Now that it is summer, we are starting to think ahead to fall harvest. Minimizing ensiling losses or shrink can maximize the profitability of our corn silage harvest. Many publications have shown typical losses of 10% to 20% shrink from harvest to consumption by the cow.
Check out these phrases: carbon neutral, reducing your environmental footprint, carbon credits, climate change, carbon offsets, producing products sustainably, sustainability. Unless you’ve been doing your best Rip Van Winkle impersonation for the past several months, it’s virtually impossible to read much in the ag media without being bombarded with these terms, all under the umbrella of “sustainability.”
Farm Progress recently talked with Jill Wheeler, senior manager of public affairs for Truterra, the sustainability business for Minnesota-based Land O’Lakes, and a farm owner herself. As one of the nation’s largest cooperatives, Land O’Lakes is farmer- and retailer-owned and is well-positioned to know the sustainability movement inside and out, and how agriculture can respond effectively.
Like many dairy farms, La Luna Dairy struggles to find enough workers to keep their 1,400-cow Colorado dairy humming. Not too long ago it did not matter how many help-wanted ads they put out, they only had 23 of their 28 full-time positions filled. “Labor shortage is a big challenge,” owner Jon Slutsky says. “Although we are doing better for the moment, even though we are frequently at least one employee short.”
The struggle is felt far beyond the Colorado dairy farm. Labor shortage is a top concern and a constant headache for many dairy farmers from coast to coast.
“Attracting and keeping employees is a shared challenge for dairy farmers facing competitive labor markets and labor shortages,” Nicole Ayache, senior director of sustainability initiatives for National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) says.
Don’t buy water.
Moisture is the water present per pound, bushel, or ton. This may seem rudimentary, but the point here is that water in purchased feed brings no economic value and dilutes out a valuable dry matter. When comparing commodity feed options, we have to first exclude the water and look at the price per pound of the dry matter before accounting for other nutritional factors.
Hilmar Cheese Company, founded in 1984, is one of the world’s largest producers of high-quality American-style cheese and whey products, with customers in more than 50 countries.
The new facility is expected to create 247 new jobs and represents $460 million in capital investment. The project is estimated to bring an additional $550 million in capital investment and 750 new jobs within a fifty-mile radius of Dodge City by late 2023.
As restaurants reopen in the U.S., Americans are once again eating food laden with more butter and cheese than most home cooks would dare to use. The extra consumption is sending prices higher.
Cheese sold on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 500-pound barrels is up 18% so far this year. That’s the processed kind you’d top a burger with and find at most restaurants. Cheese sold in 40-pound blocks, the sort used in party platters and consumed in homes, has risen 9%.
“We are seeing a very healthy trajectory on volumes” of dairy products going to restaurants, said Beth Ford, Chief Executive Officer of Land O’Lakes Inc. “It’s accelerated even more rapidly than we expected.”
Read the full article by Breanna T Bradham and Kim Chipman with Bloomberg here.
This virtual learning opportunity will be offered as a two-day event in English on Tuesday, November 3rd and Thursday, November 5th from 1pm – 2:30pm. The same information will be presented in Spanish on Tuesday, November 10th and Thursday, November 12th from 1pm – 2:30pm.
Registration is required ahead of time by visiting https://tinyurl.com/y6bqfjyq. Thanks to generous sponsors, registration fees have been covered.
“Virtual learning opportunity will be presented over ZOOM with demonstrations, videos, presentations, and discussion. Each two-day school will cover the topics of monitoring dry matter content in forages, dealing with the forage bunk face, troubleshooting issues that may arise with the mixer wagon when combining feed, and managing the feed in front of the cows. Following best management practices around handling forages and feeding dairy cows can promote health, productivity, efficiency, and profitability of a herd.”
As we head into summer, dairy retail sales look strong, but the outlook on dairy over all appears to be mixed.
According to Abrielle Backhaus, research coordinator with IDDBA, retail dairy sales percentage gains have been up double digits over some of the comparable weeks in 2019 for 12 consecutive weeks, however, only the second week in the past dozen, in which sales growth, slipped below 20% when compared to the similar week a year ago.
To learn more, check out this recent article by Progressive Dairy’s Dave Natzke.
The USDA is updating the Dairy Revenue Protection Sales Period.
Starting June 5th, 2020, the sales period for Dairy Revenue Protection will begin no later than 4:30 PM (CT) and will end at 9:00 AM (CT) on the next business day or 9:00 AM (CT) on Sunday, whichever is earlier.
“The DRP program is an excellent risk management tool for dairy producers, providing peace of mind during unpredictable market fluctuations such as the dairy industry is experiencing now,” RMA Administrator Martin Barbre said. “USDA wants to be sure that we make the necessary adjustments to ensure that the Federal crop insurance program continues to serve the risk management needs of our nation’s producers during this unprecedented time.”
To learn more about the USDA update, Check out this article by the Hoard’s Dairyman: https://hoards.com/article-28070-usda-modifies-dairy-revenue-protection-sales-period.html
For more information about DRP, visit RMA’s website or contact your local crop insurance agent using the RMA Agent Locator.
Due to concerns related to the coronavirus, this year’s World Dairy Expo in Madison has been canceled.
“Our collective heart is heavy as we share with you that World Dairy Expo 2020 has been cancelled,” said the event’s general manager Scott Bentley in the press release. “We know how much this hurts; we feel it, too. Please know other options were explored and considered by the World Dairy Expo Executive Committee and staff.”
For additional information, including answers to frequently asked questions related to the cancellation, please visit worlddairyexpo.com.
To learn more, check out this article by Bridgit Bowden from Wisconsin Public Radio.
