The White House is proposing to slash agricultural support by double-digits next year, including a cut in crop payments. If the cuts are approved, they would lower USDA’s budget by 3 percent to $92.8 billion in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

USDA’s current fiscal year budget is $95.7 billion.

Source: Bloomberg/ Daniel J. Goldstein, Feb. 6, 2006
Source URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aaAb7Bj12Ecg&refer=us

An international industry approach to promoting the health and nutritional benefits of dairy has moved a step closer with the signing of a joint research agreement between New Zealand’s Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd and Dairy Management Inc (DMI), representing America’s major dairy producers.

The two organisations have agreed to fund strategic research into whey protein and body composition. The work will lay the framework for substantiating future health claims for marketing whey protein.

Source: Scoop New Zealand/ Fonterra/ News Release, Feb. 3, 2006
Source URL: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0602/S00038.htm

The Federal Court yesterday ruled that the Canadian International Trade Tribunal’s decision on the tariff classification of a European milk protein concentrate was “reasonable”. Dairy Farmers of Canada is deeply disappointed and alarmed by this decision that will illegitimately displace fresh farm milk in the making of Canadian dairy products to the benefit of subsidized imported ingredients.

Source: Dairy Farmers of Canada/ News Release, Feb. 1, 2006
Source URL: http://www.dairygoodness.ca/en/Media/MediaCentre/NewsReleases/Recent/2005-2004/06_02_01b.htm?mailing_id=320&dlist_id=83&dprofile_id=258387

The Oceania milk production season continues to wind down seasonally. In New Zealand, milk production trends have been trailing last year by about 2%, but recent reports indicate that this negative margin might be narrowing. At this point, milk producers and handlers feel that the negative margin will probably not be eliminated, but will at lease become less. In Australia, milk production on a cumulative basis for the first five (5) months of the milk production year (July - November) was up 0.5%. On a cumulative five month basis, milk output in Victoria, the major production area of Australia, was up 0.8% followed by a 1.3% increase in New South Wales and a 1.4% increase in Queensland.

Source: USDA, Feb. 2, 2006

Although very cold temperatures are being reported in many areas of Europe, milk production does not appear to be negatively affected at this time. Overall milk volumes are trailing last year, but some producers will still need to adjust their marketings before March 31 to avoid over quota penalties. February 1 has arrived and powder and butter can now be produced for intervention offering March 1.

Source: USDA, Feb. 2, 2006

Twenty Holstein cows in early lactation (7 d in milk) were administered 100 µg of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) dissolved in 10 mL of sterile 0.9% NaCl saline (treatment; TRT) or 10 mL of sterile saline (control) into both right mammary quarters to test the hypothesis that acute experimental mastitis would have negative impacts on aspects of energy metabolism that might lead to the development of metabolic disorders.

Although these results only represent the early stages of inflammation, they are not consistent with a causal relationship between mastitis and energy-related metabolic disorders and instead suggest a coordinated protective effect by the immune system on metabolism during the early stages of mammary insult.

Source: Acute Experimental Mastitis Is Not Causal Toward the Development of Energy-Related Metabolic Disorders in Early Postpartum Dairy Cows. J. Dairy Sci. 89:596-610. M. R. Waldron, A. E. Kulick, A. W. Bell and T. R. Overton.

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to reevaluate the prevalence of digital dermatitis (DD) and associated risk factors in The Netherlands.

Finally, cows in small-sized herds (<45 cows) affected with HYP were at lower risk (OR = 0.6) for DD than were cows affected with HYP in medium- and large-sized herds (60 to 85 cows per herd).

Source: Herd- and Cow-Level Prevalence of Digital Dermatitis in The Netherlands and Associated Risk Factors. J. Dairy Sci. 89:580-588. M. Holzhauer, C. Hardenberg, C. J. M. Bartels and K. Frankena.

As the nation looks to agriculture for renewable fuels from crops and other sources, University of Florida researchers have developed a manure management system that produces energy, saves valuable nutrients for fertilizer, cuts greenhouse gas emissions and stops offensive odors.

“It’s an environmentally friendly solution for an unpleasant housekeeping task,” said Ann Wilkie, an associate research professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “It’s not often that one technology can solve several major problems, but our innovative animal manure management system is a sustainable option for dairies and other livestock operations that produces renewable energy and protects the environment.”

Source: University of Florida/ News Release, Feb. 2, 2006
Source URL: http://news.ufl.edu/2006/02/02/manure-3/

Below is a summary listing of Career notices and awards in the industry. Detailed information about each listing is available by clicking the “Click to read more” link. If you have an announcement you would like us to include here, please send it to Patt Ligman, pattligman@metafarms.com or Metafarms, 2980 Commers Drive, Suite 400, Eagan, MN 55121. The next CareerTrak is scheduled for February 20, 2006.

Job Listings This Week:
None this week

Awards & Accolades:
1. KF Dairy Wins Innovative Farmer of Year Award

Faces In New Places:
1. Bacon Named UC Extension Dairy Advisor for Tulare County
2. Bayer Names Firkins to Lead NA Marketing Efforts

Arla Foods continues to suffer the fallout of a Danish newspaper’s publishing cartoons of Islam’s prophet Mohammad. Although Arla appears to be caught in the middle of a scandal not of its own making, the Denmark-based company is suffering about $1.74 million per day in losses.

The dozen cartoons originally were printed in Jyllands-Posten, the largest Danish broadsheet newspaper. Many link Mohammad to terrorism. For example, one cartoon depicts Mohammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.

Source: Bloomberg/ Caroline Alexander, Feb. 3, 2006
Source URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=aSwL.A2A0j_0&refer=canada