More than 1,000 farmers, workers in the ethanol industry, and other biofuel supporters sent a clear message to President Biden today: The solution to record-high gas prices is to immediately allow broader use of lower-cost ethanol blends like E15.

“Simply allowing gasoline blenders to sell E15 year-round would instantly help moderate prices at the pump and deliver relief to American families,” the letter states. “Today, E15 is selling for 10-25 cents per gallon less than standard gasoline, meaning year-round use of the fuel would save the average American household at least $125-200 on its annual gasoline bill. Those savings would accrue immediately while also providing energy, environmental and economic benefits for the long-term.”

The letter, signed by farmers and biofuel supporters from 30 states, stated “Biofuels like ethanol are underutilized in today’s fuel market, largely because outdated government regulations handcuff market access and deny consumers choice at the pump.” The signers of the letter specifically urged President Biden to take emergency action to allow the uninterrupted sale of E15 throughout the upcoming summer.

“We stand ready to unleash the power of American agriculture to enhance our nation’s energy and environmental security,” the letter concluded.

The letter, which was delivered to the White House today, is available here.

Fonterra’s business in Russia is probably worthless and the company should walk away from it, an industry leader says.

The dairy co-operative, which is the world’s biggest dairy exporter and New Zealand’s largest company, has suspended shipments to Russia but continues to operate its entities in the country at this stage, said Fonterra’s director of global sustainability, stakeholder affairs and trade, Simon Tucker.

Fonterra has seven staff based in Moscow and another 35 at the Unifood joint venture it operates with its Russian distributor Foodline in St Petersburg. The safety of its people is Fonterra’s top priority, Tucker said.

“I can only imagine they are busy trying to work out how to extract themselves from Russia,” said Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard, who is a dairy farmer and a Fonterra shareholder.

“It’s going to be pretty pointless having any business in Russia because they are basically going to become a pariah state – what money we do have tied up there now is probably lost. There’s not much point of having either operating.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted an exodus of about 300 Western companies from the country, according to Yale University professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. Companies have cited sanctions, logistical disruptions and concerns about the safety of staff as reasons for pulling out and staying there is also a reputational risk. Russia’s economy ministry has warned it may nationalise foreign companies that exit.

Hoggard said it seemed there was no point in Fonterra continuing to operate in Russia, as the economy was going to collapse and the co-operative should wind down its operations, rescue what it could, and extract itself from the country.

For Fonterra shareholders, the Russian investment was not large, he said, describing it as “chicken feed” compared to the amount of money the co-operative had lost through its investments in China.

“Most people would realise the reality of the situation that even if they wanted to try and stay there, they’re cut off from international banking and even if the business were in some magical way going to make money, there’s no way of getting any money back to New Zealand. The economy is collapsing,” he said.

“It’s one of those situations where, you know, you have good investments, and then you’ve got investments you have just got to walk way from, and this is probably going to be one of those ‘walk away from’ jobs.”

Sanctions against Russia were likely to ramp up, causing further damage to the country’s economy and it could be down in the dumps for a decade or more, he said.

“It is kind of a case of just washing your hands of it really.”

On personal level, Hoggard said he agreed with the world’s move to cut off Russia to make everyone in the country understand that its actions in Ukraine were unacceptable.

“If they want to be part of this planet, they need to get rid of the little d…head of a dictator of theirs,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Still, Hoggard didn’t blame Fonterra for entering the Russian market, noting there was only a small part of the world open for New Zealand to trade with and Russia had a large population who were big consumers of dairy products.

Fonterra declined to comment on the value of its investment in Russia, whether its employees remained in Russia and if they were safe, and whether there was a risk that Unifood could be nationalised.

The company did not answer questions on whether it had any employees or operations in Ukraine, or exported to the country, or whether it was sending any food aid to Ukraine or to the Ukrainian people impacted by the war.

Fonterra’s Tucker has said that the company’s businesses in Russia do not supply sanctioned individuals or entities, including Russian military or security forces.

“While food, including dairy, is generally exempt from international sanctions regimes and can be traded, we have suspended shipments of product to Russia while we continue to monitor developments,” Tucker said. “This includes assessing the impact on both payment infrastructure and our supply chain to Russia.”

“We have people and customers in Russia who we need to think about. Any decision to exit would need to be thought through carefully. We are continuing to assess the situation and develop our long-term plans,” he said.

AUT professor of ethics and sustainability leadership Marjo Lips-Wiersma said companies weighing up whether to stay in Russia would be considering their long-term strategy, public opinion and their social licence to operate, consumer boycotts and their social responsibility.

“While there is much more self-sanctioning than might initially have been expected, and the collective effect is significant, some companies cannot or will not bear the costs or are afraid of the long-term strategic implications if Putin takes revenge,” she said.

However, by doing business with Russia at present companies were playing a part in keeping up Putin’s reputation, supporting the Russian economy, possibly indirectly sponsoring the war and maintaining ‘business as usual’ for the Russian people.

“Moral means doing the right thing in spite of the costs,” she said, noting that McDonald’s had chosen to withdraw from Russia even though it cost it US$50 million a month while Dunkin Donuts and Subway had not.

Some companies tried to take a “middle road” but this might also backfire, she said, citing the example of Heineken which first decided to donate to the war victims and when public opinion indicated that was not enough, also removed the Heineken brand (but not yet its other brands), and Bvlgari jewellery first said it would stay but under public pressure closed its shops.

Some, such as Philips, had opted for partial removal considering themselves what might be ‘nice to have’ (they removed electric toothbrushes) vs ‘need to have’ (they did not remove electric breastpumps and medical equipment), as they argued that while the war in the Ukraine was terrible they could not lose sight of the needs of the Russian people.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not respond to a question about whether Fonterra had taken enough action over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The spokesperson said New Zealand had joined the international community in sanctioning Russia, which was already having an impact on companies’ ability to sell into Russia and on the Russian economy’s ability to purchase on international markets.

MFAT was updating New Zealand companies and industry bodies on the situation in Ukraine, the spokesperson said, adding that questions about specific commercial interests should be directed to the relevant businesses.

ACC, which invests in Fonterra through the co-operative’s NZX listed fund, was among a group of crown financial institutions that last week excluded Russian Federation sovereign debt and the securities of majority Russian state-owned enterprises from its investment portfolios, said chief investment officer Paul Dyer.

The institutions do not apply country-wide company exclusions, and companies are not excluded based solely on their Russian domicile as they may have no links or contribution to the aggression of the Russian state, he said.

ACC had spoken with Fonterra to better understand the actions taken in relation to Fonterra’s business and trade in Russia, Dyer said.

“ACC understands shipments of product into Russia have been suspended, but will continue to monitor the situation,” Dyer said.

Source: stuff.co.nz

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DH Gold Chip Darling EX-96-CH, the European Superstar has passed away. Winning at numerous shows, she was unbeaten in 2017 and 2018 when she became Grand Champion at the Swiss Expo and Grand Champion Expo Bulle 2018. Darling was favourite the world over and caught the eye of any who saw her.

Feta is protected as a cultural product of Greece

Denmark has breached European Union law by failing to prevent local companies from making and exporting outside the EU white cheese labelled as “feta”, an adviser to Europe’s top court said on Thursday.

The opinion by Advocate General Tamara Capeta at the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) came three years after the European Commission, the EU’s executive, sued Denmark over the issue, reported Reuters. 

“Feta” has been a registered Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since 2002 in the EU and can only be produced in Greece according to a set of production specifications.

Greece says feta is its cultural heritage because it has made the sheep and goat milk cheese for 6,000 years.

“By failing to stop the use by Danish producers of the registered name ‘Feta’ for cheese intended for export to third countries, Denmark has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law,” Capeta said.

She dismissed Denmark’s argument that an export ban could be seen an obstacle to trade.

“The main idea behind that regulation is the improvement of the situation of EU agricultural producers through providing intellectual property protection to products involving traditional ways of production,” Capeta said.

The CJEU, which will rule in the coming months, follows such non-binding recommendations in four out of five cases.

The case is C-159/20 Commission v Denmark.

Source: Reuters

Even under extremely dire circumstances, this eastern Ukraine dairy farm has found a purpose in feeding people.

With a worried, but steady voice, Ukrainian dairy farmer Nataliya Koval recently talked about her determination to continue farming despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24, just three weeks ago.

Koval spoke this week via cellphone from within the confines of a tiny, windowless room in a house near the city of Kharkiv, where she currently is sheltering from the bombing with her father and two sons. She explained how in just weeks, the dairy farm that she and her husband, Andriy, own, suddenly had to face utmost adversity and change its operation. The couple has decided to give away their cows’ milk for free to anyone who needs it. And, they switched their on-farm facilities over to baking bread to feed local Ukrainians running out of food due to the onslaught of war.

The Kovals’ farm is about 40 miles away from their place in Kharkiv, so they live at the farm most of the time. Typically, on Wednesdays and Sundays, Nataliya would leave the farm and drive to Kharkiv to visit her college-age sons and to get farm supplies.

Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine, located in the east, not far from the Russian border.

“(On Thursday, Feb. 24) we were awakened by the sound of explosions at 5:30 a.m. My husband was at the farm, I was in Kharkiv. I haven’t seen my husband since Feb. 22 and he can’t come back,” she said. “I hope he is safe.”

The couple talks often, but the farm is no longer reachable by phone unless Andriy goes to one place in the local village where he can call Nataliya each day. They decided it was best for Nataliya to stay in Kharkiv and handle things from there.

Growing the Business 

At the beginning of 2022, the Kovals were successfully running a 300-head Holstein dairy farm along with a mixed fodder production workshop, a cheese and dairy products facility, a school workshop for baking and cheese products, a farm store, a store in Kharkiv, and an online store that began at the end of 2021, www.panijupiter.com

“It’s all craft and has a very small scale,” Nataliya said about the farm’s artisan dairy products.

“On Feb. 24, the milk truck did not take milk from us,” Nataliya said, because the bridge to get to the farm had been destroyed. “We had to throw (the milk) out, because the containers with chilled milk were already full, and the cows had to be milked.”

Unfortunately, the two processing plants they deliver milk to also had closed due to the war, so more milk was dumped. Prior to the Russian invasion, the Kovals were milking cows three times a day. They sold about 7 tons of milk to a Danone milk processing plant and some to a children’s dairy kitchen in the city. The rest of the milk was used to feed their calves and to process into artisan dairy products on the farm. The farm has about 40 employees who help with everything from milking, cow health, feeding, field work, cheesemaking and baking.

Now, they have adjusted down to milking cows just two times a day, she said, and are producing about 4 tons of milk daily. The farm has enough hay and silage on hand to feed the cows for the year, but the couple is worried about other supplies and what to do for the planting season coming soon.

Nataliya said it was back in 2013 when she and Andriy decided to start a new dairy farm business with the goal of selling high-quality dairy products. At the time, they had two young sons, no experience in agriculture or animal husbandry, but had sufficient experience in business management and felt they could succeed in a niche market. They even started their own dairy trademark, Pani Jupiter.

There are many opportunities to farm in Ukraine. Ukraine is the second largest European country, after Russia, and had about 44 million residents before the war. The independent nation is known for its rich agricultural soil. With 70% of Ukraine’s land in agriculture and its grain exports accounting for 12-15% of the world’s supply, the nation is considered the “breadbasket of Europe.”

But it wasn’t always easy for the Kovals.

“Our small and young business barely survived in 2014-2015, but we had no other choice but to move forward,” she said.

But the farm grew and was successful, giving tours and workshops of the farm and cheese facilities to groups of visitors and schoolchildren. Many visitors had lots of questions about cows and how milk and cheese are produced, so the Kovals developed an educational component and added workshops at the farm.

Besides the milking herd, the farm also has about 350 calves, heifers and bulls. For feed, the Kovals buy in grains like barley and corn from other farmers, but also sow their own crops, including about 250 acres (100 hectares) in perennial grasses and about 600 acres (250 hectares) of corn for silage, as well as growing roughage on 850 acres (350 hectares), some of which is rented land.

Running a Dairy During a War

But since the invasion, Nataliya can’t get back to the farm because the city is under attack and the bridge is out. She does as much as she can from her location. While Andriy and the employees manage the farm, Nataliya is busy locating farm supplies and trying to find transportation to deliver salt and minerals for the cows to the farm, because they are running low. Drivers would have to travel far out of the way to avoid the broken bridge and roads are dangerous, she said, due to “a lot of weapons, a lot of unexploded shells, a lot of broken military equipment.”

Earlier this week, Nataliya managed to find a ton of salt and 20 bags of chalk (minerals) in a warehouse in Kharkiv, but has the problem of getting it to the farm.

“Previously, all deliveries went through Kharkiv,” she said. “After numerous attacks, including aircraft, the city was badly damaged. Two-thirds of the residents left. All suppliers left. For example, a salt supplier moved (away) to Dnipro, and we need to pick up salt from the city on our own.”

The farm also needs to restock hard-to-locate supplies like diesel, which is used to run the cows’ feeding system, remove manure and fuel the tractors. She said Russia has cut off all opportunities for Ukrainian farms to import fertilizer, seed and diesel.

The Kovals have a reserve of diesel, but if they run out, she said, “it’s scary to imagine how we are going to feed the animals.”

In Kharkiv, she and her sons and her father spend nights sheltering in the basement, because the nightly air attacks are heavy.

“We hope that this will somehow save us when a shell hits. Shops are open two to three hours a day,” she said.

“The bridge that connected us with Kharkiv, and with the rest of Ukraine, was destroyed. There is not even a pedestrian crossing. The village (where the farm is) is in the rear of the Russians, so no one can bring anything,” she said. “The first problem that arose was the lack of bread. The village has stocks of potatoes, there are chickens and eggs, but bread was brought across the bridge.”

As the situation got worse, Nataliya and Andriy decided to allow local villagers to come to their farm shop and take as much milk as they need for free. They decided they would rather help to feed people than dump the milk.

Their employees’ lives changed too.

The farm stopped making cheese because Kovals’ cheesemaker became trapped in Kharkiv. Even though they can no longer pay full salaries, most of their farm employees have stayed on, working at the farm. There is a basement at the farm, which Andriy and others equipped as a shelter, with mattresses and plenty of water.

“Rockets and jets were flying over the village. It was scary, and it was not clear where the explosions would be,” Nataliya said. “Our employees, their families and neighbors spent the first week at our shelter. Then they got used to it … now they spend nights at home. Although the jets still fly (overhead and are) very noisy.”

Feeding a Community in Need

The farm had received a USAID AGRO grant in 2021 to expand its cheesemaking and bakery operation. The Kovals had prepared the building, made repairs and received equipment.

“In December, we started to test the equipment, developed recipes and documentation,” she said. “On Feb. 26, 2022, a master class for children on how to make a biscuit cake was scheduled. On Mar. 12, a master class for beginner cheese makers was scheduled.”

Due to the war, those workshops were canceled, but the preparations gave Koval’s farm an opportunity to help. Despite not having a lot of practice on the new equipment, the farm’s employees have learned to produce bread.

“We had a small stock of flour and yeast,” Nataliya said, “but it ran out literally on the second day of the war. Fortunately, there are still farmers in the village that grow grain. They had wheat in the warehouse, which they planned to plant in the spring if the winter crops suffered. This wheat is now milled in the village into flour at the old mill that has not worked for many years. Then, we bake bread out of it. We also had to start growing yeast, because we were also running out of it, and there was nowhere to buy. In the village we can’t buy flour or any products. Nothing.”

This past week, she said more local residents from other villages are coming to their farm to get bread. The farm’s employees are baking 250 loaves a day to sell or give away to those who don’t have money.

“For milk, they bring any container they can get, to get milk — jars, plastic, buckets. They take milk for free,” Nataliya said. “They are buying with money the cheese and yogurt. The others can make their own cheese from the milk.”

An Uncertain Future

The Kovals want to plant corn in May, which gives them a little time, but planning for the future is nearly impossible, she said. Their contracts for the delivery of seeds were signed in February, but the Kovals didn’t have time to pay for and receive the seeds. They’ve realized that it is impossible to sow grass now, but they need to plant corn or there won’t be food for the cows for next year.

“Right now, we don’t plan for long: in the morning, depending on the shelling, we make decisions on what to do. There is no internet on the farm, there is no stable cell connection, the electricity service is unstable.”

“Most of the people we know have left (Kharkiv),” Nataliya said, estimating that about two-thirds of the city’s population has left in three weeks, traveling away from the shelling and fighting to other parts of Ukraine or leaving the country altogether, going to neighboring countries as war refugees.

“It is impossible to leave since we are farmers,” Nataliya said. “If I leave, I lose all my life. My husband and I can’t start another business. We put all our money, our credit, in this business. Ten years of my life is in the farm.”

Kovals know of a neighboring 1,000-cow dairy on a main road a few miles away that was hit by recent shelling when a battle broke out on the road. The farmers lost six of their 11 farm buildings, resulting in many dead or escaped animals.

Despite the constant fear and unpredictability of the situation, it is clear she and Andriy are determined to keep their farm going. But it’s not easy.

“We are staying in a small room without windows. From the start of the war, we don’t go away. Outside — it’s dangerous,” she said. “Yesterday, some fighting damaged the pipeline that provides gas to our house in Kharkiv.”

It is snowing, and temperatures in Ukraine are near freezing, so there is a lack of heat in the bitter cold. She is trying to cook, but it is difficult.

“Today I made focaccia (flat bread) since it doesn’t have to rise. It’s not very good,” she admitted. “We’re eating it with (spiced) pork fat — a common Ukrainian national dish.”

According to the Associated Press and other news organizations, 3 million Ukrainians already have fled their country, while the rest remain. Thousands of Russian soldiers, Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed in three weeks of war since the invasion of Ukraine began in late February. However, there now are so many dead that officials say the numbers have become hard to count and are probably much higher.

“We were not expecting this war and we did not plan for it,” Koval said. “We don’t understand why Russia needs to bomb our villages.”

“We hope Ukraine will win. For now we just manage to stand. … I don’t want to become a refugee myself. … We don’t understand what is happening in Kharkiv, but we are here now. We don’t have a plan of getting away from the city. We don’t know right now where is safe.”

Her two college-age sons were attending university in Kharkiv, but the universities closed when the invasion started. The Kharkiv National University building, where their son attends, has since been bombed.

“Farmers should always work and find a way to solve any problems. … We can’t change anything about the war,” she said, but she and her husband are doing what they can to feed local residents.

“I hope that the farm will be farmed for my children and for their wives,” Nataliya said. “For now, I don’t know. And we stay here.”

Source: Lancaster Farming

The International Dairy Federation (IDF) has announced the launch of the IDF Dairy Innovation Awards, which is designed to encourage and celebrate innovative practices across the dairy sector.

“Dairy actors around the world have been actively engaged over the years in improving farming and processing of milk and dairy foods. It is important for IDF to stimulate and share light on innovative practices and processes in the global dairy sector. IDF Board is thrilled to present the IDF Dairy Innovation Awards 2022 which will demonstrate the engagement and dynamism of our sector”, said Piercristiano Brazzale, IDF President.

The awards will be hosted by the IDF in partnership with world-leading food and drinks consultancy Zenith Global, supported by Headline sponsorship from Tetra Pak, a world leading food processing and packaging solutions company.

“Over the last few decades, we have played a leading role together with our customers, in helping make nutritious dairy products safe and available for consumers everywhere. But with the ongoing pandemic, consumer lifestyles, purchase patterns and needs have shifted significantly, and the sustainability demands on the industry are higher than ever before. We are keen to continue playing our part in this challenging evolution, working in collaboration with the dairy industry to be agile and innovate with technological advances, in order to meet the growing consumer demand in a secure and sustainable way” said Adolfo Orive, President & CEO, Tetra Pak.

Entries will be invited in twelve awards categories, focusing on sustainable and community-led initiatives as well as new product development:

• Innovation in sustainable farming practices:
• a) environment, b) animal care, c) socio-economic
• Innovation in sustainable processing
• Innovation in research and development:
• a) farming, b) collecting & processing, c) new product development, d) food safety e) consumer nutrition
• Innovation in sustainable packaging
• Innovation in school milk programmes
• Innovation in Climate Action

The IDF World Dairy Innovation Awards 2022 will be open for entries from 1 April to 1 July 2022. The award winners will be announced on 12 September 2022 in an awards ceremony at the IDF World Dairy Summit in Delhi, India.

IDF members are invited to participate in the awards free of charge, with paid entry available to non-members. For further details and to register your interest, please visit the website.

About IDF (International Dairy Federation) 
Helping nourish the world with safe and sustainable dairy 
The IDF is the leading source of scientific and technical expertise for all stakeholders of the dairy chain. Since 1903, IDF has provided a mechanism for the dairy sector to reach a global consensus on how to help feed the world with safe and sustainable dairy products. A recognized international authority in the development of science-based standards for the dairy sector, IDF has an important role to play in ensuring the right policies, standards, practices and regulations are in place to ensure the world’s dairy products are safe and sustainable.

About Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak is a world leading food processing and packaging solutions company. Working closely with our customers and suppliers, we provide safe, innovative and environmentally sound products that each day meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries. With more than 25,000 employees around the world, we believe in responsible industry leadership and a sustainable approach to business. Our promise, “PROTECT WHATS GOOD”, reflects our vision to commit to making food safe and available, everywhere.

Source: California Dairy 

The dairy exporter posted NZ$364 million in profits after tax

Dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd on Thursday reported a 13% fall in half-year profit as significantly higher input costs squeezed its margins, while a weak milk collection in New Zealand impacted sales volumes, reported Reuters.

The Auckland-based dairy exporter posted an underlying profit after tax of NZ$364 million ($248.36 million) for the six months ended 31 January, compared with NZ$418 million last year.

Source: Reuters

Dairy MAX is committed to strengthening agriculture and sustaining a viable future for dairy farming. One way that Dairy MAX follows through this commitment is the Dairy MAX scholarship program, which supports local dairy farm families while investing in future generations. Dairy MAX will continue that program this spring and award three $2,500 academic scholarships. Scholarship applications are now open until March 31, 2022.

“Dairy MAX’s commitment to giving back to dairy farm families sets this scholarship apart,” said Marty McKinzie, Dairy MAX’s vice president of industry image and relations.”Not only is this scholarship a way to help students committed to the future of agriculture, but it also strengthens relationships with future industry leaders.”

To be eligible for the Dairy MAX scholarship, students must reside in the Dairy MAX region, be a graduating high school senior or an undergraduate student currently enrolled in college and be a child of a dairy farmer, child of a dairy farm employee, or an FFA/4-H dairy show participant.

“It is clear the future of our industry is bright and we are pleased to support these students with roots in our industry and such big plans to ensure its growth and success,” said McKinzie.

Investing in the recipients’ education propels dairy to feed the world while nourishing communities. The 2022 scholarship applications are now open and will close on March 31, 2022. For a full list of eligibility requirements and information about applying, visit DairyMAX.org/dairy/scholarships.

A Cumbrian farmer has won the 2022 John Dennison Lifetime Achievement Award.

At the 10^th Borderway Dairy Expo, Harry Hodgson, from Wormanby Farm in Burgh by Sands, was announced as the 2022 recipient of the award on March 12.

The accolade was established in 2013, in memory of well-known dairy farmer John Dennison, with the aim of recognising a dairy cattle breeder who is judged to be an exemplary role model and high achiever in the dairy industry. 

Well known and highly respected, Harry Hodgson has been a keen Holstein breeder all his life. He has overseen the expansion of the Wormanby Herd alongside his son David and today they have one of the top herds in the UK.

On announcing this year’s winner, Harrison & Hetherington’s Senior Pedigree Dairy Auctioneer, Glyn Lucas said: “The John Dennison Award is always one of the highlights of Borderway UK Dairy Expo, and this year we received many fantastic nominations. However, the committee voted unanimously for Harry as they felt he has been an excellent role model for many aspiring young breeders and for his outstanding skills as a farmer and breeder.

“He is very like John Dennison himself, both in terms of personality and the way he encourages the next generation of dairy farmers. What was absolutely clear is that the younger breeders look up to Harry and respect his input and knowledge.

“Yes, this award is for Harry and his lifetime’s commitment to the dairy industry, but we must also mention his wife Margaret, who has continuously played an integral role on the farm, supporting Harry and the rest of the family.”

This year marks 50 years since the start of the Hodgson family’s tenancy at Wormanby Farm. Harry farmed in partnership with his brother John until 1988 when their father retired, and by this time the Wormanby Holstein Herd – which had secured pedigree status – was well established. 

With his son David, Harry continued the expansion of the herd, and today they have several accolades under their belt, including winning the Holstein UK Premier Herd Competition in 2015 and having won the Master Breeder Shield twice in 2009 and 2019. 

The Hodgsons are not ones to stand still, and today the herd totals 550 and has several prolific cow families that include the Mahala, Gloriette, Flo, Redrose and Melody lines. 

Harry has a keen interest in tapping into new cow families and in recent years has invested into the Camomile, Allie, O’Kalibra and Jasmine families.

A keen member of the Border & Lakeland Holstein Club Harry has held the position of Chairman and President over the years, as well as being a former Board Member of Harrison & Hetherington. He continues this involvement today as well as encouraging and assisting his grandchildren with calf training on a regular basis.

With so many benefitting from his encouragement, cow knowledge, and enthusiasm for the breed, these are just some of the attributes that helped contribute to Harry receiving the John Dennison Lifetime Achievement Award.

On receiving this prestigious accolade Harry said: “This is the biggest surprise of my life, and this award is not just for me it is for the entire family. John Dennison was a great friend and someone I admired hugely. He has been and still is missed by all within the dairy farming community.”

Previous winners of the John Dennison Lifetime Achievement Award are as follows:

• 2021 – David Yates, from Meikle Firthhead Farm, Castle Douglas
• 2020 – Blaise Tomlinson, owner of the pedigree Sandyford herd in Loughborough
• 2019 – Bill Nadin, from the Sterndale Holstein herd
• 2018 – Jimmy Wilson, from the Tregibby Herd in Cardigan, Wales
• 2017 – Mark Nutsford, from the Riverdane Herd
• 2016 – Alister Laird, of Blyth Bridge
• 2015 – Sam McCormick, owner of the Hilltara Herd
• 2014 – Mr John Gribbon, noted UK and international figure in the dairy industry
• 2013 – Mike Miller, from Shanael Holsteins

Source: CumbriaCrack

Jenny and Bill Marshall’s son calls his dairy farmer parents tree huggers, which does not bother them one bit.

The Marshalls began formally protecting native bush on their Otautau farm 20 years ago, and spend still Southland nights basking in the bird calls and wildlife shows which are the fruits of their labour.

As they have been putting almost a third of their 16 hectare property into the QEII Trust, native trees have flourished, the avian acquaintances are active and the Marshall’s are proud of what they have achieved.

“Our son calls us tree huggers. What’s wrong with protecting it for our grandchildren?,” Jenny said.

“If everyone does a little something towards protecting what we’ve got left, we will be OK.”

The Marshalls have two covenanted areas. There are 4912 registered and formalised covenants in the country, plus 299 approved but as-yet unregistered covenants, according to QEII’s latest annual report.

Of Southland’s total 3.1 million hectares, 10,270ha are in approved or formalised covenants.

“Our piece of paradise”

“All you hear is birds. It’s just beautiful, I love it,” Jenny said.

From their deck, the Marshalls can see the Kepler and Eyre mountains, Mount Hamilton and Mid Dome.

It is a relaxing and grand vantage point.

“The view is magic from here,” Jenny said.

The wood pigeons fly down along their covenant gully, among the willows and kahikatea.

They lived in a caravan after they subdivided and sold some of the property in 2014.

The temporary lodgings were a stop-gap for their home overlooking the mountains. They celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary this month.

Bill is quick to list the trees the covenants guard; native fuchsia, pittosporum, mingimingi​ and kahikatea​ among others, “all important food, or nectar-bearing plants, for the tui and bell birds”.

“The trees are great habitat for warblers and wax-eyes. In the winter-time especially we find a lot of wax-eyes come down from higher up on The Longwoods,” Bill said.

“I can sell this place with a QEII [covenant] and whoever buys the place can’t touch it,” Bill said.

“Once you put a bulldozer into that, it’s gone, it’ll never come back again. So it makes sense to hang onto the little bits we’ve got.”

There are 405 approved or formalised covenants in Southland. That is the sixth most of the 16 regions.

Northland has the most with 781, Nelson the least with 19.

The catalyst for the Marshalls putting their land in the covenant was protecting it for the betterment of the environment.

When it came time to sell, a property with a new house and protected QEII areas could also attract attention from buyers, Bill said.

“I’m not a tree-hugger in any shape or form, but I’m just trying to be practical.”

Before the sections were put in the covenant, someone could easily walk through the bush, now the undergrowth was thick.

“If you’ve got a bit of land that’s not productive land, and it’s in native bush, it’s just as easy to fence it off as do anything else with it,” he said.

QEII Trust 2021 financials

• $5.3m operating revenue
• $7.1m operating expenditure
• Net pre-1995 fencing provision and costs of $1m
• $1.6m investment income
• Equals $815,554 profit

“It might not be pristine, prime bush, but it will come. Give it time. It’s certainly prettier to look at than pine tress.”

If a Southlander had the opportunity to covenant their land, Bill said “it’d be silly not to do”.

They keep the gorse down from the edges of the covenant areas, and shoot possums with their grandchildren.

QEII Trust Soutland representative Jesse Bythell​ said a rich diversity of birds use the Marshall’s forest remnant, including kererū, shining cuckoo and moreporks.

There were several sensitive invertebrates living in the waterways inside the forest including caddisflies and South Island freshwater crayfish, whose conservation status is at risk and declining, she said.

These forest remnants were classified as chronically threatened which meant only between 10 and 20 per cent remained, Bythell said, as most of the original podocarp-hardwood forest in the Otautau area had been removed.

Of the 16 regional council areas, Southland’s median covenant area is third highest at 8.9ha, ahead of only Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay.

Otago is an outlier in terms of average covenant area. One 21,909ha covenant makes Otago’s standard covenant about eight times the national average.

Forest makes up 45 per cent of registered covenants. Twenty-seven per cent in grass or tussock land. The rest consists of wetland, exotic cover, scrub or other.

The vast majority of the covenanted grass or tussock land, 93 per cent, is in the country’s 17 largest covenants, each more than 1000ha.

In the 2019/20 year QEII approved 120 covenants, that increased to 134 the following year.

The trust recorded a $1.8m net operating deficit in 2021, but a total comprehensive profit of $815,554.

The trust’s annual operating budget is about $6m, of which about 80 per cent is government-funded through Vote Conservation and administered through a letter of expectation from the Minister of Conservation.

The rest comes from investment income, contestable funding, other grants, and donations.

Source: stuff.co.nz

COVID disruptions were cited as the cause

New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd will wind down its 2018 joint venture with Future Consumer Ltd in the wake of COVID-led disruptions, Future said on Thursday.

India’s growing number of dairy consumers remains a viable market for Fonterra and it will continue to have a presence and explore opportunities, Future said.

“The last few years have been challenging for the joint venture with COVID-19 causing significant disruption to the Indian market,” Future said in a regulatory filing.

In its lifespan of over three years, the JV launched the “Dreamery” range of dairy goods, products made using Indian milk, and distributed some of Fonterra’s products for the food service sector, reported Reuters.

Future said there would be no material impact on it following the termination.

Source: Reuters

The company could be valued at over $10 billion in the IPO

Greek yogurt maker Chobani has delayed its plans for an initial public offering in the United States until at least the second half of 2022 or even 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Chobani’s Chief Operating Officer Peter McGuinness is also leaving the company effective Friday, the report said citing sources, adding that three more executives are also departing.

The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Chobani had previously planned to go public in the fall of 2021, and then in January, the Journal reported, citing people close to the company.

The New York-based firm could be valued at over $10 billion in the IPO, Reuters had reported in July.

Net sales jumped 13.8% to about $1.21 billion for the nine-months ended 25 September, Chobani disclosed in a regulatory filing late last year.

Chobani, which rejected a bid for a majority stake from PepsiCo Inc in 2016, makes yogurt, oatmilk, and dairy- and plant-based creamers and probiotic beverages.

Source: Reuters

The Great Plains — an area of the world named for the vast rolling hills covered with tallgrass or shortgrass prairies.

However, during the last two centuries, these native ecosystems have changed from grasslands to woodlands.

These landscapes are undergoing the phenomenon of woody plant encroachment — a problem The Prairie Project is working to tackle.

“Many of the species of woody plants we have are native to the states they are in,” said Laura Goodman, Oklahoma State University Extension range specialist and assistant professor in natural resource ecology and management. “These plants are just growing in locations where they didn’t grow historically.”

This phenomenon is not a new concept in the natural resource management industry, said Sam Fuhlendorf, Groendyke chair in wildlife conservation and OSU Regents professor of natural resource ecology and management.

“Woody plant encroachment has been studied for a long time, but what do we do about it?” Fuhlendorf asked.

With help from a Sustainable Agricultural Systems grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, The Prairie Project is designed to answer this question and enhance livestock production in the Great Plains.

“The Prairie Project is a collaboration of research, teaching, and extension to educate students, ranchers, and teachers about woody plant encroachment, mitigating wildfires, and lessening the effects of a more extreme climate,” said Ryan Reuter, OSU animal and food sciences associate professor.

This project began as a partnership among OSU, Texas A&M University and the University of Nebraska.

“We convinced the USDA that the greatest threat to livestock production in the region is woody plant encroachment as it leads to essentially almost complete loss of livestock production on rangelands,” Fuhlendorf said. “This encroachment also has a lot of impacts on wildlife and causes endangered species in the region.”

So, who cares? What if a few trees grow in historic grasslands? According to The Prairie Project faculty, everyone should care.

“This is not only detrimental to the prairies, but it is detrimental to a rancher’s livelihood,” Goodman said. “So, we, The Prairie Project, are looking for solutions.”

As part of the project, two potential solutions are presented to ranchers and educators to fight this invasion, Goodman said.

“We came up with two economically viable solutions — pyric herbivory and multi-species grazing — that work, but they both have social constraints,” Fuhlendorf said.

Pyric herbivory is the interaction between grazers and fire, often through patch burn grazing, Fuhlendorf said. Ranchers burn portions of rangeland pastures, resulting in increased grazing while other unburned areas accumulate fuel to burn next. The idea is grazing driven by fire, Fuhlendorf said.

“The idea is to use fire to control the woody plants but also to make animals focus on the recently burned area where grazers get better forage quality,” Fuhlendorf said. “It’s a way to integrate the use of fire with livestock production and actually helps livestock production.”

Fire is a touchy subject for many people, Goodman said, but The Prairie Project staff works with ranchers to explain how to use fire properly in their operation.

“A lot of it is just fear that you’re going to set the world on fire if you start a fire,” Goodman said. “The reality is, if you prepare for the fire and burn under certain weather prescriptions, you will not have many issues.”

The use of fire is not the only solution available to control woody plants, but it has been readily used in Oklahoma, Fuhlendorf said. The other aspect of this project is spreading awareness about multi-species grazing — specifically the addition of goats into cattle operations.

“Many smaller landowners are more willing to try multi-species grazing,” Fuhlendorf said. “Also, in many landscapes, human population is too high to welcome the frequent use of fire so browsers could be more effective.

“We are not suggesting that ranchers should stop raising cattle and switch to goats,” Fuhlendorf added. “We are suggesting that a cattleman could have a few goats, and it could help to control the woody plants.”

Goats and cattle have different diets, but research about goats and their impact against sericea lespedeza is limited, Reuter said.

Sericea lespedeza is an invasive woody plant species encroaching on native rangelands and spreading rapidly in range pastures when only grazed by cattle, Reuter said.

“The long-term impact of this project is to maintain the services that benefit from these native rangelands,” Reuter said. “Plants like sericea lespedeza infest these rangelands and invade and take over, disrupting this natural ecology of these rangelands.”

Goodman works heavily with the OSU Extension aspect of The Prairie Project, specifically outreach.

One of her projects included attaching a GoPro camera to a goat to observe its eating patterns to post on social media.

“The video shows the goat eating different plants,” Goodman said. “There are plants in the pasture that the cows don’t eat, but the goats will.”

The Prairie Project is not specifically about fire or about goats, Goodman said. The Prairie Project is about individuals working together to find what works against woody plant encroachment and how to educate others about it, she added.

“If we want to help the landowners, we have to learn the barriers that limit their adoption,” Fuhlendorf said.

Omkar Joshi, NREM assistant professor, works through The Prairie Project to complete this goal.

“Omkar will teach us how the public thinks about these management tools, what their concerns are and potentially how to alleviate the concerns and increase options for landowners,” Fuhlendorf said.

The role of social science is critical for the aspect of public perception of The Prairie Project, Joshi said.

“At the end of the day, the social acceptance is critically important to make this a reality,” Joshi said. “The research will not translate into actionable science unless people accept it.”

Source: OSU

New details are emerging about a fire that broke out at a dairy farm in Longswamp Township, Berks County.

The dairy farm barn unfortunately was a total loss, but the positive was that the 42 cows inside the barn all managed to get out safely.

1 cow sadly died of stress in transport to another farm along Topton Road, according to officials. The state police fire marshal was on scene earlier Monday morning to pinpoint the cause of the fire.

State Police Fire Marshal Janssen Herb is ruling a Sunday evening Longswamp Township barn fire accidental.

He says it started due to electrical activity.

“The fire does appear at this point to start on the roof, an open void space area of the roof of what we’re calling the milk house. That is a small building that’s somewhat attached to the main barn,” said Herb.

He says it can be difficult to get in and pinpoint the exact location of the start of a fire, but due to the fire department’s quick actions in putting the fire out it made his job much easier..

“The evidence that was left as a result of the fire, that the patterns and all that kind of things that we look for really displayed a significant amount of evidence to indicate that the fire definitely starts in this building here and keep in mind it’s important that that building did not collapse,” Herb noted.

The Topton Fire Company Chief was back on scene Monday morning to work hand in hand with Herb.

He was greeted with a busy visual of friends and family chipping in to help.

“The farming communities here to support this family. This will probably be cleaned up this afternoon and it’ll be back building in no time,” said the Chief.

The dairy farm is a total loss.

Damages were estimated at $150,000, police said.

Robinson says once a fire starts in a building like a barn structure- it can be hard to fight.

“You have hay in the barn you have dry bedding materials in a barn typically, any type of small fire becomes a very large fire pretty quickly,” he said.

He says the quick response by tankers and crews on the grounds helped knock the aggressive flames out, and get all cattle to safety.

People have been pitching in to help rebuild as quickly as possibly. There’s plans to have a wedding here in roughly two weeks, and those plans aren’t changing.

Source: wfmz.com

Six women have been selected to compete for the title of Wisconsin’s 75th Alice in Dairyland. During a candidate briefing forum in Dane County on Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture informed the finalists about what the position entails and how to prepare for the finals event, which will be held in the county May 19-21.

“The Alice in Dairyland selection process takes your communication, interpersonal, and public speaking skills to the next level,” said current Alice in Dairyland Julia Nunes. “This process helps the top candidates refine their communications skills that will not only be pivotal in their journey to the 75th Alice in Dairyland Finals, but also in their future careers.”

The 2022 Alice in Dairyland candidates include Amber Cafferty, Amelia Hayden, Courtney Moser, Taylor Schaefer, Samantha Schuessler, and Charitee Seebecker.

The public is welcome to attend various public events during the finals week in Dane County, including the Finale Program on May 21 at the The Monona Terrace in Madison.

Alice in Dairyland is a full-time public relations professional employed by the DATCP Division of Agricultural Development for a one-year term. Each year, Alice travels more than 40,000 miles throughout the state and nation, promoting Wisconsin products to audiences of all ages and types. She educates the media, youth and civic groups about the many facets of the state’s agricultural industry.

Charitee Seebecker of Mauston learned first-hand the work ethic and dedication of Wisconsin farmers. Growing up on her family’s registered Holstein dairy farm, feeding calves and milking were just a couple of things that helped keep her busy. After a farm setback and having to transition away from the farm, she turned to FFA and 4-H to continue igniting her passion for agriculture. Wanting to share agriculture’s story and the impact that growing up on a farm had on her, Seebecker obtained a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business with an emphasis in communications and marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. In 2016, she shared her knowledge of agriculture while serving as the Juneau County Fairest of the Fair. Throughout college, she was very active in the Pioneer Dairy Club, Agriculture Business Club, Ceres Women’s Agricultural Fraternity, and served as co-president of the National Agri-Marketing Association. Upon graduation in May 2018, Seebecker served as an Ameri-Corps Farm to School Specialist for Juneau County. She currently works at the Wisconsin Holstein Association as the director of sales and membership and as a news broadcaster at Hometown Life News in Tomah.

Amber Cafferty grew up on her family’s dairy and poultry farm in western Wisconsin, where many of her childhood memories included summer days training heifers for the county fair, unloading small hay bales, and feeding calves with her siblings. Growing up, she was active in 4-H and FFA, which helped develop her love for agriculture into lifelong leadership and communication skills. Cafferty attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where she was involved in the Gopher Club, Beta of Clovia sorority, National Grocers Association, and Agriculture Education and Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Club. Internships with Minnesota 4-H – Wright County, The Dairy Alliance, and the Minnesota State Fair Competition Department allowed her to further develop her agriculture knowledge. Cafferty graduated in May 2019 with bachelor’s degrees in agricultural communications and marketing and animal science. After graduation, she returned to her family’s farm before accepting a full-time position with Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin as a marketing and development coordinator.

Amelia Hayden has always loved finding ways to give back to her community through agriculture. She credits her time in 4-H and FFA with showing her the value of service and giving her opportunities to serve the agriculture community. Hayden grew up showing at the Walworth County Fair and was an officer in her local 4-H club and the Walworth County 4-H Junior Leaders’ Association. In FFA, Hayden sought out every opportunity to inform others about agriculture. This work led her to become a national winner for her projects related to agri-science research and agriculture education. Hayden served as the 2017-2018 Wisconsin State FFA Vice President and 2018-2019 Wisconsin State FFA President. In these roles, she delivered workshops, keynote speeches, and interviews promoting Wisconsin agriculture and youth involvement to thousands of students and stakeholders. As a student at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Hayden has served as president of the Agriculture Education, Communication and Marketing Club, an active member of the Agricultural Business Club, and a Teach Ag Ambassador. While in college, she interned with Vivayic, Inc., which included developing agriculture literacy resources, planning training webinars, and collaborating on media campaigns for numerous national agriculture clients. She is graduating in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education. Hayden intends to become a high school agriculture teacher, where she can continue to serve agriculture and inspire students to become the next generation of Wisconsin agriculturists.

Courtney Moser grew up on her family’s registered Holstein dairy farm, Dream Prairie Holsteins, and it was there her love for the dairy industry and wider agriculture community began. Her passion further developed through her dedicated involvement with 4-H, FFA, and the Wisconsin Holstein Association (WHA). At the age of 12, she earned first place in the WHA junior speaking contest where the assigned topic was ‘Your Future in Agriculture.’ In the contest, Moser spoke about the integral role of Alice in Dairyland and her dream to represent Wisconsin’s diverse agriculture industry as the 75th Alice. Her interest continued to grow as she promoted registered Holsteins and the dairy industry as the 2017 WHA Princess. After graduating from Westby Area High School in May 2017, Moser furthered her education at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Her studies included an internship in Jerome, Idaho with Progressive Publishing as an editorial intern for Progressive Dairy. In December 2020, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in journalism and communication, concentrating on multimedia journalism and organizational and public relations, and receiving a minor in leadership. She is currently serving as the 2021 Vernon County Fairest of the Fair. For the past year, she has been employed as the digital marketing strategist for Valley Fudge & Candy in Coon Valley, Wisconsin. Moser describes her job as ‘sweet’ as she combines her love for agriculture and passion for sharing the story of how Wisconsin butter is used to create deliciously creamy fudge.

Taylor Schaefer’s fondest memories stem from her family’s beef and crop farm, where raising livestock and serving as a youth leader in the Racine County 4-H program ignited her passion for agriculture. Schaefer went on to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was involved in the Association of Women in Agriculture, Badger Dairy Club, and the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. In 2021, she interned with Mayer Beef and Folk Song Farm, where she broadened her knowledge of the Something Special from Wisconsin program and connected with consumers. She has since joined the Animal and Dairy Sciences Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a digital media intern and the Mid-West Farm Report as a farm assistant. In May 2022, she will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in animal sciences and life sciences communication and a certificate in digital studies. Upon graduation, she accepted a position with the Mid-West Farm Report in Madison.

Samantha Schuessler enjoys sharing her agriculture story with everyone she meets. Schuessler has a passion for agriculture that was cultivated on her family dairy farm in Antigo, Wisconsin. Her favorite memories were feeding the calves and having her kittens follow her around the barns during chores as a young girl. Growing up she was heavily involved with 4-H and FFA and was often showing horses, sheep, swine, and dairy cattle. Samantha graduated from California Polytechnic State University in June 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in dairy science and a minor in agricultural communications. During college, Samantha was on the Cal Poly Dairy Judging Team, involved in the Los Lecheros Dairy Club, and interned for CentralStar Cooperative in the summer of 2019. Samantha has experience in all aspects of the food chain from working on the farm, making cheese, and selling chocolate. Samantha worked for Sartori Cheese making wheels of cheese and sales in the Midwest. She now works for The Hershey Company as a retail sales representative.

Source: DACTP

Grocery store food prices are rising, but at an accelerated rate, USDA said this week following the release of the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI). Food prices were 1.4% higher in February but 8.6% higher than February 2021, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending April 1981.

“These are very large changes when you think of the 20-year historical average for an annual change in food prices is about 2.5%,” said Matt MacLachlan, economist at USDA.

While meat prices have been seeing substantial hikes, almost every food category saw a price increase in February, he said. When this happens, “it’s a fairly safe bet to think that it has to do with input prices that affect all of the food categories.”

Energy prices, cost of labor and transportation costs are all high right now.

The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 13% over the last year. Beef prices alone increased substantially, up 16.2% year over year in February. Dairy and related products prices rose 5.2% year over year. Pork rose by 14%, poultry by 12.5%, fish and seafood by 10.4% and eggs by 11.4%.

The index for food away from home rose 6.8% over the last year, the largest 12-month increase since December 1981. The index for limited service meals rose 8.0% over the last 12 months, and the index for full service meals rose 7.5%.

How the current Ukraine situation will affect food prices is still unknown since the Russia invasion began at the end of February, MacLachlan said.

FAO Food Price Index registers all-time high

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 140.7 points in February 2022, up 5.3 points (3.9%) from January and as much as 24.1 points (20.7%) above its level a year ago. This, FAO said, represents a new all-time high, exceeding the previous top of February 2011 by 3.1 points.

The February rise was led by large increases in vegetable oil and dairy price sub-indices, FAO said, adding that cereals and meat prices were also up.

The FAO Dairy Price Index averaged 141.1 points in February, up 8.5 points (6.4%) from January, marking the sixth successive monthly increase and placing the index 28.0 points (24.8%) above its value in the corresponding month last year. In February, international quotations for all dairy products represented in the index firmed, underpinned by the continued tightening of global markets on the back of lower-than-expected milk supplies in Western Europe and Oceania.

“Besides tight global supplies, persistent import demand, especially from North Asia and the Middle East, led to steep increases in whole milk powder and cheese price quotations,” the FAO noted. “International skim milk powder prices rose significantly as well, reflecting a lower volume of milk deliveries for drying plants in Western Europe, while butter prices received a boost from high demand for spot supplies.”

The FAO Meat Price Index averaged 112.8 points in February, up 1.2 points (1.1%) month-on-month and 15.0 points (15.3%) from its level a year ago.

In February, international bovine meat prices reached a new record high, driven by strong global import demand amidst tight supplies of slaughter-ready cattle in Brazil and high demand for herd rebuilding in Australia.

FAO reported that pork prices also edged up, reflecting increased internal demand and scaled-back hog supplies in the European Union and the U.S.

Poultry meat prices, however, fell slightly due to reduced imports by China following the end of the Spring Festival and lower domestic demand in Brazil.

Source: FeedStuffs

The rise in disposable income and preference for high-protein diets have created a consumer base for such niche dairy products

The India visit of the Australian trade minister in February 2022 has expedited the early harvest trade deal between both countries. An interim agreement which is expected in about a month’s time would be a major leap towards the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) between India and Australia later this year.

In 2020, India was Australia’s seventh-largest trading partner and sixth largest export destination. The two-way goods and services trade between the countries was worth $24.4 billion. While India’s export basket to Australia majorly comprises petroleum products, medicines, polished diamonds, gold jewelry and apparel, Australian exports to India include coal, liquefied natural gas (LNG), alumina and gold. There is a huge demand for Australian premium alcoholic beverages and wines, health supplements, cold-pressed juices and trans-fat-free products in India.

The trade ministers of India and Australia stated in a joint press meet that the sensitivities of both countries will be ‘accommodated and respected’. It is likely that Australia will not seek market access for dairy, beef and wheat which are sensitive sectors for India. Earlier this year, the Commerce Ministry of India had indicated that the interim agreement would focus on labour-oriented sectors like textiles, pharmaceuticals, footwear, leather products and agricultural products, and ruled out the inclusion of dairy and agriculture items.

This statement underpins India’s commitment to protecting its agriculture and dairy sectors, which was one of the reasons for its exit from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, back in 2019. Indian dairy farmers, cooperative societies, and trade unions have taken a strong stance against the opening of sensitive sectors such as dairy and agriculture to the Australian giants.

The Indian dairy industry is the largest globally with milk production of 198.4 million tonnes in 2019-20. It provides livelihood to a large number of people and is dominated by milk cooperatives and small and medium-size dairy farmers, who face challenges towards achieving economies of scale in their operations. Dairy is not considered a separate enterprise in most rural households. Instead, it is well integrated with the farming system. Dairy not only supplements the agricultural incomes of farmers, but also provides a regular income and helps them overcome financial crisis during the off-season and thus, a valuable asset.

Approximately 35 percent of the dairy sector is organised in India with more and more private companies investing in developing an efficient milk procurement network, and marketing liquid milk and value-added products. The National Dairy Development Board projects a demand for milk and milk products at a pan-India level to reach 266.5 million metric tonnes in 2030.

Out of the total milk produced in India, 48 percent is consumed in the rural areas and the rest is marketable surplus for consumers. Despite being the largest producer, India’s share in the global milk trade is small. India exports dairy products to the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, the United States of America, Bhutan and Singapore. Skimmed milk powder accounts for 30 percent of total dairy exports. Butter, butter oil, cheese, ghee and buttermilk also form a part of the export basket. India imports (as well as exports) buttermilk, curdled milk, cream and kephir from Australia. Milk non-concentrated, cheese of all kinds, milk and cream powder are also among the dairy products imported from Australia in 2020.

The Indian dairy industry supports around 70 million rural households, which consist of mostly small and marginal farmers. The milk cooperatives, dairy farmers, and trade unions have opposed Free Trade Agreements with milk surplus economies such as Australia and New Zealand. Assuming that a lowering of tariffs may lead to dumping of cheap imported products and resultant disruption of the domestic dairy industry, several industry spokespersons have taken a stringent position against the opening of this sector.

The majority of large dairy importing nations across the world have applied various tariff and non-tariff measures to protect imports. The European Union, for instance, has not granted export clearance to Indian dairy plants under the pretext of veterinary control, levels of antibiotic and pesticide residues, etc. Even Australia permits only retorted products to be imported. While countries like the EU and USA give massive export subsidies to their dairy farmers, in India, no such support is provided to dairy farmers, making them uncompetitive in global trade.

The government has assured the dairy farmers that it will protect their interests. At the same time, the possibility of giving greater market access, by reducing tariffs or other import restrictions, to select agriculture and dairy products that are neither produced nor consumed in great quantities domestically, has been kept open. This is a sensible step, considering the growing domestic demand and consumer preference for premium, high value processed products. Furthermore, this can also be seen as a window for structural reforms to make the sector more competitive.

These reforms, particularly in supply chain management, are crucial and should comprise enhancing the quality of cattle feed, procuring quality milk, instituting rigorous quality controls, and cold chain management to increase shelf life. All with huge investment opportunities.

As per the projections on dairy demand in India, it is evident that production needs to be increased to meet the domestic demand. There is also need for investment in educating and training dairy farmers, and providing better infrastructure for the collection, transportation, and processing of milk to augment milk productivity and improve the quality of processed milk. Foreign investment, including that in agriculture and dairy services, can be sought for cold chain establishment, distribution and marketing.

It is also important to remember that foreign dairy players in the country prefer partnerships with local entities and avoid backward integration of direct procurement from farmers. Such backward integration could have benefitted our dairy farmers a lot. Another step could be to move forward and lower tariffs on dairy products not produced in India or those having high domestic demand. The rise in disposable income and preference for high protein diets has created a consumer base for such niche products. These steps may be small, but would provide a significant change in the dairy landscape of India.

Source: dailypioneer.com

The forest is being removed to make way for soybean, livestock production

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest hit record levels for the month of February, preliminary government data showed on Friday, as a scientific study indicated the jungle is nearing a tipping point after which it could no longer sustain itself, reported Reuters.

Forest clearing in the region totalled 199 square kilometres (77 square miles) for February, up 62% from the same month a year ago, according to data published by national space research agency INPE.

That is the highest level for February since the data series began in 2015/2016 and follows a similar monthly record in January. 

In the first two months of the year, destruction was three times higher than the same period in 2021. About 629 square kilometres (243 square miles) were deforested, an area roughly the size of Chicago.

Brazil is home to around 60% of the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, whose preservation is vital to curbing catastrophic climate change because of the vast amount of greenhouse gas it absorbs.

Deforestation in Brazil has surged since right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019 and weakened environmental conservation, arguing for more commercial farming and mining in protected areas to help lift the Amazon region out of poverty.

Bolsonaro’s office and the Environment Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday’s data.

Some scientists fear the destruction is pushing the Amazon toward a tipping point, after which the jungle would dry out and become savanna, releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gas. 

A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change earlier this week found that in the last two decades, more than three-quarters of the Amazon has already lost some of its ability to bounce back from disruptions like drought and fire.

“Deforestation and climate change, via increasing dry-season length and drought frequency, may already have pushed the Amazon close to a critical threshold of rainforest dieback,” the authors at the University of Exeter wrote.

The amount of carbon lost by tropical forests each year – which ultimately returns to the atmosphere as climate-warming carbon dioxide – has doubled since the early 2000s, a separate study in the journal Nature Sustainability found last month.

Some scientists suspect deforestation will rise further ahead of Brazil’s October election, as it did in the last three election years. Authorities are likely to enforce environmental laws less rigorously for fear of upsetting voters, said Carlos Souza Jr, a researcher at environmental institute Imazon.

Source: Reuters

At DFA, we strive to live our value of community by bringing nourishment to people in need through our DFA Cares Foundation. With the current invasion and attacks in Ukraine, we are donating $50,000 to American Red Cross to assist in its relief efforts, as well as donating dairy products to Convoy of Hope® to be sent to Ukrainian refugees.

Through Friday, March 11, all donations to DFA Cares will go toward Ukraine relief efforts. If you would like to take part in our efforts to support Ukraine and other communities down the road and across the world, you can donate to DFA Cares here.

Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) of Canada, Mary Jane Ireland and United States CVO, Dr. Rosemary Sifford, issued a joint statement yesterday regarding new protocol to guide the cross-border transit of animals in emergency situations.

“We are pleased to announce that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), have officially agreed to implement an Emergency Transit Policy for Regulated Animals,” the statement said.

The policy makes it easier and faster to evacuate regulated animals, such as livestock, birds, pets and companion animals, across the border during emergencies such as flooding, forest fires, extreme weather conditions or disasters, or when routine transportation routes are impaired without feasible alternatives. Animals transiting through the other country during an emergency will be instructed when and where they will have to re-enter their country of origin.

Under the joint policy, the country declaring an emergency will inspect animals, apply official seals to transport conveyances, and issue a simplified export health certificate either at the port(s) of exit by an official veterinarian or at the premises of origin by an accredited veterinarian or official veterinarian.

This joint policy exemplifies Canada and the United States’ commitment to protect their animal population and it also shows the continued cooperation in supporting producers in both countries.

The policy was developed by the CFIA and USDA under the umbrella of the Canada-US Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) which is intended, amongst others, to maintain and enhance the health, safety and security of Canadians and the environment.

Source: thedairysite.com

Some of the organic dairy farmers who found out last summer that they were losing their contract with an international company may have a new way to stay in business.

Organic Valley, a farmer-owned cooperative based in Wisconsin, announced Tuesday that it was reaching out to up to 80 farms in the Northeast that were dropped by the company, Horizon Organic, in August.

When Horizon announced they’d stop taking organic milk supply from dairies in the Northeast, which included almost 30 farms in Vermont, analysts said it would have been a devastating blow to the state’s dairy industry, which had already been reeling and losing farms every year.

Organic Valley CEO Bob Kirchoff said the company has been working since the announcement was made this summer to find a solution for the farm.

“We are the only national brand still fighting for small family farms because we know that the best quality food is ethically sourced from small family farms,” Kirchoff said in a press release. “With the help of consumers and customers across the country, we are helping solve the crisis of disappearing small family farms. We are creating the food system we all want—one that regenerates soil, cares for animals, nourishes people, and strengthens communities.”

Organic Valley currently picks up milk from 99 Vermont farms.

Horizon Organic, which is owned by the international food company, Danone, said it would be ending its contracts with the organic family farms due to “growing transportation and operational challenges in the dairy industry, particularly in the Northeast.”

Danone said the contracts would end during the summer of 2022, and then extended that deadline until the end of the year.

But the announcement Tuesday by Organic Valley means the farms now have an option to sell their milk to a new dairy company.

Organic Valley said it already signed new contracts with 10 farms in New England.

 

“My family began farming this land over 65 years ago. I’m glad to partner with Organic Valley to continue our family farm,” said George Osgood of Corinth, Vermont, who joined Organic Valley earlier this month. “A cooperative owned by small family farms is the perfect fit for us. It gives us the chance to keep doing what we love.”

When Horizon made the surprise announcement last year the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets formed a task force with to help the 28 organic farms that would have no place to send their milk when their contracts with Horizon ended.

In December, the task force made a series of recommendations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which included providing grants to incentivize more organic dairy sales, starting a pilot program to encourage schools purchase more organic milk, and setting up a new federal grant program to support existing and new dairy processors.

Last week, the USDA announced an additional $20 million investment into the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center.

“Today’s action by Organic Valley is the outcome that we hoped for when we created the task force,” said Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbetts. “Now we must build upon this development and make sure we continue to secure a long-term market for farmers.”

Source: vpr.org

The additional funding will be used to expand capacity

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of $80 million in the Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives. In November 2021, DBI awarded $18.4 million to three current Initiatives at University of Tennessee, Vermont Agency for Food and Marketing and University of Wisconsin, and $1.8 million to a new initiative at California State University Fresno.

According to a USDA press release, each initiative will now have the opportunity to submit additional proposals for up to $20 million in American Rescue Plan funds to further support processing capacity expansion, on-farm improvements, and technical assistance to producers.

“The pandemic has demonstrated that dairy producers and regional dairy processors, particularly those engaged in value-added production, faced systemic shocks over the past several years,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We have heard directly from producers and processors – particularly organic producers and processors in the Northeast – on how we can work with the industry to build long-term resilience of regional dairy supply chains.”

“The Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives have supported regional-focused efforts tailored to the needs of dairy farmers and businesses locally,” he added. “This additional funding will expand the capacity of the four initiatives to provide technical assistance and sub-grants exponentially.”

Source: thedairysite.com

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall sent a letter today to President Joe Biden asking him to take the necessary steps to address high energy costs impacting all Americans. Over the past 15 months, oil prices have increased by 130% to more than $120 per barrel.

President Duvall wrote, “As Russia’s harmful actions in Ukraine continue and further sanctions are imposed against Russia, oil prices will likely continue to rise, creating even higher consumer costs and threatening U.S. energy and economic security.”

AFBF is asking the administration to remove barriers to domestic energy production including increasing the production of biofuels, which have reduced America’s dependence on foreign crude oil while creating jobs in rural America.

“By displacing imported petroleum, increased biofuel use and domestic energy production will enhance U.S. security and independence while supporting America’s farmers and rural economies,” President Duvall wrote.

Achieving domestic energy independence through comprehensive energy sources remains a priority issue for Farm Bureau. AFBF is committed to working with the administration and leaders in Congress to address the energy crisis.

Read the full letter here.

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to recognize the achievements of women and the pursuit of gender equality.

This year, we’re proud to share stories of inspiring women conquering challenges and breaking barriers across the globe, writes Elizabeth Hefron and Alyssa Cogan with Heifer International.

We have the honor of working with dedicated, brilliant female farmers, entrepreneurs and artisans all around the world — women who, every day, are overcoming odds, defying limitations and blazing more prosperous trails for themselves and their communities.

International Women’s Day is recognized globally as a celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, and this International Women’s Day, March 8, we’re proud to share the stories of some of the women who have inspired us in this work — our partners in the fight for equality, inclusion and progress for all, without bounds and regardless of gender.

Together we can break barriers — and #BreakTheBias.

Panchu in India

A woman stands with her goats in India. Photo by Russell Powell/Heifer International.

After marrying at just 17 and with little schooling, Panchu Devi finally learned to write after joining a Heifer India project, confronting long-held cultural beliefs that restrict the rights of girls and women in the household and society at large. Now better educated and earning income, she is carving a new path of hope for herself — and her daughters.

Lilian in Kenya

A Kenyan woman stands for a portrait at her home poultry farm. Photo by Francis Mwangi/Heifer International.

Lilian Ocholla survived 17 years of domestic abuse before separating from her husband — and dedicating herself to building a better future for her family. Today, with support from Heifer and Cargill’s Hatching Hope Kenya program, Lilian is challenging gender-based violence by running what is fast becoming a successful poultry business.

Grace in Uganda

A Ugandan woman watches from afar as her cattle graze. Photo by Fábio Erdos/Heifer International.

In Uganda, where poverty, malnutrition and a lack of education and economic opportunities can hold women back, Grace Atusimirwe is breaking the mold. With support from Heifer, dairy farmers like Grace are raising healthier animals, connecting to new markets, earning more income and fostering a future in which prosperity is possible.

Tulsi in Nepal

A woman sits at her desk for a portrait in Nepal. Photo by Joe Tobiason/Heifer International.

Tulsi Thapa once depended on her husband for income. Now, she’s a founding member of Bihani Dairy, an exclusively women-led social enterprise that supports local farmers and invests much of its earnings back into the community.

Mónica in Ecuador

A female Ecuadorian farmer stands for a portrait in her garden. Photo by Isadora Romero/Heifer International.

When the COVID-19 pandemic battered jobs and food systems in Ecuador, Mónica Tigse and hundreds of other female farmers stepped up to keep their communities fed, developing a delivery system for locally grown produce baskets — and even launching an online marketplace to safely bring nutritious food from farm to doorstep.

Khean and Heng in Cambodia

Two Cambodian women pose together while harvesting rice. Photo by Phillip Davis/Heifer International.

In rural Cambodia, where many smallholder farmers don’t have knowledge or tools to maintain productive farms, women like Khean Saron and Heng Orea are joining agricultural cooperatives, banding together to grow more food, provide for their families and build thriving businesses.

This International Women’s Day, you can make a difference in the lives of women around the world. All funds raised will help provide more Heifer families with nutritious food, shelter, clean water and a decent education so that they can thrive, not just survive.

Source: thedairysite.com

Sales in Russia last year amounted to 55 million euros

Dairy cooperative Arla Foods said on Monday it would suspend its business in Russia after the country’s invasion of Ukraine, reported Reuters.

This would include imports to Russia and local operations in the country, where Arla operates one dairy and employs 70 people, it said in a statement.

“The impact and consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are tragic … We are now taking action to suspend our operations in Russia,” Chief Executive Peder Tuborgh said.

Arla, owned by more than 9,400 farmers in Denmark, Britain, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands, had sales of 55 million euros in Russia last year which amounts to roughly 0.5% of its total 2021 sales.

French food group Danone, the world’s largest yoghurt maker, said on Sunday that it would continue to sell dairy and baby food in Russia.

Source: Reuters

Danone SA has suspended its plans to invest in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, said General Secretary Laurent Sacchi.

The world’s largest yogurt maker will continue to sell dairy and baby food however, Sacchi said in a statement on the company’s website on Sunday. Danone will continue to monitor the situation, and would apply any decisions made by the French authorities.

Danone Chief Executive Officer Antoine de Saint-Affrique was among CEOs and chairmen of some of France’s biggest companies who met with Emmanuel Macron on Friday, according to Le Figaro. The French president urged them not to leave Russia hastily, and in any case not without consulting the government, the newspaper reported.

“We have decided to suspend all investment projects in Russia but currently maintain our production and distribution of fresh dairy products and infant nutrition to still meet the essential food needs of the local population,” Sacchi said.

One of Danone’s two factories in Ukraine has closed, while the second has resumed operations, he said.

Source: bloomberg.com

Canada has officially released its proposal on how it would change the way it operates tariff rate quotas for imports of U.S. dairy and launched public consultations on implementing the proposed alterations, but an American dairy industry leader says the pitch by Global Affairs Canada is “unacceptable.”

The Canadian proposal is a direct result of a panel decision in December that ruled in favor of U.S. complaints that Canada is manipulating the quotas negotiated in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

“For us, this is just moving the chairs around, but it’s the same chairs,” stressed Jaime Castaneda, executive vice president of the National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council. He said the proposal offers the same opportunities to Canadian processors to dominate the quotas.

“The USMCA makes clear that the parties must try to resolve a dispute after a panel report,” Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Media and Public Affairs Adam Hodge told Agri-Pulse Thursday in a statement. “The United States has not agreed to a resolution with Canada, but we continue to talk about implementation of the panel’s findings and hope to reach a resolution.” 

A core component of the NMPF and USDEC rejection is Canada’s insistence that major Canadian dairy processors would maintain control over their ability to use the quotas for U.S. cheese, condensed milk, skim milk powder, yogurt, buttermilk, whey, ice cream and other products.

U.S. industry representatives complain under the current quota policy, it is far too hard to export higher-value dairy products like cheese to Canada because Canadian processors have too much control over importing licenses. Canadian cheese importers have similar complaints, saying the process handicaps their ability to get U.S. products.

As the situation stands now, Canadian processors get 85% of the quota for cheese and Canadian distributors get just 15%. Furthermore, the processors get access based on market share, meaning the biggest companies get the biggest share. Distributors, meanwhile get allocations on a straight “equal share basis.”

The Canadian proposal would alter the cheese quota to give 100% of the allocation to both processors and distributors. The problem, says Castaneda, is that it would all be on a “market share basis” and that means the large processors would again have control by the reason of their size. The quota also does not include Canadian retailers, who are major sellers of U.S. dairy products in Canada.

It is unclear if the Canadian proposal will have any benefit for U.S. dairy exporters or Canadian food service companies who use lots of dairy products, said Castaneda. 

“This could be manipulated in such a way that they are doing the same thing as before,” he said.

Source: agri-pulse.com

Farmer-owned cooperative saw 14% growth

US-based agribusiness Land O’Lakes, Inc., owner of Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods, reported record net sales totalling $16 billion with net earnings of $295 million for the year ending 31 December 2021, compared with net sales of $14 billion and net earnings of $266 million in 2020. The company continued to leverage its differentiated insights, strong supply positions and iconic, beloved brands to deliver strong performance across all business units.

“Land O’Lakes 2021 performance was most directly the result of the incredible work and resilience of our teams,” said Beth Ford, president and CEO of Land O’Lakes, Inc.

Within the Land O’Lakes businesses, Crop Inputs saw significant volume increases as farmers leveraged insights from ag-tech platforms and invested in their crops given improved commodity market pricing driven by short supply globally. Crop Inputs also benefitted from improved product mix in Crop Protection and higher margins in Crop Nutrients. At the same time, the business realized supply chain efficiencies from strategic actions including location consolidations and structured deliveries that provided offsets to increased transportation and handling costs.

Dairy Foods retail volumes remained elevated from pre-pandemic levels and Foodservice volumes saw a strong recovery as the economy re-opened in 2021. Dairy earnings were below prior year levels due to higher supply chain costs, partially offset by improved margins on both cheese and nonfat dry milk.

Animal Nutrition continued to grow its Lifestyle feed volumes but overall earnings were below prior year levels, also due to higher supply chain costs, in addition to higher ingredient costs.

“We move into our next 100 years with confidence for the future, our business positioned for the long-term, continuing to serve our members and advocate for their communities,” Ford said.

Source: thedairysite.com

Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow the fastest in the coming years

The global veterinary artificial insemination market size is anticipated to reach USD$7.4 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 6.5% from 2022 to 2030.

Key factors driving the market growth include increasing consumption of animal protein, growing demand for livestock productivity, and adoption of sexed semen. In September 2021, LIC- an agritech co-operative based in New Zealand launched a sexed semen lab in the country to meet the growing demand. This boosted the co-operative’s capabilities to artificially inseminate about 4.5 million cattle between Spring mating season of September to December 2021.

The market was valued at $4.2 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 6.5% during the forecast period.

By animal type, the cattle segment held the largest share of the market in 2021 owing to rising consumption of beef, milk, and milk products.

The swine segment is projected to grow the fastest owing to the rising adoption of AI techniques and growing consumption of pork in key markets.

The normal semen segment accounted for the largest revenue share in the products segment in 2021, owing to the low cost of the product compared to sexed semen and wide availability.

The sexed semen segment is expected to show the fastest growth during the forecast period. In 2016, ST Genetics produced 4 million X chromosomes into an AI straw. The company sells sexed semen for five species of animals, including cattle, deer, sheep, horses, and goats. The rate of semen straws ranges between $65 and $250 for apiece as of 2018, depending on the quality, species, and use of the animal.

The animal husbandry segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2021 and is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. The growth can be attributed to most semen collection as well as artificial insemination procedures performed on-site on farms.

North America dominated the market in 2021 while Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow the fastest in the coming years.

Source: thedairysite.com

Building on the success of the On the Farm STEM Beef experiences, the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is expanding its free professional development lineup to include an immersive program focusing on dairy.

At the first-ever On the Farm STEM Dairy event, teams of science educators will travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to see firsthand how science is brought to life through the food production system. They will meet with local dairy farmers, researchers, nutritionists and veterinarians to learn how animals are cared for and how technology and innovative practices are advancing sustainability.

“The Foundation is thrilled to offer another opportunity for outstanding science educators to experience farming up close, and we are looking forward to featuring another type of animal agriculture in our programming,” said Daniel Meloy, executive director of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. “On the Farm STEM is an excellent opportunity for teachers and classroom leaders to see how agriculture can fit into their existing curriculum and illustrate how they can encourage students to explore where their food comes from.”

The experience begins with a two-part webinar series to lay the groundwork for a four-day immersive experience, during which participants will use what they learn during the event to craft lessons and activities to take back to the classroom. The curriculum designed during the event will empower students to explore the science and engineering practices associated with sustainable food practices.

Teams will be made up of three to five members including high school science educators, instructional leaders who support science educators, administrators who support science-based career and technical education or community partners with a passion for improving agricultural literacy.

The Foundation for Agriculture, in partnership with Dairy Management Inc. and Midwest Dairy, will cover up to $750 of travel costs as well as meals and accommodations during the event for selected participants. Interested educators are encouraged to apply now, with applications closing April 8. 

On the Farm STEM Dairy expands on the Foundation for Agriculture’s already-successful work in science education that has been funded by the Beef Checkoff for On the Farm STEM Beef, which launched its 2022 applications in January. Applications remain open through March 11.

Visit onthefarmstem.com to learn more about both opportunities and apply today.

he National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) commend President Biden for outlining a new initiative to assign Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys and litigators to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to jointly improve enforcement of the Shipping Act. The initiative also directs the DOJ to pursue further actions to increase competition in the ocean shipping industry. 

Are you looking to make an improvement to boost efficiency on your dairy operation? Whether you want to install a fan or sprinkler system in your freestall barn, upgrade your feed mixer in your feeding system, or replace your milker units with a more efficient system, consider applying for a Dairy Excellence Grant. The Center for Dairy Excellence leverages funds provided through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide Dairy Excellence Grants to support improvement projects on the farm. If you are approved for the grant, you will receive a 50 percent match, up to a maximum matching level of $5,000. 

The application period opened TODAY (March 1) and will close on March 31, 2022. This is a competitive grant for Pennsylvania dairy farms only, and limited grants are available. Recipients will receive committee approval before grant awards will be made.

Keep reading to learn more about the grant opportunity, how to apply, and how other dairy producers have used the grant to benefit their dairy operations.

Siemers Holstein Farms have acquired Sandy-Valley Farms. Sandy-Valley, located in Wisconsin was founded in 1963 by the Bauer family and has developed into one of the most influential Holstein herds in the US. This was especially thanks to Dellia descendant Sandy-Valley Planet Sapphire.  Siemers Holsteins is located in northeastern Wisconsin on beautiful Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Green Bay. They are currently a 4th, 5th, and 6th generation family farm with many family members contributing to the dairy. Siemers Holsteins is among the absolute elite in the US in terms of genetics and management.