022.

Mike was born in Kankakee on August 31, 1981. Son of George M. and Margaret E. (Hills) Halpin, she preceded him in death. Survivors include his father; two sons, Owen and Colt Halpin; one sister, Amy (Todd) Hoffman; two nephews, Bode and Holden Hoffman; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Mike graduated from Tri-Point High School in 1999 and furthered his education at Joliet Junior College. He had a passion for grain farming and showing and judging dairy cattle. Mike traveled across the United States showing his cattle and cultivating lifelong friendships. He was a member of the American Milking Shorthorn Association, Tri-Point FFA Alumni, and many National Dairy Sale committees. He was an avid fan of the White Sox, Blackhawks, and always cheering on his son’s baseball teams. Mike always had a smile on his face and was a friend to everyone. You could always count on Mike to be there if there was a party or social event happening.

A private ceremony for family and close friends will be held on Saturday, November 26 at 11 a.m. at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Herscher. All are welcome to join in a celebration of life at 1 p.m. at Grubbs Farm – 1553 E State Route 116, Kempton, IL. We will be remembering our beloved Mike (the man of many nicknames) “Magic Mike, Wheels, Spike, Turtle, Hotshot, Simpleton, and Happy Hour” with food, music, and libations.

Memorials in his name may be left to a charity of the donor’s choice.

American Dairy Association North East’s annual award-winning “Make Milk Moments” holiday sweepstakes campaign encourages consumers to share favorite milk moments from the season – whether leaving milk and cookies for Santa, baking a dairy-rich recipe, or enjoying hot chocolate with friends and family.

December 31, 2022, consumers can fill out the form on makemilkmoments.com, and share their milk moments to be entered to win a cash prize and a morning milk moments prize pack.

“This campaign is designed to promote fluid milk, and we’re reaching out to consumers through retailer, social media influencers, registered dietitians, county dairy promotion teams, and through radio and traditional media segments,” said ADA North East CEO John Chrisman. “We hope to appeal to everyone’s fondest family moments and encourage them to purchase even more milk and dairy during the holidays.”

ADA North East is distributing nearly 3,000 “Make Milk Moments” dairy case window clings to retailers. Renown dairy advocates, social media influencers, and dietitians, as will also be amplifying the campaign through various social media channels, including Instagram and TikTok.

Additionally, 50 school nutrition directors were selected based on school district enrollment in ADA North East school nutrition programs to receive a gift box with “Make Milk Moments” materials to capture and share their special moments.

To help further expand the campaign’s consumer reach, ADA North East provided county dairy promotion committees with “Make Milk Moments” materials to promote the campaign in their local stores. Items included window clings for the dairy case and scripts for 30-second public service announcements that could be used in store or in radio promotions. They also received suggested social media posts to share with consumer audiences.

About American Dairy Association North East

American Dairy Association North East (ADA North East) is the dairy farmer-funded organization funded by participating dairy farmer’s checkoff investment to build demand and sales for milk and dairy foods throughout the local region. Representing nearly 9,000 dairy farm families in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and northern Virginia, ADA North East develops and implements local programs to drive milk and dairy sales at retail outlets and in schools. The organization also conducts consumer education about dairy through events, traditional and social media, and in collaboration with health professionals through National Dairy Council®. ADA North East works closely with Dairy Management Inc.™, the national dairy checkoff organization, to support nutrition research, national partnerships and developing export markets for dairy to bring a fully integrated promotion program to the region. For more information, visit www.AmericanDairy.com, or call 315.472.9143.

The government is reiterating its intention to provide financial support to the dairy, poultry, and egg industries.

The minister of agriculture and agri-food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, has stated that the government will offer up to $1.7 billion in compensation for these supply-managed sectors as a result of the effects of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

She remarked, “Promise made, promise kept.” We promised to make up for the losses in the dairy, poultry, and egg markets, and we have.

The Dairy Direct Payment Program is set to receive up to $1.2 billion, while another $300 million will be used to launch a new initiative that will encourage research and development, as well as capital investment, in large-scale projects that will increase the market value of solids-non-fat, a byproduct of milk processing.

Stats NZ said earlier this year that farm costs were at their highest level since they started keeping track in 1993.

Stats NZ data showed that food prices went up 10.1% year-on-year in October, which was the biggest increase in 14 years. Fruits and vegetables grew by 17% on their own.

But companies still make money even though their farmer suppliers have to pay very high prices and consumers are being pushed from all sides.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest food exporters and why they keep doing well despite pressures at home.
Alliance

Alliance Group Limited was a farmer-owned co-op that had eight sites in New Zealand where it did freezing work. They sent meat and by-products from animals that ate grass to Europe, North America, and Asia.

This week, the group said that its pre-tax profit for the year ending September 30, 2022, was just over $117 million, which was a record.

Their profit was up a huge 186% from the year before, and it was based on a record-breaking $2.2 billion in sales.

The co-op would give its farmer shareholders a profit share of $11.3 million and give each qualifying stock unit holder a bonus share worth $10 million.
Fonterra

Fonterra is a well-known company, and this year they reported a normalised profit after taxes of $591 million, which is 1% more than they made last year.

They made $23.4 billion as a group, which is 11% more than last year.

This year, the company paid its farmers a record farm-gate milk price of $9.30 per kilogramme of milk solids. The farmers gave them 1.478 billion kilogrammes of milk solids.

The company said that New Zealand benefited from their profits because milk price payments alone put $13.7 billion back into the economy this year.
Zespri

Zespri is known for being the largest local exporter of kiwifruit. They also sold to markets nearby.

This year, the company said that net sales of kiwifruit around the world went up by 12%, to just over $4 billion.

After taxes, their net profit was $361.5 million, which was more than last year’s $277.1 million.

Zespri sold more than 200 million trays of both New Zealand kiwifruit and kiwifruit from other countries.

The world’s operating income was $4.47 billion, which was 15% more than last year.

The company and kiwifruit growers had been having problems with the quality of the fruit, and it was expected that these problems would last into the next season.
Silver Fern Farms

Silver Fern Farms Limited is a New Zealand-based company that sells meat all over the world.

It was owned equally by Silver Fern Farms Co-op Ltd, a group of 16,000 New Zealand farmers who raise sheep, cattle, and deer, and Shanghai Maling, a Chinese food company.

The company was the biggest one in New Zealand that processed and sold livestock.

Last year, they made a net profit of $51.3 million before taxes and $103.8 million after taxes.

About 6000 people worked for the company.

Last year, their books showed that they made $2.7 billion in sales and paid out $46.7 million in dividends.

Why are they able to make money in this economy?

Matt Montgomerie and Margaret Bei, agriculture analysts at Forsyth Barr, said there were a number of reasons why some companies did well even though the economy as a whole was getting worse.

Montgomerie said that New Zealand agriculture as a whole focused on high-quality goods that were still in demand around the world and that exports helped these businesses.

Bei said that rising prices and the weak New Zealand dollar were positives, but that companies had also faced a lot of problems in the past year, especially with rising wages and costs.

Montgomerie said that most agriculture food companies sold finished products, like meat, or raw materials, like whole milk powder, that were used as ingredients in other products.

Montgomerie said that even though the economy is uncertain, the demand for these products should be strong by nature.

If the agricultural sector keeps doing well, it should help rural areas because many companies hire locally. Bei said that this helps local economies in a big way.

First, the bad news (for consumers): Heading into the holiday baking season, butter prices are, indeed at an all-time high. That’s for a few reasons. The biggest one is simple demand. Americans love butter, with the highest per capita consumption since the 1960s leading to the highest overall demand ever for the nation’s pre-eminent spread and ubiquitous baking ingredient. Overseas markets are also getting in on the act, with another record year for dairy trade possible in 2022.

Meanwhile, butter supplies haven’t, as of yet, been able to keep up with that demand enough to stabilize prices. That’s especially been the case in the past couple months, when retailers traditionally stock up in anticipation of the holidays. And of course, once you get past the actual cost of making butter itself and then add transportation, packaging, labor, and all the other the costs that are making everything else more expensive too, you have a recipe for record butter prices on the grocery shelf. And that’s making consumers (and media) notice.

But are higher prices the same thing as a “shortage”? We posit, not. Are store shelves empty? There’s always some one-off instances somewhere, but with those exceptions, no. Are crowds of consumers lining up for blocks outside local supermarkets to buy out rationed supplies, like early-COVID toilet paper? (Everyone stand six feet apart, please!) No again. And is anyone who wants to buy butter currently being deprived of anything other than $5 should they choose a four-pack, maybe a little extra if it’s extra-creamy European Style?!?? (And often less is you catch a good sale.)

That’s three strikes, and still, no one’s out of butter.

It’s easy to understand the concern: Butter is, after all, nature’s most perfect sandwich spread, the ingredient that makes a top-quality croissant worthy of a nasal-sounding French pronunciation. And even with all this, the underlying concern that’s fueled the “shortage” worries is itself showing signs of fading. Milk production is on the rise again, and with that, butter futures traded on commodities markets are declining. While some product prices rise and stay that way, butter goes up and down. Take a look at this chart — a dozen years of butter-price history that includes both the value of butterfat to a farmer (blue line) and the cost at the grocery store (orange line). See how they move together – and see where the blue line’s expected to go in 2023.

“What goes up, must come down” applies to butter. Production chases prices, and eventually higher production pushes prices down. That’s not always so great for farmers, by the way – and one nice thing for them about current pricing is that it’s helping farmers smooth out a challenging few years and rebuild the balance sheets they need to thrive. So be patient if you’re feeling sticker shock, and in the meantime, feel good that you’re helping a farmer.

But above all, don’t feel like you’re at risk of a butterless Christmas. The food chain, and the law of supply and demand, are ensuring that doesn’t happen. The holidays would be less happy without butter, but it just ain’t gonna happen. So Happy Thanksgiving. And here’s to, um, butter days ahead.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on November 17, 2022, Daniel Gutman, age 40, and Benjamin Gutman, age 40. both residents of Maryland, were each sentenced by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to 30 months in prison for a conspiracy to defraud and commit offenses against the United States. Collectively, they were ordered to pay $1,938,646.42 in fines and forfeiture.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Daniel Gutman and Benjamin Gutman are brothers who own and operate a livestock exporting business known as Gutman Brothers Dairy Cattle (“Gutman Brothers”), with operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania.  Federal law requires cattle transported in interstate and foreign commerce to be tested for certain diseases prior to shipment, including Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Leucosis, and Bovine Viral Diarrhea.  The United States Department of Agriculture certifies that U.S. agricultural and food products shipped to international markets meet both U.S. and foreign requirements. When it comes to dairy cattle, this process relies upon the services of USDA-accredited veterinarians and the animal exporters to whom these veterinarians provide services.

The USDA’s investigation revealed that Daniel Gutman and Benjamin Gutman, with the assistance of Dr. Donald Yorlets, a USDA-accredited veterinarian, conspired to carry out a scheme to defraud foreign customers and the USDA. They did so by submitting non-authentic, bovine blood samples for the detection of disease to a USDA-accredited testing laboratory located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and by issuing false and fraudulent health certificates for the untested animals. In addition, Yorlets also falsely claimed in health certificates that cattle had tested negative for Bovine Tuberculosis when, in fact, the required caudal skin fold test had not been administered. Furthermore, Yorlets submitted these false and fraudulent health certificates to a USDA Veterinary Services Endorsement Office. The USDA’s endorsement of these health certificates permitted dairy cattle to be shipped in interstate and foreign commerce.

Yorlets signed international health certificates for Gutman Brothers dating back to 2014. With his assistance, Daniel and Benjamin Gutman shipped close to 20,000 head of dairy cattle to buyers in foreign countries, making millions of dollars in profits.

Previously, Daniel and Benjamin Gutman pleaded guilty conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with the scheme.  Likewise, on August 31, 2020, Yorlets pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information charging him with conspiracy to defraud the United States. Yorlets currently awaits sentencing.

“Trade and commerce with our foreign and domestic partners require that all parties conduct themselves in a fair, legal, and transparent manner. Without trust in the system, there can be no trade. The Gutman brothers have broken this trust and damaged relations with our partners,” said William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge of HSI’s Philadelphia office.  “Thankfully, special agents with HSI and the USDA who focus on trade-based investigations were able to uncover this criminal conspiracy that impacted both the United States and our partner nations.”

“We appreciate the ongoing commitment and concerted efforts of our law enforcement partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Investigative and Enforcement Services to investigate a long running scheme affecting the exportation of healthy animals from the U.S. and the illegitimate issuance of required health certificates based on fraudulent test results” said Special Agent-in-Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Inspector General (OIG).  “In order to ensure integrity in international commerce, USDA, OIG will continue to dedicate resources and prioritize work that disincentivizes those who seek to take short cuts in order to increase their own profit margins while at the same time demeaning the value and safety of American agricultural products.” 

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ravi Romel Sharma and Philip J. Caraballo prosecuted the case. Now retired Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel previously worked on the case.  Assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI Legal Attaché for Qatar and Kuwait.