Georgia Milk Producers Weekly Enews |
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USDA opens DMC Coverage for 2022
Julie Walker, AgCentral, ESprouts
Sign-up Begins Monday, December 13th, continues through Feb. 18, 2022
Below are several sources of information, each includes and highlights varying facts. A reader may need to evaluate each article for all options which apply to their operation.
Dec. 9, 2021: USDA Finally opens the door to DMC Sign-Ups, by Corey Geiger, Hoard's Dairyman. Geiger explains that delays were caused by requests for formula inputs to reflect higher costs of high-quality alfalfa hay, leading to a subsequent review by the Office of Management and Budget.
Dec. 8, 2021: USDA Releases Supplemental DMC, Hay Cost Adjustment, and 2022 Enrollment Details, by Dave Natzke, for Progressive Dairy. The announcement included some facets of the program which are retroactive, including an adjustment for actual pounds produced in 2019 to be a baseline. How the details affect individual operations will vary depending on program parameters selected by that operation.
"Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage will allow producers with under 5 Million pounds of annual production who are enrolled in DMC to receive additional payments accounting for their increases in production since 2014. The payments will be retroactive to January 2021."
Check with your local FSA office about Sign-up and for additional details.
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Representative Clay Pirkle, Chairman of Raw Milk Study Committee, Gives Update at GA Farm Bureau Convention
Jennifer Whittaker, GA Farm Bureau
Georgia Farm Bureau members had the opportunity to hear policy, crop and livestock management and marketing updates from numerous speakers during breakout sessions held for the state’s major crops and livestock during the GFB Convention on Dec. 6.
While speaking at the breakout session for dairy, goat & sheep producers, Rep. Clay Pirkle (Dist. 155), who chairs a subcommittee Georgia House Agriculture Chairman Robert Dickey appointed to study the issue, gave an update of the subcommittee’s findings.
“We know that raw milk is being sold for human consumption in Georgia even though it’s illegal. You can go to most any farmer’s market around the state and find raw milk being sold as pet milk,” Pirkle said. “I’m a conservative. I’m a Republican, and I don’t like excessive regulations, but the things we put in our bodies should be regulated if they pose a health risk. It’s [raw milk] currently being sold almost like drugs.”
During the 2021 Georgia General Assembly, the topic of legalizing and regulating the sale of raw milk was discussed after the Georgia Milk Producers, Inc. voted to support this action in an attempt to protect consumers from the health risks drinking raw milk present. Raw milk is not subject to the production nor health inspections that pasteurized Grade A milk sold in stores is.
Raw milk currently being sold as pet milk in Georgia is not tested for contaminants, such as antibiotics, nor if the cows producing it are free of Bovine Tuberculosis. Humans can become infected with bovine tuberculosis by consuming raw milk products from a cow that has the disease.
Rep. Pirkle said the study committee has determined there are three options to addressing raw milk being sold illegally in Georgia:
- Regulate & inspect raw milk and raw milk facilities as multiple other states including South Carolina do. If raw milk is legalized, Pirkle strongly recommends that raw milk be marked with large, readable labels that makes the buyer aware of the health risks of consuming the product.
- Upgrade the pet milk designation to raw milk. “Are we going to pretend the issue doesn’t exist? Are we going to continue to call pet milk pet milk when we know it’s being consumed by humans?” Pirkle asked?
- Kick the can down the road and do nothing. “But what’s going to happen to our regulated Grade A dairies when an illness outbreak does occur from people drinking raw milk that doesn’t have to meet no safety standards? Will the media do a thorough job in reporting that the outbreak was caused by drinking raw milk but that it’s safe for us to drink pasteurized milk?”
I think it’s important for you to know I am a cotton and peanut farmer and I’m for agribusinesses. I’m not a dairy farmer, but there are no dairy farmers under the Gold Dome, so I’m as close to one as you’ve got,” said Pirkle, who serves on the Georgia House Ag Committee.
This fall, GFB’s Dairy Advisory Committee recommended that GFB adopt policy supporting the legalization of raw milk if it is regulated. Georgia Farm Bureau voting delegates approved the recommendation during its business session Dec. 8
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Gourmet Farm Ice Cream: Cow to Cone: How a Florida Dairy Adds Value to its Business
Becky Mills, Progressive Farmer Contributor
The old adage says, "Life is short. Eat dessert first." That's a pretty good theme for Southern Craft Creamery, where longtime dairy producers took the plunge into one of the tastiest, albeit difficult, ways to add value to their homegrown commodity -- gourmet ice cream. It wasn't all about markets, however, for the Eade family.
"We were pulled toward a value-added product so we could talk to consumers about where food comes from," Dale Eade said. It's a message that goes down a lot easier with a scoop of ice cream.
"We wanted that personal interaction," he added.
"We've had children, and even adults, tell us they had no idea how milk was produced before they toured the farm," Dale's wife, Cindy, said.
With a 300-cow Jersey, Jersey-Holstein dairy, the Eades were fighting an uphill battle in the commodity milk market. The Pensacola natives met in high school, dated throughout college and married after graduation. They started Cindale Dairy, out of Marianna, Florida, in 1994. Read more here>>>
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Nominations Needed for 2021 Bobby Walker Award
Georgia Milk Producers will award the "Bobby Walker Award" to an individual or company that served as a strong advocate for Georgia's dairy industry in 2021 at the GA Dairy Conference in January. We would like Georgia dairy producers to send in nominations for this award to our office by December 23. This award is open to any individual who is involved with the dairy industry (Cooperative officials/field representatives, feed/ supply companies or salesperson, veterinarian, etc.). Please call our office with your nomination at 706-310-0020, email it to gamilkproducers@gmail.com, or click here to submit online>>>
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December 2021 Dixie Dairy Report
Calvin Covington
In this issue:
- Dairy herd declining
- Exports Drive Dairy Demand
- Dairy Product Prices
- Blend Prices
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Female farmers are on the rise
By Caitlin Rodgers, Georgia dairy farmer, Hoard's Dairyman
One of my dad’s favorite things to tell people while giving tours is, “While we are riding around on the trolly today, you may notice something different than what you might think you would see on a dairy farm, and that is that our team is mostly made up of women.” I don’t know why, but that is usually a wow factor for visitors. People normally can’t fathom the fact that women actually do the work around the farm. I have loved working with our staff through the years. The older men that worked here when I was young taught me so much. Growing up feeding calves, I made lifetime friends with some of the guys that worked here during high school before going off to college. However, since I have been out of college, I have had more women apply for positions than men.
I am in no way knocking any men in this field of work when talking about my female employees, because the men working for us have all been great. There are differences between the genders, though. When teaching men to walk through herd of cows in the freestall barn, I have to remind a majority of them in the beginning that you can’t just speed walk through the pens like you are on a mission. I haven’t had to tell the females that as much. It’s honestly just the way women are made. We walk less aggressively, move more quietly, and the cows are calmer. Some may not agree with me on these things, and that’s ok. It is just how it is here.
The crew of women we have right now are great with handling, moving, milking, and breeding cows. They all work well together. Over the years I have noticed men like lists. They like to have a to-do list, do it in the order it is written, and not have it changed periodically throughout the day by throwing random tasks their way or changing the order that it is written down.
Women, on the other hand, don’t tend to mind having things come up and added or being asked to do something else first before the other task at hand. Neither one is better than the other, but it’s kind of neat to know from a management standpoint when you need to get the daily jobs completed as well as the unexpected tasks. Every year, more women flow into the agriculture field. Women have climbed the ladder in the agriculture policy and industry sides as well. After the elementary school tours end at our dairy, the young ladies leave with an understanding that they, too, can be farmers. Link to story here>>>
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Veterinarians, Nutritionists and Certified Waste Operators can gain continuing education hours the 2022 GA Dairy Conference!! Information and registration for each group will be available at the registration desk!! Don't miss out!! For more information about the conference, visit our website: https://www.gadairyconference.com/ #2022gdc
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Incorporating alfalfa in forage systems could lead to environmental benefits
By Maria M. Lameiras for CAES News
Alfalfa, once a dominant forage in Georgia, is the third-highest crop for economic returns in the United States. Combined with cheap nitrogen prices, difficulty growing the desirable forage crop in Georgia’s challenging climate led to a decline in alfalfa production in the state after its peak in the 1960s.
Now University of Georgia grazing specialist Jennifer Tucker is doing her part to restore alfalfa production to the state for the benefit of both producers and the land.
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NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discusses how dairy demand may fare over the holiday season as COVID worries clash with consumer cravings for eggnog. Meanwhile, U.S. senators are looking at milk pricing, a discussion NMPF is leading thanks to its nationwide scope and diverse membership. Bjerga spoke in an interview on RFD-TV. Watch here>>>
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Have we charted a course to hasten consolidation?
By Marin Bozic, Hoard's Dairyman
Most forecasts focus on when. When will the supply chain bottlenecks be resolved? When will inflation subside? When will barrel cheese prices catch up with blocks?
To answer when-type questions, professional market analysts pour over hundreds of data sources and gather soft intelligence through scores of phone calls and emails with industry contacts.
There is another type of inquiry that is equally critical for the dairy farm’s long-term survival: the “what” questions.
What are the events, structural changes, policy developments, and other influencing factors that are likely to happen? What will be the impact on the dairy sector? What about the timing of those events?
The timing answer may be the most elusive of all. That being noted, this Milk Check Outlook will take a long horizon approach.
Two game changers
In this article, I want to draw attention to two recent developments in the U.S. dairy sector that have the potential to instigate an undesired structural change — faster and more severe consolidation in the U.S. dairy sector. The first measure is the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, and the second are base programs or growth management measures implemented by many dairy processors. Individually, these measures are well-intended and carefully crafted.
DMC is designed to bring about stability to farm finances for producers with a few hundred cows. Growth management programs seek to coordinate milk supply with demand. My concern is that, when combined, these programs may have unintended consequences, which may be irreversible. Read more here>>>
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Other Stories to Check Out This Week >>> |
U.S. dairy industry faces questions with optimism
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TO ADVERTISE: EMAIL AD AND CONTACT INFORMATION TO FARRAH NEWBERRY at gamilkproducers@gmail.com
WANTED: DHI Cooperative has a position to fill in the North Central Georgia area for a DHIA FIELD SERVICE TECHNICIAN.
• Responsibilities include data collection on area dairy farms during milking time.
• The schedule is somewhat flexible and the hours are typical for dairy farm work
• Travel is part of the job and reliable transportation is required, mileage is paid
• Applicants should be comfortable with computers and software and have good communication and organizational skills.
Looking for calves for 200 head calf barn with auto feeders in Arcadia
FL: Please call Brian 863-444-0060
Delaval meters, Germania entrance and exit gates with tailboards and indexing tail, Muller plate cooler, receiving jar, filter housing and lowline stainless pipeline. Serious inquiries call 864-617-5911, Iris Barham
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Expanding or looking for top quality herd replacement?
Available at all times:
Fresh two and three year old's and total herds; Also springing heifers and heifers of all ages. Service age bulls with top genetics available all year round. All different breeds and crossbreds also available. Last two loads of fresh two and three year olds Holsteins went on the trucks averaging 115 lbs and 112 lbs! One load to TN and the other to Wisconsin.
Contact:
Les McCracken
608-214-6484. Cell
608-879-2653. Fax
Seeking fulltime farm worker at heifer replacement farm in Eatonton, GA. If interested, please contact Mike Rainey at 706-473-0730.
Seeking Beef and dairy crossed bullcalves/heifers bottled or weaned. Please contact Victoria Rowland at 404-922-0938 or 423-946-5869
Will Raise Heifers for GA Dairy Farms: Hello we are located in Southern Illinois and have an abundance of pasture and cheap feed available looking to contract with a dairy to grow heifers for them, out location offers mild climate and we are just 558 miles from Montezuma Ga. Please contact 817-528-6645 very reasonable daily rates.
For Sale- DeLaval 84 Vacuum Pump on Stand, Oil Reclaimer, 10 HP- 3 Phase Electric Motor. New Bearings, New Oil Seal, New Belts. $2000
For sale - Please contact Archie Felder for more information at 803-682-3426:
- Dairy Tech Bay Pasturizer - $4,000
- Tidenberg Hydraulic Hoof Table (like new) - $5,000
- Claas Silage Choppers - 960 1875 cutterhead hours, 4WD, 600 orbis, HD300 PU - $180,000
- Koomin John Deere Corn Header adapter for Claus Silage Chopper Used - $6,000
WANTED: Peter's Cattle Co. will buy any dairy, beef, and cross, bottle or weaned, bulls, heifers or free martins. Pick up weekly 7 days a week. Chris- 470-255-8515
Bull Calves WANTED: Competitive pricing with 6 day a week pickup. Brandon Mason Cattle Company 912-632-4490
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