Georgia Milk Producers Weekly Enews |
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Merry Christmas from Georgia Milk Producers!
The Georgia Milk Producers Board of Directors and staff would like to extend heartfelt wishes for a wonderful holiday to you and your families. We consider the opportunity to represent those that make up our great dairy community a blessing. Thank you for all that you do. The Georgia Milk office will be closed Dec. 24-25. The next edition of the GA Weekly Enews will be sent on Dec. 31. Merry Christmas!!
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December E-Newsletters for GA Milk and GDYF |
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From Farmer of Nothing to Farmer of the Year
From: Kathryn Murray, Growing America
I don’t farm a single acre that my family had or farmed,” says Lee Nunn proudly. “I am not a legacy farmer,” he continues emphatically. “My family had to sell most of their land in ‘86 to get out of debt.”
Nunn’s story is atypical for the world of farming and that’s what makes it all the more exciting. “It’s kind of unique the way I got going, which was basically from scratch,” he reminisces. The only thing that might be more impressive than maintaining farmland over the generations is generating a farming operation from scratch, especially one located just outside the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia.
Nunn grew up watching his grandfather raise dairy cattle and row crops - a unique combination in the rolling hills of Georgia’s piedmont region - in the same county where Nunn grows row crops today. It sparked an interest in him then, but his grandfather retired when Nunn was twelve and just getting old enough to help.
Self-proclaimed as “not a farm boy,” he really had nothing to do with agriculture throughout his highschool years and early 20’s. It was his love for equipment that eventually brought him full circle to farming. Read more here>>>
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AFBF Stands-Up for Farmers in Predatory Shakedown
By American Farm Bureau Federation
The American Farm Bureau Federation is standing-up for hundreds of dairy farmers being targeted by predatory lawyers representing the estate of Dean Foods, which is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. Almost 500 dairy farmers who once sold milk to Dean Foods received letters threatening legal action unless they refund money legitimately earned prior to the bankruptcy filing.
“Shame on these predatory lawyers for bullying dairy farmers at a time when many are struggling to keep their farms running,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “It’s ludicrous to suggest the meager profits from regularly scheduled and routine milk sales – sales that are heavily watched and regulated by the federal government – were outside the regular course of business. Someone needs to have the farmers’ backs and I’m proud to say AFBF is stepping-in to do just that.” Read more here>>>
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U.S. milk production update
From Dairy Farmers of America
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Milk Production report for November, U.S. milk production reached 18 billion pounds, up 519 million pounds (3%) from the prior year.
The U.S. dairy herd size was reported at 9.4 million head, up 62,000 cows (0.7%) from the prior year, and up 12,000 cows (0.1%) from the prior month. November milk production per cow was reported at 1,916 pounds, an increase of 43 pounds (2.3%) from the prior year.
U.S. milk production year to date for 2020 reached 204 billion pounds, up 4 billion pounds (1.7%*) from 2019.
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Don't forget to reserve your hotel room by Dec. 27th to get the discounted rate!
Make plans to join us in-person this January for the 2021 GA Dairy Conference. Our staff is working hard to ensure that safety protocols are in place to minimize the spread of germs during our event. We look forward to seeing you in Savannah, Jan 18-20!! For hotel reservation information, visit our website: https://www.gadairyconference.com/accommodations
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NEW --> Covid-19 Measures at GA Dairy Conference:
For additional information on safety precautions
FROM THE SAVANNAH RIVERFRONT MARRIOTT: The health and
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From Cheese Market News
As a challenging 2020 ends, more optimistic projections set the tone for 2021. Several factors in 2021 aid positive consumer sentiment in key dairy markets, including advanced states of several COVID-19 vaccines, less political uncertainty after the U.S. election, a weaker U.S. dollar that aids commodity prices, and projections for economic growth in most regions after the 2020 recession, according to RaboResearch Q4 Global Dairy Quarterly, “Tepid Supply Growth Awaits a Booster Shot for Demand.”
“Supply growth is slowing across primary export regions. Milk production gains across the global Big-7 dairy exporters (the United States, the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay) surprised in 2020, with growth at its highest level since 2017,” says Andrés Padilla, senior analyst-dairy, Rabobank. “However, we project a more moderate growth rate in 2021, albeit positive across all regions.”
The duration of the second COVID-19 wave and the arrival of vaccines are key to stabilizing 2021 first quarter demand in foodservice channels, Rabobank says, noting retail sales should strengthen further as more meals are consumed at home. Nevertheless, a full recovery in dairy demand is contingent on reaching pre-COVID-19 product sales.
The impact of less government intervention could be significant in the first half of 2021, the report adds.Read more here>>>
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Going out: when going big in dairy isn’t enough anymore
By Rachel Wagoner, Farm and Dairy
SUGARCREEK, Ohio — The milk parlor at Andreas Farms is quiet for the first time in decades. The last of the milk cows left the farm, on Sept. 21.
“It’s always something in the back of your mind,” Dan Andreas said. “How do you exit the industry? You know it’s going to happen, whether you’re alive for it or not.”
The Andreases got out of the dairy business this year, after more than 50 years of milking cows on their farm in Tuscarawas County. An opportunity came up to sell their entire milking herd all at once this summer, and they took it.
Dan Andreas and his son, Matt, ran the dairy together where they milked 1,200 cows and farmed hundreds of acres.
The decision was not an easy one, but in the end it was the right one.
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More Negative PPDs and De-Pooling Reignite Federal Milk Marketing Order Debate
By John Newton, Ph.D., Chief Economist, AFBF Intel
The price of Class III milk (milk used to produce cheese) rose to near-record highs in 2020 on the back of increased cheese demand, tighter cheese supplies and USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Meanwhile, the price of Class IV milk (milk used to produce butter and dry milk powders) remained at multi-year lows due to COVID-19-related market disruptions and price volatility. As a result, the difference between the Class III milk price and other prices of milk rose to record-highs. In June, 2020, the Class III milk price was more than $9.60 per hundredweight higher than the base Class I milk price. Similarly, in July, the price difference between Class III and IV rose to nearly $11 per hundredweight.
Due to these record-large price spreads and a 2018 farm bill change to Class I milk pricing rules, record amounts of milk were de-pooled from Federal Milk Marketing Order revenue sharing pools and producer price differentials reached record-low levels in component pricing orders, e.g., De-Pooling and Record-Large Negative PPDs Continue Into July. Producers in primarily fluid milk marketing orders didn’t have negative PPDs, but experienced milk prices well below the levels they would have seen had the milk price not been modified in the 2018 farm bill, e.g., Impact of the Farm Bill Change to the Class I Milk Price on Dairy Farm Income. The financial impact of these issues has collectively cost dairy farm families across the U.S. more than $3 billion in foregone income.
With another Food Box-style program, many of these challenges would likely continue into 2021 as cheese prices would be mostly disconnected from the rest of the dairy industry. Without another Food Box-style program, the expectation is that the price spread between the four classes of milk will narrow in the coming months, reducing (but not likely eliminating) the negative PPD and de-pooling incentives. Today’s article reviews recent negative PPDs by FMMO, estimates the total value of negative PPDs on FMMO revenue sharing pools and identifies potential dairy policy options. Read more here>>>
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A second round for Vilsack promising for dairy
From Katelyn Allen, Associate Editor, Hoard's Dairyman
In the debate for President-elect Joe Biden’s secretary of agriculture, many names were reported and discussed, but a familiar one emerged as the top choice: Tom Vilsack, who served as USDA Secretary for eight years under President Obama.
Secretary Vilsack, a former two-term Iowa governor, has been working as the CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council for the last four years and will bring that dairy experience to the USDA.
“He has spent the past four years working for the dairy industry, and I think he’s probably learned even more than he knew during his tenure as secretary of agriculture before,” Stephenson continued. “So, I think that this isn’t a bad thing for dairy; I think he’ll be altogether fair. I’ve been quite impressed with Secretary Vilsack.” Read more here>>>
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Dairy Foods Innovation: Be Ahead of the Curve in 2021
By Donna Berry, Berry on Dairy Blog
Too many forecasts to digest? How many even relate to dairy? Better yet, how can we make them relevant to dairy? Let’s explore what consumers actually purchased in 2020 and how the dairy industry can be ahead of the game and make sure these products are better than ever and more available in 2021.
There will be no trade-offs in 2021. People are smarter and stronger than a year ago. They plan to speak with their dollar more than ever before.
In an end-of-year progress report conference call with media on Dec. 17, 2020, Tom Gallagher, CEO, Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) and Barb O’Brien, president of DMI and the Innovation Canter for U.S. Dairy, along with Pennsylvania dairy farmer and DMI Chair Marilyn Hershey, provided a review of 2020 and a look ahead to 2021. The three confirmed what we already knew, consumers flocked to the supermarket dairy case during the pandemic.
Now that there’s a vaccine, which may allow for more flexibility in dining by the time summer rolls around, we need to keep dairy relevant to consumers. The speakers pointed out how COVID-19 has made consumers more aware of the food supply chain and sustainability efforts by all players in that chain. It matters. And will matter even more moving forward. That’s a good thing for the dairy industry because we are ahead of the curve. Read more here>>>
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Eggnog, Cookies, and other High-Fat Holiday Products Help to Support Butter Prices
By Fran Howard, Dairy Herd Management
Butter, no doubt, is the big kahuna of the holiday season, but other lesser-known Class I and II dairy products also play prominent roles in many seasonal traditions. Many of these products are also high in fat, offering Americans all of the comforts they crave during the holiday season, according to Betty Berning, analyst with the Daily Dairy Report.
“The shift toward high-fat dairy products is a multi-year trend that has likely accelerated due to the pandemic,” Berning says. “Milkfat consumption also typically picks up during the year-end holidays.”
For example, Eggnog, a decadent Class I product, might be one of the most iconic holiday dairy products, and grocers today carry many offshoots of the original. “Many extensions exist in the eggnog category, including newer non-dairy eggnogs such as those made with almond and soy, which provide competition to a category that dairy once owned,” she says. “Organic and lactose-free eggnogs can also be found on many grocery stores shelves. And Southern Comfort, a popular addition to eggnog, even offers its own eggnog mix.” Read more here>>>
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Tuesday Session Speaker: Tim Timmons is ABS InFocus Manager and has overseen the ABS beef on dairy program for the past eight years. Timmons travels throughout the U.S. delivering the ABS message on herd segmentation and how to use InFocus in a comprehensive breeding program. One of Tim’s biggest passions outside of ABS is sharing hope with people who struggle in the journey with cancer.
As the founder of the Pray Hope Believe Foundation, he & his friends
have supported more than 300 families in a fight with cancer. #letsmeetsmart #2021gdc
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Other Stories to Check Out This Week >>> |
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TO ADVERTISE: EMAIL AD AND CONTACT INFORMATION TO FARRAH NEWBERRY at gamilkproducers@gmail.com
UPDATED 12/10/2020
Will Raise Heifers for GA Dairy Farms: Hello we are located in Southern Illinois and have an abundance of pasture and cheap feed available looking to contract with a dairy to grow heifers for them, out location offers mild climate and we are just 558 miles from Montezuma Ga. Please contact 817-528-6645 very reasonable daily rates.
For Sale - Productive 360 Cow Holstein Herd For Sale, Parlor/Freestall/AI Sired/Lots of Young Cows/2X 70# 4%F SCC-160K More information at www.kreegerdairy.com or call Chad at 517-294-3484
For Sale- DeLaval 84 Vacuum Pump on Stand, Oil Reclaimer, 10 HP- 3 Phase Electric Motor. New Bearings, New Oil Seal, New Belts. $2000
For sale - Please contact John Felder for more information at 803-682-3425:
- Dairy Tech Bay Pasturizer - $4,000
- Tidenberg Hydraulic Hoof Table (like new) - $5,000
- Mench Sand Trailor - $14,000
- Hall Stall Sand Leveler (new) - $1,000
- Claas Silage Choppers - 960 1875 cutterhead hours, 4WD, 600 orbis, HD300 PU - $190,000
- Fans Cool Aire
- 18 54" $225.00
- 20 48" $125.00
- 20 35" 100.00
WANTED: Peter's Cattle Co. will buy any dairy, beef, and cross, bottle or weaned, bulls, heifers or free martins. Pick up weekly 7 days a week. Chris- 470-255-8515
Bull Calves WANTED: Competitive pricing with 6 day a week pickup. Brandon Mason Cattle Company 912-632-4490
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Farmer to Farmer Support Program Available for SE dairy farmers
Farmers across the Southeast are experiencing uncertain times like never before. All aspects of agriculture have been hit by market losses due to COVID-19, but dairy has reached a level of uncertainty that many have never experienced.
As we navigate through these next few months, dairy producers across the Southeast have come together to introduce the "Farmer to Farmer Support Program." If you find that you need support or would like to talk to a fellow farmer or industry friend, they have several volunteers that are willing and able to help. Georgia Milk Producers has also put together a packet on the program that you can access by clicking here.
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