Dairy Farmers of Canada has become the first commodity group to enter phase two of the review that will ultimately result in federal recognition of its on farm food safety program.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's On-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program is a two phase initiative designed to provide national recognition of Canada's on farm food safety programs.

National Coordinator Warren Smandych says several commodity groups have completed phase one and Dairy Farmers of Canada has agreed to pilot phase two of the review.

Source: Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork/ Farmscape #2047/ Bruce Cochrane, Jan. 30, 2006
Source URL: http://www.farmscape.com/f2ShowScript.aspx?
i=21936&q=Dairy+Farmers+of+Canada+Enters+On-
Farm+Food+Safety+Recognition+Program+Phase-2

Vermont dairy producers are relieved to see a set of goals for their industry put forward by a Dairy Task Force, but wonder if the goals are reachable.

Gov. Jim Douglas announced the task force goals after it studied the industry for six months. He said he asked the task force to focus on improving financial returns.

Source: Burlington Free Press/ Candace Page, Jan. 27, 2006
Source URL: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20060127/NEWS02/601270303/1007/NEWS02&theme

Yogurt is spreading out from the dairy aisle of your grocer to almost every other section of the store.

Two decades ago, just under 10 percent of all consumers ate yogurt at least once bi-weekly, according to NPD Group, a research firm. Last year, 20.5 percent of all consumers ate yogurt at least once every two weeks. The firm also said in two decades of research, only pizza has such a broad appeal among all classes of consumers.

Source: USA Today/ Bruce Horovitz, Jan. 24, 2006
Source URL: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2006-
01-23-yogurt-usat_x.htm?csp=34

The market outlook is changing rapidly. First, a federal order hearing is currently underway to increase make allowances. This would have the affect of lowering farm-gate milk prices. Processors are facing higher energy costs and want these reimbursed. Second, the domestic and global markets are showing signs of weakness. Domestic prices for cheese, butter and nonfat dry milk are all declining. Dairy producers who locked in Class III futures prices earlier this month will likely benefit.

Source: Penn State University/ Ken Bailey, Jan. 27, 2006
Source URL: http://dairyoutlook.aers.psu.edu/Weekly/2006/Weekly
DairyMarketOutlook012706.htm

At 3.086 billion bushels, the 2005 U.S. soybean crop was 43 million larger than the November forecast and only 38 million smaller than the record crop of 2004. The U.S. average yield is estimated at a record 43.3 bushels per acre, 0.6 bushels higher than the November forecast and 1.1 bushels above the previous record yield of 2004. Harvested acreage of soybeans in 2005 totaled 71.361 million, the lowest figure since 1998.

The USDA estimated that December 1, 2005 stocks of soybeans in the U.S. at a record 2.502 billion, nearly 200 million more than on the same date last year. Consumption of U.S. soybeans during the first quarter of the 2005-06 marketing year was at a 5 year low of 840 million bushels due to a very slow export pace and a modest level of feed and residual use. The USDA projects stocks of U.S. soybeans at the end of the current marketing year at 505 million bushels, the largest since the record level of stocks (536 million) at the end of the 1985-86 marketing year.

Source: Farmdoc/ University of Illinois/ Darrel Good, Jan. 27, 2006
Source URL: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/marketing/grainoutlook/
html/012706/012706.html

Four Neospora-seropositive pregnant cows (prebreeding indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) titers between 1:400 and 1: 1600) were confined and observed until parturition.

These findings call into question conclusions of other studies that have estimated rates of congenital transmission of this parasite based on serological tests at calving. This study is the first confirmed report of congenital NC infection in a calf in Thailand.

Source: Seronegative conversion in four Neospora caninum-infected cows, with a low rate of transplacental transmission. Veterinary Parasitology 131 (2-Jan): 145-150, 2005. Kyaw, T.; Suwimonteerabutr, J.; Virakul, P.; Lohachit, C.; et al.

Lameness is a problem in the dairy industry that brings significant economic loss and animal welfare concerns. Risk factors for common lameness problems in adult dairy cattle are fairly well established and provide a framework for management intervention to reduce on farm lameness. However, what if the way you are feeding your replacement heifers as early as weaning time is setting them up for lameness problems during their first lactation? This was the question raised by CSU dairy extension specialist Bill Wailes that sparked a study getting underway by the Integrated Livestock Management Dairy Team in collaboration with the Department of Animal Science nutritionist Terry Engle.

Source: Colorado State University/ Colorado Dairy News/ John R. Wenz, September/October 2005
Source URL: http://ansci.colostate.edu/documents/Dairynews/Sept05CDN.pdf

It will be hard to reduce the 2.4 bil. bu. corn carryout we have, says Extension’s Darrel Good:

1) 73.7 mil. 2006 harvested acres and a 149.5 bu. trend yield is still an 11.02 bil. bu. crop.
2) Even with more domestic use and 2 bil. exports, 8/07 carryout will still be over 2.1 bil.
3) To tighten the carryout with a 10 bil. 2006 crop, acreage will have to decline 7.8 mil.
4) With a 1 mil. cut in acres, yield has to fall to 135.7 bu., for production to fall to 10 bil.

Source: Farmgate/ Stu Ellis/ University of Illinois, Jan. 27, 2006
Source URL: http://www.farmgate.uiuc.edu/archive/2006/01/extension_updat_13.html

Following is a list of national and international events of importance to the dairy industry. To see events more than a month out, follow the “Click to read more” link. If you have an upcoming event that you would like publicized, please send it to Patt Ligman, pattligman@metafarms.com or MetaFarms, 2980 Commers Drive, Suite 400, Eagan, MN 55121. The next EventTrak is scheduled for February 13, 2005.

January

--I-29 Dairy Conference, January 31, 2005, Best Western Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center, 3200 W. Maple, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Contact: http://agbionews.sdstate.edu/News/newsrelease.cfm?id=2316

--First Annual Manure Bio-Conversion Technology Conference, January 31, 2006, Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison, Wisconsin. Contact: www.cals.wisc.edu/ccs

February

--Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association Conference and Trade Show, February 1-2, 2006, Midtown Holiday Inn, Grand Island, Nebraska. Contact: 402-727-2775 or dvarner1@unl.edu or http://ianrnews.unl.edu/static/0601050.shtml

--Certified Livestock Manager Training, February 1-2, 2006, Agricultural Center of Union County, Marysville, Ohio. Contact: Kelly Harvey at 614-387-0908, or harvey@mail.agri.state.oh.us

--Pennsylvania Dairy Summit, February 1-2, 2006, Lancaster Host Resort, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Contact: Georgene Thompson at 717-243-1349

--Dairy Producer Conclave 2006, February 2-3, 2006, Chicago, Illinois. Contact: http://www.nmpf.org/newsFlash/index.cfm?sectionsCode=PR&nfID=242

--Dairy Producer Conclave 2006, February 6-7, 2006, Reston, Virginia. Contact: http://www.nmpf.org/newsFlash/index.cfm?sectionsCode=PR&nfID=242

--World Ag Expo, February 7-9, 2006, Tulare, California. Contact: 800-999-9186 or http://www.worldagexpo.com/

--Quality Milk Conference, February 8-9, 2006, Department of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin. Contact: 608-263-2008

--“Improving Soil – Enhancing Profit,” Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association 28th Annual Winter Workshop, February 9-10, 2006, Ramkota Inn, Bismarck, North Dakota. Contact: www.mandakzerotill.org

NEW: 2006 Wisconsin Grazing Conference, February 9-11, 2006, New Holiday Inn, Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Contact: http://www.grassworks.org/Conference/conference.htm

--"Understanding Animal Agriculture and the Environment," February 15, 2006, Holiday Inn, St. Cloud, Minnesota. Contact: 800-646-2282 or Mindy Spiehs at 612-625-4262 or www.manure.umn.edu/workshops

--2005 National Electric Code for Agricultural Buildings, February 15, 2006, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Contact: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news/2006releases/code.html

--Fi Asia-China 2006, February 15-17, 2006, Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Pudong, Shanghai, China. Contact: http://asiachina2006.fi-events.com/

--“Women Managing the Farm Conference,” February 17-18, 2006, Wichita, Kansas. Contact: farmksu@humec.ksu.edu or 1-866-327-6578 or http://www.k-state.edu/farmksu/

NEW: Central Plains Irrigation Conference and Exposition, February 21-22, 2006, Comfort Inn, Colby, Kansas. Contact: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/sty/2006/irrigation_conference011806.htm

--26th Kentucky Alfalfa Conference, February 23, 2006, Lexington, Kentucky. Contact: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/26th%20ky%20alf%20conf%20prog%20columns.pdf

--Eighth Symposium on Advances in Dairy Product Technology—Concentrated and Dried Dairy Ingredients, February 27-28, 2006, The Cliffs at Shell Beach, Shell Beach, California. Contact: Laurie 805-756-6097 or www.calpoly.edu/~dptc

A farmer accused of mistreating his dairy cows and ordered to get rid of them now apparently has another problem: a suspected outbreak of mad cow disease.

Government officials have imposed movement restrictions on the herd at two sites, Bridge Farm in Draycott, and Yew Tree Farm in Rodney Stoke. They took the action after two cows which had been slaughtered showed signs of BSE.

Source: ThisisSomerset, Jan. 21, 2006
Source URL: http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?
nodeId=150476&command=displayContent&source
Node=150471&contentPK=13870231&folderPk=84913