California’s Class 4b milk price whey factor is now permanent. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will not defend a state law that excludes farm workers from the right to organize. Montana’s Board of Livestock approved a fee arrangement to help pay the costs of dairy inspections in the state. This and other U.S. region-by-region dairy news can be found here.
To find news in your region, click on its link below.
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SOUTHWEST
California Class 4b whey factor made ‘permanent’
A temporary whey factor used to determine California’s Class 4b milk price since last August will soon be permanent. California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) secretary Karen Ross ordered the change effective June 1.
“Permanent” under California’s state milk marketing order is relative. USDA is currently in a rulemaking process to consider proposals to create a California federal milk marketing order, which would align pricing formulas with other federal orders. That process could take another year or perhaps longer.
Under California’s state milk marketing order, Class 4b milk is the same as Class III milk under FMMOs, utilized primarily in the manufacturing of cheese and whey products.
Pricing formulas under the state and federal orders aren’t the same, however, resulting in lower Class 4b milk prices paid to California producers than the comparable Class III milk prices paid in federal orders. It has been a divisive issue between the state’s producers and processors for years, and the April 11 hearing was the seventh hearing in five years.
Ross had ordered the temporary adjustment to the dry whey scale, designed to bring the Class 4b and Class III milk price in closer relationship, on all milk marketed between Aug. 1, 2015, and July 31, 2016.
Ross overruled one recommendation issued by an advisory panel. While agreeing the Class 4b milk price should be raised and that the dry whey factor be used in the minimum price formula, the panel recommended a dry whey factor cap of $1.55 per hundredweight. Ross capped the whey factor at just over $2.00 per hundredweight, the same as the existing temporary adjustment.
According to CDFA analysis, had the dry whey scale been in effect from March 2011 through February 2016, the five-year monthly average Class 4b milk price would have been $0.96 per hundredweight higher with a $0.44 increase in quota and overbase pool prices.
Find the order issued by Ross, as well as other related documents on CDFA’s Dairy Marketing Branch hearing matrix website.
Dairy risk management workshops planned in California
HighGround Dairy and AgriCFO will present two regional “Navigating the Dairy Markets” workshops in California in early June.
Sessions are set for June 7 at the International Agri-Center, Tulare, and June 9 at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, Modesto. Both sessions begin at noon with lunch provided.
In addition to a market outlook, topics will include:
• Managing the financial complexities of the dairy business
• Developing a comprehensive risk management strategy
Advance registration is requested by June 1. To register, email Curtis Bosma or call (312) 870-1185.
Dairy science students rally against Cal Poly campus development proposal
Cal Poly students are organizing a campaign to stop the potential replacement of land used for dairy education with new recreation fields and a parking garage, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
A petition led by Cal Poly dairy education supporters has gathered more than 1,600 signatures with a goal of reaching 5,000.
Cal Poly’s draft master plan provides a 20-year blueprint for development and land use on campus. Some of the land considered for development is currently used for dairy production, education, outreach and research.
Cal-Poly’s administration said the plan is only a draft, and officials are committed to the future of agriculture and dairy science at the school.
NORTHWEST
Montana dairy inspection fee schedule developed
Montana’s Board of Livestock approved a fee arrangement to help pay the costs of dairy inspections in the state, according to Daily Inter Lake.
The plan, which would slightly reduce charges for dairy farmers but add fees for processors, was based on a recommendation from the Montana Milk Producers Association. Montana has 67 dairy producers and 17 processors.
The department will publish the new rule June 3. After a public comment period, it could become effective as soon as July 8 if no changes are made.
Washington’s Mainstream Holsteins among ‘Herds of Excellence’
Mainstream Holsteins, owned by Randy and Jana Kortus, Lynden, Washington, received one of four 2016 “Herd of Excellence” awards from Holstein Association USA.
To be named a Herd of Excellence, herds must be 25 percent above breed average Mature Equivalent (ME) for milk, fat and protein; have classified within the last year and have an actual average classification score of 83 points or higher; have at least 70 percent of the herd homebred and be enrolled in the Association's TriStar production records program.
Mainstream Holstein’s ME production averages were 36,018 pounds of milk, 1,542 pounds of fat and 1,043 pounds of protein.
MIDWEST
Holstein Association USA honors three Wisconsin ‘Herds of Excellence’
Three of four Holstein Association USA 2016 Herd of Excellence award recipients are from Wisconsin.
To be named a Herd of Excellence, herds must be 25 percent above breed average Mature Equivalent (ME) for milk (M), fat (F) and protein (P); have classified within the last year and have an actual average classification score of 83 points or higher; have at least 70 percent of the herd homebred and be enrolled in the Association's TriStar production records program.
This year's honorees from Wisconsin are:
• The Brewer Family, Glenn-Ann Holsteins, Albany. ME production averages – 33,203M 1,303F 1,067P
• The Behnke Family, Bur-Wall Holsteins, Brooklyn. ME production averages – 35,328M 1,330F 1,098P
• Thomas J. Kestell, Ever-Green-View Farms, Waldo. ME production averages – 37,887M 1,526F 1,156P
Professional Dairy Producers Foundation offers organization education program grants
The application deadline for organizations seeking Professional Dairy Producers Foundation (PDPF) educational grants is June 1.
PDPF supports unique programs that help build dairy producer professionalism and public trust in how dairy products are produced.
Organizations may apply for grants for up to $5,000. For grant criteria and an application package, visit the PDPF website.
Dairy Iowa event includes program for dairy farmers, youth
Mike Pearson, Iowa Public TV’s Market to Market host, and University of Minnesota dairy economist Dr. Marin Bozic are the headline speakers for a “Dairy Iowa” event on June 14 at the Prairie Links Golf and Event Center in Waverly, Iowa.
Bozic will address plant and processor capacity in Iowa, as well as future dairy protein demand. The program also includes a panel of dairy farmers who will talk about succession planning and dairy expansion.
The event, open to all of the state’s dairy farmers and supporters, will be combined with a youth communications workshop for young people wanting to learn more about advocating for the dairy community.
Dairy Iowa is a collaboration between Midwest Dairy Association and the Iowa State Dairy Association. Registration for both events begins at 9:30 a.m. To pre-register, email Sue Ann Claudon with Midwest Dairy Association or call (515) 330-7906.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources compiling buffer maps
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is finalizing buffer maps mandated by state law.
The state’s buffer law establishes new perennial vegetation buffers of up to 50 feet along rivers, streams and ditches that will help filter out phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment. The law provides financial support for landowners to install and maintain buffers.
The agency is accepting corrections and comments to the preliminary buffer maps. It is expected to produce final maps by July 2016.
Missouri plans June Dairy Month celebration
The Missouri Dairy Association (MDA) and Department of Agriculture will celebrate June Dairy Month with special activities on June 17.
Activities start at 10 a.m. with an Ozark Mountain Creamery farm and plant tour in Mountain Grove, Missouri. A lunch and formal program, featuring a June Dairy Month proclamation, will be held at noon at the Mountain Grove Fairgrounds. The Southwest Missouri Dairy Goat Show is also being held at the fairgrounds that day.
Ozark Mountain Creamery processes and bottles the milk from its own cows. The dairy farm was started by Phillip and Dora Fry in 1957. Today the business is operated by their sons, David and Dwight, and their families.
Read more from the Missouri Dairy Association.
EAST
New York won’t defend farm worker unionization exemption
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he will not defend a state law that excludes farm workers from the right to organize.
Cuomo made the comments shortly after the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Crispin Hernandez. The lawsuit alleges Hernandez, who was employed at a large upstate New York dairy farm, Mark Farms LLC, from April 2012 until September 2015, was fired after he and another employee, Saul Pinto, discussed workplace conditions with other co-workers and labor organizers.
The lawsuit charged Cuomo and the State of New York with failure to protect all workers when exempting farm workers under the State Employment Relations Act (SERA).
Cuomo called the exemption a “flaw” in the SERA because “farm workers are not afforded the right to organize without fear of retaliation, which is unacceptable, and appears to violate the New York State Constitution.”
Cornell’s PRO-DAIRY creating ‘Beginning Dairy Leader’ program
Cornell University’s PRO-DAIRY is opening applications for a program offering high school participants the opportunity to explore post-secondary agricultural education and career opportunities.
The Beginning Dairy Leaders program is open to high school students entering at least their sophomore year. High school graduates not eligible. Applicants must have potential interest in dairy industry careers and pursuing post-secondary education in agriculture.
Participants must be willing to commit to one Saturday program in November, February, March, April and June.
Cost is $100 and application deadline is June 30. For application information, contact Deborah Grusenmeyer by mail at Cornell University, 272 Morrison Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, email or call (607) 255-0656.
Dairy science student named University of Georgia ‘Student Employee of the Year’
Kayla Alward, a fourth-year student at the University of Georgia (UGA), was recently named Student Employee of the Year award from the UGA Career Center.
Alward, a native of Guyton, Georgia, is majoring in animal and dairy science at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). She works as the calf caretaker at the CAES Teaching Dairy.
Alward was also the winner of the Southern Association of Student Employment Administrators’ (SASEA) Student Employee Award, part of the SASEA regional competition which covers student employees from 12 states.
Hood Milk Sportsmanship Scholarship winners recognized
New England-based dairy processor HP Hood has awarded 18 high school seniors with $5,000 Hood Milk Sportsmanship Scholarships. Three students from each of the six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, were honored for their integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the playing field.
Now in its seventh year, the Hood Milk Sportsmanship Scholarship is one of the largest scholarship programs in New England. Award criteria includes grade point average, participation in varsity sports and sportsmanship and community volunteer activities.
Read the list on scholarship winners. PD
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