Dean Pardue Represents UGA Well at Sunbelt 2017
A Dairy Great Week at the 2017 Sunbelt Ag Expo!!

Beautiful weather made for a great week at the 2017 Sunbelt Ag Expo!  The dairy pavilion was busy serving delicious milk and yogurt, donated by Dale McClellan and M & B Products, and ice cream sandwiches sponsored by the GA ACC for Milk. The  Georgia Agribusiness Council also stopped by the pavilion on Tuesday as part of their South Georgia Ag Tour with many Atlanta area legislators.

Georgia's Mobile Dairy Classroom educated the public each day on where milk comes from, how it is processed, the healthy benefits of consuming dairy products and dairy farmers' management of natural resources.  A cow milking contest was also held on Monday between the Deans of Agriculture from the University of Georgia, Auburn and the University of Florida. 

Many thanks to Chip Blalock, Wendell Brown, Steve Blackburn, Gina McDonald and the expo staff for making this a great event each year!


Next Friday: GA Dairy Managers Series to focus on Reproduction Technologies


Georgia dairy  farm families and managers are invited to attend our next GDMS series titled "D o's and Don'ts of   Reproductive Technologies".  The series will focus on new dairy reproduction technologies for cows for first AI, early non-pregnancy diagnosis and for resubmission of nonpregnant cows for second and greater AI.  Our speakers, Dr. Jillian Bohlen and Dr. Roberto Palomares, from the University of Georgia. will also provide do's and don'ts of reproductive technologies used in a reproductive management program. Meetings are open to dairymen, managers, and employees - free of charge and will be held from 10 a.m. until noon.  Please preregister for meal by calling our office at 706-310-0020.

The meetings will be held on:

October 27         10 a.m.      Burke Co. Extension Office, Waynesboro
(715 West 6th Street, Waynesboro, 30830)
 
November  1      10 a.m.       Reid Bros. Irrigation Company, Americus
( 908 Adderton St, Americus, GA 31719)
           
November 2       10 a.m.      Andy's BBQ Restaurant, Eatonton
(100 Friendship Rd SW, Eatonton, GA 31024)
Retailers Are Bottling Their Own Milk, Raising Pressure on Dairy Companies
By Heather Haddon and Benjamin Parkin, Wall Street Journal

Food retailers are becoming big players in the milk processing and bottling business, a development that threatens to squeeze a longstanding network of dairy processors and farmer-owned plants.

Milk is a low-margin commodity, susceptible to price swings. Americans are drinking less of it, even as demand rises for cheese, butter and other dairy products. But grocery executives say ensuring for themselves a steady supply of what remains one the most frequently purchased items in their stores is worth spending millions of dollars on manufacturing facilities.

"Virtually every basket that goes through has milk," said Erin Sharp, group vice president for manufacturing at  Kroger  Co.  KR 0.62% , the largest U.S. supermarket chain by revenue and stores. Read more
U.S. Seeks End of Canada Dairy System as Latest Nafta Talks Wrap
By Josh Wingrove, Bloomburg Politics

The U.S. wrapped up the fourth round of  Nafta trade talks with a bombshell proposal to dismantle Canada's dairy sector, adding to a list of demands its trading partners say would be impossible to accept as negotiations grow more fraught.

The proposal delivered Sunday would effectively kill Canada's so-called supply management system by fully eliminating tariffs on supply-managed products over 10 years, according to two officials familiar with the measures, speaking on condition of anonymity. The basics of the proposal were later confirmed by U.S. officials. Supply management is a system of quotas and tariffs for milk and other products that Canadian officials argue avoids oversupply and guarantees stable pricing and production. President Donald Trump has called the system "unfair" to U.S. farmers as he  threatens to back out  of Nafta.  Read More  
By Abby Bauer, Hoard's Dairyman

Much like people, cows with the right amount of body conditioning are healthiest and perform best. Overconditioned cows are more susceptible to metabolic disorders and infections and are more likely to have difficulty at or after calving.

Thin cows can have lower milk and milkfat production, and these cows are also less likely to show heat or become pregnant.

Body fat on dairy cows is measured on a 5-point body condition scale. The amount of body fat rises as you move up the scale. Determining the level of conditioning helps dairy farmers better manage individual cows or groups of cows.

Body condition scores are most useful when they are assigned accurately and consistently. New technology is available that can measure body condition scores using a camera, taking out some of the risk for human error. This option may become more widespread as time goes on, but for most farms right now, the traditional method of scoring using trained people will be the most readily available and cost effective.
The scoring system is fairly simple, but it takes some practice to get good at it. Penn State Extension's Coleen Jones went through the basics of body condition scoring in the video, "Learn to score body condition."   Read More   
NAFTA: U.S. Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturing
From AFBF Market Intel

As an agricultural group that represents producers, we don't regularly discuss food and beverage manufacturing, beyond recognizing that the sector provides important customers for our products.  However, given the importance of food manufacturing to the U.S. economy and our trade with NAFTA partners, more discussion is warranted. Read More
Progressive Dairyman Editor Dave Natzke

A proposal under discussion to change the method of calculating federal milk marketing order (FMMO) minimum prices for Class I (fluid) milk could have a significant impact on producer milk prices, according to John Geuss, dairy consultant from Naples, Florida.

 In a previous post, Progressive Dairyman summarized risk management analysis of the proposal from John Newton, Market Intelligence director with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). Read:  Could FMMO Class I price formula changes reduce risk, fluid milk slide?

In his analysis ( "Proposed changes to fluid milk pricing, and why farmers need to care"), Newton said the proposal could benefit processors and farmers through reduced price fluctuations and had the potential to stem the tide of declining fluid milk sales.   Read More
University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead (right) and 2017 Georgia Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Farmer of the Year Everett Williams (left) are pictured at the 40th annual Sunbelt Agricultural Expo in Moultrie, Georgia, on Tuesday, Oct. 17
UGA President Morehead visits 40th annual Sunbelt Agricultural Expo

University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead discussed the future of Georgia agriculture with industry leaders at the 40th annual Sunbelt Agricultural Expo in Moultrie, Georgia, on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

"I look forward to the Sunbelt Expo every year," Morehead said. "Speaking with agricultural leaders from across the state always serves as a constant reminder of the critical role the University of Georgia plays in supporting our state's most important industry."

Morehead, who has attended the expo every year since becoming UGA president in 2013, visited the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) building, where he spoke with CAES Ambassadors and met Southeastern agricultural leaders. He also delivered remarks at a listening session hosted by U.S. House Committee on Agriculture members, and he encouraged policymakers to continue looking to UGA as a source for data to inform agricultural policy.

CAES contributes to Georgia's food, fiber and horticultural sectors through research conducted at various experiment stations, research and education centers, and farms statewide. The college has an annual student population of about 2,000 and more than 11,000 alumni living in Georgia.   Read more
By Sherry Bunting, Farmshine

Legendary Brown Swiss Old Mill E Snickerdoodle died peacefully just shy of 19 on Monday, October 2 - the eve of the 51st World Dairy Expo, where she is the only cow in history, of any breed, to win her breed championship six times. Snickerdoodle was also once supreme and twice reserve supreme in Madison.

In 2013, she stopped milking at over 14 years of age, with an impressive lifetime production of 261,000M 12,665F 9,895P having milked 3,629 days! That was the year she won the dry cow class with a huge show of respect from colleagues and spectators at the 2013 World Dairy Expo at nearly 15. And she produced her last few embryos in her final flush at over 16 years of age in 2015. Her lifetime total exceeds 400 regular embryos and 60 IVF. Read more 
If the world's major agriculture companies go ahead with planned mergers and gain greater control of the way food is produced, farmers will face higher costs and food will eventually become more expensive to buy, a panel of experts said on Friday.

Since 2015, several high-profile deals have come onto the table including a $130 billion merger between U.S. agrochemical giants Dow and DuPont, Bayer's buyout of Monsanto, ChemChina's acquisition of Syngenta and its planned merger with Sinochem.

"We are now in unchartered territory. If the deals on the table go ahead, three firms will control more than 60 percent of global seed and pesticide markets," said Pat Mooney, lead author of a report launched by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food).

"Farmers will face ... anywhere from 1.5 percent to 5.5 percent increases in seed prices, if you follow the pattern of mergers," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Pesticide prices will also rise, he said.
China Dairy Giants Shake Off Scandal to Become Blue Chips
From Bloomberg News

A decade after Chinese dairy companies were roiled by a scandal that poisoned thousands of children, investors are seeing the biggest players as safe bets.

Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co. and  China Mengniu Dairy Co. have soared to all-time highs as the companies hunt aggressively to build up their milk supply chains through foreign acquisition. Also underpinning the bullishness is the virtual duopoly's rosy earnings prospects amid a shift to more profitable segments like premium yogurt and infant formula.

With China's dairy demand forecast to grow 37 percent to $76 billion in five years -- overtaking the U.S. to become the world's biggest dairy market -- the bull run may have further to go.   Read more 
Sponsor Registration for the 2018 GA Dairy Conference is Open!
Sponsorship registration is now open for the 2018 GA Dairy Conference!  Join us Jan. 15-17 in Savannah, GA,  for the premier Southeastern dairy conference.  

Each year the Georgia Dairy Conference  provides companies with the option to network with dairy producers and industry leaders, while extending a company's brand with several sponsorship opportunities. Dairymen from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia have attended this conference in the past.
 
Don't wait - register today!  Georgia Milk Producers offers 4 levels of support for companies interested in sponsoring our conference and/or participating in our trade show.

5th Annual SQMI  Meeting will be November 8-9 in TN

The 5th Annual Southeast Quality Milk Initiative (SQMI) Meeting will be hosted by the University of Tennessee and held at the Inn at Opryland, Nashville, on November 8-9, 2017. SQMI is a USDA-NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative funded grant designed to enable dairy farmers to move profitably toward production practices compatible with the concept of a sustainable dairy industry in the Southeast. This program is being developed by milk quality professionals from six Southeast Land-Grant Universities and targets challenged dairy farms and those operations producing superior quality milk as demonstration herds. To accomplish this, we have integrated outreach, education, and research initiatives to improve milk quality and contribute to lower costs and greater revenues on-farm.  
Registration is now open for the 2017 AG Labor Relations Forum

 
The latest updates for growers, shippers, processors and other agricultural professionals regarding labor relations matters. Hear advice from industry experts to help you comply with new labor laws.  Click here for more information
Mark Your Calendars:
October 27         GDMS Repro Meeting, Waynesboro
 
November  1      GDMS Repro Meeting, Americus
November 2       GDMS Repro Meeting, Eatonton
GA Dairy Classifieds

For Sale:  Jersey cows, heifers and calves for sale.  Registered with AJCA, all ages! Contact Matt Holton at 770-718-8271, call or text.  Dawsonville, GA.

HELP WANTED:   Farm and Livestock Supervisor for the Georgia Corrections Industries Dairy
located at the Rogers Farm Operations, Reidsville, Ga. Overview of duties include but not
limited to managing a farm and livestock operation. Supervise staff and inmates. Perform
administrative duties and oversees land, equipment and vehicles. For a more complete detail
of the job and how to apply please go to gdcjobs.com., Georgia Corrections Industries.

FOR SALE:  
TRIOLIET  SOLOMIX 2 1600 ZKT
  • TANDEM AXLE
  • DIGI STAR 3600V SCALE
  • RIGHT-LEFT-REAR DOORS
  • NEW HARD FACING ON AUGERS
  • NEW KNIVES
For information contact Jim Reid at 
229-924-2474 
or email at jim@reidbros.com

FOR SALE:  
Coastal Hay for sale.  $50 for 4 x 5 round bales or $6 a square bale.  Contact Ryan Keith in Waynesboro at 803-627-0762.

WANTED:  Looking to purchase 300 to 500 lb Holstein heifers. Please call Ray Ward  at 

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 
 

Bullcalves Wanted : Looking for Bullcalves to purchase - Barron Tench 864-844-2295 or  barron.tench@gmail.com     
GA Milk Producers|706.310.0020 |  gamilkproducers@gmail.com | 
www.gamilk.org