2019 | Dec 27 GMP E Newsletter
Georgia Milk Producers Weekly Enews
Happy New Year from the GA Milk Producers!
As we inch closer towards a new year, the time has come to close the chapter of 2019. It was an eventful year and I made it to the finish line because of the help from many in the dairy community, my family and my colleague, Kellay Watson! Thank you for your support, prayers and well wishes. Wishing you and your family health, happiness, and prosperity in the new year.

Happy New Year!!
Farrah Newberry, Executive Director, GA Milk Producers
Don't Forget!! Book Your Room for the GA Dairy Conference by Monday, Dec 30th!!
If you are unable to get the discounted rate, please reserve your room at the normal rate before Dec. 30th and I will pull your reservation into our block. Thanks!!

The Savannah Riverfront Marriott is offering room rates for those attending the 2020 Georgia Dairy Conference from Wednesday, January 15, until Thursday, January 23, at $132.00/room for single and double occupancy rooms. There will be a $8 parking fee per day for our group at the hotel.
 
Individuals are requested to call the hotel at 912-233-7722 or 800-285-0398 for reservations or follow a link our conference website at http://www.gadairyconference.com/accommodations . Please mention that you are with the“ 2020 Georgia Dairy Conference ” when making your reservation to ensure that you receive the discounted room rate.
 
PLEASE NOTE: Any reservation received after the cut-off date will be accepted on a space and rate-available basis. Availability and pricing cannot be guaranteed after the cut-off date.
 
GEORGIA DAIRY PRODUCERS: Georgia Milk Producers will deduct $100/night for two nights from each Georgia dairy farm’s hotel bill at checkout. It’s our way to show our appreciation for your support and to encourage you to attend your annual dairy conference! Registration for the conference is also free for Georgia farmers and their families. Please register online at
http://www.gadairyconference.com/registration or call our office at 706-310-0020.
Use a Stepped-Down Approach to Weaning
By Jim Dickrell, Dairy Herd Management
The pre-weaning stage of calf development is typically the highest-cost period in a calf’s life because of the expense of milk replacer or the use of saleable whole milk.

So dairy farmers and calf raisers have tried to adapt calves to solid calf starter as soon as possible to save money. If this is done inappropriately, however, calf raising costs can soar due to increased levels of sickness and death, notes Brad Heins, a veterinarian with the University of Georgia.

“At birth, the abomasum represents the largest compartment of the ruminant forestomach and is vital for the digestion of a milk-based diet,” he notes. “Through the preweaning phase, the rumen, reticulum and omasum all gradually develop and become integrated into the digestive process. Read more here>>>
UGA launches 14th annual Flavor of Georgia food product contest Jan. 2
By Madison Thornhill CAES News
There’s no magic recipe for success, but there is a time-proven secret ingredient: the Flavor of Georgia food product contest.

For the past 13 years, local food and beverage businesses have found their way into grocery stores and homes across the state after receiving recognition from the University of Georgia’s Flavor of Georgia food product contest. As the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences gears up for this year’s contest, they are announcing a new ingredient: Georgia’s Classic City.

The unique food scene of Athens and UGA’s commitment to growing small businesses makes the city the perfect location to bring the contest into a new decade. The contest has been held in downtown Atlanta since 2007. Read more here>>>
Dairy Outlook: December 2019
From Penn State Extension
A Bright Future
The recently reported October All Milk Price was the eleventh straight month of improved milk price and milk income (Tables 1 and 2). Feed costs have been up and down throughout the year, causing margin and income over feed costs (IOFC) to grow at a slightly slower pace (Figure 2). Futures on Class III and IV (Figure 3) suggest that a price plateau is ahead in 2020 around the $20/cwt all milk price. These futures prices provide great promise for 2020 as a year to rebuild balance sheets and make some sorely needed reinvestments on dairy operations. Another positive development for the American dairy producer is the very recent agreement on the United States, Mexico, Canada trade agreement (USMCA). Mexico is the number one export destination and Canada is the number three export destination for American dairy products. The USMCA cements our dairy trade relationship with Mexico as America furnishes 90% of all dairy products imported by Mexico. The USMCA also clears some dairy trade disputes between the United States and Canada and provides an opportunity to export additional American dairy products to our northern neighbor. All of this sends a very positive price signal to the markets and will be another factor that points to 2020 being a very good year. Read more here>>>
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has granted Dean Foods authority to access the full amount of its $850 million financing to continue operations.

Dean Foods and all of its wholly owned subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on Nov. 12, 2019. Once filing for bankruptcy, financial transactions must be approved by the bankruptcy court. Read more here>>>
By Mark Stephenson, Center for Dairy Profitability, UW-Madison
Christmas is just around the corner, and for dairy producers it almost feels like it.
The Class III milk price for November was announced at $20.45 — the highest level that we have seen since the same month back in 2014. The milk checks just received will certainly help pay for some bills and make us all feel a bit more like it is Christmas.
But wait . . . What is this big negative in my milk check?

The federal order is a Grinch and taking money back in the form of negative Producer Price Differentials (PPD). It’s anywhere from about minus $1 in the Upper Midwest and Northeast to more than minus $3 in the Central and California orders. How does that work?
Let’s remind ourselves of what the PPD actually is. Federally regulated milk plants pay a minimum for milk depending on the products they make from it:
  • Class I milk heads into fluid or beverage products
  • Class II are so-called “soft” dairy products
  • Class III are hard cheeses
  • Class IV are butter and milk powders
It isn’t always the case, but generally Class I prices are the highest and the prices get lower through Class IV.

To stop the brawl
If you are a producer, then you would always want to send your milk to a Class I plant to receive the highest price. But federal orders thought of this a long time ago, and they use a method called “pooling” to share the values among producers so there isn’t a brawl to sell your milk to any particular class of plant.
Every month, the Market Administrator calculates the pool in your federal order, which is announced as the statistical uniform or “blend” price. That is the minimum value that must be paid to producers. Read more here>>>
Plant-based milks aren’t the reason US dairies are struggling
By Chase Purdy , Quartz
Dino Giacomazzi’s family has been in dairy for more than 125 years. In 1893, his great-grandfather immigrated to the US from northern Italy, a region that is part of modern-day Switzerland. He bought property between San Francisco and Los Angeles from the Southern Pacific Railroad, and turned the plot into a dairy farm—the state’s oldest.

Giacomazzi is the fourth generation in his family that works on the Hanford, California farm. But recently, he made national headlines when he announced he would  shutter his long-running dairy  operation to shift entirely into almonds. The news made him a vegan hero overnight, a poster boy for the perception that plant-based milks are taking over the cow milk sector. Read more here>>>
Other Stories to Check Out This Week >>>
Calvin Covington, SE Dairy Industry Consultant and author of the Dixie Dairy Report, will close out the 2020 GA Dairy Conference on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Covington provides useful insight that helps industry leaders and producers prepare for the upcoming year. To learn more about the 2020 Georgia Dairy Conference, visit our website at http://www.gadairyconference.com/
Univ. of Georgia Seeking
Asst. Dairy Manager in Tifton

The Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at the University of Georgia is seeking an Assistant Dairy Manager (Animal Facilities Supervisor) for the UGA Tifton Research Dairy in Tifton.

For more information please visit
Georgia Agencies Partner to Host Feral Swine Workshops
From Southeast AgNet
Feral swine have become increasingly detrimental in Georgia, causing significant damage to agricultural crops and natural resources around the state. The economic impact of damage caused by feral swine in Georgia last year is estimated at $150 million.
So a group of agricultural and natural resource organizations, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s  Natural Resources Conservation Service  and the  Georgia Association of Conservation Districts , have partnered to host some of Georgia’s top experts on feral swine in a series of educational workshops for farmers and landowners. There will be eight workshops and trapping demonstrations throughout the state, four in Southeast Georgia and four in Northeast Georgia.

The first workshop will be held Jan. 30 at University of Georgia Extension in Lakeland, Georgia.

Topics will include disease issues, swine biology, water quality issues, effective control techniques, transport issues, public health and regulations to be followed by a question-and-answer panel of experts. There is no cost to attend the workshops, but space is limited and preregistration is required. More details and registration information is available at  GACD.us/events .
Upcoming Events >>>
GA Dairy Classifieds
TO ADVERTISE: EMAIL AD AND CONTACT INFORMATION TO FARRAH NEWBERRY at [email protected]

UPDATED 11/20/19

Position Available:
Assistant Dairy Manager (Animal Facilities Supervisor) UGA Tifton Research Dairy for more information please visit

The following are FOR SALE from Archie Felder. For more information call 1-803-682-3426 :
Dairy Tech Bag Pasturizer - $4,000
Tidenberg Hydraulic Hoof Table (like new) - $5,000
Hall stall sand leveler skid steer (never used) - $1,000
Mench Sand Trailer - $14,000
McLanahan 20 x 20 sand seperator - $25,000
Chiller Drake 24 hp, dual 12 hp scroll tank pumps, 3 phase - $10,000
Fans 3-phase w/brackets:
54" - $225/ea (18 available)
48" - $125/ea (20 available)
36" - $100/ea (20 available)
3000 Mueller Milk Tank - $5,000
20 springers 7 1/2 - 8 mos. pg - $1,450/ea (24,000 2x herd average)

Bull Calves WANTED:  Competitive pricing with 6 day a week pickup. Brandon Mason Cattle Company 912-632-4490

For Sale: Custom manure application and Dryhill manure equipment sales.  Contact Edwin @ 478-299-0717 with Agboys Custom Services LLC -  New 8"x52' lagoon pump with outriggers $24,000 (Pictured right)

FOR HIRE : Custom Silage Harvesting. Late model JD chopper. Will travel. Let me put your quality forage up! Nic Haynes, Muddy H Farms, 678-617-3379.

FOR SALE :  We have a continuous selection of fresh and springing heifers.   Call William at   (706) 768-2857  or visit our website at   crumpdairyreplacements.org