Georgia Milk Producers Weekly Enews |
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ADC Class I pricing poll - preliminary results
Recently, American Dairy Coalition invited dairy producers to participate in a poll on the Class I milk pricing method, which was changed legislatively in the 2018 Farm Bill from the 'higher of' to an averaging method and implemented in May 2019. There is still time to participate in the anonymous poll at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MilkPricePoll
Because the Class I change was made legislatively, without hearings and without a producer referendum, the poll seeks to determine what producers would prefer to see in the interim, until a Federal Order hearing process can be initiated and completed to evaluate past, present and proposed options.
When given the choice between going back to the ‘higher of’ or keeping Class I as it is under the current ‘average-plus-74-cents’ method – until a Federal Order hearing evaluates proposals – respondents overwhelmingly favored going back to the 'higher of' method by 85% to 15%. This question is important because, to date, no Federal Order hearing has even been started, and such hearings are lengthy. Read more here>>>
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Bring warm-season annuals out of the bullpen
By Mike Rankin, Hay and Forage Grower
This year’s World Series turned out to be a battle of relief pitchers. In nearly every game, the starters were in the shower before the fifth inning — often, long before.
One might make the analogy that perennial forage crops are the starters on most farms; they are depended on for reliable and long-term forage production year in and year out. It’s also true that our starting forages often run out of gas at some point in the summer when temperatures climb and soil moisture becomes limited. In the case of alfalfa, sometimes offseason injuries occur from cold or ice.
It’s during these times when it may be beneficial to make a call to the bullpen and bring in some warm-season annuals such as sorghums or millets for additional harvested or grazed forage.
“One of the things that has really brought about more interest in warm-season annuals is the new and improved hybrids that are now available,” said John Bernard, a professor emeritus who served as an extension dairy specialist with the University of Georgia for over 22 years. “These new offerings bring with them vastly improved forage quality.”
John Bernard
As a speaker at World Dairy Expo during one of the Dairy Forage Seminar presentations, Bernard noted that warm-season annuals not only exhibit exceptional drought tolerance, but they are also more tolerant of marginal soils, have a shortened growing season, and in some cases, may be grown at a reduced cost compared to other alternatives.
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Will The American South Be the Next Big Cheese Region?
BY Stephanie, Burt, Saveur
If you think of cheese from the American South as simply studded with pimento peppers and mixed with mayonnaise, it’s time to get reacquainted with the region’s dairies. Specialty cheesemaking in the South—in states like Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and the Carolinas—is on the rise, with many producers inspired by the raw milk farmstead traditions practiced in parts of Europe. Makers are prioritizing the use of local milk and sustainability-focused techniques—and developing an exciting new regional identity
At its core, cheesemaking is a method of milk preservation, which explains why many of the best cheeses are produced by those who raise the dairy cows themselves or have close proximity and relationships with those who do. Artisans who practice farmstead cheesemaking, according to the American Cheese Society’s definition, produce cheeses that are “primarily made by hand with milk from the farmer’s own herd, or flock, on the farm where the animals are raised.” The use of very fresh milk tends to preserve the flavors of the pasture, imbuing the resulting cheeses with added complexity.
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Milk price déjà vu all over again?
By Mike North, Hoard's Dairyman
For decades we have watched as U.S. cow numbers built up quickly in response to favorable market signals while retracting slowly to unfavorable ones. At times, it’s seemed nearly impossible to make cow numbers go down unless under very extreme pressure.
Years ago, I had a client put it to me this way. He said, “As dairymen, when times are good and farm profitability is strong, we milk more cows. And when times are tough and losses seem inevitable . . . we milk more cows.”
Is that still true?
The cow herd journey
Rising milk prices that began in the fall of 2019 inspired dairymen to add 58,000 head from September into February 2020 — a fairly responsive move. As the pandemic unfolded, massive supply chain dislocation caused processors to push back on producers, compelling them to idle or greatly reduce output.
The ripple caused milk buyers to take an unprecedented move toward base programs and other production restricting measures that, in essence, mandated a reduction in cow numbers. After peaking in March 2020 at 9,391,000 head, the U.S. herd would retract 36,000 head by June 2020. Read more here>>>
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USDA invests $20.2M in grants for Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives
From Morning AgClips
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of $20.2 million in the Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives. 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 the California State University Fresno.
Since its inception in 2019, DBI initiatives have provided valuable technical assistance and sub-grants to dairy farmers and businesses across their regions, assisting them with business plan development, marketing and branding, as well as, increasing access to innovative production and processing techniques to support the development of value-added products.
“These awards will expand the scope of the Dairy Business Innovation program and provide much-needed support to small dairy farms and businesses as they continue to recover from the pandemic,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Moffitt. “In addition to initiatives in the Southeast, Northeast and Midwest, a new initiative for the Pacific Coast is funded, led by California State University Fresno. These DBI initiatives provide the dairy industry with addition. Read more here>>>
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We are excited to have Aidan Connolly, President of AgriTech Capital, as a Tuesday morning session speaker on Jan. 18!! AgriTech is a resource for new and established companies working at the interface of agriculture and technology. They aid governments, fortune 500 food companies and large agri-businesses on their AgTech strategy.
Prior to AgriTech, Aidan held the position of CIO at Alltech. He has a strategic understanding of the marketplace and the regulatory parameters that set the environment. He also specializes in monitoring key farm management practices that impact nutrition, health and the behavior of livestock. Don't miss out on this speaker - Register today!!! https://www.gadairyconference.com/ #gdc2022
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Got milk? Yes, actually, U.S. has too much
By Meredith Lee, Politico
Yes, food prices are up. But no, average U.S. milk prices aren’t skyrocketing — they’ve basically stayed the same since January.
That’s because the U.S. overall has an oversupply of milk, and it’s gotten worse over the past few decades as smaller farms have shuttered and larger farms have bought up their livestock and increasingly dominated the industry.
It’s been a problem that policymakers have been struggling to confront for years. And it’s not clear that Washington, D.C., will address this issue because other food prices have been rising much more as a result of the pandemic-induced supply chain breakdowns. The Biden administration has pledged to address antitrust issues in industries ranging from technology to meatpacking. But so far, the dairy sector hasn’t been the focus yet in part because consumers aren’t seeing significantly higher prices as a result of consolidation. Read more here>>>
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November 2021 Dixie Dairy Report
From Calvin Covington
- This issue covers:
- Class Prices
- Fluid Milk Sales
- Milk Production
- Blend Prices
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Other Stories to Check Out This Week >>> |
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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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