Dairy Farm with cows grazing in a field of green grass
Earnest Turk, 2018
FODIA Recipient

During the 2019 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 2018.  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.  
Georgia Farm Bureau holds 81st Annual Convention
From GA Farm Bureau

About 1,500 Georgia farmers and agribusiness leaders from across the state met on Jekyll Island Dec. 2-4 for the organization's 81st annual convention. The three-day event included a trade show and educational sessions that gave farmers updates on policy and production issues affecting Georgia's major commodities. During the general session on Dec. 3, convention attendees heard from Gov.-elect Brian Kemp, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.
 
Long reviews Harvest 20 Vision initiatives, outlines organization's developing programs
While delivering his annual address to Georgia Farm Bureau members, GFB President Gerald Long said the organization's efforts under the Harvest 20 Vision have been successful, and he announced new initiatives being developed, including an increase in research funding, the Agriculture in the Classroom Mobile Unit and the Land & Leadership Advocates program.

"All through our policy book there are statements of support for research," Long said. "Funding for research is a prime example of Farm Bureau putting its policy to work."

The GFB Board of Directors also has approved funding for the Ag in the Classroom Mobile Unit, which will travel the state providing interactive lessons focusing on farm topics, with the goal of promoting agricultural literacy in schools and educating consumers about ag.  Read more
From USDA

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2018 -Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today empowered local schools with additional options to serve healthy and appealing meals. A final rule on school meal flexibilities,  to be published later this month in the Federal Register, increases local flexibility in implementing school nutrition standards for milk, whole grains, and sodium.  Secretary Perdue said the final rule will deliver on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) promise, made in a May 2017  proclamation, to develop forward-thinking strategies that ensure school nutrition standards are both healthful and practical.

"USDA is committed to serving meals to kids that are both nutritious and satisfying," said Perdue.  "These common-sense flexibilities provide excellent customer service to our local school nutrition professionals, while giving children the world-class food service they deserve."

The actions taken today will benefit nearly 99,000 schools and institutions that feed 30 million children annually through USDA's school meal programs. This rule is part of USDA's Regulatory Reform Agenda, developed in response to President Trump's Executive Order to eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens.
Read more 
Eligible dairy farmers have until Jan. 28, 2019, to return a claim form for their share of a class action lawsuit settlement stemming from nonfat dry milk (NFDM) sales more than a decade ago. 

A $40 million settlement was reached in the lawsuit Carlin, et al. v. DairyAmerica Inc., et al., case number 1:09-cv-00430-AWI-EPG. 

Qualified producers should receive a letter and  claim formregarding the settlement from Rust Consulting, hired by the court to administer producer payments, by Dec. 11. The list of recipients was developed from Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) data, and the letter contains individual producer milk volume marketings. Producers can accept the milk volume listed in the letter, or dispute it and provide their own documentation to substantiate the milk volume they marketed.

Some producers may receive more than one claim form, with partial milk volume totals. Those include producers who may have switched co-ops during the specified period, and/or those who marketed milk in different FMMOs during the period. In that case, both claim forms should be submitted.  Read more
Global dairy giants have reaped a windfall in China since a 2008  tainted-milk scandal sent parents scurrying to buy infant formula from foreign suppliers. Multinationals including  Danone SA and  NestlĂ© SAtoday control more than half the $23.4 billion Chinese market. But lately a different health concern has provided entree for a scrappy challenger from Down Under.

A2 Milk Co., with offices in Australia and New Zealand, has more than doubled its Chinese market share over the past year, to 5.6 percent. Its selling point: milk from New Zealand dairy herds that produce only a protein known as A2, which the company contends is easier to digest than the blend of A1 and A2 proteins found in most European and U.S. herds. The naturally occurring variation in protein content stems from genetic differences among cattle breeds.

A2 "is building a passionate following from consumers," says Jayne Hrdlicka, the U.S.-born chief executive officer. "We see a huge opportunity"-not only in China, where it sells powdered infant formula, but also in the U.S., where the company has started selling chilled fresh A2-only milk at retailers including  Costco,  Walmart, and  Whole Foods.   Read more 
China and the U.S. have reached agreement in the sectors of agriculture, autos, and energy, and China will immediately start implementing that consensus, a government spokesman said.

"China will start from agricultural products, autos and energy to immediately implement specific items that China and the U.S. have agreed upon," Ministry of Commerce Spokesman Gao Feng told reporters in Beijing. "In the next 90 days we will work in accordance with the clear timetable and road map to negotiate in areas where both sides have an interest and there are mutual benefits, such as intellectual property rights protection, technology cooperation, market access, and the trade balance."

The comments provide some detail on how the talks are progressing, five days after the two nations' leaders met in Argentina to try and calm tensions and broker a deal. Read more   
Farming requires a certain amount of optimism. No matter how bad it gets, things will turn around in six months. As the picture gets painted for the 2019 dairy forecast, that appears to be the case as the second half of the year will likely be when producers start to see price recovery.

Actually, looking back six months, prices were destined for recovery before tariffs on dairy products put in place by three of our top four largest customers-Mexico, Canada and China-derailed progress. As production continued to sail along, that drop in sales to those three countries plus the negative demand ripples in the market from that decision caused prices to lag throughout the remainder of the year.    Read more  

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is insisting that people change their language in an effort to "remove speciesism" from daily conversation.

PETA wants people to stop using common sayings that include what the activist group calls "anti-animal language." These types of sayings would be "take the bull by the horns" and "kill two birds with one stone." PETA wants people to instead change those sayings to something like "take the flowers by the thorns" and "feed two birds with one scone."   Read more  
 
Those looking to eat healthy over Thanksgiving weekend were treated to some unappetizing news: A nationwide warning to stay away from romaine lettuce. After authorities linked lettuce to a number of E. coli cases, they issued a dramatic "do not eat" proclamation.

Food safety is vital to all Americans, and we've made major strides. Consider that 100 years ago milk was one of the leading causes of food-borne illness. Today, after the widespread implementation of pasteurization, not so much.

While ensuring people don't get sick from food is a vital function of government, it's also subject matter for left-wing activists to scare people and threaten companies. A recent news story on the ABC affiliate WJLA provides an example of sloppy, biased and deceptive reporting that does just this.

The issue? Antibiotics.  

Antibiotics are used in both human and animal medicine. They are substances that kill bacteria such as E. coli, but not viruses like the cold. On farms, veterinarians use antibiotics to treat sick animals or to prevent illness. If one animal gets sick, there's no reason to wait until the whole herd catches the bug to take action.

But animal activists and radical environmentalists see antibiotics as a wedge issue to smear conventional agriculture. They want to ban farmers and veterinarians from using antibiotics, claiming they are overusing the medicine and creating bacteria resistant to antibiotics, which in turn threatens human health.   
SEEKING SEVERAL DAIRY POSITIONS

Georgia Correctional Industries has a position to fill in the Reidsville Georgia area for a: 
Dairy Manager - Milking
Plant Operator 4- Milk Processing
Plant Operator 3- Milk Processing
Farm and Livestock Specialist 2 -Milking

Applicants should be comfortable with computers and software and have good communication and organizational skills.  Applicants should also have two years experience in dairy processing and excellent knowledge of all Department of Agriculture guidelines pertaining to milk processing.  If interested send a resume to Nicole Gaulthney at:  ngaultney@gci-ga.com    
This issue covers Southeast & National milk production, blend prices, demand, fluid milk sales and commodity prices
From The Dairy Alliance

Cirrus Charter Academy school nutrition director, Wendy LaShae Brinson, was introduced to The Dairy Alliance programming at the Georgia Department of Education TEAM UP Conference in May of 2017. Cirrus Charter Academy is part of the Georgia Charter School system and participates in the National School Lunch Program. Wendy was looking for ways to help increase breakfast participation that was at 18%. The Dairy Alliance's Julie Wilkinson met with Wendy and school administrators to discuss program options and grant opportunities. Plans were outlined to start an expanded breakfast program for the 2017-2018 school year utilizing the Fuel Up to Play 60 grant funding. The overall goal was to increase breakfast participation as well as dairy consumption with milk and yogurt. Cirrus Charter Academy received $4000 in Fuel Up to Play 60 funding in June 2017. This grant was used to support the purchase of equipment for Breakfast in the Classroom and Grab n' Go programs. Equipment consisted of rolling milk barrels, Fuel Up to Play 60 transport carts and insulated breakfast bags. During the 2017-2018 school year, tremendous strides were made with the new equipment and expanded breakfast programs in place. Among the 400 students, breakfast participation increased by 42.5% from the previous year and milk usage increased by 61.4% equal to 17,673 pounds of milk. The school also added yogurt to the breakfast menus resulting in the use of over 4,000 ounces of yogurt.

"Having extra equipment purchased with the Fuel Up to Play 60 funds has given my students more access to breakfast and dairy products. The milk barrel is a huge hit with its bright colors and the cart/bags has provided easy access for transport. The teachers love being able to keep the items ready and tasty for the students. Having the Fuel Up to Play 60 program in the building sparks interest in our staff, students and stakeholders and made a huge difference with our breakfast participation," said Wendy LaShae Brinson, Cirrus Charter Academy, School Nutrition Director.    Story found online here

Mother fatally pinned by hay bale - The Norman County Sheriff's Office has released more details of a farm accident last month that fatally injured a 28-year-old mother.

Katherine Brommenschenkel Vilmo, of Ada, was feeding cattle Friday, Nov. 16, on her family's farm in Hendrum along Minnesota Highway 200. It was about 9 a.m. when a large hay bale pinned Vilmo against a cattle feeder, according to a sheriff's office report.
Read more

Man buried under cattle feed on Michigan dairy farm dies -  A 35-year-old Middleville man has died after being buried beneath cattle feed on a dairy farm in southwestern Michigan.

The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reports that a 30-foot-high corn silage stack broke loose about 6:30 a.m. Friday on the farm in Van Buren County's Hartford, southwest of Grand Rapids.

The county sheriff's office says the man was a sub-contractor for a Grand Rapids company that was at the farm to conduct testing. Another worker found the man buried. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The incident is being investigated by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Meet Tera Baker, another great GDC speaker!  
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GA Dairy Classifieds

Young Stock Supervisor wanted - 
Hart Agriculture Waynesboro GA
Grazing 500-1000 animals
Must be familiar with rotational grazing and breeding
Please contact Maggie 352-507-2042 or  maggie@hartagriculture.com
 
Dairy Manager wanted - 
Hart Agriculture Waynesboro GA
300-700 milking cows
60 bale rotary, New Zealand style grazing system
Please contact Maggie 352-507-2042 or  maggie@hartagriculture.com

Heifers for Sale (SC): 
18 Bred Registered Holstein Heifers. Big heifers 6 Due in November, 5 Due in December, 3 Due in March  50 years in the Dairy business, Top herd in South Carolina. RHA 25,000, Closed Herd, All AI Sired, all AI Bred, and  Vaccinated. Contact: Debbie Glenn at  864-376-8582.

Bull Calves WANTED: Competitive pricing with 6 day a week pickup. Brandon Mason Cattle Company 912-632-4490

For HIRE: Southeast DHIA 
has a position to fill in the 
West Central Georgia area for a 
FIELD SERVICE TECHNICIAN. 
 Responsibilities include data 
collection on area dairy farms 
during milking time. S
chedule is somewhat flexible 
but the hours are non-typical. S
ome travel and out-of-town 
work likely. 
Applicants should be comfortable 
with computers and software and
have good communication and 
organizational skills as well as 
reliable transportation. Pickup Truck required. I
f interested send a resume to 

For Sale: Custom manure application and Dryhill manure equipment sales. 
Contact Edwin @ 478-299-0717 with Agboys Custom Services LLC  - 
New 8"x52' lagoon pump with outriggers $24,000 (Pictured right)

For Sale 3000 gallon Surge/Westfalia milk tank and wash system. Three phase condensers. 2002 model. Excellent condition. John B Gay, 478-494-5107

WANTED: DeLaval Westfalia
 Neck Transponders:  TN Dairy seeking used Westfalia neck band transponders. 
Please contact Bill or Peggy Howell if interested at 423-972-9254 or 423-371-3032.

WANTED: Looking for used pasteurizing and bottling equipment in working condition; Linda and Darrell Rankins, Jr.; 334-745-2357 (best times: mid-day and after 8 p.m.)

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.

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     
Upcoming Events:


Dec. 2-4 - Georgia Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, Jekyll Island

Dec. 10-11 - Rural Stress Summit, Atlanta, GA, click here for information

Jan. 22 - Feb. 1 GA Ag Forecast Series, click here for more information

Feb. 6 - GA Agribusiness Council's Legislative Breakfast, click here for more information
GA Milk Producers|706.310.0020|  gamilkproducers@gmail.com|  www.gamilk.org