Dairy farmers turning to genetics to improve profit margins

Tough conditions in the dairy industry are prompting U.S. dairy farmers to increasingly rely on genetics to improve their profit margins, according to a new research report from CoBank. Milk prices are down 40% from their highs in late 2014, but lower slaughter prices have also hurt the industry.

Until recently, the effects of falling milk prices were somewhat muted by record high cattle prices, said Trevor Amen, animal protein economist with CoBank and author of the report.  Record-high beef cattle prices boosted dairy producer's margins by as much as one-third in mid-2015 through the sale of cull cows and bull calves.  Now, those sales are responsible for less than 10% of margins as calf and slaughter cow prices have retreated to their historical averages - down roughly 90% and 40%, respectively, from their 2015 highs.
As a result, many American dairy farms are currently operating at or below break-even margins.

CFSAF coalition says GMO labeling solution needed now

As of Thursday, there will be only seven days left on the legislative calendar for Congress to pass a bipartisan solution before Vermont's mandatory on-package labeling law goes into effect July 1. Failure to find and pass legislation by July 1 will have costly and lasting effects on the nation's food supply chain, was the message from the Coalition for Safe, Affordable Food (CFSAF).

In a media call Thursday morning, members of the coalition made a final plea to Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) and ranking member Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.) to reach a solution to enable enough time to avoid the chaos they project will come once Vermont's law goes into effect.

Chuck Conner, president and chief executive officer of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, said discussions between Roberts and Stabenow have moved to a point described as within inches and he said that is an accurate assessment.

Elanco opens state-of-the-art Vaccines Innovation Center

Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly & Co., has announced the opening of a state-of-the-art Vaccines Innovation Center whose intentional design will enable scientists to address some of animal health's most pressing issues.

Half of the 48,000 sq. ft. space comprises an open-concept collaboration environment intentionally designed to encourage scientific interaction. The remaining floor area houses an integrated laboratory space equipped with the very latest technology in the fields of immunology, molecular biology and microbiology.
The Vaccines Innovation Center is the global centerpiece of the Elanco vaccines R&D model and one of its unique features is a self-contained master seed suite. Master seeds are the critical starting materials for any vaccine and must be prepared with great stringency.
 
DFA, DMS enter settlement with NE dairy producers

A federal court has approved a $50 million settlement with Dairy Farmers of America Inc. (DFA) and Dairy Marketing Services LLC (DMS).  The settlement provides financial payment to certain dairy farmers in the Northeast and results in changes to DFA's and DMS's business practices.

This settlement resolves all claims against DFA and DMS in a lawsuit alleging they engaged in anticompetitive conduct within Federal Milk Marketing Order 1. If this settlement is approved, farmers will not be able to sue DFA and DMS, as well as their members, partners and certain related entities, for the claims in the suit or related claims.

If 8,000 dairy farmers file a valid claim, the average payment per farmer is estimated to be $4,000. The payment could be more or less than $4,000 depending on the amount of raw Grade A milk one produced and pooled on Order 1. Farmers must file a claim to get a payment.

Study: U.S. meat and poultry industry represents $1.02 trillion

The U.S. meat and poultry industry accounts for $1.02 trillion in total economic output or 5.6% of gross domestic product (GDP), according a new economic impact analysis conducted by John Dunham & Associates for the North American Meat Institute (NAMI).

NAMI president and chief executive officer Barry Carpenter said this is the first time the economic impact broke the $1 trillion mark.

The meat and poultry industry is responsible for 5.4 million jobs and $257 billion in wages, the report found.  An estimated 527,019 people have jobs in production and packing, importing operations, sales, packaging and direct distribution of meat and poultry products.  Wholesaling directly employs an estimated 232,418 individuals in all 50 states, and 1.11 million employees' retail jobs depend on the sale of meat and poultry products to the public.  All totaled, the meat and poultry industry (packers, processors, wholesalers and retailers) directly employs 1.9 million people, paying $71.63 billion in wages and benefits.

ADSA News and Happenings
ADSA ELECTION RESULTS
Thank you to all members who voted in the recent ADSA election and to those individuals who were on the ballot.   We are pleased to share the results of the election with you.  The following individuals were elected:
Vice President
Karen Schmidt
Kansas State University
 
Director - Dairy Foods Division
Brandon Nelson
Daisy Foods
 
Director - Production Division
Barry Bradford
Kansas State University
 
Marjorie Faust, ABS Global, has been appointed to the position of Secretary/Treasurer
Congratulations to Drs. Schmidt, Nelson and Bradford on their election, and to Dr. Faust on her appointment.  They will take their positions at the end of the ADSA Annual Business Meeting, on Friday July 22, 2016.
 
USDA Seeks Stakeholder Input on Antimicrobial Resistance
USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and Office of the Chief Scientist has announced that they will host a stakeholder webinar on
July 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern time to discuss, prioritize, and develop strategies to help meet the most pressing animal health research education and extension needs related to AMR.  

Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, and slots are limited. USDA is requesting that, whenever possible, multiple participants at the same location register only once and join the webinar as a group to accommodate the maximum number of participants. Registration can be found at the following link: 
Register now

USDA is also asking for pre-webinar input to help drive the discussion during the live event.  USDA requests that stakeholders share their views on the top five antimicrobial resistance issues in the context of animal health by sending an email to
[email protected] (include "AMR" in the subject line).  When drafting input, USDA encourages that stakeholders consider the following issues: (1) the largest gaps of knowledge, (2) the major research, education or extension questions that need to be answered, and (3) the tools needed to address the knowledge gaps and answer major questions.  (Please note: Only the first 500 characters in each comment will be reviewed.)  Comments received by July 5 will be reviewed and incorporated into the webinar discussion.
 
Journal of Dairy Science� offers collection on balanced breeding
for dairy cows
providing insight into modern selection practices
Champaign, IL, June 13, 2016 - The Journal of Dairy Science (JDS) is a leading source of scientific information on dairy breeding objectives and quantifying selection responses to new selection indices.  As a service to its readership, the journal has assembled a collection of 21 research articles on this subject, and ADSA has made all articles in this collection freely available for 30 days due to the importance of the subject matter. This special collection of JDS articles highlighting major advances that have been made in health, longevity, and reproductive traits is hosted by Elsevier and is available online at http://www.journalofdairyscience.org/content/balancedbreeding
Dairy cows were traditionally selected primarily for increased milk production with secondary consideration of other traits.  As more effective tools and new traits have become available, selection processes have evolved. Modern methods emphasize the use of varied selection criteria to create a balanced approach for genetic selection. Selecting a healthy and productive cow is the priority, and new selection indices emphasize health, longevity, and reproductive traits. If one considers selection indices throughout the world, the weighting for milk production is typically less than 50%; in the widely used Net Merit selection index, milk production is weighted at approximately 40%.
Researchers have incorporated new data to enhance the selection indices now used in most countries to include fertility, longevity, and udder health. With the implementation of genomic selection, researchers have proactively developed complex breeding tools to improve animal health and welfare and respond to problems such as limited resources, global warming, and challenging farming conditions.
"The dairy industry has long recognized that selecting cows for health, longevity, and reproduction as well as milk production would create a more functional cow for the industry.  New evaluations were developed and incorporated into modern genetic selection indices with a focus on healthy cows. The new era for genomic selection will accelerate the progress that is being made. The next generation of dairy cows will be highly productive, fertile and live healthy lives, with enhanced welfare and less environmental impact," Matt Lucy, editor-in-chief of Journal of Dairy Science, said.

Would you like to help the animal and dairy science community and attend the 2017 ADSA Annual Meeting for free?
Referrals are the most tried-and-true way businesses grow, and the same is true for FASS. Do you know a colleague working with an animal science group that is in need of high-quality, cost-effective support services? Help them out by referring them to Jamie Ritter, FASS Executive Director at [email protected] .
Help them benefit from the shared resource concept and the 264 years of collective experience the FASS staff have in working with non-profit animal science organizations. If your referral becomes a FASS customer prior to June 1, 2017, ADSA will comp your registration to the 2017 ADSA Annual Meeting that will be held June 25 to 28, 2017 in Pittsburgh, PA.  It's win-win-win. For more information about services offered by FASS, click here.
Are You Part of ADSA� on Linked In
Our ADSA Linked In group continues to grow. We now include 1,544 members from around the world, are you one of them? It's a great place to get information and network with other dairy professionals from around the world.  Check it out here.
Thanks to our Corporate Sustaining Members
                                 We appreciate your ongoing support of ADSA and the Journal of Dairy Science�.

Ag Processing Inc.
Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition
Dairy Nutrition Plus
Darling International Research
Diamond V
DuPont Pioneer
Global Agri-Trade Corporation
Grande Cheese Company
Kent Nutrition Group
Kraft Heinz Foods
Lallemand Animal Nutrition
Masters Choice
Nutriad, Inc.
Papillon Agricultural Company
Quali Tech, Inc.
Renaissance Nutrition Inc.
Western Pacific Oils LLC
Zoetis
Zook Nutrition & Management Inc.
Calendar of Events
June 20-24, 2016 13th International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis*, Nantes, France, For more information click here
 
June 21-23, 2016  Precision Dairy Farming 2016, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. For more information, click here.

June 22-24, 2016  Preventive Controls for Human Food - Individual training, Cornell Dairy Foods Extension, Hilton Garden Inn, Troy, NY. For more information, click here

July 2-9, 2016  American Dairy Goat Association National Show, Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, Harrisburg, PA. For more information contact ADGA, PO Box 865, Spindale, NC 28160, 828-286-3801 
www.ADGA.org.
 
July 3-8, 2016     World Buiatrics Congress 2016, Convention Centre Dublin, Ireland, For more information click here.
 
July 11-13, 2016     High Temperature Short Time (HTST) Pasteurizer Workshop in association with NYS Agriculture and Markets, Cornell University, For more information contact Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
July 18-21, 2016     Certified Milk Inspector's School in Association with NY State Agriculture & Markets, Cornell University, For more information contact Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098, Course Syllabus  , Required Course of NYS-CMIs
 
July 19-23, 2016  ADSA- ASAS Joint Annual Meeting (JAM)*, Salt Lake City, UT, for more information click here
 
July 24-28, 2016     2016 National Association of County Agricultural Agents Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference (AM/PIC) Little Rock, AR, For more information click here
 
Aug 2-3, 2016  Milk Pasteurization, Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here.

Aug 2-4, 2016  Preventive Controls for Human Food - Individual Training, Cornell Dairy Foods Extension, FDA Regional Field Office, Jamaica, NY. For more information, click here.

Aug 15-18, 2016     Food Safety Systems (HACCP) and Implementing SQF, Cornell University, For more information contact
Kimberly Bukowski Ph: 607-243-3313 or  Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
Aug 17-18, 2016  2016 Mid-South Ruminant Nutrition Conference*, Embassy Suites, Grapevine, TX. For registration and more information, click here.

Sept 7 - Nov 23, 2016  2nd Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research Certificate in Dairy Processing short course. For registration, directions and accommodation, visit https://www.cdr.wisc.edu/shortcourses/certificate_dp_9_16

Sept 11-13, 2016    
NYS Cheese Manufacturers' Assoc. Annual Fall Meeting, Harbor Hotel, Watkins Glen NY, For more information contact Janene Lucia, Ph: 607-227-5833
 
Sept 11-14, 2016  WATER Technologies Short Course - Process & Reuse Water, Wastewater & Desalination, TIPS Building, Texas A&M University Campus, College Station, TX. For more information, click here.

Sept 13-14, 2016   Master Artisan Short Course Series, Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here.

Sept 14-15, 2016     Advanced Fluid Milk Cornell University, For more information contact
Kimberly Bukowski Ph: 607-243-3313 or  Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
Sept 20-22, 2016      NYS Association for Food Protection Annual Conference/FDA NE Regional Update, Doubletree Hotel Syracuse, NY For more information contact Janene Lucia, Ph: 607-227-5833

Sept 21-22, 2016  77th Minnesota Nutrition Conference*, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Prior Lake, MN. For more information and registration, click here.

Sept 27-29, 2016  2016 International Symposium on Milk Genomics and Human Health, UC Davis Conference Center, Davis, CA. For more information, click here.

Oct 3-7, 2016   Cheese Tech Short Course, Babcock Hall Room 205, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here.
 
Oct 4-6, 2016  Preventive Controls for Human Food - Individual Training, Cornell Dairy Foods Extension, NYS Dept of Ag & Markets Office, Albany NY. For more information, click here.

Oct 4-6, 2016  Introduction to Dairy Processing and Management. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. For more information and registration, click here

Oct 4-8, 2016     50th World Dairy Expo, Madison, WI. For more information
click here
 
Oct 11-12, 2016  Dairy Ingredient Manufacturing, Babcock Hall, Room 2015, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison, WI. For more information, click here

Oct 11-13, 2016     High Temperature Short Time (HTST) Pasteurizer Workshop, Cornell University, For more information contact
Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
Oct 13-19, 2016  120th IUSAHA- AAVLD Annual Meeting , Greensboro Sheraton Hotel. Greensboro, NC, For more information click here (Note - date correction)

Oct 19-20, 2016     Advanced Cheese Making, Cornell University, For more information contact
Rob Ralyea Ph: 607-255-7643 or Louise Felker Ph:  607-255-7098

Oct 19-20, 2016  HTST Maintenance Workshop. The Ohio State University. Columbus, OH. For more information and registration, click here.  
 
Oct 25-26, 2016   Advance Clean In Place (CIP), The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. For more information and registration, click here.

Oct 25-26, 2016     Vat Pasteurization/Basic Cheese Making Workshop, On-line and Cornell University, For more information contact
Rob Ralyea Ph: 607-255-7643 or Louise Felker Ph:  607-255-7098
 
Oct 25-27, 2016  Pasteurizer Operators Workshop, Penn State University, Food Science Building, Curtain and Bigler Roads, University Park, PA 16802. For details on the workshop and registration information, click here.

Oct 25-30, 2016  American Dairy Goat Assn Convention, Hilton Austin Airport Hotel, Austin, Texas. For more information contact ADGA, P.O. Box 865, Spindale, NC 28160, 828-286-3801. www.ADGA.org

Nov 1-4, 2016    31st ADSA Discover Conference: Big Data Dairy Management,  Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center, Oak Brook, IL, For more information 
click here

Nov 2-4, 2016   Cheese Grading Short Course, Babcock Hall, Room 205, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison WI, For more information
click here

Nov 7-10, 2016  The Science and Art of Cheese Making Short Course, Rodney A.Erickson Food Science Building, Penn State University, University Park, PA. For more information and registration, click here.

Nov 10-11, 2016    
2016 DCRC Annual Meeting, Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel, Columbus, Ohio, For registration and more information click here

Nov 14-16, 2016  Symposium on Gut Health in Production of Food Animals*, St. Louis, MO. For more information and registration click here.

Nov 30-Dec 2, 2016   Ice Cream Makers Short Course, Babcock Hall, Room 205, 1605 Linden Dr., Madison WI, For more information
click here

Dec 6-7, 2016    
Food Safety Plans for Artisan and Farmstead Processors, Online & Hands-On Location TBD, For more information contact Kimberly Bukowski Ph: 607-243-3313 or  Louise Felker Ph: 607-255-7098
 
June 25-28, 2017 2017 ADSA Annual Conference and Tradeshow, Pittsburgh, PA.  For more information click here
 
*An S-PAC Partner Conference
 
If your organization's conference isn't among the ever growing list that contribute proceedings and presentations to S-PAC�, ask your conference organizer to contact Ken Olson for more information about the benefits of participation.
 
If you would like to have an event included in the "Dates to Note," please contact Ken Olson.
 
 

ADSA Membership Benefits                                 
                                           
Did you know that your ADSA Professional Membership provides you with:

*        Electronic access to the Journal of Dairy Science�

*        Joint Annual Meeting at member rates

*        Discover Conferences at member rates

*        S-PAC: Free access to JAM and ADSA divisional abstracts

*        S-PAC subscription at member rates

*        Access to recorded symposia library                                                                       

*        ADSA News (association newsletter)

*        ADSA Dair e-news (ADSA industry newsletter)

*        Access to member directory

*        Peer recognition through ADSA and Foundation Award Program

*        Discounted page charges in Journal of Dairy Science�

*        A strong voice of advocacy for the animal sciences, animal agriculture and agriculture research

*        Broad author recognition through ADSA/Elsevier press release program

*        Linked In and You Tube sites for ADSA

*        Quality networking with academic and industry professionals

*        Travel awards for all graduate students attending Discover Conferences

*        Opportunity to serve peers via committee and officer positions

 
For more information on your benefits please visit: http://www.adsa.org/join.asp
To join now and gain these member benefits, visit: http://www.adsa.org/join.asp

American Dairy Science Association
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