23 August 2024

August is almost over, and that means it's Fall District Meeting time in Georgia. All Georgia dairy farmers are invited to attend their local Fall District Meeting to hear updates from Georgia Milk Producers and The Dairy Alliance. If you haven't already, check out the flyer below for the full schedule of meetings, and email Bryce at bryce@gamilk.org to RSVP. Our industry friends are also invited to attend.

-BT

In this Issue:

• Headlines
• August Dairy Market Report
• Presidential Candidate Campaigns on Capping Food Costs
• Climate Smart Dairy Project Taking Signups Now
• SDBII Webinar for Upcoming Grants
• GA Dairy Conference Registration is Open!
• GMP-TDA Fall District Meetings
• Upcoming Events
• GMP Takes Part in Farm Tour with GA Leaders

Headlines

articles and press releases of interest this week

• US Undercounts Bird Flu in Cattle as Farmers Shun Testing
• Congress Can Stand Up for Dairy’s Nutrition
• Harris’ Plan to Stop Food Price Gouging Could Create More Problems Than It Solves
• As Birds Start Migrating, Are Dairy Cows Safe?
• China to Probe European Dairy Imports as Trade Dispute Escalates
• Dairy Spot Markets Hit Several Milestones
• Environmental Groups Threaten to Sue EPA Over Air Emissions from AFOs
• USDA Offers Disaster Assistance to Agricultural Producers in Georgia Impacts by Hurricane Debby
• U.S. Dairy Back in the Driver’s Seat
• Canada Rail Shutdown Threatens US Supply Chains
• Milk Production Might Be Down This Year and in 2025
• Fall Armyworms Are Stirring Up Trouble for Georgia Producers

August Dairy Market Report from NMPF-DMI

From this Month's Dairy Market Report:

"Fluid milk, yogurt, butter and non-American-type cheese posted positive annual growth in domestic commercial use during the second quarter this year. Significant export growth was posted by all types of cheese and by whey protein concentrate and isolate, with dry whey showing a smaller increase. Overall, however, aggregate domestic use was flat during the period. 

U.S. milk production was below year-ago levels during each of the 12 months from July 2023 through June 2024, with an average drop during those months of 0.8 percent from production during the prior 12 months. Total milk solids production increased by 0.4 percent and milkfat production was up by 1.7 percent during this period. 

Dairy product and farm-level prices, as well as margins over feed costs, have continued to rise in recent months as supply has kept pace with demand."

Click here to read the full report.

Harris Calls for Ban on Food Price Gouging; Is Price Gouging to Blame for Prices

It's not often in a presidential election that agriculture and food policy takes its turn at the front of the news cycle. University of Illinois' Farm Policy News blog does a good job of breaking down the latest policy suggestion from the Harris campaign to cap food prices by aggressively policing what it calls "price gouging." As the author and his sources point out, it's difficult to determine whether price gouging in the legal sense has been occurring or if overall inflation is to blame for increased prices at the grocery store.

The blog post quotes from several news articles with quotes from industry leaders and commentators and is worth a quick read.

Read the full blog here



Sign Up for Georgia Climate Smart Dairy Project

The Dairy Alliance, Georgia Milk Producers, and Newtrient are partnering together on a project to create a climate smart dairy production roadmap for producers in the state. Made possible by a technical assistance grant through Georgia NRCS, this project will provide participating farms with their own environmental sustainability assessment and plan while NRCS will receive a comprehensive review of dairy sustainability projects that can benefit the GA dairy industry and qualify for USDA programs. Got questions? Email Mekenzie Panhans or Bryce Trotter and sign up by clicking the poster below.

SDBII Grant Opportunities for Producers and Producer-Processors

Southern Dairy Business Innovation Initiative is now taking requests for funding for two dairy producer grants: the Specialty Processing Equipment Grant and the Dairy Business Planning Grant. Dairy producers can apply for either grant before September 25, 2024.

Click the screengrab above to watch a webinar by SDBII staff that covers eligibility requirements, suggested projects, and more.

For more information about these grant opportunities, visit the SDBII website at sdbii.tennessee.edu. If you have any technical questions about the grant you can contact Bryce Trotter at GMP (bryce@gamilk.org) or Dr. Jillian Bohlen with UGA (jfain@uga.edu). 

Additional Resources

• SDBII Informational Webinar
• Specialty Processing Equipment Grant RFP
• Dairy Business Planning Grant RFP



2025 GA Dairy Conference Registration Open

Registration for the 2025 Georgia Dairy Conference is now OPEN! All guest registrations for the 2025 GDC include access to the Tradeshow, General Session Seminar Series, Pre-Conference Symposium, GMP Awards Luncheon, and complimentary breakfast at our host hotel. Take advantage of our discounted registration rates today and secure your spot at the Southeast’s premier dairy event.

To learn more and register, visit our website at: www.gadairyconference.com/registration.

GMP-TDA Fall District Meetings in September

GA Dairy farmers and their families are invited to attend their local Fall District Meeting hosted by Georgia Milk Producers and The Dairy Alliance. Join us for dinner or lunch as we provide updates from our two groups, vote on district officers, and enjoy time together as an industry. RSVP to Bryce Trotter at bryce@gamilk.org.

GMP Classifieds

7 Valve Federal Filler for Sale in Hall County (GA) - $30,000

Used mechanical filler for sale. Good Condition. Great for Start-Up Processing Plant. Email gcdairy@gmail.com for more details, photos, and vidoes.

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

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

GMP had the opportunity to join members of the Georgia General Assembly, Commissioner Harper and team from GDA, and the leadership from UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences this week for a brief tour of the UGA Teaching Dairy in Athens. Attendees discussed current UGA programming at the dairy and potential improvements that can strengthen the Dairy Dawg program for years to come. Special thanks to our ag leaders for their continued support of the dairy industry in GA.

Until Next Time,

Bryce Trotter