June 2022 Vol. 2
Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®
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MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND ACE TWILIGHT MEETINGS around the state on Aug. 29, 30, 31 and Sept. 1. The Agricultural Community Engagement® meetings provide an opportunity for dairy farmers to join with their rural and urban neighbors, community leaders and local elected officials to share ideas and solutions for issues that affect everyone: water and watersheds, conservation, transportation, local ordinances and more. You’ll also learn more about our recent alliance with Pheasants Forever® and what you can expect as a result of this partnership.
Each meeting begins with a dairy tour at 6 pm, followed by ice cream and discussion until 8:30 pm.
Attend a meeting at one or more of the following dairies:
- Mon., Aug. 29 – Wall-Stone Holsteins, LLC, De Soto, Wis.
- Tue., Aug. 30 – Bragger Family Dairy, Independence, Wis.
- Wed., Aug. 31 – JTP Farms, Dorchester, Wis.
- Thu., Sept. 1 – McFarlandale Dairy LLC, Watertown, Wis.
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MODERATING INFLAMMATION CAN IMPROVE WELFARE AND REDUCE LAMENESS for dairy cows, according to research published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Researchers conducted a 34-month randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of routine treatment with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ketoprofen at calving and during treatment for lameness, as well as the future probability of lameness and culling. They found that NSAID treatment at first and subsequent calvings and when treated for lameness appears to set animals on a trajectory to experience less lameness and less pain. Read the full study to learn more.
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WILDFIRE SMOKE IMPACTS DAIRY COW HEALTH. An article in the Journal of Dairy Science highlights the impact of unique air pollutants from wildfire smoke on dairy cattle in the western U.S. Researchers studied the effect on an Idaho dairy herd over seven days during the 2020 wildfire season, finding that cows produced less milk during smoke exposure and the decreased production persisted for seven days post-exposure. Higher air temperature and humidity combined with greater levels of fine particulate matter altered protein and fat metabolism and reduced immune cell populations in the cows’ blood. Learn more in the full article.
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CLEAN, FRESH WATER IS KEY TO HEALTHY CALVES. Water is essential to hydrate calves and effective rumen development. The National Dairy FARM program states that providing access to clean, fresh water from the first day of life is a best practice. Offering water separate from milk can increase weight gains by increasing dry feed intake, and water in the rumen provides a medium in which ruminal bacteria can live. Quality of water and cleanliness of equipment and buckets are other important factors in calf health. Learn more in the full article from Michigan State Extension.
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LEADING WITH AUTHENTICITY builds stronger relationships and trust among teams than in situations where a leader tries to have all the answers in every situation. An article from Fast Company shares how leaders can help team members collaborate, take risks and learn from both successes and challenges together. Key learnings include:
- Focus on questions, not answers
- Own mistakes publicly
- Embrace smart failures
Read the full article for more tips and questions to ask your team.
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CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MONEY are often the most challenging for families, especially when a business is involved. An article from Family Business Consulting Group highlights the importance of starting financial discussions with a consensus on family culture, core values and the ultimate goal of where the family and business want to go. Conversations should:
- Start by understanding and affirming shared values
- Allow enough time to explore and affirm the family’s dream for the future
- Share the financial assumptions and analysis of the decision at hand
Learn more about building a strong foundation for financial conversations here.
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FAN MAINTENANCE IMPACTS EFFICIENCY AND ELECTRIC BILLS. Effective ventilation systems are critical in dairy barns, especially during hot summer months. Maintenance should be completed on fans 3 to 4 times per year to ensure the efficiency of fan motors and air speeds. In fact, poor maintenance can decrease overall airflow by as much as 40%, which can increase electricity bills.
Maintenance steps include:
- Clean dust from blades, motor windings, sensors and thermostats.
- Lubricate the fan according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Check belts for wear and stretch.
- Check electrical cords and wiring for breaks or disintegration of wiring covering.
- Confirm the thermostat is operating properly.
- Check the angle of each fan so air movement of the fan blows to the ground level below the next fan.
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TUNE INTO THE DAIRY SIGNAL™. Join leading experts across dairy and agricultural industries, government and regulatory associations and universities for insights on the most pressing issues in today’s marketplace. The educational sessions air every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with recorded episodes available for free at pdpw.org. Click here to find archived recordings of sessions.
Presenters and topics covered recently include:
Hear about best practices for aerial seeding and interseeding cover crops into corn and soybeans, as well as strategies for optimizing typical conservation plots such as waterways and buffers and over-cropping small grains.
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Matthew Oehmichen, Co-Owner, Short Lane AG Supply LLC
Understand the impact that fertilizer deficiencies can have on alfalfa growth and quality, and learn what options exist if your crop has deficiencies.
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Dr. Don Miller, Ph.D., Director of Product Development, Alforex Seeds
Tune in to hear about the trends, opportunities and challenges that will shape the next six months in dairy and agricultural markets.
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Ben Buckner, Chief Grains and Dairy Analyst, AgResource Company
Human trafficking can – and does – happen everywhere, unfortunately. Learn what signs to look for in rural areas and in agricultural workforces, and what you can do to prevent it.
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Paul Marik, Captain of Patrol Division, village of Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
Sponsored by Balchem, this Rising Stars Graduate Research Showcase features recent graduates from the Nelson Lab at the University of Florida studying vitamin nutrition and physiology. They’ll highlight their fresh research on the effects of maternal choline and vitamin supplementation on offspring performance and vitamin D supplementation during development on first-lactation performance.
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Ana Vieira, Enogen Account Lead, Syngenta
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Samantha Zeitler, Yield Analyst, JBS USA
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Dr. Corwin Nelson, PhD, Associate Professor of Physiology, Immunology, and Endocrinology, University of Florida
Learn about the underpinnings of Wisconsin geology and how it impacts groundwater. This episode also explores the water yields of wells and resources available in Wisconsin and other states.
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David Hart, Hydrogeologist, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
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TRACEABILITY IN DAIRY INGREDIENTS IS GROWING IN PROMINENCE among consumers, according to a Dairy Foods article. A recent Nielsen research report shows that 73% of consumers feel more positively about companies that are transparent about where and how products are made, raised or grown. The article shares several examples of how companies are introducing programs to source ingredients from sustainable or regenerative agriculture practices and developing traceability and transparency systems to communicate to consumers. Read more here.
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GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR DAIRY MANUFACTURERS. The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA) will award $1 million in grants to dairy businesses in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin for ideas to tackle a challenge facing the industry or move the dairy industry forward. Reimbursable grants of up to $250,000 each will be awarded through a competitive review process. Grant recipients will be required to share the results of their project. Grant applications open on July 11, and abstracts must be submitted by Aug. 31, 2022. Learn more here.
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CHOCOLATE, COOKIES N’ CREAM AND VANILLA top the charts of favorite ice cream flavors for consumers, according to the 2022 Ice Cream & Frozen Novelty Trends survey. With National Ice Cream Month just around the corner, the survey reports that 73% of consumers consume ice cream at least once per week, with 84% preferring to purchase ice cream at a grocery store and eat it at home. Not only is summer the most popular time for ice cream consumption, but nearly 60% of all ice cream is also produced in July. Check out more ice cream findings in the survey results.
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Update from your Dairy Innovation Hub |
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Do local manure-management regulations improve water quality?
The following research update highlights the role of county land conservation departments in manure management. Contributing researchers include Marin Skidmore, Jeremy Foltz and Tihitina Andarge. Funding provided by UW Dairy Innovation Hub.
Regulation of manure storage and spreading is often controversial because family-owned farms have struggled economically, and economic crises have also affected local rural government budgets. At the same time, manure runoff remains a challenge to water quality in Wisconsin. This stress on farmers and communities increases the need for an efficient policy that reduces pollutants without creating an undue burden on farms.
Wisconsin farmers face a unique patchwork of manure-management regulations. Following the 2010 reforms, counties may enforce whichever aspects of NR 151 they write into their county manure-management ordinances. As a result, farmers in one county may face different regulations and enforcement from their local conservation department than farmers in the neighboring county. Regardless of variations between counties, regulation and enforcement protocols from state agencies are all the same. Wisconsin is unique in the Midwest; no other state gives counties the default right to enforce state code.
Our work looked to answer the question, “Do local manure-management regulations improve water quality?” We evaluated the subject through in-depth interviews with state and local policy makers, policy analysis and quantitative methods. We found that concentrations of ammonia (a proxy for nitrogen) and phosphorus are lower when counties require all dairy farms to develop a nutrient management plan. We also found that ammonia and phosphorus levels fell following the 2018 Silurian bedrock regulation. Both results are in line with the broad evidence that applying manure according to the "4Rs” – the four major fertilization factors: right rate, right source, right placement and right timing – is beneficial for water quality. Our results also highlighted the beneficial role of local agencies in working with farmers to improve water quality.
This update was authored by Marin Skidmore, a postdoctoral researcher in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. She studies the interaction of agriculture, development and the environment. Until this project, her primary focus has been on in the Brazilian Amazon, focusing on how zero-deforestation policies in the cattle sector affect both deforestation and agricultural productivity. In August, Marin will join the faculty at the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign as an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics.
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PDPW educational calendar |
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August 29, 30, 31 & September 1
ACE® Twilight Meeting
DeSoto, Independence, Dorchester
& Watertown, WI
November 9-10
Financial Literacy for Dairy ®-Level 1
Juneau, WI
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March 14-15
Wisconsin Dells, WI
March 15-16
Wisconsin Dells, WI
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“There’s a better way for everything. Find it.” - Thomas Edison |
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Professional Dairy Producers
820 North Main St.
Juneau, WI 53039
800-947-7379
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