Six heavy-hitting dairy seminars scheduled Progressive Dairyman will present six dairy-specific seminars at World Ag Expo in 2013. Half of the seminars will be video farm tours of successful dairy farms. This popular video tour format returns again this year.

Editors will also host prominent experts addressing issues at the forefront of the U.S. dairy industry at the other hour-long sessions.

All seminars will be held in an enclosed, climate-controlled room at the intersection of S Street and Expo Lane. The dedicated seminar complex is just a minute’s walk to the south of the Farm Credit Dairy Center.

Each of the seminars is explained in further detail below.

11 a.m.
Panel discussion on crossbreeding
Topic: A.I. and breeding

Each dairy breed is known for its unique characteristics. A few forward-thinkers are learning how to pull together the best from each breed to create the type of cow they prefer, regardless of color. Discover how crossbreeding is changing today’s dairy cattle.

Following an update on the state of crossbreeding research, a panel of participants will take questions from moderator Walt Cooley and from the audience. Invited panel participants include:

Jake DeRadt
Dairyman
LeMoore, California

DeRadt’s 1,000-cow dairy is 10 percent purebred Jersey, 62 percent Holstein, of which some are registered, and 28 percent crossbreds. The dairy has been crossbreeding Holsteins and Jerseys for more than 20 years and using European breeds for 10-plus years.

Jack Hoekstra
Dairyman
Oakdale, California

Hoekstra has been crossbreeding for 13 years. His herd of 1,550 cows is comprised of three-way rotational crosses between the Holstein, Montbeliarde and Swedish Red breeds. In the past, he has also crossbred with Normandy and Brown Swiss genetics.

Les Hansen
Professor of Animal Science
University of Minnesota

The majority of Dr. Hansen’s research at this time focuses on the comparison of pure Holsteins versus crossbreds. The documented decline of health, fertility, and survival of pure Holsteins has resulted in tremendous global interest in crossbreeding of dairy cattle.

1 p.m.
Video farm tour: Lucky Layla Farms , Plano, Texas
Topic: Milk processing and self-marketing

Meet a Texas dairyman “lucky” enough to survive milk price volatility who still loves milking and breeding high-quality Jersey and Guernsey cattle. He makes an award-winning drinkable yogurt distributed throughout the U.S. and also sells raw milk near the Dallas metropolitan area. A live Q&A will follow the video presentation.

Click here to read an article about the dairy.

World Ag Expo forage seminars

Each year World Ag Expo provides one-day seminars discussing current issues related to hay and forage production and cattle feeding. These seminars will be held Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013.

10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Hay Situation and Outlook in Western States
Speaker: Seth Hoyt, The Hoyt Report

The dynamics in the Western alfalfa hay industry. Where will alfalfa hay acres, production and prices be in 2013? Market analyst Seth Hoyt will give his educated predictions.

10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Panel Discussion: Innovations to Improve Forage Production and Quality
Moderator: Forrest Laws, director of content, Hay & Forage Grower / Penton Media
Panelists: Representatives from equipment companies

Innovation is the mother of invention, and invention delivers new products for farmers. Learn how the newest equipment innovations can help you improve forage production, from faster field harvesting to precise forage-quality analysis.

1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Secrets of High-Quality Hay and Corn Silage
Speaker: Dan Putnam, forage specialist, University of California, Davis

Entries in the 2013 World Ag Expo Forage Challenge reveal trends and insights that can make anyone a forage quality winner. Hear how quality forages are measured and what it takes to produce them.

2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Panel Discussion: Getting the Most from your Forage Testing Dollars
Panelists: Doug Degroff, Diversified Dairy Solutions, LLC and Jed Asmus, January Innovation, Inc.
Moderator: Ashley Bush, sales sepresentative, Mycogen Seeds , Modesto, California

Two dairy nutritionists and a forage testing expert provide guidance on which forage tests are most important for formulating rations, what to expect from a forage testing lab and what sampling and testing techniques deliver the most accurate results.

3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Don’t Let Spider Mites Get the Best of Your Silage
Speaker: Carol Frate, farm adviser, University of California Cooperative Extension

Spider mites can take a big bite out of corn silage yields, especially in hot, dry weather. Learn how to recognize the signs of spider mite infestation and how to prevent and control these pesky insects.

11 a.m. – 2013 price outlook
Topic: Milk prices

Joel Karlin of Western Milling will present his outlook for the California dairy market. Karlin is a market analyst and feed merchandiser for Western Milling in Goshen, California. He is responsible for merchandising six different feed ingredient products to dairy customers and other grain brokers. One of his main responsibilities is to provide market research to clients via a weekly newsletter. His areas of research include supply-demand analysis, price forecasting, and implementation of price risk management programs.

1 p.m. – Video farm tour: Bar 20 Dairy, Fresno, California
Topic: Dairy management

Peek inside the modern dairy management, attentive cow care and new technologies used at the dairy supplying more than half of the milk marketed under the well-known Producers Dairy milk label. A live Q&A with farm representatives will follow the video presentation.

An article about this dairy will appear in the Feb. 11th issue of Progressive Dairyman .

11 a.m.
Panel discussion with milk processors
Topic: Milk processing and marketing

Listen to California’s major milk buyers discuss current industry topics and issues, including milk procurement, base allocation, milk pricing and more. Invited participants include dairymen board members and executives from California Dairies Inc . (CDI), Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), Hilmar Cheese and Land O’Lakes . Learn more about the history of each co-op below:

California Dairies Inc.
California Dairies, Inc. is the largest member-owned milk marketing and processing cooperative in California, producing 43 percent of California’s milk on 485 dairies. The cooperative is the result of a successful 1999 merger of three of California’s most financially successful cooperatives: California Milk Producers, Danish Creamery and San Joaquin Valley Dairymen. All three cooperatives were rich in tradition with roots dating back to the turn of the 20th Century.

Co-owned by 430 dairy producers who ship more than 17 billion pounds of milk annually, California Dairies, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest suppliers of butter, supplying all sectors of the butter market including consumer retail, food service, private label and food manufacturing. It also produces dry milk powders and other items including cheese, condensed products, fluid milk and specialty dairy products. In addition, California Dairies, Inc. is the home of two leading and well-respected brands of butter – Challenge and Danish Creamery. California Dairies’ dairy products are available in all 50 states and in more than 50 foreign countries.

Dairy Farmers of America
Dairy Farmers of America works with their 15,000 dairy farmer owners to bring milk from their farms to family tables around the world. As a cooperative owned by dairy farmers, DFA is committed to providing a secure home for their milk, resources to help them on the farm and returns on the products DFA produces, from fluid milk and ice cream to cheese, butter and ingredients. In addition, DFA works to move the industry forward and sustain the dairy farming way of life for the next generation.

California is home to DFA’s Western Area office. The Western Area is one of seven regions within DFA created to ensure grassroots representation of members across the nation. Since its formation in 1998, DFA has proudly served its dairy farmer owners in California. There are more than 300 DFA members in California producing nearly 738 million gallons of milk each year.

Hilmar Cheese
Hilmar Cheese Company, established in 1984, is a privately held corporation owned by 11 Jersey dairy families. The company makes cheese and whey products that contribute nutrition, enjoyment and value to people’s lives. A worldwide leader in processing high-quality cheese and whey ingredients from its facilities in California and Texas, the company produces a variety of cheeses including cheddar, monterey jack, pepper jack, colby and colby jack. The division Hilmar Ingredients markets specialty whey proteins and high-purity edible, refined and ultra-refined lactose worldwide. Customers include companies throughout the U.S. and abroad in food service, ingredient and retail trades.

Committed to continuous improvement and innovation, the Hilmar Cheese Company has grown to process about 12 percent of the California milk supply from more than 200 independent dairy farmers. The business was founded on the principle of rewarding dairies for premium milk and the philosophy that long-term industry success will come from innovation in the marketplace.

Land O’Lakes
Land O’Lakes, Inc. is a national, farmer-owned food and agricultural cooperative with annual sales of approximately $13 billion. The nation’s second-largest cooperative and number 210 on the Fortune 500, Land O’Lakes does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. It is a leading marketer of a full line of dairy-based consumer, food service and food ingredient products across the U.S., serves its international customers with a variety of food and animal feed ingredients and provides farmers and ranchers with an extensive line of agricultural supplies (feed, seed and crop protection products and services) under the operations of Winfield Solutions and Purina Animal Nutrition. The cooperative handles more than 12 billion pounds of milk each year.

1 p.m.
Video farm tour: Medeiros and Sons Dairy, Hanford, California
Topic: Sustainability

See how a second-generation, 24-year-old dairy manager is investing in the little things to make big improvements in his family’s 2,500-cow dairy. Hear his long-term plans to continue to move the dairy forward. A live Q&A with farm representatives will follow the video presentation.

An article about this dairy will appear in the Jan. 21st issue of Progressive Dairyman . Click here to watch sneak peek videos of the virtual farm tours. PD