Producer Spotlight - Jered Cooper
High, dry and cool in New Mexico
"We're always adapting and adjusting. It's hard to do. Dairymen are the most efficient producers in the ag industry. We're trying to get more efficient every day, changing the way we feed, changing the way we breed, and changing the way we think. (MORE)
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Management Message - Mike Wright, MBA
College graduation, fat-corrected milk and a poll on heat-stress
This month I offer some ponderings from watching my daugther's college commencement. Also, our Quick Poll results from April are in. We asked: What dairy practice is the most important for generating profit? Be sure to take this month's Quick Poll on heat stress. And our Tip of the Month talks about using Diamond V data to track fat-corrected milk results and see if adjustments are needed. (MORE)
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Technical Feature - Bill Sanchez, Ph.D.
It's not the weight, it's the components
At the 22nd American Dairy Science Association Discover Conference, Dr. Normand St-Pierre calculated that the average 92.5 pounds of water in a hundred pounds of milk has zero value. So if milk components are the only thing that you get paid for, how do you use that fact to maximize profits on your dairy? (VIEW PDF)
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Risk Management - Dave Kurzawski
Can we improve CME spot trading?
To date, any attempts to alter the CME spot cheese process have fizzled because they were far too revolutionary for most people's tastes. Thinking big is not always the right answer. So for the time being, let's take a step back, think small and create a consensus for some sensible modifications.
(VIEW PDF)
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Director
Global Research and Marketing
As I sat listening to my daughter's college graduation ceremony this weekend, I was reminded of the importance of recruiting individuals who are not only right for the job, but also right for the company, i.e., fit within the company culture. You want people who care and have the desire to make a difference in an organization. It is our dedicated team of leading industry scientists and technical experts who serve as a key point of differentiation for Diamond V and help us maintain our leadership role in today's feed industry. Hiring talented people was a major theme in the April Poll results.
April Quick Poll Results
Our April Quick Poll results are in. We asked: What dairy practice is the most important for generating profit?
- Nearly 36% chose "hiring top-quality people and keeping them for the long term."
- Second at 27.2% was "sound financial planning and forecasting,"
- Third at 18.1% was "unrelenting attention to cow comfort."
This seems to reflect the direction we're seeing in modern dairying. Management, systems, training and human resources are growing in importance.
This month's poll is on heat stress. We'll give the results next month. Also, based on our latest reader surveys, we're offering a new Tip of the Month.
Our Commitment: Part III Previously, we introduced you to Diamond V's corporate brand promise: The Trusted Experts in Nutrition & Health™. This statement embodies the spirit of our company and its research-based products. In addition, I introduced you to key messages (business principles) that describe who Diamond V is today and the solutions we offer. Our first two messages illustrated Diamond V's long-standing role as a research and technology-based company. To continue: Key message #3: Diamond V's technical staff are trusted experts within the industry Proof points that validate this message: - Our Technical Staff are leaders within their area of discipline;
- They represent 35% of our total employee group and many have multiple advanced degrees such as Ph.D.'s DVM along with MBAs;
- Diamond V spends approximately 10% of its annual revenue on research and technical iniviatives to support the efficacy of our product portfolio;
- We use only peer-reviewed research as the gold-standard to evaluate new and existing products which gives you the confidence you deserve.
We're grateful for the tens of thousands of professionals who have been reading Nutrition Line. We want to keep you as readers and, more importantly, make sure we always provide ways to create dialog and interaction. Thanks for your support of Nutrition Line!
Kind regards,
Mike
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 High, dry and cool in New Mexico
The Cooper Legacy Dairy team in Clovis, NM
Who: Jered Cooper
What: Manager/partner (with parents, Newell & Cathy Cooper) of Cooper Legacy Dairy with 2,200 milking cows and 24 employees.
Where: Clovis, NM, 90 miles west of Lubbock, TX
The Path to New Mexico: The Cooper/Forshee Family began dairying in Michigan in 1862, then Arizona in 1948, then moved to Stephenville, TX in 1986. They started the New Mexico dairy in 2001.
The Air Up There: The Cooper Legacy Dairy is set in the high plains of New Mexico at 4,300 feet in elevation. "The heat of the day here is between 1 and 4 p.m.," says Jered. "It can get up to 105 in the day, but what makes it nice here is that it cools off at night." Jered says the dry air and wind in the New Mexico highlands makes the difference. "The cows aren't stressed as much here like they were in Arizona or Texas. You're likely to see the animals eating round the clock here." In Arizona, there was intense heat all day, but dry air. In Texas, heat plus humidity coupled with still air made for the worst of heat-stress conditions. "It was a struggle to get cows to eat in Arizona and Texas during the summers." In New Mexico, "we dont have shades for dry cows; we have been told they won't use it," says Jered. "We have good air flow here, sometimes too much, plus we give the cows the space they need. We also make sure the cows have a nice cool, dry place to calve-in. Having a good maternity barn is a must!"
Getting Creative with the Ration: With recent drought conditions, use of corn stalks and green-chop corn was one solution. "We normally grow all of our own forage silage, but with the drought, we had to get creative. When the corn was drying down, we green-chopped it. It worked out OK for us," says Jered. We now green chop whenever we can. My dad taught me that feed is never better than the day you cut it." Jered says he normally uses a heavy dose of high-powered silage. But with silage yields down and more green chop being added during dry conditions, Jered has Diamond V nutritional fermentation products in the ration. "It helps stabilize the stomach so that we don't lose components," says Jered.
The Future - Adapt and Adjust: Investing in new equipment for green chop is just one example of Jered's commitment to change and adapt as the industry, markets, and climate evolve and conditions change. "We're always looking at ways to innovate and get better, not always bigger," Jered says. "We're always adapting and adjusting. It's hard to do. Dairymen are the most efficient producers in the ag industry. We're trying to get more efficient every day, changing the way we feed, changing the way we breed, and changing the way we think. Every year anymore is much different from the last one and we have to be ready to adapt and adjust. In New Mexico we have to tell ourselves we can't control the wind we can only adjust our sails. Here at Cooper Legacy Dairy, we try to be good at a lot of things, not just great at one thing."
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Tip of the Month
Compare your milk fat to our unique database
With the onset of fast and inexpensive computing power, we have a much greater ability to analyze information like milk fat percentage to help make decisions that affect milk revenue. In 2006, Diamond V began surveying milk processor data from several of our customers as part of a project we call DV Monitors. Since then we have enrolled 147 Holstein herds to capture the information provided by the milk processors.
To help you in your analysis, you can compare your herd to our database averages. A key benefit of comparing your herd to our database and not just to your processor database is that we have subdivided the information by breed and region. We will also be tracking milk protein, energy-corrected milk, and SCC for those interested in more than just milk fat. Diamond V will publish this information in chart form by breed and region. If you are a current customer of Diamond V please contact your Regional Sales Manager for a copy.
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See us at these industry events
May 29 - June 1
Itasca, IL
June 13-14
Dubuque, IA
July 20-21
Ruidoso, NM
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