It sounds like a dairy producer’s dream: be so efficient from one end of your operation to the other that you can sell milk at dirt-cheap prices and still make a hefty profit.

Hein Hettinga is just such a dairy farmer, and everyone applauds his milk production efficiency—and that’s where the applause ends. Because Hettinga also bottles and sells his milk at rock-bottom prices, major dairy companies and processors have noticed and asked federal regulators to write new rules that would force him to change his business practices.

Source: Chicago Tribune/ Andrew Martin, Feb. 19, 2006
Source URL: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0602190391feb19,1,1574840.story?track=rss

The White House Economic Report, put out by the Council of Economic Advisers, was recently released. For only the third time in three decades, the report contains an entire chapter devoted to agriculture.

The key findings of this chapter are:

• Most farmers do not benefit from commodity subsidies.
• Support to agriculture can be provided in many forms that are potentially less market- distorting than existing commodity subsidies.

Source: White House Council of Economic Advisors, Feb. 13, 2006
Source URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/pubs.html

A coalition of environmental groups and organic farmers have filed suit against the federal government in an effort to thwart the approval of genetically modified alfalfa. The lawsuit asks a San Francisco court to overturn the USDA’s approval of GM alfalfa, and to conduct a thorough study of the consequences the crop might have on the environment.

Source: Press Democrat/ Associated Press, Feb. 17, 2006
Source URL: http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060217/NEWS/602170316/1035/NEWS01

USDA has announced recommended decisions to amend the Mideast, Upper Midwest, and Central milk orders. Here are all three announcements.

Source: USDA/ AMS, Feb. 22, 2006
Source URL: http://www.ams.usda.gov/news/newsrel.htm

A Minnesota dairy is reviving its fight to be built when it filed a lawsuit earlier this month against the township that had turned down the facility. But now the dairy might have another option: a neighboring town is willing to annex the site to allow construction of the operation.

The years-long battle between Ripley Dairy and Ripley Township is set to ignite once again. The dairy, owned by New Jersey-based investor Ben Zaitz, claims the township’s new zoning ordinance restricting feedlot size is discriminatory and did not go through proper design nor approval channels.

Source: Winona Daily News/ Brian Voerding, Feb. 22, 2006
Source URL: http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2006/02/22/news/02farm22.txt

The overflow of milk yesterday sunk its futures prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to the lowest levels in more than 31 months.

Futures for July delivery dropped 32 cents to $11.14 per hundredweight.

Source: Chicago Tribune/ Bloomberg News, Feb. 22, 2006
Source URL: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-
0602220119feb22,1,3807651.story?coll=chi-business-hed

Last week’s exports for U.S. corn, soybeans, and wheat was viewed as generally good. Corn and wheat posted numbers at or better than expectations while soybean export numbers were on the high-side of the mid-range of expected postings. At the USDA Annual U.S. and World Agricultural Situation and Outlook Conference in Washington D.C. estimates using trend lines were made for the ‘06/’07 marketing year. Ending stocks for ‘06/’07 U.S. soybeans were placed at 555 million bushels. U.S. corn acres were reduced by 1.3 million acres and an increase in demand due primarily to ethanol production yielded smaller corn ending stocks numbers for the ‘06/’07 crop year.

Source: Virginia Cooperative Extension/ Mike Roberts, Feb. 21, 2006
Source URL: http://www.ext.vt.edu/news/periodicals/purcell/2006wp/07.html

Two weeks before parturition, 38 Holstein primiparous and multiparous cows were assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: control animals (n = 13) received regular total mixed rations (TMR), the low-dose group (n = 14) received the control TMR plus 6 x 10(10) cfu/cow of Propionibacterium strain P169 (P169), and the high-dose group (n = 11) received the control TMR plus 6 x 10(11) cfu/cow of P169 from -2 to 30 wk postpartum.

We concluded that P169 might have potential as an effective direct-fed microorganism to increase milk production in dairy cows.

Source: Effects of feeding propionibacteria to dairy cows on milk yield, milk components, and reproduction. Journal of Dairy Science 89 (1): 111-125, 2006. Stein, D.R.; Allen, D.T.; Perry, E.B.; Bruner, J.C.; et al.

In the present study, characteristics of the FF of each ovary and the developmental competence of enclosed oocytes were investigated, and these data were then compared.

In conclusion, the quality of oocytes is affected by the environment in the follicle, and BUN or ICT is a predictable index of the developmental competence of oocytes.

Source: Comparison between the characteristics of follicular fluid and the developmental competence of bovine oocytes. Animal Reproduction Science 91 (4-Mar): 215-223, 2006. Iwata, H.; Inoue, J.; Kimura, K.; Kuge, T.; et al.

In what seems a tit-for-tat move, Ukraine announced it intends to inspect Russian Federation dairies that export products to Ukraine. The planned inspections will take place as soon as Russia finishes inspecting Ukraine’s dairies that ship dairy to Russia.

Ivan Bisyuk, head of State Veterinary Department of Ukraine, said a large amount of dairy is imported into Ukraine from Russia.

Source: ForUm, Feb. 22, 2006
Source URL: http://en.for-ua.com/news/2006/02/22/142534.html