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GA Milk Weekly Enews March 8,
2019
Y
our weekly update for the Georgia Dairy Industry
Brought to you by the Georgia Milk Producers, Inc.
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| Barrington Dairy, Monetzuma |
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Cheers to Maury Cox from GA Milk Producers
Special cheers to our Kentucky friend and dairy farmer advocate Maury Cox. Maury retired last week as the
Executive Director of the Kentucky Dairy Development Council, a position he's held since May 31, 2009.
His leadership at KDDC culminates a life-long career in the dairy industry. He began as a dairy farmer, and later worked for Kentucky Artificial Breeders Association / Select Sires. He was a founding member of KDDC in 2005, and became the Dairy Consultant Director in 2007.
Maury - your smile, laughter and positive attitude will be missed at dairy industry meetings across the Southeast. Thank you for the partnership and the many years of work you put forth to help our Southeast dairy farm families. The only down side to Maury is his love for the Kentucky Wildcats (just kidding - Go Dawgs)!! Best wishes on your next chapter in life!!
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GDMS Session to Cover Dairy Revenue Protection Program and Farm Bill Update This Tuesday, March 12
with
Eric Swanson, AFBIS and T
ripp Cofield,
GA Farm Bureau
You are invited to attend the following educational session in Macon:
New Tools to Manage Risk for Dairy
Tuesday, March 12
10 a.m.
Georgia Farm Bureau Headquarters
1620 Bass Road
Macon, GA 31209
This session will provide an overview of Dairy Revenue Protection program, how the program works, including the various options to tailor the program to producers' individual needs by locking in either class or component prices, as well as what a producer can expect to pay for - and get back - in the form of indemnity payments using Dairy RP. A review of the revamped Margin Protection Program, now called the Dairy Margin Coverage Program will be covered as well. This meeting is open to dairymen, managers, insurance providers and industry - 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.
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Georgia's Fake Meat Bill Passes Senate
From Georgia Agribusiness Council
As the momentum builds across the country with several other states passing similar legislation,
SB 211
from Senator Tyler Harper crossed a major hurdle by passing through the Senate early Thursday morning. Sen. Harper's
legislation will address the emerging field of lab grown protein products as well as plant-based products that have been mislabeling their packages for years. The companies that have developed this new technology have been insistent that their products should be able to use the term meat, even though their products do not meet the definition provided by the federal government and their products do not come from a real, harvested food animal.
SB 211
is a huge priority for GAC as well as our partners across all of agriculture. We believe that meat comes from livestock that were raised by farmers and ranchers and does not come from cell-cultured lab products.
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Every three years, the Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Milk (ACCM) must hold a producer referendum as required by the Commodities Promotion Act. Recently, the Georgia Department of Agriculture sent out ballots to reaffirm the 15-cent check-off for another three years. If ACCM is not reaffirmed by Georgia dairymen, the 15 cents will still be taken out of your milk check and sent directly to national dairy promotion check-off.
ACCM engages in numerous projects promoting milk and educating the consumer on the importance and nutritional value of dairy products in their diet. Currently ACCM funds The Dairy Alliance, a statewide retail milk marketing campaign in all Georgia Kroger stores (launches March 1) and soon a retail milk promotion program with a major convenience store chain in Atlanta. In addition, ACCM funds the Mobile Dairy Classroom, the Georgia Farm Bureau "Farm Monitor", the Milk On My Mind Campaign, the Georgia National Fair Dairy Exhibit and product promotion (milk) during key state events.
By having ACCM, Georgia dairy producers are able to keep 10 cents of the 15-cent check-off at the state level.
Please remember, if the ACCM Referendum DOES NOT pass:
- The 15 cents/cwt. will still be collected and sent to the national check-off
- All money collected will go to the National Program (currently 10 cents stays at the state level and 5 cents goes to the national level).
- There will be no state control of a dairy promotion program.
- Funding for ACCM projects, including the Mobile Dairy Classroom, will be eliminated.
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March 2019 Dixie Dairy Report
Calvin Covington
This issue discusses milk production increase by region, the decline in cow numbers, packaged fluid milk sales and blend prices.
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GA Food Animal Conference Will Officer Producer Session Friday, March 29
Friday's general session at the Georgia Food Animal Conference will feature nationally-renowned speakers including Dr. Morgan McArthur and Dr. Francis L. Fluharty. The sessions will focus on greater stress management, finding the value of the VCPR, lost opportunities in cattle production, and veterinary stewardship.
For registration and additional information, click here.
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A new study from the University of Georgia suggests substantial benefits of treating heifers for mastitis 30 days before calving.
Up to 90% of first-calf heifers might be infected with either subclinical coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) or Staph. aureus mastitis. "This is based on my data collected in the southeast United States, but it probably is not far off nationally," says Steve Nickerson, a mastitis researcher at the University of Georgia.
Heifers that calve with Staph. aureus mastitis will typically produce 10% less milk, the difference between 20,000 lb. of milk and 22,000 lb. They are also at risk of chronic mastitis infections throughout their lifetime.
To prevent this, Nickerson conducted a trial treating heifers 30 days before calving with dry cow mastitis tube, teat seal or a combination of dry cow therapy and teat seal.
Read more
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By Caitlin Rodgers, Hoard's Dairyman, Ga Dairy Farmer
Our dairy has transformed in many ways since I returned home from college.
I have been out of college now for six years. It definitely doesn't feel that long, but I guess that's how life goes.
When I was in high school, my dad made me come home straight from school, clock in, and start feeding calves. After I graduated from high school, I moved away to attend college. It was about a three and a half hour drive, and for the first two years I made that trip back and fourth just about every weekend to work on the farm. The last two years of college I worked at the UGA (University of Georgia) Dairy in Tifton, right up the road from school, so I didn't get to come home as much.
Almost every kid learns to love their time away at college, and so did I. At the time, I wanted to keep going for my master's degree, but my dad wouldn't have it. He needed me to come back home and help out on the farm. So I packed my stuff after graduation and headed for home. If he would have let me, I would have gladly became a "professional" student. But Dad knew what was best for me, and I think the timing couldn't have been better.
Read more
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From University of Missouri, Successful Farming
This winter, farmers have found groups of cows dead, often falling on newly unrolled baled hay. In the worst cases, half the herd dies. Often the first sign of trouble is 10 dead cows.
In the last month, the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in Columbia diagnosed more than 200 deaths from nitrate poisoning. The lab's toxicology section head, Tim Evans, said it first in an emergency conference call of MU Extension folks: "It's very complex."
According to MU Extension, beef nutritionist Eric Bailey told of first aid to help nitrate-stricken cattle: feed shelled corn to cows normally fed hay.
Read more
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From GA Farm Monitor
'Right to Farm' laws in the U.S., are currently being challenged, especially in North Carolina. That's where 26 different cases are focused on hog farms.
HB 545 (as mentioned above) is needed to help protect GA in the future from what NC hog producer are currently experiencing.
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Make plans to join us for the GDYF Golf Tournament this month.
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If you have excess dairy manure or are providing manure to a neighboring farmer supplying you with forage, it's important to know a ballpark figure of what that manure is actually worth.
The University of Minnesota (U of M) has developed an
on-line manure value calculator that helps you determine values, based on the type of manure you have available and its nutrient content, says Melissa Wilson, a U of M Extension soil specialist. (The calculator also can be used for beef, swine and poultry manure.)
. Read more
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Perdue: Dairy Producers Just Need To Hang On
Dairy producers have been promised a strong safety net within the 2018 farm bill, but have been waiting for that promise to be fulfilled.
"When Congress passed the farm bill, I naturally thought, well, let's go do it. Let's implement it. It doesn't work that way," says USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. "Everything has to go by rules, rules, rules in Washington D.C. and these agencies have to get down to the granular thing of defining what it is and the law and that's what we're doing right now."
As the details of the bill get worked on,
Perdue says dairy is top of mind.
"We have the highest priority on the dairy program because that's probably the sector that suffered the most under the prior margin protection program," Perdue says. "These folks are going to do very well going forward."
Producers need to continue to be patient, Perdue advises. "[Dairy producers] are under a lot of stress but they just need to hang on to probably March, April, May - we'll have rollout of different things all along there," he says.
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GA Dairy Classifieds
Calves wanted:
Competitive pricing with a 6 day a week pick up. Will buy bulls and heifers of all ages. Peter's Cattle Co. 470-255-8515
Young Stock Supervisor wanted -
Hart Agriculture Waynesboro GA
Grazing 500-1000 animals,
Must be familiar with rotational grazing and breeding.
Dairy Manager wanted -
Hart Agriculture Waynesboro GA
300-700 milking cows,
60 bale rotary, New Zealand style grazing system.
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.
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Upcoming Events:
March 12 - GA Dairy Managers Series:
New Tools to Manage Risk for Dairy
March 15 - GA Milk Board of Directors Meeting, Macon (Open to all dairymen)
March 20-21, Certified Waste Operator Training, Athens
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