DAIRY
US: Rain, Cooler Weather Helping Crops; Drought Not OverVOA NewsAugust 14, 2012U.S. officials say cooler weather and recent rain showers in the drought-stricken Midwest have largely stabilized crop conditions, but add that the drought is not over.
Former winners include football star Tim Tebow, Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte, major league baseball superstar Alex Rodriquez.
“Even the best performing financial result showed not enough revenue to cover variable costs. The lowest breakeven price was $23.41/cwt.” Robert Tigner, University of Nebraska Extension.
August-planted oats can yield two to three tons of dry matter per acre, more than double that of other fall-seeded small grains or winter wheat.
“The first significant rainfall to moisten the upper soil profile will stimulate microbial activity, causing a flush of nitrate nitrogen to be released into the soil system,” says Kurt Steinkewith Michigan State University.
The move, announced today by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, will allow dairy farms to expand to meet the growing demand for milk for use in yogurt.
Oregon native Patrick Criteser will take helm of farmer-owned dairy cooperative.
National dairy leader says U.S. dairies are approaching a crisis comparable to or worse than 2009.
When Naked Cow Dairy sought to boost its production of artisanal cheese, owners Monique van der Stroom and Sabrina St. Martin found it required a $15,000 piece of equipment. That was too big a price tag to pay for the sisters, who had already made a big financial commitment in starting their business, the only dairy on Oahu. What are two female farmers to do?
The apparently isolated, random case is only the fourth-ever discovery of the disease in the U.S.
The race to create a better, less controversial biofuel has spawned plenty of research into a variety of potential new sources - including switchgrass, cornstalks and algae. One goal behind the next generation of ethanol fuel is to end the debate over whether crops that could be used for food or animal feed are being converted into fuel. It’s a debate that’s dogged traditional ethanol, made from corn. A team of Wisconsin researchers say they may have found an abundant and eminently Dairyland ingredient for ethanol - cow manure from the state’s dairyfarms. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a coalition of state firms have been awarded $7 million for bioenergy research that would use a manure byproduct to produce ethanol at a dairyfarm in Manitowoc County.The funding was awarded by the U.S. Energy and Agriculture departments through their joint biomass research-and-development initiative.
In June, as many as 10% of Upper Midwest dairy farms were not in compliance. Deadline is today.
‘The estimated health care cost attributable to low dairy product consumption is comparable with total spending on public health in Australia.’
ROBERT SIEGEL: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I’m Robert Siegel.AUDIE CORNISH: And I’m Audie Cornish. We begin this hour with the drought and how it could affect your grocery bill. Today, the U.S. Agriculture Department designated 76 more counties as disaster areas because of the drought and excessive heat. And it said that severe drought will likely affect prices for corn and other field crops, although it’s too soon to know how much prices will go up.We have two stories on drought and food. Our first comes from NPR’s Allison Keyes.
Paul Rovey, Glendale, Ariz., leads Dairy Management, Inc.; Stephen Maddox, Riverdale, Calif., leads the National Dairy, Research and Promotion Board.
Close to half the corn crop in Wisconsin and other corn-producing states is in poor to very poor condition, the U. S. Department of Agriculture said Monday, as one of the nation’s worst-ever droughts continues to turn the growing season into a nightmare for many. In Wisconsin, 43% of the corn crop is in very poor to poor condition, the report said. About a third of the state’s corn - 31% - is considered to be in good or excellent condition by the USDA, and 26% of the state’s corn crop is in fair condition.
SALT LAKE CITY -- A Utah dairy operation will close its doors at the end of the month, marking the end of a local institution that has changed hands several times during the past decade as it struggled to stay in business.
CDI is California’s largest member-owned milk marketing and processing cooperative.
Year-to-date, they have sent 1,523,000 cows to their demise, 65,000 more than last year (+4.5%).
Weigh the potential crop yield versus your need for forage.
Feed prices are expected to pressure dairy producer returns and encourage a more rapid decline in the cow herd.
The deadline for nominations is Sept.17, 2012.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program provided assistance to farmers who delayed silage harvest to help the rare birds.
Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and David Scott (D-Ga.), would make dramatic changes to the farm bill’s dairy title by eliminating its market stabilization program.
Coalition wants farm bill to continue cost-share program to help upgrade equipment, decrease emissions and address federal air quality regulations.
Chobani chooses Twin Falls for its abundant milk supply, skilled labor force and tight knit local community.
If it’s harvested, ensiled and fed correctly, drought-stressed corn silage can have up to 70% of the feed value of normal.
The dairy provisions are similar to those in the Senate bill, but the MILC program would be immediately ended.
The House farm bill draft contains the major elements of the Dairy Security Act, which evolved from Foundation for the Future.
Temperatures have exceeded 100°F several days this week, dew points have been above 70°F, and worst of all, nighttime lows rarely fell below 80°F.