give thanks - Thanksgiving concept - words in white chalk on a blackboard surrounded by pumpkins
agriculture industry, farming, people and animal husbandry concept - close up of young man or farmer with cows milk in bottle at cowshed on dairy farm
Happy Thanksgiving to Your Dairy Farm Family
No GMP E-news next week, will return Friday, Dec. 1st

I am Thankful for you, the dairy farmer:

The farmer whose morning begins at 4 a.m. and ends hours after the sun sets.
The farmer who stays up all night to watch a sick cow or assist her with birthing difficulties.
The farmer who bales hay at midnight to save it from the coming rain.
The farmer who teaches his children about the value of hard work.
The farmer who works tirelessly to find the small rubber pulsator part contributing to a high SCC.
The farmer who visits with me at meetings and asks about my family.
The farmer who cooks dinner for her family after a long day of tending to calves and running errands.
The farmer who continues to learn and improve their management practices.
The farmer who thanks me for keeping them informed about industry issues.
The farmer who provides food for my family.  

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours. It's truly an honor to serve Georgia's dairy farm families.
Farrah Newberry
By Progressive Dairyman Editor Dave Natzke

The clock struck midnight, but we still don't know when large-herd dairy producers will be required to provide air emission reports related to stored manure.

Livestock producers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had sought a 60-day reprieve to meet a court-imposed air emission reporting deadline, originally set for Nov. 15. However, a federal court had not ruled on the extension request as the deadline came and passed.


"No reporting is required until the Court issues its order, or mandate, enforcing the April 11, 2017, decision. EPA will update this guidance to provide farmers with notice of when the mandate issues and reporting requirements begin. Please check this website frequently. Once the mandate is issued, farms should submit an initial continuous release notification to the National Response Center for qualifying releases that occur within a 24-hour period."  Read more
Publix Adding 40,000 S.F. To Its Atlanta Dairy Plant

Southeast regional grocer Publix Super Markets plans to expand its Atlanta, Georgia, dairy plant located in Gwinnett County, part of Metro Atlanta, by 40,000 s.f., bringing the total square footage of the facility to approximately 240,000. Located at 445 Hurricane Trail in Dacula, the plant expansion will bring a projected 44 new jobs, along with a capital investment of $48.7 million, to the area.

Publix's plans for the expansion project include installation of specialized equipment to enable the production of its Extended Shelf Life (ESL) product line. The facility is a part of the Publix distribution center, which totals more than 2 million s.f. Publix has nine distribution centers and 11 manufacturing facilities throughout the Southeast. Read more
GEORGIA COUNTIES RECEIVE DISASTER DECLARATIONS DUE TO TROPICAL STORM IRMA
From GA Farm Bureau

On Nov. 13 the USDA issued disaster declarations for 83 Georgia counties to help farmers mitigate their losses caused by Tropical Storm Irma, which moved through the state between  Sept. 10 and Sept. 15.

A total of 83 counties received primary disaster area designations.

An additional 25 counties qualify for USDA disaster assistance programs because they are contiguous to a primary county designation.

Farmers in counties named either primary disaster areas or contiguous counties are eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans  from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months  from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for more information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at  http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

To see if your county falls under this declaration, click here . 

REGISTRATION OPEN AND FREE FOR GA DAIRY FARM FAMILIES    

Registration fees and conference meals are free to Georgia dairy producers and their families. Please let us know if you will be attending the Conference!  All information regarding the conference can be found online at www.gadairyconference.com .
 
Georgia Milk Producers will ALSO 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!
 
 
 
By Caitlin Rodgers, Georgia dairy farmer via Hoards.com

Your network of consultants can bring new information and ideas to the dairy.


Two important questions to ask yourself as a dairy farmer are, "Do you use the resources at hand to overcome your herd health obstacles?" and "Do you use the resources at hand to make changes to better your herd's condition?"

At Hillcrest Farms, we have put together what we like to call the herd health "Dream Team." We have reached out and expanded our resources for questions, concerns, and obstacles that we may encounter in our herd. Within this dream team we have our nutritionist, Holly Ballentine; veterinarians Darrel Wester, Bob Patrick, and Jana Powel; and University of Georgia's Clinical Assistant Professor of Dairy Production Medicine Emmanuel Rollins.   Read more  
Price of Thanksgiving dinner falls to the lowest since 2013
BY Kellie Ell, USA TODAY

Diners can give thanks that the price of this year's Thanksgiving Day meal has gone down.
The average cost of this year's feast for 10 is $49.12, a 75-cent decrease compared with last year's average of $49.87, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation's 32nd annual price survey. 

The turkey centerpiece decreased by 2 cents per pound. That means a 16-pound turkey that feeds 10 people with plenty of leftovers will set you back $22.38 - a 36-cent-per-pound savings compared with last year.

In a statement, John Newton, the American Farm Bureau Federation's director of market intelligence, said the lower retail turkey prices are a result of increased production and inventories of turkeys.    Read More 
Animal Rights Group Released Video Showing Alleged Abuse at Second Florida Dairy Farm
  
An animal rights group released a video Thursday showing alleged abuse at a second Florida dairy farm, days after they released shocking video at another leading dairy farm led to firings and the company's product being dropped by a supermarket giant.

The group, known as Animal Recovery Mission, released the nearly 10 minute video they say was recorded in August at the Burnham Dairy Farm, located in Okeechobee.    Read More   
Activists Protest California Dairy, Steals Calf
By Lewis Griswold, The Fresno Bee

Direct Action Everywhere, an activist group based out of Berkeley, protested at Zonneveld Dairies in Laton Tuesday afternoon. The group says the dairy, a supplier for Land O'Lakes, mistreats its animals. They took a calf from the farm last week, and planned to ask the dairy to give them the calf's mother at the demonstration. 
 

During the 2018 Georgia Dairy Conference, Georgia Milk Producers will award the Friend of the Dairy Industry Award to an individual or company that has served as a strong advocate for Georgia's dairy industry during 2017.  This award is open to any individual who is involved with the dairy industry (cooperative officials/field representatives, feed/supply companies or salesperson, veterinarian, etc.). Please send in your nominations today! CLICK HERE to submit nomination.

A growing number of Americans seem to be convinced that some things are just better with butter. According to data from the USDA, per-capita consumption of butter reached 5.7 pounds in 2016 - up a 1.4 pounds since 1996 and a full pound since 2006.

Retail data back up the trend. Information Resources Inc. (IRI), a Chicago-based market research firm, reported that dollar sales for the refrigerated butter category climbed 2.3% to $2.6 billion during the 52 weeks ending Aug. 6, 2017, continuing a multi-year trend. Unit sales rose 3.4%. Moreover, four of the top-10 butter brands - Kerrygold, Cabot, Tillamook and Crystal Farms - posted double-digit dollar and unit sales increases during the same timeframe.   Read more  

China remains a significant importer of dairy products and, thus, an important customer for a domestic capacity-strapped U.S. dairy industry. But as time goes by, the domestic dairy industry in China continues to grow and expand. In 2018, for the first time in 10 years, China is expected to reduce the amount of imported dairy products. 

Domestic fluid milk production is expected to increase by about 2.8% to 36.5 million tons, according to a USDA Foreign Agriculture Service GAIN report. For several years the Chinese dairy industry has made a concerted effort to improve the genetics of the national dairy herd, and it appears that the work is paying off as these cows are starting to hit their peak production. In addition, significant facility improvements have helped bolster production.  Read more 
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR 2018 FLAVOR OF GEORGIA CONTEST

The University of Georgia's Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest helps to highlight the state's burgeoning food product scene with its annual competition.Registration for the 2018 contest, which is coordinated each year by the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, is now open at  www.flavorofga.com.

Now well into its second decade, the competition serves both food entrepreneurs, assisting them in testing new products and reaching a larger audience, and established brands, helping them break into new markets and receive accolades for established product lines.

To date, more than 1,200 food products have been entered in the contest. Many of these products are sold in regional and national markets. As a result of the contest, some have increased their wholesale distribution or internet sales or experienced better traffic at local farmers markets.

Product categories include barbecue sauces, beverages, condiments and salsas, confections, dairy and related products, honey, jams and jellies, meats and seafood, meat-alternative products, sauces and seasonings, snack foods, and miscellaneous products. There is no limit to the number of products an individual business can submit.

The early registration fee is $100 per entry and continues through Jan. 19, 2018. After that date, the price increases to $150 and remains open until Feb. 8, 2018. 
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.

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Call for 2019 GA Dairy Conference Presenters/Topics 

The planning committee for the 2019 Georgia Dairy Conference is seeking relevant, innovative and valuable topics/speakers.  Individuals, companies, universities, organizations and government agencies may submit proposals for consideration by December 1, 2017.

The Georgia Dairy Conference is held in Savannah in mid-January. More than 300 dairy professionals and farmers from 10 different states attended in 2017 - representing nearly 103,000 cows. 

Coordinated by the Georgia Milk Producers and industry partners, our planning committee works hard to develop a timely and innovative agenda for the conference each year. The 2019 Georgia Dairy Conference is scheduled for Jan. 20-23 at the Savannah Riverfront Marriott. 

Mark Your Calendars:

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