The divide between the Milk Income Loss Contract program and the farm bill will remain as lawmakers rejected a committee decision to bridge the gap.

The U.S. House of Representatives rejected the House Appropriations Committee recommendation to fund the program for 30 days until the remaining 2002 Farm Bill programs expire.

Source: Iowa Farmer Today, May 27, 2006
Source URL: http://www.iowafarmer.com/articles/2006/05/30/headlines/the_prairie_star/ag_news/updates/update11.txt

A recent study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirms that the 60-day aging process increases the safety of cheddar cheese. The results of the study were published in the May 2006 issue of the Journal of Food Protection.

FDA conducted the study to determine whether the 60-day minimum aging period had any effect on the safety of cheese made with milk that was either raw or heat treated.

Source: International Dairy Foods Association/ News Release, May 22, 2006
Source URL: http://www.idfa.org/news/stories/2006/05/cheddar.cfm

Following are some of the news stories highlighted this week:

• Got Twins? Study Suggests Dairy Increases Your Chances
• France Takes Hard Line in Doha Talks
• So Far, So Good on Soybean Rust in Midwest

Click to read more on these and other news articles.

The ethanol market has been high octane lately. Private Chinese buyers are coming to buy US corn. Livestock numbers are up and feed demand will be high. As a result, corn has been the darling of the market. But what about that other crop we grow in the Midwest? Some kind of beans…oh, yes, soybeans. Why doesn’t any country around the world want our soybeans? Why aren’t they selling for three times as much as corn? Well, the answer may be hidden in the volatility of three economic forces: commodity markets, exchange rates, and ocean freight. After all, the US has been depending on the export market to buy 33% of our soybeans, but only 20% of our corn.

Source: Farmgate/ Stu Ellis/ University of Illinois, May 30, 2006
Source URL: http://www.farmgate.uiuc.edu/archive/2006/05/why_cant_we_exp.html

Overall, the province’s agri-food exports are forecast to grow by a substantial 13 per cent in 2006 and moderate to 3 per cent in 2007. Drought and early frost in 2004, followed by excessive rains last summer led to poor grain quality and low harvest levels in 2005.  As a result, wheat, oilseeds and pulse exports all suffered large declines in 2005.  Wheat exports are expected to rebound in 2006 due to higher yields from last year’s growing season.  Exports of oilseed are expected to rise in 2006, despite a double digit decline in prices.  Exports of pulses and special crops will also increase in 2006. Manitoba’s exports of oilseeds and pulses are expected to grow by 3 per cent in 2006 before declining by 3 per cent in 2007. Hog exports out of Manitoba were up 19 were in 2005, while foreign pork sales increased by close to 7 per cent.

Source: Export Development Canada/ News Release, May 30, 2006
Source URL: http://www.edc.ca/english/docs/news/2006/mediaroom_11001.htm

Following are some of the headlines from this week’s market news and analysis:

• USDA’s New Zealand Dairy Semi-Annual
• Domestic Soybean Use Falls; Oil Use Rising
• European and Oceania Dairy Market Overview

Click to read more of these and other market articles.

Trends since 1980 for calving age and calving interval, 2 factors that influence herd life, were examined by parity for 5 breeds of US dairy cattle. Calving data were from cows with records that passed edits for USDA genetic evaluations and were in herds that remained on Dairy Herd Improvement test.

Breed means for first calving interval across time ranged from 390 d for Jerseys to 407 d for Brown Swiss.

Source: Trends in calving ages and calving intervals for dairy cattle breeds in the United States. Journal of Dairy Science 89 (1): 365-370, 2006. Hare, E.; Norman, H.D.; Wright, J.R.

Using the US technology that is now commercially available at a reasonable price, we are able to estimate the best timing for AI and this allows us to plan either the use of precisely-timed nutritional supplements for fetal development or an immediate 2nd AI service to achieve a better economic efficiency.

Overall, US is now a most effective non-invasive tool for managing reproduction, at the level of both the individual animal and the herd system. In particular, US can help us to clarify potential problems in high-producing dairy cattle during the postpartum period.

Source: A potential use of color ultrasound as a tool for reproductive management: New observations using color ultrasound scanning that were not possible with Imaging only in black and white. Journal of Reproduction and Development 52 (1): 153-160, 2006. Miyamoto, A.; Shirasuna, K.; Hayashi, K.G.; Kamada, D.; et al.

Johne’s disease is a serious herd health problem affecting Michigan dairies. Dairy producers met during a recent Michigan State University Extension program and discussed the practices they use in response to Johne’s disease, even after recognizing its presence in their herds.

Source: Michigan State University/ Michigan Dairy Review/ Phil Durst, Dan Grooms, and Joe Woltanski, April 2006
Source URL: http://www.msu.edu/user/mdr/archives/mdrvol11no2.pdf

As gas prices rise, it becomes more costly to haul wet distillers grains long distances, and producers may want to pencil out costs and benefits. That’s according to South Dakota State University Extension Dairy Specialist Alvaro Garcia, who said transporting high-moisture feeds increases the cost of nutrient delivery on a dry matter basis.

Source: South Dakota State University/ News Release, May 25, 2006
Source URL: http://agbionews.sdstate.edu/News/newsrelease.cfm?id=2535