In the news this week:
- Colorado mandates statewide HPAI testing of dairy herds
- Organizations unite to call for new farm bill
- Vitaliano: Supply-demand balance pushes milk prices higher
- Purina Animal Nutrition releases beef-on-dairy report
- Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin welcomes new board members
Colorado mandates statewide HPAI testing of dairy herds
The Colorado commissioner of agriculture issued an order for statewide mandatory weekly bulk tank highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) testing on July 22.
This applies to all Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) licensed commercial cow dairies in order to help identify any additional infected dairies with the virus, with the goal of preventing further spread of the disease.
“We have been navigating this challenging, novel outbreak of HPAI in dairy operations for nearly three months in Colorado and have not been able to curb the spread of disease at this point,” said Dr. Maggie Baldwin, state veterinarian. “We have seen devastating impacts of this disease not only to our dairy industry, but our poultry industry as well. With the strong support of the dairy and poultry industries, we feel that this is the best next step in order to protect these vital industries in our state.”
At this time, Colorado has the highest number of reported cases of HPAI in dairy herds in the U.S., with 47 confirmed detections. The state is also experiencing spillover of the dairy H5N1 strain, genotype B 3.13, into commercial poultry facilities. Colorado has had two spillover events, confirmed through genomic sequencing, and one presumptive spillover event from dairy operations into commercial poultry operations that have resulted in the death and depopulation of more than 3.2 million domestic chickens during the month of July.
The statewide surveillance will remain until further notice by the commissioner of agriculture or state veterinarian.
Organizations unite to call for new farm bill
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and more than 500 other groups representing agriculture, nutrition, conservation, the environment, rural development and several other sectors united in a call to action for the passage of a new, modernized farm bill.
The organizations sent a letter to leaders in both chambers, and leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees. The groups stated, “Millions of Americans rely daily on the provisions of the farm bill to produce food, fiber and fuel; to feed their families and others around the world; to voluntarily conserve fish and wildlife and their habitat; to provide sustainable solutions for clean air and water; to provide a producer safety net; to facilitate international trade; to create local jobs and robust economies; and to support rural development nationwide.”
The groups recognize that time is running out to craft and pass a farm bill this year. Passing a stopgap extension of this critical piece of legislation would put it at risk of further delay following the presidential election, the seating of a new Congress and other legislative priorities.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall said, “When more than 500 groups – many of which typically have competing agendas – come together and speak with one voice, it clearly demonstrates the urgency and importance of passing a new farm bill.”
Vitaliano: Supply-demand balance pushes milk prices higher
The overall supply-demand balance in the industry has moved dairy product and dairy farm prices and margins over feed costs higher in recent months, according to National Milk Producers Federation’s Peter Vitaliano. Summarizing dairy markets in the July 2024 Dairy Management Inc./National Milk Producers Federation Dairy Market Report, he said the supply-demand balance hasn’t yet significantly reversed the gradual reduction in retail dairy product prices that has occurred over the past year.
Fluid milk, yogurt, butter and other than American-type cheese all posted positive annual growth in domestic commercial use during March-May, while significant export growth was posted by all types of cheese and by whey protein concentrate and isolate. However, aggregate domestic use as well as total exports remained relatively flat to lower during the period.
U.S. milk production is on the threshold of an entire year of consecutive months below year-ago levels. However, continued increases in average component composition of producer milk has enabled U.S. dairy farmers to supply available demand for dairy products while keeping inventories of key products relatively stable.
For more information on commercial use, dairy trade, milk production, product inventories, prices and margins, view the July 2024 Dairy Market Report.
Purina Animal Nutrition releases beef-on-dairy report
Purina Animal Nutrition announced the release of its Beef-on-Dairy Industry Report, a collaborative effort featuring beef-on-dairy research, contributions from industry-leading experts and actionable insights for improving beef-on-dairy programs.
This comprehensive report is tailored to help producers make informed decisions, offering valuable information about genetic selection, management practices, nutrition strategies and market dynamics associated with beef-on-dairy production.
“We are seeing calf prices like we have never seen before with day-old calves bringing nearly 900 dollars. This opens doors of opportunity for producers to maximize their profit potential and meet the rising demand for high-quality beef,” says Laurence Williams, dairy-beef cross development for Purina Animal Nutrition. “By partnering with these industry leaders, we aim to foster collaboration across the supply chain and provide resources to dairy producers and cattle ranchers that help drive success for their beef-on-dairy programs.”
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin welcomes new board members
The Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) board of directors announced the seating of nine board members and the fiscal year 2025 executive committee. The DFW board reelected Janet Clark, District 16 from Rosendale, as board chair for her third consecutive year. Clark, along with 24 peer-elected Wisconsin dairy farmers, will lead the organization through the next fiscal year, from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
DFW board members elected to serve on the executive committee with Clark include Gail Klinkner, District 21 from Viroqua, as the vice chair; Sandy Madland, District 15 from Lyndon Station, will serve as the secretary; while Mark Crave, District 19 from Watertown, will take on the role of treasurer.
The executive committee will also include Andrew Christenson, District 4 from Amery, as the chair of the communications committee, and Jonathon Hallock, District 13 from Mondovi, as the chair of the channel management committee. Kay Zwald, District 5 from Hammond, will serve as the chair of the policy/bylaw committee. Jeff Betley, District 9 from Pulaski, will serve as the chair of the Center for Dairy Research liaison committee.
Elected by their peers for three-year terms, the July annual election meeting saw the addition of seven new directors to DFW’s board – nine seated directors, eight recently elected and one recently appointed. The newly elected directors include Carolyn Alsteen of District 2 from Coleman, Jessica Pralle-Trimner of District 8 from Athens, Annaliese Wegner of District 14 from Ettrick, Mitch Kappelman of District 17 from Manitowoc, Jessica Kelley of District 20 from Rock Springs, and Jody Miller of District 23 from Avoca. Kay Zwald of District 5 from Hammond and Dan Hinz of District 11 from Pickett were reelected, while Ali Straschinske of District 6 from Boyd was newly appointed.
