Kansas needs a cheese plant, senator says
U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback said Friday that Kansas needs to attract a major cheese processing plant.
The Republican candidate for governor said that dairies and cheese production facilities were an agricultural business area of growth the state should pursue.
“A Brownback Administration will roll out the welcome mat for dairies to come or expand in Kansas,” he said. “Many of the advantages that have led feedlot operations to our state apply equally to dairy production.”
Brownback said he would review the state’s regulations to determine how the state could help attract and grow such businesses.
“We need a major cheese processing plant in Kansas to expand market opportunities for our milk,” Brownback said.
From Kansas.com
Kansas Governor Appoints Two
The governor has appointed Lynda Foster and Rabecca Harris to the Kansas Dairy Marketing Advisory Board. Foster, Fort Scott, will serve as a representative for Kansas dairy producers while Harris, Inman, will represent dairy processors.
Foster has been an active member and contributor to the Kansas dairy industry for over 30 years. Co-managing more than 1,000 acres of land with her husband, Foster and her family currently oversee 300 head of cattle and over 600 acres of crops. She has been involved in a variety of dairy organizations including Dairy Farmers of America, the Kansas Dairy Association and the National Dairy Board which she was an active member of for seven years. Foster graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s in dairy production.
Harris works for Jackson Dairy in Hutchinson where, as the quality assurance manager, she is responsible for regulatory inspections along with assuring food safety and quality. In support of the Global Food Safety Initiative, Harris is certified by the Safe Quality Food Institute. Harris’ years of experience in both the quality assurance and research and development divisions of Jackson Dairy make her a valuable representative for Kansas dairy processors.
The Kansas Dairy Marketing Advisory Board consists of five appointed members who work closely with the Department of Agriculture to study and evaluate the need for establishing a statewide milk marketing order.
Family dairy remembers priorities
By Jennifer M. Latzke, High Plains Journal
Read complete story here
“Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day.” Deuteronomy 8: 11.
The plaque hanging in the office of Forget-Me-Not Farms, Cimarron, Kan., greets all visitors with this verse from the book of Deuteronomy. It’s more than a Bible verse, though. For the Boersma family of Forget-Me-Not Farms, it’s a company mission statement that reminds them to keep their priorities in place–faith, family and dairy farming.
“We’re a faith-based, family-oriented dairy,” said Ted Boersma. Boersma and his wife, Nancy, operate Forget-Me-Not Farms with their daughters and their husbands, Naci and Josh Littlejohn and Aundi and T.J. Curtis, as well as Ted’s parents, Andy and Grace Boersma.
The Boersmas have been dairying since 1984, when Boersma bought his first 140 head of dairy cows and transitioned from a family background in the floor covering business to dairy. “I looked around and there weren’t that many old men in floor covering,” Boersma said with a smile. Dairy, he said, offered his family an opportunity back then in Belen, N.M.
Building a family business
They slowly built the herd to a point where it would be beneficial to move to a larger facility near Clovis, N.M. In 1993, the Boersmas built a new dairy designed to hold 1,400 cows in the emerging dairy region of Clovis.
Eventually, though, the Clovis dairy market started to get crowded. If there was ever a time for expansion to accommodate a growing family and a growing dairy business, 2008 was it.
“Clovis and the west Texas area is a hotbed of dairies, and everyone wanted to expand,” Boersma said. “We just thought we’d start looking as far north and east as we could to build a bigger drylot dairy.” They wanted to move north for more available feed supplies, and east for closer milk processing facilities.
But, the Boersmas weren’t just looking to move across the state this time.
Turning an idea into reality
Boersma and a friend from Idaho decided to travel to Kansas to look at some land on a “lark.”
“There was a lot of wide open spaces and available feed,” Boersma said. Pretty soon, the lark turned into a full-blown business plan to move the family and the dairy to Kansas. Kansas offered land, water, feed, labor and milk processing facilities. More importantly, the state boasted ag-friendly communities and regulations.
So, Boersma came home and discussed his idea of relocating the dairy with his family and his spiritual and business advisors. Besides Naci and Aundi, the Boersmas have seven other children and many grandchildren spread from Clovis to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. With a couple of grown children and extended family ties in Clovis, it wasn’t a decision to be made on a whim. The family rallied around the idea, though, and plans were made for the big move.
“Ted’s always had a business vision of growth and opportunities for our family and all involved in the dairy,” said son-in-law Curtis. It was exciting to see this idea come to life, he added.
“When this whole thing started, I sought a lot of counsel,” Boersma said. “I talked to guys I trusted in the dairy business, and every one of them thought it was a good idea.” And so, in 2008, the Boersmas began building their new drylot dairy facility in Cimarron.
Read complete High Plains Journal story
Southwest Kansas opportunities for dairies
By Jennifer M. Latzke, High Plains Journal
Kansas is the land of wheat fields and cattle feedlots. It’s known for sunflowers, Dorothy Gale, and now–dairies.
The Kansas Department of Commerce is currently reaching out to large dairies looking to relocate into agriculture-friendly communities through its Kansas Dairy Initiative. As a part of that initiative, KDC and the western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance hosted the Southwest Kansas Dairy Tour. The day tour of large-scale dairies in the Garden City, Kan., area hosted dairy producers from Tennessee, Virginia, Kansas and Saudi Arabia. The tour showcased Royal Farms Dairy and Plymell Dairy in Garden City, and Forget-Me-Not Farms in Cimarron, as well as discussed the benefits of relocating to the area.
At Royal Farms Dairy, Steve Irsik spoke to the group about the benefits of locating the 6,000-head dry lot milking operation just east of Garden City. Irsik said dairies can not only count on the abundant feed supply from the area’s corn and forage growers, but also communities that understand the needs of agriculture production.
“We’re 15 miles from Garden City, five minutes from the regional airport there,” Irsik said. This area offers employees and their families good schools and almost all the amenities of other regions.
The quality of life factor was further discussed over lunch. A panel discussion covered schools, health care and other community benefits for employees in the region.
Jody Wacker, dairy coordinator for the Kansas Livestock Association, spoke about KLA’s assistance to relocating dairies. Dr. Bob Moser, Tribune, Kan., shared with the group his experience in expanding the health care available in his small western Kansas community. Dana Nanninga, Garden City, said she and her husband returned to their roots in Garden City to raise their family because of the opportunities in smaller towns. Carole Jordan, with KDC, said small communities welcome new businesses and the opportunity for growth they bring to the areas.
Read more complete story at High Plains Journal
Kansas Dairy Tour highlights three dairies
The Kansas Department of Commerce and the western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance (wKREDA) hosted a day-long bus tour, designed to showcase Kansas as an ideal location for dairy farmers. About 25 dairy producers attended the tour and came from a variety of locations, including Kansas, Tennessee, Virginia and Saudi Arabia.
Participants visited Royal Farms Dairy and Plymell Dairy in Garden City and Forget-Me-Not Farms in Cimarron. All three operations are large-scale but have unique management models.
Read more at Progressive Dairyman
Southwest Kansas Dairy Tour
The Kansas Department of Commerce and the western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance (wKREDA) are inviting dairymen, business leaders and journalists to participate in the Southwest Kansas Dairy Tour, which is designed to showcase Kansas as a prime location for dairy farming, March 25 in Finney and Gray counties.
The day-long bus tour will take participants to three Southwest Kansas dairies – Royal Farms Dairy, Plymell Dairy and Forget-Me-Not Farms – where dairy operators will provide facility tours and answer questions about the dairy industry in Kansas. Topics to be discussed include water rights, waste disposal, climate, land availability, financial incentives and the overall business environment for dairying. The goal is to highlight Kansas as an ideal location for dairy farms, especially to out-of-state dairymen who might be considering a move to Kansas.
“Kansas has a lot to offer dairy farmers,” said Kansas Department of Commerce agricultural marketing specialist J.J. Jones, who will guide the day-long tour. “Whether you’re an existing Kansas farmer or an out-of-state dairyman looking for a great new site, Kansas is an ideal location to establish and grow a dairy farm. We’ve designed this tour to cover three Kansas dairies with three different business models and structures so that participants can get a feel for the entire dairy industry in Kansas.”
There is no charge to participate on the tour, and lunch will be provided. The tour begins in Garden City at 7:30 a.m. Participants will travel by bus to the three dairies before returning to Garden City at 5 p.m. Participants can reserve a hotel room for that evening at the Clarion Hotel in Garden City, where they’ll receive a group discount rate of $75 per night. Click here for tour itinerary.
To reserve your spot on the Southwest Kansas Dairy Tour, contact J.J. Jones with the Kansas Department of Commerce at (785) 296-3174 or jjones@kansascommerce.com.
The Southwest Kansas Dairy Tour is part of the Kansas Department of Commerce and wKREDA’s recently initiated Kansas Dairy Initiative, which is designed to promote Kansas as an ideal location – and the “new frontier” – for dairy farming.
Americans unclear about nutrients
KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 2 /PRNewswire/ — When it comes to dietary nutrients, most consumers don’t know the whole story. A recent study by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy revealed that the fact that milk delivers much more than calcium to the diet is new “news” to consumers.
“Many consumers know about milk’s calcium benefits, but most are unaware that dairy foods deliver eight other dietary nutrients considered ‘essential’ by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),” says Stephanie Cundith, a registered dietitian with the Midwest Dairy Council. “National Nutrition Month is the perfect time for Americans to learn more about essential nutrients in foods and their irreplaceable health benefits. It is important to get essential nutrients from the foods we eat because the human body can’t manufacture them in sufficient quantities to meet daily needs.”
Consumers know they need to eat healthy, but often focus strictly on counting calories. “Monitoring calorie intake is not enough; it also is important to ensure the foods you consume are nutrient-rich,” says Cundith. Consuming three dairy servings every day provides exceptional nutritional value, including significant amounts of vitamin D, protein, potassium and vitamin B12. From repairing muscle tissue to maintaining healthy red blood cells, the nutrients found in dairy foods work together to help support optimal health.
Dairy’s Unique Nutrient Package
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NUTRIENT |
WHAT IT DOES |
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Calcium |
Dairy is probably best known for its calcium, which helps build healthy bones and teeth. |
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Potassium |
Potassium regulates the body’s fluid balance, helps maintain normal blood pressure and is one of the essential nutrients the USDA says Americans lack the most. |
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Phosphorus |
Feeling sluggish? Phosphorus helps generate energy in the body’s cells. |
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Protein |
Dairy provides a good source of high-quality protein. The protein in milk, cheese and yogurt builds and repairs muscle tissue and can help you feel full. |
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Vitamin A |
Vitamin A is important for maintaining healthy skin and vision. |
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Vitamin D |
Also known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is one of the nutrients Americans lack the most. It helps promote the absorption of calcium and enhances bone strength. One 8-ounce glass provides 25 percent of your daily requirement. |
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Vitamin B12 |
Vitamin B12 helps maintain healthy red blood cells and nerve tissue. Milk and yogurt are both excellent sources of this essential nutrient. |
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Riboflavin |
Also known as vitamin B2, riboflavin helps convert food into energy. |
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Niacin |
Niacin (or niacin equivalent) is important for the normal function of many enzymes in the body and is involved in the processing of sugars and fatty acids. |
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Americans Aren’t Getting Adequate Nutrients
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published by the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services, report many adults, adolescents and children fall short on several of the essential nutrients needed for healthy body functioning. The Guidelines recommend three servings of fat-free or low-fat dairy products each day. However, Americans only eat about half of this amount. “Meeting the recommended three servings per day of milk, cheese and yogurt is easy,” says Cundith, “My family starts the day with a bowl of whole grain cereal and milk, and we love fruit and yogurt as a snack.” A Cundith family favorite for dinner is pulled pork soft tacos sprinkled with Colby Jack cheese.
This recipe and the whole story of dairy’s unique nutrient package can be found at dairymakessense.com.
ABOUT MIDWEST DAIRY COUNCIL
Midwest Dairy Council is the nutrition education division of Midwest Dairy Association. The Council’s mission is to promote a healthy diet through nutrition education and the use of dairy products to consumers, health professionals and teachers. Midwest Dairy Council is funded by check-off dollars from dairy farmers in a nine-state region that includes: Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit www.midwestdairy.com or www.dairymakessense.com.
Production key to dairy profitability
Is milk price the most important factor in your dairy’s profitability? The answer may surprise you.
Researchers at Kansas State University recently completed a study of the factors that impact dairy profitability. Not surprisingly, they found a wide range of profitability among farms. But milk price was not the most significant determinant for profitability. It was total milk produced per cow.
The researchers say that the correlation between profitability and milk price over time is not particularly strong because of the influence that cost has on profit. “When analyzing why some producers are more profitable than others, milk production is a much stronger indicator or profit differences than is price or cost,” say study authors, especially when it comes to small or mid-sized dairy farms
Therefore, while big-picture factors, like milk prices, are important, producers’ individual management skills are more important for long-term business survival.
Source: Kansas State University
USDA approves UHF animal I.D. tag
From RFID Journal
By Claire Swedberg
Jan. 7, 2010—The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tag for cattle tracking that will be used in conjunction with the agency’s Animal Identification Number (AIN) system. To gain USDA approval for is eTattoo RFID tag, Kansas startup Eriginate, owned by animal-tracking technology firm Herdstar, submitted data regarding the tag, along with a 14-page application. The EPC Gen 2 tag can now be sold in the United States to members of the cattle industry as part of the AIN system, and will compete with existing low-frequency (LF) button tags currently employed by ranchers and cattle auction companies to help track the movements and health of cattle.
The USDA’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a voluntary program intended to allow the tracking of specific animals by assigning each animal a unique AIN. The goal of NAIS is to be able to quickly access a record of every location where a particular animal has lived, in the event that contaminated meat or a sick animal is detected. Each registered animal is assigned a 15-digit identification number. The first three digits—840—represent the country code of the United States, while the final 12 make up the unique number assigned to the animal. The tags used by NAIS participants need not include RFID technology, but could simply display the number printed on the front of a plastic ID tag or button. However, many are employing RFID-enabled tags to track the cattle as they move through the supply chain, typically with a handheld interrogator.
There are 105 million cattle in the United States, with approximately 10 manufacturers of RFID tags currently providing low-frequency RFID AIN button tags, according to Neil Hammerschmidt, NAIS coordinator with the USDA APHIS Veterinary Services. Those manufacturers, he says, have sold approximately 6.5 million AIN tags with or without RFID capabilities over the past three years. Hammerschmidt estimates that 4 million of these tags may currently be in use, mostly in cattle (though other animals, such as horses, sheep or pigs, can also be tagged), representing about 5 percent of all American cattle.
In April 2008, the USDA issued a seven-point plan to help it achieve its goal of enrolling 70 percent of all cattle into the NAIS program by the end of 2009 (see USDA Pushes Plan to Move NAIS Forward).
The reason UHF technology has not been included in the NAIS system before, Hammerschmidt says, is that RFID tag vendors had not produced a UHF tag for use with the AIN system—that is, with the 15-digit ID number. “We are technology-neutral,” he says of the USDA, as long as the technology complies with a recognized ISO standard. The eTattoo tag complies with ISO standard 18000-6C, and it has enough memory to store other information in addition to the 15-digit number, though it is presently intended only to store the AIN.
The eTattoo tag fills a need in the cattle industry for a tag with a long read range, says Doran Junek, a member of Eriginate’s board of directors. The existing LF button ear tags have a read range of 4 to 12 inches, and can be read with either a handheld interrogator or a fixed reader if cattle move down a narrow chute in close proximity to that device. Interrogators can also be utilized in the dairy industry, capturing reads of the animals’ tags as they are being milked. Moreover, USDA veterinarians use handheld readers to capture a tag’s unique ID number as an animal receives a vaccination.
However, Hammerschmidt notes, some cattle owners and operators have requested technology with a longer read range. Junek, himself a cattle rancher, says the LF tags are simply inadequate if they require operators to slow the speed of moving cattle, or if readers are unable to capture ID numbers at all, because the animals are not close enough or pass by too quickly. Many cattle owners and operators are reticent to participate in the AIN program, he indicates, simply because they believe low-frequency tags do not work effectively. Junek describes the scenario of a Kansas cattle market at which approximately 7,000 head of cattle are moved daily. Capturing the ID number on each LF tag is impractical, he explains, since it takes about 10 seconds per animal to read each individual tag with a handheld interrogator. At that rate, with 360 reads per hour with no delays, the market could still not process its cattle in one day. “Low-frequency works in small herds and for small projects,” Junek states, but large operations that move thousands of cattle daily require a UHF tag.
Kansas dairyman receives honor
From DairyBusiness.com
Carrol Campbell of Winfield, Kansas will be honored as the 2010 Outstanding Dairy Producer of the Year, by Western DairyBusiness magazine at World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif. Feb. 10. The presentation will be held at 11:45 a.m. during Dairy Profit Seminars located in the Seminar Center between “R” and “S” streets along Expo Lane on the farm show grounds.
A fourth-generation dairyman, Campbell dairies in South Central Kansas. He is a partner in Campbell Farms, LLC, located near Winfield.
“We are proud to honor Carrol Campbell for his unselfish commitment to the dairy industry. His efforts through AFACT to preserve the use of valuable technology and time-tested production practices on U.S. dairies has worked to help keep dairy operations viable in todays difficult economic times,” said Ron Goble, editor and associate publisher for Western DairyBusiness.
Family history in dairy
The Campbell’s farm was founded in 1935 when Carrol`s grandfather was granted a permit to deliver milk door-to-door and to grocery stores in Winfield. The farm discontinued delivery of milk in the 1950`s but continued to sell milk to local consumers at the farm until 1984.
That 50-year direct relationship with the consumer gives Carrol a unique perspective on the value of consumer trust in modern food production. Today, that connection with the consumer is more important than ever.
Industry involvement
Carrol`s concern with the disconnect between the consumer and the farmer led to his involvement in AFACT – American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology. The organization and its members believe farmers must share their values and modern food production practices used on their farms to solidify that consumer trust. Carrol is co-chair of AFACT.
A family affair
Carrol and his wife Jeanie manage the overall dairy and farming operation, but their grown children are also involved in the business.
Their son Nathan manages the dairy of 250 cows, and his wife, Aimee is a financial aid counselor at Southwestern College. Son-in law Scott married to their daughter Dana, a pharmacist, has responsibility for the cropping enterprise of 2,000 acres of wheat, corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, and alfalfa.
Their other daughter, Holly, is married to Eric Martin and lives in Western Kansas where she is editor of the High Plains Journal. Carrol and Jeanie have five grandchildren.
Carrol earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.
Carrol has always been involved in his local community, as well as the dairy and agricultural industry on a local and national basis.
He has served as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church; member of Rotary Club, board president for the dairy local cooperative; board president for Farm Bureau, board president for Heart of America DHIA, a member of State Dairy Advisory Committee, Farm Management Association, Cowley County Community College Agriculture Advisory Committee; Kansas Dairy Association (KDA) board vice president; and serves on the Kansas Dairy Commission. He and his family have also been involved in 4-H and FFA as their children participated.
Carrol also has been honored with the Distinguished Dairy Family Award from KDA, Farm Bureau District Leader of the Year, Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award, Farm Family of the Year award.
