GMP E-News: Latest News from GA Milk Producers

7 June 2024

This week's E-News is heavy on headlines and light on articles at the bottom, but I did want to take a moment to acknowledge the very special anniversary much of the world recognized yesterday. June 6 marked 80 years since the Allied Forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in what we refer to now as D-Day. The invasion went by codename Operation Overlord and involved about 133,000 soliders and 195,000 naval personnel from America, the UK, and their allies.

In Georgia we have several rich connections to D-Day and WWII more broadly. Fort Benning (now Fort Moore) outside of Columbus, GA served as a primary infantry and airborne training center as well as an officer candidate school for the US Army. Over 100,000 soldiers entered the Army at Fort Benning. Today there is a superb musuem dedicated to the US Army Infantry and the role the Fort and the greater Columbus area played in supporting the war effort during many periods in US history. I highly recommend spending an afternoon there if you are ever around Columbus.

Georgia's other notable connection to D-Day history is less revered, but arguably just as prominent in our imaginations and popular retellings of the European theater of WWII. Camp Toccoa in NE Georgia served as the training camp for 17,000 paratroopers from 1942-1945. Built at the base of a mountain called Currahee, the camp was brought back to life in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. In the show, as in real life, the young soldiers training to become paratroopers would hike and run up the US Forest Service road carved into the mountain. "3 miles up, 3 miles down" became their familiar refrain as they would trudge and lumber up to the peak. Today, a small museum remains on a portion of the old camp's footprint. The mountain top is covered by commercial and NOAA Weather Radio towers. The view from the top is blocked by these additions after the war.

Much of the area around Camp Toccoa returned to its pre-war condition. The landscape, like the men and women who carried on the war effort, went back to the way things were as best it could. I recently hiked up Currahee with a friend. It is fun to retrace the steps of the men lionized by one of my favorite TV shows. It's also jarring to see such a significant place in our history look and feel normal to some extent. But there are many markers and signs recognizing the importance of what took place there. And many dedicated individuals work very hard to maintain that memory today.

So many of our family members and friends lived through not just WWII but several major conflicts in our history. They made numerous costly sacrifices towards a greater cause, and we reap the benefits of those sacrifices today.

In this Issue:

Headlines
H5N1 Update
Georgia Dairy Farmers Invited to ACC for Milk June Meeting
June Dairy Month is Here!
Upcoming Events

Headlines

articles and press releases of interest this week

Your Weekly HPAI Update

USDA AHPIS is reporting the total number of herds that have tested positive for H5N1 is now 84 herds across 9 states. The Iowa Department of Agriculture is reporting that a dairy farm in Iowa did test positive on Wednesday. This makes the tenth state with a case of avian influenza in dairy cattle. Over the weekend Iowa Dept of Agriculture also said HPAI was discovered on a Turkey farm in an adjacent county. Right before we published this newsletter, Minnesota announced that it detected its first case of H5N1 in dairy cattle. USDA APHIS has yet to list the Iowa or Minnesota case on its H5N1 in dairy cattle webpage meaning the process of confirmation with the NSVL lab in Ames, IA may still be underway. When/if those are confirmed, the count will be 86 cases in 11 states.

Avian Influenza Case Count

Michigan: 24

Idaho: 19

Texas: 18

New Mexico: 8

South Dakota: 5

Kansas: 4

Colorado: 4

North Carolina: 1

Ohio: 1

*Iowa: 1

There appeared to be a jump in case numbers after the Memorial Day weekend. 11 new herds tested positive in Idaho, 4 in Michigan, and 3 in Texas and 1 South Dakota and Iowa. Iowa’s case makes it the first new state to report an H5N1 detection in dairy cattle since Colorado's first positive result was reported on April 25.

Pilot Program for Bulk Tank Testing

Last week we discussed the USDA’s announcement for a pilot program that would allow farms to submit weekly bulk tank samples for testing instead of individually testing up to 30 animals each time it moved cows across state lines. We are still waiting on additional information from USDA on how that program would work. USDA APHIS did post on its H5N1 online dashboard that nearly 3,400 pre-movement tests have been conducted since the federal order restricting animal movement went into effect on April 29. Using the data table published on the APHIS webpage, around 50 positive cases have been identified since the order took effect.

Georgia Dairy Farms Can Get PPE from Georgia Dept. of Agriculture

While there are no cases of avian influenza in dairy cattle in Georgia, Georgia dairy farmers can obtain personal protective equipment from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Contact your dairy inspector for more information.

Resources for Dairy Producers

Information on Assistance for Farmers Affected by H5N1 in Dairy Cattle

USDA HPAI in Dairy Cattle Resource Page

USDA Order on Movement of Lactating Dairy Cattle

USDA Additional Guidance on Movement Order

USDA Movement Order FAQ

Secure Milk Supply Biosecurity Website

UGA Veterinary Diagnostic Lab Email Guidance

Important Contacts for Dairy Producers

Georgia Department of Agriculture Animal Health Division

404-656-3667

animalhealth@agr.georgia.gov

Georgia Milk Producers

Bryce Trotter

229-221-3906

bryce@gamilk.org

UGA Veterinary Diagnostic Lab - Athens

706-542-5568

athndlab@uga.edu

UGA Veterinary Diagnostic Lab - Tifton

229-386-3340

dlab@uga.edu

Additional Resources for Dairy Producers

Agricultural Commodity Commission for Milk Meeting on June 20

The Agricultural Commodity Committee for Milk will be meeting on June 20, at 10:00 AM in the Boardroom at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, GA. ACCM is the state checkoff board that oversees the $0.10/cwt referendum on all milk marketed in Georgia.

Chairman James Coble invites any Georgia dairy farmer who is interested in attending the meeting to join the Commission as it hears proposals for FY '24 promotional projects and reviews ongoing promotions.

Upon arriving at the Georgia National Fairgrounds, park in the parking area immediately in front of the Reeves Arena building. Enter through the admin office to the right of the Reeves Arena entrance, and the boardroom is on the second floor.

For questions about ACCM or the meeting on June 20, contact Andy Harrison with the Georgia Department of Agriculture at andy.harrison@agr.georgia.gov.

June Dairy Month is HERE!

It’s officially National Dairy Month! Since 1939, June has been the time of year to celebrate all things dairy. Check out The Dairy Alliance’s National Dairy Month page to learn more about the celebrations this month, see dairy facts for Georgia and neighboring states, and listen to the 2024 National Dairy Month radio ads highlighting the nutritional benefits of milk. You can also follow along on their Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter accounts.

Also, stay tuned to the @GAMilkProducers social media pages for dairy month content from GMP!

GMP Classifieds

Dairy Farm for Sale in Screven County (GA) -

Green Meadows Dairy for sale. 986 acres (600 irrigated), 60-stall rotary parlor, 1,000 cow feed pad, 8 pivots,

Call Leo Ruijne for more details 806-292-9909 or email leo@unitedagllc.com

Special thank you to GMP E-News sponsor Kreeger & Associates LLC. Check out www.kreegerdairy.com or call 517-294-3484 to learn more about current listings and upcoming auction events.

Want to showcase your business to dairy producers and industry professionals across the Southeast and US? Email info@gamilk.org to learn more about how you can advertise in the GMP E-News