On June 5-6, Indiana Dairy Producers took a bus full of IDP members to Green Bay, Wisconsin.  

   Our first stop was to Stewart-Peterson's headquarters in West Bend, Wisconsin. What a terrific welcome we received! Scott Stewart and Randy Niemann were there with many of their Market 360 dairy team. Matt presented information on dairy trends, and they answered our questions and fed us a delicious lunch.  

   Our next stop was to Soaring Eagle Dairy in Newton, Wisconsin. We heard how Jim Fitzgerald turned a 60-cow tie stall barn into an 1100-cow facility, managed by Jim and his 3 daughters, Kelly, Julie and Stacy.   After that, we went to John Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy in Kewaunee, WI. This large-scale operation started with a handful of cows and John's father, and now they milk around 5000 cows with a carousel rotary parlor.  

   An evening banquet was enjoyed by all, and we were inspired by Dr. Lance Fox's experience climbing Mount Everest. The next morning, we visited American Foods beef slaughter plant (see article below), followed by tours of Calf Source's 9000 head calf-raising facility. This was probably the largest calf raising facility any of us had ever seen, and the calves were incredibly healthy and well-cared for. Manuel and Miguel gave us a terrific tour and answered our questions.  

    Our last regular stop was to Robinway Dairy, and Jay Binversie gave us a great tour of his farm. We got to see his new teat-brush system in the parlor, as well as his sand separation system. Finally, we stopped at Kopp's for lunch and a chance to taste some of the best custard imaginable. Following are some quotes from satisfied tour attendees:

"I saw dairy farmers that had a vision beyond their generation."

"The comradeship built on the bus and while on the tour is what I find has the most lasting value to me, even though each stop was so interesting.  The slaughter plant was way above my expectations, never dreamed we could get so up-close-and-personal!"

"Very educational and the comradeship is invaluable!  You can learn something from everyone but on the tour you have time to get into each other's mind.  I will never forget the slaughter plant- what an education."

"The IDP tour was a one of a kind dairy experience for me.  We saw it all, from birth to slaughter.  I really enjoyed it!  Thanks!"

"The IDP Summer tour was another great success.  Not only was it fun but also rewarding and a great learning experience with quality facilities to visit along with the fellowship with other dairy producers and industry professionals.  I am already looking forward to the next IDP Tour!"

"IDP's Summer Tour allowed me to meet many others connected to the dairy industry, especially fellow dairy farmers, and have the chance to learn from them."

"I enjoyed seeing how John Pagel connected his large scale operation to the consumer, building his farm from the ground up!"

Make plans to join us on our next tour in Plymouth and LaPorte, the Kentuckiana Dairy Exchange, on July 30-31. We will be sending out details next week, which will also be posted on our website, www.IndianaDairy.org!

 

Visit to American Foods Slaughter Plant Proved to be a Tour Highlight
Written by LuAnn Troxel

   Another interesting point was seeing the regulatory inspection process. USDA inspectors were right in the lines doing their jobs. Each wore a white hard hat with "USDA" on it. We saw them grading the carcasses, and also doing various inspections throughout the entire process. A USDA veterinarian also inspects each live animal before it enters the line. 

   After our tour was complete, we were shown meat tissue samples of needle injection sites and abscesses. It was another reminder of the responsibility dairy farmers have when selling dairy cull cows. The meat residue issue is serious. Jim Dickrell has a recent article about it here.  

Every year during June, Milk Promotion Services of Indiana features June Dairy Month activities, and 2013 is no exception. This year, they have launched a special website, 30 Dairies in 30 Days, featuring a different dairy farm family every single day throughout the month of June. Please click here to learn about each farm. An interactive map pinpoints the 30 featured farms located throughout the state. A click of the mouse takes visitors to each and every farm, where the families' stories and photos are shared. Additional features include favorite recipes, upcoming events, quotes about the farming life, a plethora of fun and surprising dairy facts, and much more. Many IDP members are featured in this great group of dairy farms! Keep up the great work as we all celebrate June Dairy Month!

 

The 30 featured Indiana dairy farms include:

 

Wagler Farms, Morgantown

Obert Legacy Dairy, Fort Branch

Troxel Dairy Farm, Hanna

Crystal Valley Dairy Farms, Middlebury

Kuehnert Dairy Farm, Fort Wayne

Rauscher Farms, Huntingburg

Kelsay Farms, Whiteland

Seven Hills Dairy, Goodland

Weaver Dairy Farm, Bennington

Stockwell Farms, Hudson

Schwoeppe Dairy Farm, Huntingburg

Phares Dairy, Albion

Foerg & Forgey River-View Farm, Logansport

Homestead Dairy, Plymouth

Dague Dairy Farms, Kewana

J&A Dairy, Evansville

Hoeing Livestock Farms, Rushville

Jones Robotic Dairy, Star City

Brand Farms, Waterloo

Mills Dairy Farm, Ossian

All Wright Farms, Muncie

Crosby Dairy Farm, Greensburg

Oneeda Farms, Syracuse

Mayhill Holsteins, Fountain City

Knollbrook Farm, Goshen

Kleine Dairy Farm, Cedar Lake

Purdue University Dairy Farm, West Lafayette

Huber Dairy Farm, Saint Paul

Carterly Farms, Thorntown

Hesters Dairy Farm, Walkerton

 

Global Dairy Market Outlook
USDEC by Alan Levitt, Marc Beck and Brad Gehrke

US Dairy Exports reached record levels in April, according to the US Dairy Export Council.

Capitalizing on steady global demand, declining supply from other exporters and favorable pricing relationships, U.S. dairy exporters moved record volumes overseas in April. U.S. exports of dry ingredients (milk powder, whey products, lactose), cheese and butterfat topped 168,000 tons in April, up 20% compared with March (on a daily-average basis). Total value was $558.8 million, up 16% from March, and also a new high.

 

Gains were led by an unprecedented level of milk powder shipments. April exports of NDM/SMP were 55,187 tons; the previous high was 47,787 tons in October 2010. Exports were equivalent to 61% of U.S. NDM/SMP production in April, leading to a steep draw-down in manufacturers' stocks during the month. April also marked the third straight month of improved export volumes. February-April shipments were 38% higher than volumes posted in the previous three months (November-January). Shipments of cheese, WPC and lactose also continue to exceed prior-year levels. Cheese exports in the first four months of the year were up 7% vs. a year ago, WPC was up 16% and lactose was up 11%. In addition, fluid milk/cream (+62%) and ice cream (+52%) posted very strong increases in the January-April period.

 

Click here to read the entire Global Dairy Market Outlook from June 11, 2013. 

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) announced June 12 that Chief Operating Officer Jim Mulhern will take over as President & Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2014. Mulhern has been appointed by the NMPF Board of Directors to fill the position held by Jerry Kozak since 1997.  Earlier this year, Kozak had informed the Board of his desire to retire on December 31, 2013.

 

"We are very excited to have such a knowledgeable and capable leader at the head of our team in the coming years.  The importance of experience cannot be underestimated in a complex industry like ours," said NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney, a dairy producer from Rogersville, MO.

"Jim's impressive and extensive track record working on dairy issues made him the ideal choice to be the next President and CEO of NMPF."

 

Mulhern joined NMPF in January 2013, and since that time has managed the communications, government relations, and membership functions of the organization.  His appointment as COO marked a return to NMPF; he had directed the organization's government relations program earlier in his career.

 

A Wisconsin native, Mulhern came to Washington, DC, to work on Capitol Hill in 1983.  Following his service at NMPF in the mid-1980s, he returned to Capitol Hill to serve as Chief of Staff for Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl.  Mulhern also worked in senior management positions for Fleishman-Hillard, the Fratelli Group and Watson/Mulhern LLC.  During this period, he maintained a close relationship with the dairy industry and NMPF by working as a consultant on numerous projects.

 

"I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to lead a membership organization that has meant so much to me throughout my career.  I look forward to building further upon the relationships and successes of the past, but with a clear focus on addressing the challenges to dairy farming's future," said Mulhern.

 

NMPF also announced that after retiring as President & CEO Dec. 31st, Jerry Kozak will continue his involvement with the organization's Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) program, which provides export assistance to its member cooperatives.  He will oversee CWT's program and administrative operations and will report directly to Mulhern.     

 

ZFS Feed Update

Call 866-888-7082

   No surprise, Grain Commodities have been strong through Spring and yet today, some feed ingredients have recently come down in cost, excluding soybean meal and proteins like cottonseed and canola, as its based off soybean meal CBOT too.

   Soyhulls are in better supply than recent months, with less demand, offering a good buy for fiber source.

There is more supply on hominy creating a slight cost reduction on hominy offerings and also gluten both wet and dry now through Sept.

   There are New Crop offerings on the hominy Oct-Dec and gluten for Oct-Mar shipment contracts. Both are quite reasonable and should be considered in the ration.

   Old crop cottonseed this summer is higher, following protein market. Cottonseed new crop offers are higher than recent years, due to acres down by as much as 24% in some regions of production.  

   Distillers (DDGs and wet cake) have backed off cost some with steady supply, showing a good buy in ration for protein source.

Canola meal has been introduced to most dairy rations this past year and are seeing a good response by cows and liked by most producers with the spread to soybean meal. Contracts are available thru summer and Oct-Dec. new crop as well; basis or flat prices.

  The Senate approved a nearly $1 trillion farm bill Monday night that proves Washington is still bent on catering to special interests and wasting taxpayers' money.

  Let's count the ways.

  The Senate bill perpetuates a sugar subsidy that raises the price of sweets and shuts out foreign competition. Great for the sugar industry, terrible for consumers.

The bill creates a new sweetheart deal for the dairy industry: an insurance program that will drive up prices by triggering production cuts when there's an oversupply of product. Good for the dairy industry, terrible for consumers.

  The bill perpetuates the vast government subsidies for crop insurance. The government will continue to pay more than half the cost of the insurance. Farmers get subsidized and get a perverse financial incentive to take excessive risks without having to worry if their crops fail. Taxpayers get gouged.  

Read the full article here.

 

The Indiana Holstein Association is excited to host the upcoming 2013 National Holstein Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 7-11, 2013.  We welcome dairy producers and enthusiasts worldwide to "Race to Indy" to celebrate the dairy industry and the registered Holstein cow! 
 
The National Holstein Convention is always an exciting, enjoyable and education experience for Juniors and Adults.  Please visit the convention website for detailed information.