Michigan Milk Messenger: January 2010

January 2010 Volume 92 Issue 7

Trust the Experts in Dairy Nutrition

2nd Annual Midwest Dairy Conferences Using Science to Increase Results Through Nutrition JBS United has provided research-based products to the animal nutrition industry since 1956. From our headquarters in Indiana and our Dairy Division in Jonesville, Michigan, we supply animal nutrition and feed products to satisfied customers throughout the Midwest and across the globe.

JOIN US FEBRUARY 3 AND 4 FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL MIDWEST DAIRY CONFERENCES JBS United is excited to host the second annual Technical Conference for Dairy Producers in the Midwest.

We invite you to come and learn more about where the dairy industry is headed by leading experts in dairy nutrition, while visiting with other industry professionals and suppliers in this ever expanding field.

FEBRUARY 3 (LOCATION): Held at Sauder Village, 22611 State Route 2, PO Box 235, Archbold, OH 43502; Saunder Village Tel: (800) 590-9755 FEBRUARY 4 (LOCATION): Held at the Henry Center (or also known as The James B. Henry Center for Executive Development) at Michigan State University located at 3535 Forest Road, Lansing, MI 48910-3831.

Henry Center Tel: (517) 353-4350 or (800) 356-5705.

Title: “Managing Risk in a Volatile Market”

JBS United Headquarters

Dairy Division Jonesville Plant

4310 State Road 38 West Sheridan, IN 46069 Ph: (800) 382-9909

3611 West Chicago Rd. Jonesville, MI 49250 Email: marketing@ jbsunited.com

Speakers: • Dr. Don Orr – President, JBS United, Inc. • Dr. Randy Shaver – Professor, University of Wisconsin – “Controlling Costs /Rations.”

• Brian Maple – Broker/Merchandiser, F.C. Stone –“Hedging and Managing Input Cost” • Dan Zaslavsky – Corporate Account Executive / Analyst / Floor Broker, Downes O’Neill LLC / eDairy Inc. a division of FC Stone –“Managing Milk Futures through Better Risk Management” • Dr. Mike Allen – Professor, Michigan State University – “New Grouping Strategies to Manage Costs”

LEARN MORE TODAY!

(800) 322-1658 www.JBSunited.com

Costs and More Information:

FREE (Registration Required). Visit our website for a full list of presentations. To register or learn more about either of these upcoming conferences, please contact your JBS United Sales Rep, or Lisa Coverdale at (800) 382-9909.

Contents Volume 92 Issue 7 www.mimilk.com

January 2010

16

20

Features 9

MSUE Dairy Team Winter Meetings: “Tools to Navigate the Fresh Cow Storm”

12 MMPA Quality Award Winners 16 Successful Transitions

- District 5 OYDC Mark and Tana Buning 18 New Year: New TB Program 20 Forecasting the Future

- District 6 OYDC Leroy and Stephanie Schafer 22 Starling Control Works on Michigan Dairies

24

23 MMPA Local Meeting Schedule 24 Leaders’ Conference 2009 26 MMPA Milk Quality – The Pursuit of Excellence 30 Learning How to do More With Less in an Ever-

changing Dairy World — GLRDC 31 2010 MMPA Milker Training School Schedule

Departments

Managing Editor...................... Sheila Burkhardt Editors............................................ Mindy Pratt

Laura Moser Advertising Manager..................... Karla Macelli Circulation............................................... 4,200

MMPA Matters................................................ 5 Quality Watch.................................................. 6 News & Views.................................................. 8 Legislative Watch............................................ 10 Merchandise Memo........................................ 32 Freeliners........................................................ 34 Classifieds...................................................... 36 Policies........................................................... 37 Market Report................................................ 38 MMPA Lab Lines........................................... 39 MMPA Staff ................................................... 39

An Equal Opportunity Employer – F/M/V/D Michigan Milk Messenger (USPS 345-320) is the official publication of Michigan Milk Producers Association, published monthly since June 1919.

Subscriptions: MMPA members, 50¢ per year; non-members, $5 per year.

41310 Bridge St. P.O. Box 8002 Novi, MI 48376-8002

Telephone: 248-474-6672 FAX: 248-474-0924 Periodical postage paid at Novi, MI and at additional offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Michigan Milk Messenger, PO Box 8002, Novi, MI 48376-8002.

(ISSN 0026-2315)

January 2010 November Volume 92 Issue 2009 7

Volume 92 Issue 5

On the Cover

A Jersey calf and her older herdmates enjoy the winter flurries on Eldred Farms Blanchard, Mich., owned by MMPA Members Brian, Bruce and Darrel Eldred.

Photo courtesy of Preston Cole, www. tapsphotography.com.

Michigan Milk Messenger 3

Michigan Milk Producers Association Michigan Milk Producers Association, established in 1916, is a member owned and operated dairy cooperative serving approximately 2,200 dairy farmers in Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio.

Board of Directors Officers President: Ken Nobis Vice President: Bob Kran Treasurer: Velmar Green General Manager/Secretary: John Dilland Ass’t. Treasurer: Clay Galarneau General Counsel: David VanderHaagen Directors-At-Large Ken Nobis, St. Johns .........................989-224-6170

or 248-474-6672, ext. 201 Rodney Daniels, Whittemore.............989-756-4935 Mark Halbert, Battle Creek................269-964-0511

Pictured: Front row (l-r) Galarneau, Stamp, Kran, Nobis, Green, Reid, Dilland. Back row (l-r) Hood, Daniels, Javor, Frahm, Wilson, Halbert, Kronemeyer, VanderHaagen, Horning.

District Directors 1. Earl Horning, Manchester.............734-428-7641 2. Tim Hood, Paw Paw....................269-657-5771 4. Dan Javor, Hastings......................269-948-8345 5. Brent Wilson, Carson City............989-584-3481 6. Velmar Green, Elsie......................989-862-5020 7. James Reid, Jeddo........................810-327-6830 8. Deanna Stamp, Marlette...............989-635-7307 10. Eric Frahm, Frankenmuth............989-652-3552 11. Bob Kran, FreeSoil.......................231-464-5889 12. John Kronemeyer, Pickford..........906-647-7638

Mission Statement “To market our members’ milk to the greatest advantage possible.”

AdvisoryCommittee District One Hank Choate, Cement City Danny Hart, Grass Lake Dennis Huehl, Chelsea Bruce Lewis, Jonesville

517-529-9032 517-206-1966 734-475-1051 517-869-2877

District Six Anthony Jandernoa, St. Johns Terry Nugent, Lowell David Reed, Owosso John Hufnagel, Westphalia

989-593-2224 616-691-8424 989-723-8635 989-593-2900

District Two Donald Bever, Delton Francis Burr, Mendon Richard Thomas, Middlebury, IN Susan Troyer, Goshen, IN

269-671-5050 269-778-2697 574-825-5198 574-533-4506

District Four David Bivens, Bellevue Jeff Butler, Nashville Mark Crandall, Battle Creek David Lott, Mason

269-758-3980 517-852-1859 269-660-2229 517-676-4593

District Five Ray Christensen, Greenville 616-754-9404 Bill Jernstadt, Big Rapids 231-796-4650 Robert Lee, Marion 231-743-6794 Tom Jeppesen, Stanton 989-762-5399

4 January 2010

District Ten John Bennett, Prescott Jim Judge, Mt. Pleasant Scott Kleinhardt, Clare Michael Schwab, Standish

989-345-4264 989-866-2482 989-386-8037 989-846-4764

District Eleven District Seven Bill Blumerich, Berlin Pat Bolday, Emmett Scott Lamb, Jeddo Chuck White, Fowlerville

810-395-2926 810-395-7139 810-327-6135 517-521-3564

Gary Butler, Sand Lake David Pyle, Zeeland Frank Konkel, Hesperia Bill Stakenas, Freesoil

616-636-8624 616-772-1512 231-854-8041 231-757-9340

District Twelve District Eight Mike Bender, Croswell 810-679-4782 Leonard Brown, Sandusky 810-648-4505 Tim Kubacki, Sebewaing 989-883-3249 Steve Schulte, Harbor Beach 989-479-9339

John Bloniarz, Bark River Ron Lucas, Posen Marv Rubingh, Ellsworth Corby Werth, Alpena

906-466-5537 989-379-4694 231-588-6084 989-379-3772

MMPA Matters

By Ken Nobis President

Headed Toward the Future

I

t’s a pleasant feeling to look at 2009 in the rearview mirror. It was such an unusual year in so many respects. Lousy milk prices, long winter, short summer (no summer in my opinion) and to top it all off, the Menominee/ Vacationland Local was postponed one day due to an early December blizzard. You know the weather is bad when a meeting is cancelled in the U.P. due to snow. I like having 2009 in the rearview mirror of my mind because it allows for the illusion of a distant memory. As reality overcomes illusion, I remind myself that we shouldn’t ignore this episode of our history. Instead, we should analyze it and attempt to build a program that could perhaps avoid such a gut-wrenching episode in our future.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), working with its member cooperatives and other members of the greater dairy farmer community, formed a “Milk Price Task Force” in June 2009. The Task force met over the summer several times to review the current pricing system we operate under and to receive input from other organizations who were working on systems each thought could improve the current economic system dairy farmers operate under.

The ideas around the table varied from removing all government involvement to total government control of supply and prices. The ideas that were presented covered a wide spectrum of options, highlighting the difficulty of developing a cohesive program that has the support of producers from every region of the U.S. Maybe I’m overly optimistic, but I think it is possible to build

a better system. There’s no better time to do it than now, while our memories of the shortcomings of the present system are very fresh in our minds.

The NMPF Task force is moving forward by using the ideas presented to them to concentrate on building a “Foundation for the Future.” That foundation includes a concept to somehow be able to insure a portion of the net margin between cost of production and revenue from production. The foundation also includes a revised CWT Program that would include options to make it appealing to more producers than it does now.

Federal Order reform is another issue NMPF is working on, which focuses on “mending” the Federal Order system by removing inequities in the current system.

Three sub-committees have been formed to study and formulate a way forward in each of these three important building blocks under pinning our “Foundation for the Future.” Work is underway by the sub-committees to refine concepts and explore the methodology to make them workable.

Trying to develop an income protection plan that would conceptually protect economic stability without allowing excess production that would undermine prices is complex. If we could protect the viability of every cow needed to meet demand, allow for new market expansion and heavily penalize any extra cows, I think we could achieve our goal. We have to find a way to send the message that we have a problem of excess milk, ideally before it happens, and, at the very least, when it happens—not

two, four or six months after the danger signs were first seen.

Does that mean that our price support program is obsolete?

Possibly, because it does provide a support price for other low cost milk producers around the globe. The U.S. is a competitive milk producing country and we have the ability to capture at least a portion of the growing market for milk and dairy protein around the world. Our ability to competitively produce a high quality product coupled with retaining a support price which allows excess production to be sold to the government essentially gives the low cost producer in New Zealand nearly the same guarantee.

The New Zealander just happens to be located in an environment that allows for low cost production— even lower than our support price.

If our support program didn’t exist, using this past year as an example, we would have seen prices drop even lower than they did but the lower prices would clear out burdensome supplies much faster and price recovery would occur much sooner. This is the time frame for which we are trying to develop a program. The concept may seem Pollyannaish, akin to “having your cake and eating it too,” but I believe we can develop this idea into a successful, long-term dairy program.

While some of these ideas may seem sketchy at best, it is a beginning. We have a long road to travel, but I believe our dairy industry is working to lay a very solid foundation for the future, which will someday improve what we see in our rearview mirrors.

Michigan Milk Messenger 5

Quality Watch

ByGary Dean Letter By Trimner Mastitis Management Advisor DirectorMMPA of Member Services/Quality Control

Looking Ahead to 2010

T

he year 2010 will likely bring much needed price relief to our members. In addition to the improved milk prices, below is a summary of other issues that MMPA’s Member Services Department will be bringing to our members.

It is important to note that MMPA customers have shown interest in MMPA’s animal care program.

Milking Systems Performance Assurance Program

There will be significant pressure to reduce the Michigan Department of Agriculture budget. We will be working hard to maintain the current Food and Dairy funding level. As you know, permit fees will be increased as a result of the 2009 budget. I will provide more information about the permit increases for the 2009 budget when they are finalized in the first quarter of 2010.

MMPA Member Representatives will be engaged in continuous training in the Milking Systems Performance Assurance Program (MSPAP).

We will be expanding the MSPAP as we receive additional requests from our members. We currently have sufficient trained personnel to extend the program to our entire membership. The program establishes a routine scheduled evaluation of the milking systems for a fee. Members interested in MSPAP should notify their member representative or the Novi office.

Animal Care

Air Quality

Michigan Department of Agriculture Budget Issues

We will be working with National Milk Producers Federation to provide training to MMPA Member Representatives on the National Dairy FARM Program (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management). Once training is complete, sometime after April 1, we will begin the process of delivering the animal care guidelines and assisting our members in completing the program. This is a voluntary program and those that complete the animal care guidelines can request third party audit verification. Details on covering the cost of the verification have not yet been determined. We will report on that when the process is finalized.

6 January 2010

We have not received the final results of the Carbon Footprint survey that many members participated in this past year. When the results become available we will provide the information. There continues to be substantial pressure from Washington D.C. to reduce the national overall carbon footprint.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require entities with greenhouse gas emissions of 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent to report their emissions.

This would require dairy herds of 3,200 or more dairy animals to report emissions. That reporting has been delayed until 2011.

Energy Conservation

MMPA has several farm energy audits in process. In addition, we currently have a list of 41 members who have requested an energy audit. We have received several inquiries from our finished product customers concerning what MMPA and our members are doing to be “sustainable,” and the energy audit program falls into that category.

MMPA is committed to continuing and expanding our audit program, so that we may assist members in conserving energy and saving money. We are working through the Michigan Ag Energy Council and the utility companies to take advantage of any energy savings credits offered to our members.

Environmental Issues

There is increased pressure from Washington D.C. to further regulate animal feeding operations. Currently, all dairy farms with 700 or more dairy cows must be permitted. The CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) permits are being rewritten in most states as a result of the final ruling of the “Waterkeepers” lawsuit. Michigan will issue new CAFO permits this year. MMPA has been involved with other stakeholders in the development of the new permits and will continue to be engaged in environmental regulation discussions affecting dairy farms.

When the permits are finalized, we will provide more information at members’ request.

Continued on page 15

ave e l t ’ Don ws out co your e cold in th

News & Views The latest dairy news

November Class III Price Up $1.26

The November Class III price is $14.08, up $1.26 from last month but down $1.43 from last year. The Class IV price is $13.25, up $1.39 from last month. This year’s Class IV price is up $1.00 from last year.

Both are the highest prices during the past calendar year.

Producers scoring 95 percent or more on Grade A Surveys and Federal Check Ratings MMPA Constantine BTU October 2009 Jerry, Terry & Jerry Jr. Koebel* Van Marshall Glen Bontrager Vernon Hochstetler Alvin Miller Tobie Hochstetler Milton Preston Howard Payne Wagner Family Farms, LLC Amos Hochstetler Jr. Thomas Pierce Greg Myers Ferry Farms, LLC K & W Dairy * Scored 100 percent

8 January 2010

MMPA 2010 Direct Deposit Schedule

The MMPA direct deposit program provides for the direct deposit of your net milk proceeds to your bank account through the use of an electronic funds transfer system.

This system assures the deposit of funds on the dates listed below.

The direct deposit service is free to MMPA members. Members on direct deposit receive their check statement by mail. The statement

is the same as the one attached to the milk check. The direct deposit stub of the statement indicates the amount transferred into the member’s bank account.

If you are interested in signing up for direct deposit or desire more information, please contact the MMPA Member Services Department at 800-572-5824.

Settlement Dates Processed Through JP Morgan Chase Calendar Year 2010 January 19 January 26

February 17 February 26

March 17 March 26

April 16 April 26

May 17 May 26

June 17 June 25

Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Friday Wednesday Friday Friday Monday Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday

July 16 July 26

August 17 August 26

September 17 September 27

October 18 October 26

November 17 November 26

December 17 December 27

Upcoming Events January

MMPA Local Meetings

27

MMPA Resolutions Committee – Novi

February

MMPA District Meetings

25

UDIM Annual Meeting – Lansing

Friday Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday Monday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday Friday Monday

Michigan State University Extension Dairy Team Winter Meeting: Animal Health: “Tools to navigate the fresh cow storm”

Animal health and well-being have always been a high priority on our dairy farms. Surviving in today’s economy requires a concerned effort to minimize problems in early lactation. Early lactation is a critical time in a cow’s life when energy demands are high in order to meet production needs while maintaining a healthy cow. This is a time when the immune system is at greatest challenge in fighting off disease problems. Over the years, monitoring tools have been developed to help us evaluate current status, make decisions and monitor health. The MSUE dairy winter meeting is designed to provide the farm team with tools to maximize the efforts to maintain health and well-being of the cows, while maximizing production and getting the cow ready for rebreeding.

The program will address four major topics of concern in fresh cows: metabolic diseases, reproductive diseases, milk quality/mastitis and animal wellness to improve longevity in the herd.

Health events during this period will prepare the cow for success or failure in lactation. There are some useful testing and monitoring tools that can be easily employed by most farmers to maximize production and improve animal health. Most farms do not rely on one person to handle all areas of production and animal health, so it is important that farms come as a team to get the most out of this year’s meeting. Animal health requires an “onfarm team” that includes your veterinarian and nutritionist.

Cost for the daylong program is $15 per person, which includes lunch. Registration for the meetings begin at 9:30 a.m. and the meetings begin at 10 a.m.

NMPF Member Co-ops Support Chocolate Milk Petition

As part of an effort to help keep chocolate milk in school lunch programs, NMPF member co-ops have been joining the “Raise your Hand for Chocolate Milk” campaign. At the campaign’s Web site, www. raiseyourhand4milk.com, supporters can sign a petition to promote chocolate milk for the country’s school children.

Winter Program Schedule Date

Location/Contact

February 2

Heirman University Ctr., Rm 958/962 Bay College, Escanaba, MI Ben Bartlett 906-439-5880

February 3

Alpena Community College Rm 106 Center Building 665 Johnson St, Alpena, MI Mary Dunckel 989-354-9870 Phil Durst 989-826-1160

February 4

Quality Inn Forward Conf. Ctr. 2980 Cook Rd, West Branch, MI Phil Durst 989-826-1160

February 16

Carl T. Johnson Center.

6087 W. M-115, Cadillac, MI Kathy Lee 231-839-4667

February 17

Isabella County Bldg, Rm 320 200 N. Main St, Mt. Pleasant, MI Mike McFadden 989-772-0911(302)

February 18

Franklin Inn 1060 E. Huron Ave, Bad Axe, MI Craig Thomas 810-648-2515

March 2

Clinton County RESA 1013 S. US-27, St. Johns, MI Faith Cullens 989-224-5249

March 3

4-H Bldg, Hillsdale Co. Fairgrounds 115 S. Broad St (M-99), Hillsdale, MI Ira Krupp 517-279-4311 Dean Ross 517-546-3950

March 4

Kent County MSU Extension 775 Ball Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI Bill Robb 616-994-4580 Ira Krupp 517-279-4311

Michigan Milk Messenger 9

Legislative Watch Issues important to today’s dairy farmers

Senate Committee Passes Climate Change Legislation

In November, Senators Stabenow (MI), Harkin (IA), Baucus (MT), Casey (PA), Klobuchar (MN), Brown (OH), Begich (AK), and Shaheen (NH) introduced S. 2729 – the Clean Energy Partnerships Act. This bill establishes important provisions for agriculture in the offset portion of the Climate Change bill, which was approved by the Senate Environment Committee last month without the ag offset amendment.

NMPF feels very strongly that additional legislation must protect the dairy industry from those who would rather pursue a strictly regulatory approach to managing methane emissions from livestock operations.

To mandate greenhouse gas reductions could cause

catastrophic financial losses within the dairy sector.

S.2729 provides many of those provisions, and provides opportunities for agriculture to benefit from the legislation.

Although the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed S. 1733, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, NMPF was disappointed to see the lack of provisions for agriculture. That is why it is critical that the agriculture offsets piece was introduced.

At this time the Senate is not expected to again consider climate change legislation until the spring of 2010.

USDA Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment Program

On December 17, the USDA announced rules for implementation of the $290-million Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment (DELAP) program.

DELAP payments were calculated based on each qualifying dairy operation’s total pounds of production commercially marketed during the months of February 2009 through July 2009, multiplied by 2, up to a production maximum of 6 million pounds per dairy operation for the year.

An estimated $0.32 per cwt. is being paid on the pounds of milk produced, up to the cap of 6 million pounds.

No application was required to receive DELAP program benefits if a dairy operation or producer’s records were currently available in the FSA county office from previous participation in a fiscal year 2009 dairy program administered by FSA. Dairy producers who do not have production records at the FSA county office, and who have not been contacted to obtain such data for the months of February through July 2009, may apply to receive DELAP program benefits at their local FSA service center. The deadline to submit requests for DELAP program benefits is January 19, 2010.

For more information and eligibility requirements on the new DELAP program, producers should visit their local FSA county office or www.fsa. usda.gov.

The USDA also announced it will spend $60 million on the purchase of consumer-ready cheeses. The USDA said that it will procure cheddar and mozzarella cheese for delivery between March 16 and December 31, 2010.

The products will be distributed through the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

10 January 2010

PTO and Automatic Start Generators 1-800-248-8070 M-40 South Hamilton, MI 49419

Go ahead, try it on.

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The Artec formula features heptanoic fatty acid, a patent pending acid-anionic antimicrobial that dramatically reduces the occurrence of mastitis causing organisms, and a 78% emollient tri-blend, one of the highest in the industry.

This highly effective combination of ingredients helps reduce mastitis and protect against the elements.

call 1.800.392.3392 or visit our web site at www.ecolab.com

They’ll love the glove. ©2008 Ecolab Inc. 370 Wabasha St. N. St. Paul, MN 55102 All Rights Reserved

MMPA Quality Award Winners

D

uring the local meetings, MMPA presented quality awards to 375 member farms in recognition of their outstanding quality milk production. Bronze, silver and gold quality awards were presented to those members who met the established criteria for each award.

Bronze quality awards were presented to MMPA members who met both quality premium categories (10,000 or less raw bacteria and 20,000 or less PI count) and maintained a somatic cell count of 250,000 or less for nine or more months out of the previous fiscal year.

Silver quality awards were presented to those members who met the same criteria as in the bronze award category for 12 months out of the previous fiscal year.

Members who qualified to receive a Gold award met the same criteria as in the silver award category and averaged a somatic cell count of 100,000 or less during the previous fiscal year.

Star Awards were presented to those members who have received a quality award for five (one star), ten (two stars) and fifteen (three stars) consecutive years.

Adrian Local

Gary K. Roggenbuck John and Diane Seidl & Family

Silver N. Randy and Eric Bleich Tim and Lisa Brasher Matthew Smith Bronze Fred Feight and Sons Marvin Farms Inc. Scott D. Norden Randy Shadewald

Alma Local Silver Bebow Dairy Inc. Lad & Agnes Doolittle Friesen Farms Inc. Ronald and Kevin Litwiller Brian and Jacqueline McAlvey Oberlin Farms De Grins Oer Dairy Dale Rowland Spring Lake Farms LLC TLC Dairy A G Wiles* Bronze Chapin Family Farm LLC Double-B Dairy Double Eagle Dairy Inc. Dragt Farms*** Joel and Edwin Ensz Hooks Farms

12 January 2010

William Hough Dairy Inc. Kent L. Inniger Douglas B. Kamer Ryan J. Litwiller Christopher E. Miller Gary & Cory Nielsen Albern Olson Peters & Peters Dairy Farm Pine Hills Dairy LLC* Doeke & Missy Prins S & T Farms PTP Newlyn Toews** Vander Ploeg Holsteins LLC Kenneth Vredenburg

Bad Axe Local Gold Donald and Denise Rice Silver Highland Dairy LLC William C. Mazure Fred Wisneski Bronze Joseph & Valerie Kubacki and Jeffery Sample Gregory and Shelly Messing Nugent’s Farm Dairy Paramount Enterprises Dairy LLC Prime Land Farm* R L S Dairy Inc.

Barry-Eaton Local Silver Chase Crest Hill Farms Leonard, Kevin, Andrew & Maxine Pixley Bronze Burdock Hills Dairy LLC Endsley Dairy Farms LLC Hammond Dairy Farm LLC Jonathan G. Hochstetler

Battle Creek-Homer Local Gold Crandall Dairy Farms LLC Silver Joseph and Jeffrey Willson Bronze Daniel L. Williams

Blossomland Local Silver Gamble Family Bronze Jerry, Terry & Jerry Jr. Koebel

Brown City-Marlette Local Silver Brown City-Marlette John David Boegner Cumper Dairy Farms Bronze Goma Dairy Farms LLC Muxlow Dairy Farm Bob, Jeffrey, Daniel & Andrew Parr Glen & Dale Phillips Farms Dwight Radloff* Rick L. Sutton*

Chippewa County Local Gold Jason W. Hoornstra* Bronze David & Tammy Bell David A. Lamb Taylor Creek Farm LLC

Clare Local Bronze Jack Evans Donald Kuehl Sr. & Family Le Var Farms LLC* Pine Ridge Farm

Constantine Local

Dairyland Local

Silver Alvin D. Bontrager Jake R. Eicher David E. Miller Glen F. Miller Vernon R. Miller David and Carolyn Nissley*** Perkins Twin Creek Farm Inc. Bronze Abe L. Bontrager Daniel A. Bontrager Dannie Ray Bontrager Gerald D. Bontrager John D. Bontrager Philip D. Bontrager Leroy H. Borkholder Detweiler Farms Delmar J. Fry Ira L. Hochstetler Monroe V. Hochstetler Vernon E. Hochstetler Eli I. Kuhns Lavern J. Kurtz Ervin J. Lehman Jerry D. Lehman Enos Lengacher Ernest L. Mast Jay H. Mast Calvin F. Miller Cletus H. Miller Leroy E. Miller Merle F. Miller Dorvin Shaum Marvin M. Shrock Jerry C. Slabach Michael R. Stoltzfus Mervin and Susan Troyer Jacob W. Weaver Merlin Ray and Mary Yoder Virgil D. Yoder Rufus B. Zimmerman

Gold Leroy O. and Ella M. Zimmerman* Silver David Kraft Wilson Centennial Farm Bronze Roger Copeland D & J Dairy LLC Mervin G. Dailey Ammon R. Martin Vernon Ramer Titus B. Zimmerman

Deckerville Local Silver Timothy Mater* Bronze James M. Adler Steven R. Boice* Dallas Family Farms Allen Detgen Edward Joe Lawler

Deford/CliffordMayville Local Bronze Edward & Sandra Adamic Calvin J. Bodeis Mohr Valley Dairy Farm Inc.

Evart Local Gold Dick Haven Farms LLC Mark F. Diemer VanPolen Farms Silver Benthem Brothers Inc. Michael L. Bosscher Buning Dairy Farm LLC Robert, Harold, Michael & Matthew Cnossen Keith A. Deruiter Daniel DeZeeuw

Gilde Farms Kerwin J. Hamming Mary and Robert Lee Star City Farm William Stein Jonathan and Mary Taylor Zuiderveen Farms Bronze Kevin P. Ardis William A. Benson Steve Benthem BWT Farms LLC Gaylord and Gerald Denslow David L. DeZeeuw Harold and Ruth Ann Dodde Eisenga Brothers Dairy End Road Farm Leon Hamming Many Blessings Dairy Inc. Jerry J. Mitchell Timothy and Jennifer Oehrli Rudvan Family Farms LLC Kenneth and Carol TeBos Wirth Dairy Farm

Flint Local Silver Smolek Farms Bronze Corner Oak Farm K&K Kern Farms

Frankenmuth Local Silver Eric Frahm and Teresa Crook Larry Niec Farms LLC Wardin Brothers Richard R. Wardin

Bronze Haubenstricker Dairy Farm LLC Petzold Dairy Farms LLC Schiefer Farms LLC

Grand Rapids Local Gold Cressbrook Farms Silver Stephen and Denise Knox Med-O-Bloom Farms LLC Jerrold and Mark Richmond Bronze James A. Brower Fisk Farms Klamer Farms Inc. Potgeter Farms James Schaendorf Stoney Hill Farm Inc.

Hillman Local Silver Galen & Suzanne Schalk Fred, Cody & Corby Werth* Bronze Jamey Allen Chippewa Dairy Christensen Farms Ryan & Charina Dellar Robert Hemmingson Todd Hemmingson Melvin Mullet* Risky Endeavor Dairy Sauer Dairy Farms Inc. Myron Siegert Skudlarek Dairy Farm Larry, Paulette, Jeremy, & Paul Werth Ervin Lee Yoder

Michigan Milk Messenger 13

MMPA Quality Award Winners Continued....

Hillsdale-Litchfield Local Silver Christopher and Beth Brenner Herman’s Holsteins LLC Bronze Dale and Carol Baker Drakeland Farms LLC* William, Daniel and Marlin Easterday Fairfield Stock Farm Ferris Farms Richard and Patricia Hawkins Pleasant View Dairy Poling Dairy Farm Simon Jr. and Duane Wagler

Ingham County Local Gold Kevin Cavanaugh Harry W. Coppernoll Sr. & Harry W. Coppernoll Jr. Silver Car-Min-Vu Farms Fogle Farms Chuck and Linda Grettenberger Larry L. Steffey Bronze Dusk ‘Til Dawn Farm Risch Farms Sonray Acres

Jackson County Plus Local Silver Williams Family Farm LLC Bronze Grand Valley Farms

14 January 2010

Danny, Darrell and James Hart Hillside Dairy Farms Riske Farms John and Andrew Sweet

Kalamazoo Local Gold Webers Meadow LLC Silver Paul DeMann* Ransler Farms Scales Prairie Farm Bronze Lavern and Douglas DeMann** Louis Fifelski Hood Farms Kathleen M. Johnson K & W Dairy MSU Kellogg Dairy Penney Farms Melvin T. Puschel Tim and Sandy Ver Hage

Lansing Local Gold MSU Dairy - Dept of Animal Science Bronze Lyon Farm LLC

Lapeer County Plus Local Bronze Gleason Dairy Farm

Livingston Charter Local Silver Donal Farm LLC Bronze Larry & Karen Adams Clarinda Farms LLC Charles & Janet White

MenomineeVacationland Local Bronze Karen Ann and John Strohl Waucedah Hill Farm LLC

Mid-Michigan Local Silver Berlyn Acres LLC John and Judy Carter George Grecu III George and Shirley Hazle Houska Farms Inc. Melvin and Pamela Pohl Gene L. Schneider Steenblik Dairy Inc. Stony Creek Dairy LLC* Wadell Dairy Farm LLC Aron W. Whitaker Bronze Cook Dairy Farm E B Ridge Dairy LLC Andrew and John Feldpausch Lew-Max Holstein LLC Alan Miller P & H Farms Steven C. Roth Leroy and Stephanie Schafer Larry A. Simon Steven H. Simon Barry and Angela Stout T & H Dairy II (S973) T & H Dairy II (X505) Cliff Thelen Jeffry and Patricia Thelen Wieber Dairy LLC

Mt. Pleasant Local Silver House Farms Judge Dairy Farm Inc.

Matt and Deborah Kampf Robert S. Millard* Bronze Bernard, Louis & Ronald Brecht Elton F. Dubois Martin C. Fox Gross Dairy Farms Inc.

Muskegon Local Gold Sueann M. Higgins Silver Menno J. Lambright Larsen Farms Jerry and Sharron Powers Riverside Dairy LLC Silver Sky Dairy LLC Theodore M. Wolschlager Bronze John E. Allison Donald A. Beattie Beuschel Fruit and Dairy Farm Max & Kristin Carlson Thomas and Shirley Carson Dewey Farm LLC Doug & Shelly Ekkel and Family Wayne Hecksel Higgins Livestock Inc.* Alan M. Koppenol Daniel J. Lombard*** Norris Dairy Farm Inc. Slowpoke Farm LLC Stakenas Farms Inc. Stroven Dairy Farm Roger Studer Sunglow Dairy LLC Albert Lee Tiles Udder Chaos Inc. Udder Pressure David VanderZanden

Owosso Local Silver Reed Dairy Farm Ritter Farms LLC Jason Szakal Bronze David Sovis

Saline-Ann Arbor Local Silver Breuninger Farms LLC Gene and Gary Girbach Stanley and Patricia Lambarth Bronze Horning Farms LLC Huehl Acres Edward Keezer Leo Bur Farms Brian D. Sweetland

Sandusky Local Silver Fred & Candice Inbody Bronze Roger Markey

Southern Sanilac Local Silver Noll Dairy Farm Inc. John Nunn John and Jill Welter

St. Clair - Macomb Local Silver Lester, Barbara & Susan Knust* Bronze Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority

Sunrise Local Gold Victor Daniels & Sons Silver Clemens Dairy Farm Inc. Bronze Anschuetz Dairy Farm Jeremy & Deseriee Beebe Bennett Farms Derek Brewer Cedar Lane Dairy Farms Circle K Farms Inc. Gallagher Dairy Farm Inc.

Joseph E. Kauffman Lemajru Dairy Farm Poirier Farms Salgat Farms LLC W-R-L Daniels Farm

Upstate Local Silver Denis L. Garvin Bronze Dean and Victoria Edgecomb*** Richard J. Fettig Marvin J. Rubingh Rosendo Oviedo* Clarence A. Stachnik Jr. Charles Wm. & Charles W. Stanek

West Huron Local Bronze Delcath Farms Timothy & Debra Kubacki Darrin Lutz Farms Inc. John C. Richmond & Sons Dairy Farm Starward Farm Michael W. Zagata

West Michigan Local Silver Wayne Dekleine John and Philip Kuyers* Steven and Mary Nienhuis Arlyn J. Walt* Bronze Alfen Dairy Farms Inc. Daybreak Dairy William & Robert Gruppen Heritage Farms LLC Melridge Farms Al Ott Farm LLC David and Bertus Pyle Dennis Raterink Norman Ter Haar Delwyn Wedeven Dale Welch Woodbridge Dairy Farm

Western U.P. Local Bronze Iho Farms Jacob and Elaine Jahfetson & Family

Quality Watch – Continued from page 6 Keep in mind that environmental regulations apply to all animal feeding operations, not just CAFOs. The penalty for having a discharge is the same no matter what size an operation is.

MMPA will continue to distribute and review the Livestock*A*Syst with our members. A scoring system based upon level of environmental protection is being developed for

the Livestock*A*Syst. The new scoring system can be used to establish a baseline for a farm and as improvements are made, the farm will be able to be rescored again to measure progress after improvements are made. Once the farm reaches 100 percent, the farm can be verified under the MAEAP Livestock System.

representatives to keep them up to date on the services MMPA offers.

Our newer member representatives will be provided intensive training on a monthly basis in all areas.

All of us in MMPA’s Member Services Department wish our members a very happy and prosperous 2010!

MMPA will provide ongoing training to all member

Michigan Milk Messenger 15

Successful Transitions 2009 MMPA District 5 OYDC Mark and Tana Buning

S

uccessfully transitioning the farm from one generation to the next is no longer a concern at Buning Dairy Farm, LLC, owned by Mark Buning, his brother Norm, their father, Larry and uncle Doug. The farm partners were able to sit down and cooperatively work out a succession plan for the farm with the help of a consulting firm. According to Mark, a key to that process was open communications between the younger and older partners.

The family called on representatives from Lookout Ridge Consulting in Portage who helped open up the lines of communication between all of the farm partners and their respective families. Initially, each individual partner and his spouse met with the consultants. Later, there were many group meetings and teleconferences to work through the

many details of the succession plan.

“Working together this way helped deal with both legal and emotional items we may not have known were important had we not worked with the consultants,” Mark says.

The individual meetings allowed each partner and his spouse to speak freely with the consultants, and some of those meetings highlighted items that needed to be discussed within the family forum.

As part of their succession plan, the Bunings all get monthly profit and loss statements so every partner and his spouse knows where the farm is at financially.

“Even though Tana has a fulltime job off the farm, the succession planning taught me that it’s important to tell her what’s going on at the farm,” Mark says, admitting he used to assume she would know everything about farming just because he did.

Mark and Norm are quite like-minded as far as farm planning is concerned. While they do plan to grow the herd, Mark says right now the brothers are focused on getting back from the financial hardships of the past year.

“Right now we’re focused on recovery,” Mark says. “We’ve got debts to pay off, our milking parlor needs to be updated and we need to create additional heifer housing.”

While milk prices were still favorable last year, the Bunings built a 160-stall freestall barn to help

16 January 2010

keep up with growing herd numbers.

The farm’s 180 stall barn attached to its double-6 herringbone parlor just wasn’t big enough.

“Over the last five years, most of our herd growth has been from within the herd,” Mark says. “As we grow, the internal growth keeps getting faster. We’re having more heifer calves and herd health is better.”

Mark attributes some improvements in herd health to three times a day milking, which Mark and Norm decided to test out around two years ago.

“The 3X milking has helped with herd health because there’s people in the barn between 16-17 hours per day,” Mark explains. “We’re able to catch heats at an hour that usually someone wasn’t in the barn.”

Before implementing the additional milking, Norm and Mark discussed their plan with Larry and Doug, who agreed to it, “as long as they weren’t on the schedule for the nighttime milking,” Mark says.

The senior partners may not have been interested in the nighttime milking spot, but one of the farm’s full time employees volunteered to take all of the nighttime shifts.

“He’s done really well for us,” Mark says. “We occasionally get a call to help with a cow, but overall, he does well and can take care of downed or sick cows on his own. It’s been quite awhile since we’ve had a call from him for help.”

The Bunings value the farm’s three full-time and two part-time employees, saying they are very committed to the farming operation and have been very understanding about a current wage freeze due to the low milk price.

“They’ve all been very understanding,” Mark says. “We try to do what we can for the employees, they’ve been a blessing to us.

Sometimes we give them gas cards, we always give them hamburger and

Top: The Buning family: Haley, Mark, Tana and Katelyn.

Bottom: Cows in the farm’s new 160 stall freestall barn. butter, as it’s on the farm and they may take what they need.”

The Bunings dedication to their employees is further exampled by their willingness to hold open a position for an employee who worked for them and had to return to Mexico for nine months in order to become a legal citizen of the United States.

“It was tough not having him here, but my brother’s sons helped out until he returned,” Mark says. “He came back and is a very good man to have on the farm.”

The employee is currently working toward full U.S. citizenship and is looking forward to taking his oath to the U.S. in Tiger Stadium someday.

While the farm provides the employees with some staple foods during the year, the Bunings also say it’s important to recognize employees’ efforts during the holidays.

“During the holiday season we give them gift certificates to the local merchant which has clothing, boots, coats, jeans that they can use for farm work,” Mark says. “It also gives back to the local businesses in the area.”

The Buning farm’s unique location in the center of the town of Falmouth has posed more opportunity than challenges so far. The community surrounding them is dotted with dairy and other types of farms, so the residents in general are accustomed to the sounds and smells of farms.

“The farm is right in the middle of town,” Tana says. “There is a store and a restaurant directly across the street from the farm.”

On summer nights, it’s not unusual for folks to wander over to the farm from the store or restaurant and ask to see the calves, or other parts of the Buning operation.

“Most of the time if we aren’t busy, we will take the time to talk to them and allow them to see the calves,” Mark says. “We have an open door policy.”

Being in the center of the community’s eye makes it even that much more important for the Bunings to “do things right,” according to Mark. Being verified in the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) is one of the ways the Bunings show they are being good stewards of the land.

“We were one of the MAEAP trial farms,” Mark says. “We had been doing things right, so we just had to do some small things to become verified. It wasn’t a case where we didn’t know what we needed to work on, a lot of it was stuff we procrastinated from doing such as putting fences around the manure pit.”

Mark recommends that all farmers, no matter what their farm size, should consider working toward MAEAP verification as soon as they’re able, because nobody knows what the future holds as far environmental permitting goes. He believes it is especially important to keep up with environmental recommendations as his family’s farm grows to avoid costly fixes later.

“When you grow, it’s important to know the things you need to work on,” Mark says. “Ignoring it is not good, because when the time comes it’s likely going to be very expensive to fix.”

Buning Dairy Fa rm Fac

ts:

MMPA Membe rs of: District 5 and th e Evart Local Herd size: 270 milking and dry, 232 replacemen Acres farmed: ts 840 Milking set-up : Double-6 herr ingbone parlor Ag and commun it y in volvement: Mar

State Young Fa k formerly served rmer Committee on Michigan Fa . rm Bureau’s “One thing that makes a differenc e on our farm is…

We’re not afraid to plan for future generations.”

Michigan Milk Messenger 17

New Year: New TB Program

Bovine TB Zone reduced to smaller area in Northeast Michigan

T

he start of the new year will mark the first significant changes to Michigan’s TB program in several years. The recently agreed upon Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the USDA brings Michigan one step closer to obtaining TB-free status.

“This MOU is making steps toward Michigan obtaining TBfree status for a good chunk of the Modified Accredited Advanced Zone (MAAZ),” says Michigan’s new TB Eradication Program Coordinator James Averill, DVM, PhD. “We are working toward elevating the majority of the Lower Peninsula to TB-free status.”

The basis for much of the changes stem from the adaption of wildlife risk mitigation plans (WRM) on farms. The use of a more risk-based approach to TB —looking at risk levels and incorporating management options to reduce the risk of infection — is replacing the “one-size-fits-all approach from the past.

The areas buffering the new Modified Accredited Zone (MAZ) are broken into three subzones that have been elevated to Modified Accredited Advance Zones taking Michigan one-step closer to obtaining TB free status.

on the nature of the cattle operation. Breeding cattle will still be subject to required annual wholeherd testing. Feeder cattle will be tested every two years and feedlot cattle will be tested on a three-year rotation.

For the majority of the state — those in subzone 3 and the Upper Peninsula — the most significant change is the elimination of “lottery” or random TB testing

Cattle in the MAZ will still undergo annual whole-herd testing and farm owners must complete a Wildlife Risk Mitigation Plan (WRM).

Farmers in subzone 1 and 2 who complete a WRM plan and are certified by MDA will not be required to conduct movement testing. If a WRM plan is not in place the current rules apply and the buyer of the cattle must complete – and pay for – testing of all breeding animals between 60 and 120 days of purchase.

Testing on cattle in subzone 1 (primarily the area pulled from the previous MAZ) will be determined

“The restructuring of our TB program allows us to move forward,” Averill says. “We hope

Michigan Bovine TB Zones January 2010

Wildlife Risk Mitigation plans help producers identify high risks areas on their farms where cattle and wildlife co-mingle. By preventing the interaction between cattle and wildlife, producers can reduce the risk of infection.

Farmers, who complete WRM plans and receive verification from the state, can reduce the amount of testing done on their herd.

The changes made in the recent MOU, which takes affect January 4, 2010, shrinks the TB-affected area to five counties: Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, Oscoda, Presque Isle and the parts of Iosco and Ogemaw counties that are north of the “southernmost boundaries of the Huron National Forest and the Au sable State Forest.”

18 January 2010

TB Free MAZ MAAZ - Subzone 1 MAAZ - Subzone 2 MAAZ - Subzone 3

to put in another application with USDA later this year requesting more areas of the state to be classified TB-free. The national TB program is in need of a complete overhaul. Michigan has been very influential in driving changes in this program.”

Changes are also taking place in the financing of the TB program. Neither the state or federal government will be paying for movement testing of cattle in Subzone 1 of MAAZ come June 1, 2010; farmers will have to work with their local veterinarians to secure the test. Farmers can avoid those costs by completing a WRM plan.

There is some limited funding available to help producers make changes in fencing or facilities necessary for their WRM plans. “We have some money to help with mitigation plans but not enough,” Averill says. “We are hoping to work with the NRCS to obtain more funding for some of these items.”

New TB Program Leader in Michigan

C

reating more transparency between the Department of Agriculture and the industry is the goal of the newly hired TB program director Dr. James Averill. Dr. Averill took over the reins of the program last August and hit the road running to complete the recently accepted MOU between the MDA and the USDA. Completing the MOU, according to Averill is just the first step.

“I want to improve the transparency between the department and the industry,” Averill says. “We need to communicate better internally with our own staff, so they understand the program and can take it to the veterinarians and the producers.”

Averill, a “farm boy” from Maine completed both his DVM and PhD programs at Michigan State University. Previously, he worked with Michigan Department of Community Health.

Early registration ends January 29!

February 11-13 Bavarian Inn Lodge and Conference Center Frankenmuth, MI

Farmers moving cattle to other states will still need to check the rules of those states. Since individual states can determine the testing and certification required to enter their state, these changes only apply in Michigan.

Go to the MDA and Emerging Diseases Web sites for additional information including a booklet explaining the Split State Status and Zoning Rule changes at www.michigan.gov/ mda or www.michigan.gov/ emergingdiseases

The Split State Status rule is posted in the Federal Register under: http://edocket.access. gpo.gov/2009/E9-30128.htm.

Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference

Here’s a sampling of what you’ll hear: • Speaker lineup includes David Kohl, Charlie Arnot, Mike Hutjens and Jorge Estrada • 2009 was a rough year: what lessons were learned from ’09 feed and milk prices?

Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference serving the dairy industry since 2003

• Producer panels focusing on fresh cows and effective employee management teams • A first for the GLRDC: a bilingual herdsmen session with Jorge Estrada • Workshops on succession planning, environmental policy and nutrient management • Everything you need to know about the new animal care and use guidelines

www.glrdc.msu.edu Michigan Milk Messenger 19

Forecasting the Future 2009 MMPA District 6 OYDC Leroy and Stephanie Schafer

F

or the past decade, Leroy and Stephanie Schafer have worked with Michigan State University Extension on an annual basis to perform a full farm business analysis on their operation. The Schafers say doing so has helped them weather the current storm of low milk prices.

“Earlier in the process, we pinpointed areas where we could cut back, which is likely helping us now,” Stephanie says.

The couple uses the assistance of MSUE farm business manager Dennis Stein to perform a full farm

business analysis at least once a year. Since the Schafers have been working with Dennis to analyze their farming operation for the past 10 years, they have a good deal of historical data, which allows them to track business trends.

daily milking, as they’ve found it increases their bottom line without additional cows and it has benefited herd health. Both Leroy and Stephanie milk the cows at least once per day so they know what is going on with the cows.

“We saw milk prices tanking and we decided to go to three times per day milking, which increased production without adding more cows,” Leroy says. “Our rolling herd average is up 2,200 pounds because of it.”

“It’s a lot better for the cows,” Leroy says. “We don’t have cows dripping anymore and it’s also helped lower the herd’s somatic cell count (SCC) by about 25,00030,000.” The Schafers’ herd SCC now consistently runs under 150,000.

To make the three times per day milking logistically feasible, the Schafers had to increase paid labor by about an hour per day. They sat down and ran the numbers to figure out how much additional milk the cows had to produce to offset the additional labor and feed costs.

“We needed to see an increase of 3.5 pounds of milk per cow per day to make three times per day milking work for us to break even at the low milk prices,” Leroy explains.

“Right now we are averaging an 8 pound increase per cow per day.”

The Schafers say they will continue with the additional

20 January 2010

Plus, say the Schafers, the extra milking puts the cows in front of people a few more hours each day, which enables those milking to pick up on any changes in the cows’ health.

Diversification has also helped Leroy and Stephanie keep a strong bottom line during one of the longest consecutive periods of low milk prices in a decade. The Schafers own a large square baler that they custom bale straw and hay for local farmers.

“The baling business helped in the time of low milk prices,” Stephanie says. “Our customers were great at keeping their bills up to date, and nearly three quarters of them are dairy farmers.”

Leroy and Stephanie’s baler has a set of knives which processes the straw and hay so that their dairy farmer customers can use it directly in their cows’ rations, eliminating the need to run it through a bale chopper.

Top: The Schafer family: Back: Stephanie and Leroy, Front: Kyle, 10, Keith, 9 and Allison, 12.

Bottom: The Jem-Lot milking herd.

Ironically, Leroy and Stephanie don’t grow any of their own hay, instead, they purchase it from a broker who ships it from Kansas to Jem-Lot Dairy. That decision was also financially analyzed. The Schafers say with the 210 acres they farm, it’s more economical to purchase hay and grow soybeans and corn than to grow their own alfalfa.

“We grow soybeans and sell them,” Leroy says. “That pays for the corn and bean seed.”

“We try to follow the rule to work the manure in within 48 hours of applying it.”

Particularly during the fall, the Schafers say they keep track of the high school’s football schedule and try not to apply

manure nearby when there is a home football game.

“We’re good stewards of the land, and we try to be considerate to our neighbors,” Stephanie says.

Even though the Schafers live in a relatively rural area with several nearby farms, the couple needs to be more cognizant than some other farms in the area because Jem-Lot Dairy is located a half-mile away from the local high school.

“Having the high school down the road causes us to watch when we haul manure,” Leroy says.

Jem-Lot Dairy Fa cts:

MMPA Membe rs of: District 6 and th e Mid-Michigan Local Herd size: 133 milking and dry, 110 replacemen ts Acres farmed: 210 Milking set-up : Double-8 herr ingbone parlor Ag and commun ity involvemen t: Leroy is the M Nominating Com MPA District 6 mittee and is a Chairman. He al delegate for the Committee. Ler so serves on the lo cal. He is a past oy is a director District member of MM on the boards of Universal Labs.

PA’s State Crede th e Clinton Count Stephanie is the ntials y Farm Bureau, current vice-cha has served on th Indiana State D ir of Michigan e State Farm Bur airy Assoc., and Farm Bureau’s eau Policy Devel Bureau board m State Young Fa opment Comm ember. She is al rmer Committee ittee, and is a fo so a 4-H leader , rmer Clinton C “One thing that and chairs the C ounty Farm makes a differenc linton County L

e iv on es to ou ck Committee. r farm is…We sp through difficult times.” end time analyzin g our financial re cords, which help s us make it

Michigan Milk Messenger 21

Starling Control Works on Michigan Dairies

I

n Michigan, starlings often congregate at feedlots and dairies in the winter, causing damage by consuming and contaminating feed and contributing to the spread of diseases that are harmful to cattle.

To combat the damage, USDAWildlife Services (WS) offers dairy producers a program to reduce starlings.

The key to the success of the program, says USDA Wildlife Biologist Tim Wilson, is the universal bait, which is treated with toxicant DRC-1339. The treated bait is registered for use in these situations by USDA employees only and acts by destroying kidney function of the starlings that consume it.

“The toxicant is very good, very safe and effective,” Peter Butchko, Michigan Wildlife Services State Director says. “There are virtually no hazards except to the starlings.”

After ingesting the toxicant, starlings begin to show signs of lethargy within 8 hours and die within 24 hours. By that time, virtually all the toxicant in their body has been metabolized, eliminating the possibility of secondary poisoning. WS points out that starlings are quite sensitive to DRC-1339 while mammals and hawks are generally resistant.

Therefore, hazards to non-target animals are very low.

In general, two conditions should be met to get the best results.

First, it is more successful when the weather is cold and snowy.

“It takes the proper weather for it to work.” MMPA producer Bob Shinn, of Croswell, says. “The birds have to want to go inside to eat, so if it’s cold and snow covered you’ll get the best results with the program.”

The second is to establish good bait acceptance. This involves the producer providing a supply of bait in the same place everyday until the birds are feeding on it reliably.

WS provides the bait and helps to 22 January 2010

select the bait site. When the birds are feeding on the bait reliably, a WS employee delivers bait treated with the toxicant and remains on site while it is available to the birds.

At the end of the day, the WS employee removes any remaining bait.

“The guy they’ve had to do the program on our farm has done a good job, he stops here several times to check, putting the bait and poison out,” Bob says. “We don’t have anything to do with it except to notify him and let him know when the best time is and tell him what the bird population is.”

Where good bait acceptance has been established, WS reports that significant starling reductions of 75 percent to 95 percent have been achieved in most cases, though they can’t guarantee results.

“The only time it hasn’t worked well for us is if we started baiting and if the weather warms up,” Bob says. “When the starlings don’t come in to eat then they don’t get enough of the poison.”

Even with the one incidence where the control program wasn’t ideal due to the weather, Bob says overall, he’s pleased with the program, noting the $550 cost for the program is “very reasonable for what they do.”

Bob and WS both recommend contacting neighboring farms to bait the starlings on the same day.

“If you have more than one farm in the area, I think it works best if they do it all at the same time,” Bob says. “Otherwise birds have a tendency to go from farm to farm and you won’t have a good kill if you just do it on an individual farm.”

MMPA producer Jeremy Werth, of Alpena, agrees with the multi farm concept, explaining that “it does work better when we team up with another farm because starlings do travel from farm to farm.” Jeremy utilizes the starling control program each year, along

with other MMPA members in his area, reaping a two-fold benefit for both farms: a better starling kill and lower per farm costs to administer the program.

In addition, Jeremy says he has found starling control helps reduce the amount of false positive tests that can occur during Bovine TB testing.

“We found starling feces caused the cattle to be more prone to false positives during TB testing,” Jeremy says.

Contacting non-farming neighbors to let them know what is occurring on the day the bait is set out is always a good idea, says WS, considering that the birds that consume the treated bait die overnight, probably at their roost site. While it could be on the farm, it could also be on the property of a neighbor. Although the dead birds do not pose a threat to humans or pets, it is recommended that farmers advise their neighbors to avoid unnecessary concern. WS takes care of advising agencies such as the Michigan Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture.

For more information, contact the USDA-Wildlife Services Starling Control Program at 517-336-1928.

Starlings on a barn at a Michigan dairy farm.

MMPA 2009-2010 Local Meeting Schedule

MMPA Local Meeting Schedule Local

Date

Place

Adrian

Tuesday, Jan. 5

Rome Grange Hall

Frankenmuth

Tuesday, Jan. 5

Black Forest Restaurant

Hillman

Tuesday, Jan. 5

Flint

Location

Time

Speaker

12:00 noon

Clay Galarneau

Frankenmuth

12:00 noon

Ken Nobis

Hillman Community Center

Hillman

11:30 a.m.

John Dilland

Wednesday, Jan. 6

Ruggero’s

Flint

12:00 noon

John Dilland

Ingham County

Wednesday, Jan. 6

Wooden Nickel

Dansville

11:30 a.m.

Carl Rasch

West Michigan

Wednesday, Jan. 6

Zeeland Township Hall

Vriesland

11:30 a.m

Ken Nobis

Bad Axe

Thursday, Jan. 7

Huron County Expo Center

Bad Axe

11:30 a.m.

John Dilland

Dairyland

Thursday, Jan. 7

Bloomer Township Hall

Carson City

12:00 noon

Sheila Burkhardt

Mid-Michigan

Thursday, Jan. 7

Clinton County RESA

St. Johns

11:30 a.m.

Ken Nobis

Alma

Friday, Jan. 8

Maxfield’s Restaurant

Wyman

11:30 a.m.

Ken Nobis

West Huron

Saturday, Jan. 9

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Sebewaing

12:00 noon

John Dilland

Deckerville

Saturday, Jan. 9

St. John’s Lutheran Church

Palms

12:00 noon

Ken Nobis

Deford/CliffordMayville

Monday, Jan. 11

Liz’s American Diner

Caro

12:00 noon

Gary Trimner

Owosso

Monday, Jan. 11

Drew’s

Owosso

12:00 noon

Clay Galarneau

Muskegon

Tuesday, Jan. 12

Russ’ Banquet Room

Muskegon

11:30 a.m.

John Dilland

Saline-Ann Arbor

Tuesday, Jan. 12

Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds

Ann Arbor

12:00 noon

Ken Nobis

Grand Rapids

Wednesday, Jan. 13

Fire Mountain

Comstock Park

11:45 a.m.

John Dilland

St. Clair-Macomb

Wednesday, Jan. 13

Goodells County Park

Goodells

12:00 noon

Sheila Burkhardt

Evart

Thursday, Jan. 14

McGuire’s Resort

Cadillac

11:00 a.m.

John Dilland

Hillsdale-Litchfield

Thursday, Jan. 14

Hillsdale County Fairgrounds

Hillsdale

12:00 noon

Clay Galarneau

Blossomland

Friday, Jan. 15

Zeke’s Restaurant

Dowagiac

12:30 p.m.

John Dilland

Mt. Pleasant

Friday, Jan. 15

Riverwood

Mt. Pleasant

11:30 a.m.

Gary Trimner

Brown City-Marlette Saturday, Jan. 16

Eddie G’s

Marlette

12:00 noon

Sheila Burkhardt

Constantine

Saturday, Jan. 16

Siloam Fellowship Hall

Goshen, IN

10:45 a.m.

John Dilland

Lansing

Saturday, Jan. 16

Saites Brothers Catering

Potterville

11:00 a.m.

Ken Nobis

Lapeer County Plus

Monday, Jan. 18

Tietz’s Restaurant

Imlay City

11:30 a.m.

Ken Nobis

Clare

Tuesday, Jan. 19

Clare Church of the Nazarene

Clare

11:00 a.m.

Ken Nobis

Jackson Co. Plus

Wednesday, Jan. 20

Gene Davis and Sons

Jackson

12:00 noon

Ken Nobis

Southern Sanilac/ Sandusky (joint meeting)

Wednesday, Jan. 20

West Park Motor Inn

Sandusky

7:00 p.m.

Carl Rasch

Michigan Milk Messenger 23

John Dilland, Ken Nobis and Dr. Adam Lock answered questions following their presentations during the morning session.

Leaders’ Conference 2009

W

hile 2009 is not a year in which many dairy farmers will look favorably upon in respect to mailbox prices, MMPA members will likely remember the year as one which gave their cooperative an increased ability to market their milk to the greatest advantage possible through a $62 million expansion to the cooperative’s Ovid manufacturing plant.

MMPA Leaders learned more about the Ovid expansion, gained insight about their cooperative, dairy markets, industry issues, the healthfulness of dairy products and an industry plan to prevent another year like 2009 during the cooperative’s annual Leaders’ Conference held in East Lansing on November 23. The meeting marks the official beginning of MMPA’s annual meeting season, and all MMPA members holding leadership positions at state, district or local levels, are invited to attend the daylong information session.

Since 2009 brought very little good news as far as dairy markets were concerned, MMPA General Manager

24 January 2010

John Dilland kicked the morning off by addressing the “low-lights” of 2009, which included an overview of the domestic and global recessions and the worldwide financial meltdown.

Battle Creek-Homer Local Wins MMPAC Challenge

Congratulations to the Battle CreekHomer Local for winning this year’s “MMPAC Challenge.” The Battle CreekHomer Local had the highest percentage of members contribute to the Michigan Milk Political Action Committee during the recent fundraising campaign. The winner of the “MMPAC Challenge” was announced at Leaders’ Conference. The Battle CreekHomer Local will receive a matching gift of up to $1,000 to the local’s choice of one of five charity organizations or youth foundations. Thank you to all members who have contributed to the MMPAC.

He noted that MMPA marketed 3.9 billion pounds of milk in FY2009, up from previous years, and “in spite of hard times, our milk production trends continue to rise.” The Ovid plant expansion will help absorb much of the projected increase in member milk production, but will also increase MMPA’s long-term debt.

“This project is going to have a significant impact on our balance sheet,” John said. “Longterm debt will increase due to the financing of this project.” John reassured members saying the cooperative’s financial position continues to be strong and within a couple of years, MMPA’s equity will again be greater than its debt, with projected debt obligations being amortized over 15 years.

Combined, MMPA paid out $28 million to members in the form of rBST, quality and volume premiums. In addition, the cooperative paid $3.8 million to the Cooperatives Working

Together program, which helped to boost dairy prices during the year.

In October, USDA predicted 2009’s all-milk price to be around $12.26 per cwt., which, according to John, puts MMPA’s all-milk price approximately 50-60 cents per cwt. higher than the national average.

He noted that USDA’s predictions for 2010 show all-milk prices recovering approximately $4.00 per cwt. from the previous year.

MMPA President Ken Nobis gave an overview of the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) program, climate change legislation, animal care legislation and Michigan’s state budget situation.

MMPA Treasurer Velmar Green (center) was honored for his continuous service on the MMPA Board over the past 40 years.

John Dilland (right) presented Dr. Miriam Weber-Nielsen (left) with a donation of $5,000 in Velmar’s name to the Michigan Dairy Memorial and Scholarship Foundation.

National climate change legislation will likely sit in committee in the Senate for quite some time, Ken reports. While MMPA and National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) are not in favor of climate change legislation per se, Ken noted that the dairy industry is working with legislators on it so that “we could be at the table and could have the opportunity to influence the legislation so that if it does happen, it’s not going to have a serious economic effect to our industry.”

Ken discussed the National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) program, a nationwide, verifiable program that addresses animal well being. Its mission is to demonstrate and verify that U.S. milk producers are committed to providing the highest standards of animal care and quality assurance.

“The pressure is coming from corporate America not necessarily the government,” Ken explained of the need for the FARM program. “We are going to have to adopt an animal care program eventually, and NMPF felt it would be best to have a national voluntary program.”

Ken commended the members for their contributions to the MMPA Political Action Committee, and presented a plaque to this year’s winner of the MMPAC Challenge, MMPA’s Battle CreekHomer Local.

Dr. Adam Lock, Assistant Professor in the MSU Department of Animal Science discussed how cows metabolize lipids from saturated fats in the rumen into unsaturated fats in the udder. He says changes in rumen bacteria are the key to understanding how this process occurs as well as how and why some cows produce lower milk fat.

Dr. Lock has also conducted research which may indicate that trans-fats from dairy products are very different than those from vegetable based sources. So much that his findings are showing that trans-fats in

dairy have a beneficial effect on plasma cholesterol markers in humans, whereas trans-fats from vegetable sources have a negative effect.

Prior to lunch, MMPA Treasurer Velmar Green was honored for his continuous service on the MMPA Board over the past 40 years. A donation of $5,000 was made in his name to the Michigan Dairy Memorial and Scholarship Foundation, which will enable five additional students to receive MDMSF scholarships in the coming year.

“I take pride in the fact that I was one of the first recipients of the MDMSF scholarships,” Velmar said, thanking the MMPA group. “I am proud of this [MMPA] organization and what it’s done for farmers for many, many years.”

MMPA 2009 OYDC Jeremy Werth chaired the luncheon honoring all of the 2009 District OYDCs. The MMPA scholarship winners were also recognized during the lunch.

During lunch, Congressman Mark Schauer (D-7th) discussed what it was like being a member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, noting he appreciated the opportunity to attend MMPA’s Leaders’ Conference so he could listen and learn from the dairy farmers. He pledged to “work to ensure that milk is a requirement as school regulations move forward.”

The senior division 2009 Michigan Dairy Ambassador Nicole Schaendorf, of Allegan, gave an overview of her experiences as ambassador, encouraging the group to recommend the program to other young dairy farmers.

“It’s been a heck of a year,” Jerry Kozak, president and CEO of NMPF told the attendees at the onset of the afternoon session. “Dairy farmers are the most resilient group of people in the agriculture industry.”

Continued on page 28 Michigan Milk Messenger 25

MMPA Milk Quality – The Pursuit of Excellence

By Tom Herremans, MMPA Mastitis Management Supervisor

A

recent advertisement by a Milking Equipment Manufacturer caught my attention. It stated “Whatever your priority—milking more cows more quickly, operator comfort and safety, or highest milk quality—and whether you have 30 or 50 cows, 200 or 2,000, we have a solution for you.”

What’s your priority – Milk Quality or Cows per Hour?

While this advertisement is an excellent reflection of the decisions dairy producers are faced with, it seems to suggest that dairy producers should make a choice between milk quality, more cows per hour and operator comfort and safety.

While all three priorities are critical to a healthy dairy operation, in my opinion, the first priority should always be ‘highest milk quality possible.’ I am convinced that dairy producers of the future—those who will be milking cows in 2025 and the years beyond—are the producers who make milk quality the highest priority.

All three priorities can be accomplished without demoting one or two of the priorities to a less important position. I am also convinced that the driving desire to milk more cows faster often leads to shortcuts in the udder prep that eventually impact milk quality. That’s a trade off dairy producers who plan to be around for the long term can’t afford to make.

MMPA Milk Quality Ranks with the Best in the Nation

More and more MMPA members have proudly made the choice to produce the best quality milk possible. The number of MMPA members receiving quality awards at their annual local meetings is on the rise. MMPA members are always among the winners in the prestigious National Dairy Quality Awards Program. Possibly the most convincing evidence that many MMPA members make milk quality their highest priority is that the SCC average of all the milk produced

by MMPA members in October was only 202,000.

SCC – The Preferred Indicator of Quality

The dairy farms that are best prepared to survive in the industry will likely soon consider a bulk tank SCC of 200,000 as too high. In the near future, it is entirely possible that 100,000 SCC will be the new 200,000 SCC. MMPA’s cooperative average in October means that about 50 percent of the milk produced by MMPA members is already below 200,000 SCC. Some of these members are producing milk with a SCC of under 100,000. If low SCC levels are not just an accidental blessing, what practices allow some producers to move from good to great? How is it possible that some producers consistently produce milk under 100,000 while others are always over 200,000?

26 January 2010

Don’t Cheat on Teat Cleaning

Award winning milk quality starts with clean dry housing, but is finished in the parlor with excellent udder prep. Every task, event or activity that is part of the milking routine has a time requirement. The time spent to complete some of the events or tasks involved in the milking routine can be reduced without reducing milk quality or increasing unit on time. Unfortunately, the time spent performing certain tasks (such as the time spent cleaning teats) can’t be reduced without significant consequences regarding milk quality and unit on time.

The path to a SCC consistently under 200,000 or eventually under 100,000 (whichever is your goal) starts with the decision to commit adequate time to those tasks that most affect milk quality and unit on time.

This is also where the confusion starts. Which tasks are really the most critical to milk quality and unit on time?

Some Basic Truths About Udder Prep • More seconds spent cleaning the teat barrel and teat end removes more bacteria from teat skin.

• Bacteria left on teat skin and teat ends are the bacteria that cause new mastitis infections.

• The more bacteria left on teat skin and teat ends, the more bacteria that end up in the milk.

• More seconds spent cleaning teats stimulates the cow to produce more oxytocin.

• A full oxytocin response is necessary for fast milk out.

• A minimum of 10 seconds of stimulation is needed to generate a full oxytocin response • Oxytocin has a short life, long lag times waste oxytocin.

• Shorter unit on times (fast milk out) are best for mammary health.

If the time spent cleaning teats is too short, several aspects of milk quality are in jeopardy. Less time spent cleaning teats leaves more bacteria on the teat skin, allows more bacteria into the bulk tank, leads to longer unit on time and will eventually result in a higher new infection rate in lactating cows.

Cows per Hour vs. Milk Quality – You don’t have to choose!

Milking speed is a high priority item on dairies of any size. Time is precious and labor is expensive, so most dairy producers strive to milk as many cows per hour with as few people as possible. The emphasis on milking speed often unintentionally compromises milk quality in ways that are not obvious without critical analysis.

The assumption is that more cows can be milked per hour if less time is spent cleaning teats. While this

assumption may appear to be true at first, research and data analysis reveal evidence that milk quality, length of unit on time, and even the rate of new infections are among the costs associated with reduced time spent on teat cleaning. Milking routines can be fine tuned to milk cows quickly without sacrificing milk quality. Those routines are not complicated, but do require attention to the timing and technique, and must be performed with consistency.

Milking Performance Study

Last summer, MMPA field staff and intern Karen Bastek conducted a study to identify the tasks involved and the time involved which resulted in the best milking performance.

Data was collected from parlors that could generate parlor performance reports. Instead of using just cows per hour as the criteria for successful performance, the study looked closely at unit on time per cow and the milk flow rate over the time the milking unit was attached. Using these criteria allowed us to evaluate milking performance without production levels or frequency of milking to skew the results.

The study included farms milking 2X and 3X with production ranging from 21 lbs. of milk per milking to over 50 lbs. of milk per milking. Procedures were observed and the times for each task (cleaning & stimulation) were documented. The lag time (time from the start of stimulation until unit was attached) was also collected. The data from the milking observed was collected from the computer systems and matched to the timing of the tasks observed.

Stimulation, Lag Time Make a Difference

The more milk a cow gives at a milking, the longer it takes to remove that milk. By factoring the flow rate per minute against the unit on time, a clearer picture of milking performance emerged. The milking routines that included a minimum of 10 seconds of stimulation time in combination with a lag time of 90 to 120 seconds resulted in the highest flow rates per minute and the shortest unit on times. When the study collected the same data on the same farms at different milking shifts, the data again revealed that when the minimum stimulation or the lag time was out of tolerance, the milking performance suffered.

Initial conclusions suggest that the most important factor to achieve optimum milking performance is the amount of time spent doing the cleaning/stimulation portion of the udder prep. Adequate time (10 to 15 seconds) spent cleaning and stimulating must be spent if optimum milking performance and excellent milk quality are your goals.

Don’t Let Data Fool You

A review of milking time data on parlor reports can be as misleading if you don’t consider the data that has the greatest potential to affect milk quality and

mammary health. Cows per hour is a good evaluation tool, but it is only one piece to the puzzle that completes the total picture of the milking performance puzzle. If you do not look at all the data pertinent to milking performance, you may feel good about your cows per hour while your milk quality never reaches your expectation.

Milking Routines not Performed as Trained

This small study also revealed another interesting fact. Of the 23 farms interviewed for the study, 96 percent of the farms have a milking routine that is specific to that farm and the employees are all trained in that routine.

Unfortunately only 22 percent of the employees observed actually met the stimulation time goal for that farm. Only 38 percent of the employees observed actually achieved the lag time goal for that farm routine.

Considering this information, thousands of cows are being milked using milking routines that are not what the farm owner trained the employees to do.

If the final chance to achieve excellent milk quality is really tied to how well the milking routine is carried out, dairy producers can’t afford to assume that their milking routine is as good as they think it is. If employees are being paid to perform the farms milking routine, that routine needs to be correct and it needs to be performed the same by everyone.

MMPA Milker Training Schools

Every year, MMPA offers a unique opportunity to its members and their employees. The milker training schools are a day-long sessions, which address the most important principles involved in developing an excellent milking routine. The course content is designed to address the concerns of owners and employees alike.

The concepts discussed at the school apply to small or large operations with equal relevance and to any facility and milking equipment.

Last year, MMPA recognized two farms as cowinners of their top quality award for the entire cooperative: The MSU Campus Dairy and Kevin Cavanaugh. They are examples of the best of the best.

When Kevin was interviewed about his award he was quoted as saying, “I did send all of my employees to the MMPA Milker Training Schools last year and that made a big difference. We just do what they taught us to do. I now send them every year and I went this past spring. If everyone went to the milker training schools, and did what they taught, they would all qualify for quality premiums.”

If your priority is the highest milk quality possible—and whether you have 30 or 50 cows, 200 or 2,000 cows MMPA has a Milker Training School for you. The 2010 Milker Training Schools start in February and your registration form is found on page 31 of this Messenger.

Michigan Milk Messenger 27

Leaders’ Conf. – Continued from page 25

Jerry then explained how the current “price collapse isn’t because of one single factor,” but that one of the big issues is volatility. “We aren’t going to eliminate volatility, but we think we can provide a mechanism to moderate volatility,” stating that “the best we can do is try to manage it by providing tools to manage it in a much more deliberate way than ever before.”

NMPF’s Foundation for the Future is made up of several elements aimed at managing price volatility going into the future.

The details of each portion of the program are still being ironed out, but the four main elements of the program include: a Producer Income Insurance Program, revised federal support programs, Federal Milk Marketing Order Reform and revitalizing the CWT program.

For more information, go to www.

NMPF.org and watch the “NMPF 2009 Video Update.”

NMPF Urges Surplus Nonfat Dry Milk Use for Afghan Schools

At NMPF’s Annual Meeting in Grapevine, TX, USDA Under Secretary Jim Miller reiterated the Department’s strong support for dairy farmers, and asked for suggestions for the use of nearly 60 million pounds of surplus nonfat dry milk purchased by the Commodity Credit Corporation earlier this year under the price support program.

In response, NMPF has urged USDA to work with the Department of Defense to ship those stocks to Afghanistan for processing into school milk at a new plant outside Kabul. In this way, U.S. powder stocks would support the fledgling Afghan dairy processing industry, help establish outlets for Afghan farmers, and develop markets for U.S. exports.

More importantly, U.S. commanders on the ground in Afghanistan have identified education as a “number one priority” in promoting Afghanistan’s peaceful development. Under this program, surplus dry milk stocks will also provide important nutrition for Afghan children and encourage many parents to send their children to school who would not otherwise do so, providing critical support to America’s troops in the country.

NMPF President & CEO Jerry Kozak said of the initiative: “We believe this is the best possible use for this surplus powder, on many levels.”

SAVE THE DATE! FEBRUARY 25-26, 2010 Lexington Lansing Hotel, formerly known as the Lansing Sheraton Hotel 925 South Creyts Road, Lansing, MI

Learn tips and techniques on how to create and share your unique dairy story from featured presentations given

by Michele Payn-Knoper and the Go Comedy Improv Theatre.

29th Annual Dairy Product Promotion Seminar

Michele Payn-Knoper Cause Matters Corp

Laugh out loud with the

Registration brochures are available online at www.udim.org.

Hosted by Dairy Diplomats of Michigan

Don’t have internet access? Look for your registration brochure in the mail.

For more information, call Diane Drago toll free at (877) 258-7686.

28 January 2010

MMPA Member Farm Sign

Your Name This 24� x 36� reinforced fiberglass sign comes personalized with your name or farm name on both sides.

Resists moisture and other forms of weathering. The cost is $40 per sign.

You can receive a $25 rebate toward the member merchandise program by taking a picture of your sign installed on your farm.

Mail order form and picture for the rebate to: MMPA Member Sign, Michigan Milk Producers Association, PO Box 8002, Novi, MI 48376.

Please allow 4-5 weeks for delivery.

Order Yours Today!

My name (or farm name) should appear as follows:

Print clearly in capital letters. One square for each letter, number, punctuation mark or space between words.

(Try not to use more than 22 squares.)

Example: A

L

I

N

C

O L N

&

S

O N

S

My Sign:

Send Sign To: _____________________________________________________________________ (Name)

______________________________________________________________________ (Address, including house number and road name)

______________________________________________________________________ (City, State and Zip Code)

Method of Payment ($40 per sign): Enclosed is my check or money order for _______as payment for ____ MMPA member sign(s).

Please deduct the cost of the farm sign from my milk check.

Permit Number ___________ Location ________________ Hauler _______________ Signature_________________________________________________________ Michigan Milk Messenger 29

Learning How To Do More With Less In An EverChanging Dairy World: 8th Annual Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference

T

he eighth annual Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference (GLRDC) will host a wide array of top-notch speakers addressing the myriad of challenges facing today’s dairy farmers. From exploring animal welfare issues to implementing effective management teams and learning from last year’s high feed and low milk prices, the two-day conference will touch upon many of today’s hot-button industry issues.

“Each year we seek out topics that are relevant to the current dairy situation and will resonate with producers,” says Faith Cullens, GLRDC program chairperson and Michigan State University (MSU) Extension dairy educator.

“I think we have put together one of our best slates of speakers yet.

In 2009 we welcomed more than 350 producers and dairy industry representatives. We hope to build on that momentum by delivering another high-impact conference in 2010.”

The 2010 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference will be held February 11-13 at the Bavarian Inn Lodge and Conference Center in Frankenmuth. The conference includes two days of educational sessions, one half-day of breed association and youth meetings and an industry-wide awards banquet honoring a host of industry winners including the MSU Dairy Farmer of the Year.

Keynoting on the first day of the 2010 conference is Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity. Arnot will address the gap between public expectations of the dairy industry and the reality of today’s industry. He will help dairy farmers understand what consumers

30 January 2010

expect and how to build public trust.

Also headlining the event is Dr. David Kohl, president of Agri-visions, LLC, and professor emeritus of agricultural finance and small business management, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Dr. Kohl will present his high-energy perspective on how producers should position their businesses for tomorrow and beyond. His talk concludes the Friday morning schedule.

Other speakers presenting at the annual event include: •

Dr. Michael Hutjens, University of Illinois Dairy Extension specialist

•

Dr. Adam Lock, MSU assistant professor of animal science

•

Dr. Michael Allen, University Distinguished Professor, MSU Department of Animal Science

•

Jamie Jonker, Director of Regulatory Affairs, National Milk Producers Federation

•

Roger W. Thomson, D.V.M., Team Management Concepts

Michigan dairy farmers will take part in two producer panels during the conference. On Thursday afternoon, Jorge Estrada, employee management expert with Estrada, Simmonds & Associates, will moderate the panel discussion on effectively managing high performance teams. Friday’s panel discussion, lead by Roger Thomson, D.V.M., will focus on fresh cow management strategies.

Estrada will also conduct a bilingual herdsmen session on Thursday evening called “Closing the Cultural Gap with My Employees.”

“We pack in as much information as we can in two days,” Cullens says. “We pull together a wide range of speakers that can appeal to all dairy farmers at some level.”

The GLRDC Partners Program will be held in conjunction with the educational management seminars.

In addition to listening in on several of the general sessions, Partners Program participants will have fun learning about social media tools and how to implement them, hearing how university-age students are confronting animal rights issues on campus and off, and hearing how two farm families organized their own consumer education events. Attendees will also have the chance to bake their own “Dorothy Zehnder” apple or cherry streudel, one of Frankenmuth’s signature desserts, in the Bavarian Inn Restaurant kitchens.

Other conference highlights include the fifth annual Great Lakes Commercial Heifer Extravaganza Sale, a trade show and the Michigan Dairy Ambassador Scholarship and Leadership Program interviews.

Registration forms are available online at www.glrdc.msu.edu or by calling 517-353-3173, ext. 229.

Registrations received before Jan. 29 will receive a $50 early bird discount. Online registration closes Feb. 8, 2010.

2010 MMPA Milker Training Schools

M

MPA sponsors Milker Training School classes for members and their employees on proper milking techniques and optimal udder prep procedures. Tom Herremans, Tom Stakenas, Katie Pierson and Christy Dinsmoore will conduct the day-long sessions.

If you are a dairy farm owner who does all the milking, you may be already aware of the importance of proper udder prep and milking procedure for mastitis control and milk quality. These concepts are presented in the classes with hands-on training and instruction.

If you use hired labor, you are aware that the milker labor pool is shrinking and good experienced labor is even scarcer. To develop good workers, it is critical that they understand how important their performance is to the cow, the production of high quality milk and to the success of your dairy operation.

Hispanic Milker Training Schools

The number of Hispanic milkers on Michigan dairy farms is growing. They are often enthusiastic, cooperative employees. However, the language barrier often makes communication between milker and owner difficult. For this reason, MMPA offers Hispanic Milker Training Schools. Again this year, we are offering a concurrent but separate session in English for the employers and milking supervisors of the Hispanic employees attending. An overview of what is being taught in the Hispanic session will be presented to the

Milker Training School Locations and Dates

supervisors so they will know techniques the employees are taught.

The courses are offered free of charge to MMPA members and their employees. The presentation has been modified to allow more time for discussion and address specific milking routine questions. A schedule and registration form is listed below. Reservations for all schools are required. Each school is limited to 25 people, however, a second session may be held to meet demand. Please register as early as possible to help us determine if a second day is needed at some locations.

Contact your MMPA MemberRepresentative or Member Services Department in the Novi office with any questions.

Schools at alternate locations

The locations for the 2010 Milker Training Schools were selected based on MMPA producer responses to the Milker Training School survey sent to members in the October 27 milk check. Schools were located in any area where 25 or more members requested a school.

If members would like a school offered in an area other than the locations already selected, and know that 20-25 people would attend from that area, we can still schedule a school for that area. To request a school not listed in a location below, contact Tom Stakenas at 989289-7310 or Stakenas@mimilk.com

Milker Training Registration Name

Registration: 9:30 a.m.

Program: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch is provided

Address

Newaygo February 17 Cronk’s Oakridge Restaurant

Telephone

Shipshewana, IN Country Inn & Suites

Grayling Ramada Inn

February 23 February 24 (Tentative)

March 9

Marlette March 24 Eddie G’s March 25

(Tentative) Portland March 30– English Wagonwheel American Grill March 31– Spanish Please note: “Tentative” days are scheduled only if needed depending on number of registrations.

Producer Permit Number Date and location of session you will attend:

Number of people attending: English Hispanic Send this form to:

MMPA Milker Training School

P.O. Box 8002

Novi, MI 48376-8002

Michigan Milk Messenger 31

Merchandise Memo To order call: 1-800-572-5824 then dial 2

Winter Teat Dips

As colder weather draws nearer, it might be a good time to think about the use of a “winter dip.” MMPA has two such products in our warehouse: A& L’s Wintercare and Ecolab’s Artec. Both products can be used year round, but are designed specifically for cold weather application.

Wintercare

Wintercare is a very gentle, orange post-dip with 74 percent skin conditioners, moisturizers, and emollients that provides excellent skin care. Bacteria kill and mastitis prevention is handled by a 1 percent Capric/Caprylic acid combination. The unique skin conditioners form a film on the teat surface that helps seal the orifice. Extreme weather conditions and cold wind chill may require cow’s teat ends to be blotted after dipping.

Artec

Stock# Item

Member Price

Ecolab’s Artec is a blue post-dip that is effective against mastitis-forming bacteria with the use of 1.5 percent heptanoic acid. It was proven to work very quickly in only 15 seconds of kill time. Artec also contains a triple blend of emollients for superior teat conditioning (78 percent system including glycerin and lanolin). The dip can be used very well during cold weather as skin protection reducing the need for teat salves or creams.

Extreme weather conditions and cold wind chill may require cow’s teat ends to be blotted after dipping.

3535

Wintercare – 5 gallon

$87.06

Stock# Item

Member Price

3536

Wintercare – 15 gallon

$250.31

6064

Artec – 5 gallon

$92.25

6981

Artec – 15 gallon

$265.75

6077

Artec – 55 gallon

$893.13

Udder Cream

For those of you with cows that experience some teat chapping or freezing, Ken Ag’s Udder Cream can help.

This product can be used in cold or warm weather.

Udder Cream softens and soothes chapped teats and udders in wintertime and aids in the prevention of dryness during sunny and windy summer conditions.

Caution: To avoid contamination of milk, thoroughly wash and dry udder and teats before each milking using an individual clean towel.

Stock# Item

Member Price

5710

$4.88

Udder Cream 14 oz. tub

REGISTERED HOLSTEIN BULLS OVER 100 SERVICE AGE BULLS FOR YOUR SELECTION! A SPECIAL HERD SIRE OR A TRUCK LOAD OF BREEDER BULLS. READY TO GO TO WORK ON YOUR FARM!

●

GREEN MEADOW FARMS

● FROM OUR TOP PRODUCTION COWS.

6400 HOLLISTER RD. ELSIE, MI 48831 PH: 989-862-4291

32 January 2010

SIRED BY THE TOP SIRES FROM THE U.S. AND CANADA

Order Your MMPA Merchandise through your milk hauler or call:

Supervisor: Joe Mishler 989-681-2334 Fax: 989-681-3988 Toll Free: 877-367-6455

Orders (Novi) 800-572-5824 then dial 2

MMPA Quality Premium Program

S

omatic Cell Count premiums and deductions (in addition to Federal Order SCC Adjustments computed in the producer pay price) will be paid at the following levels: • 50,000 or below +55¢/cwt.

• 51,000 - 75,000 +50¢/cwt.

• 76,000 - 100,000 +45¢/cwt.

• 101,000 - 125,000 +40¢/cwt.

• 126,000 - 150,000 +35¢/cwt.

• 151,000 - 175,000 +30¢/cwt.

• 176,000 - 200,000 +25¢/cwt.

• 201,000 - 225,000 +20¢/cwt.

• 226,000 - 275,000 +10¢/cwt.

• 276,000 - 500,000 00¢/cwt.

• 501,000 - 600,000 -10¢/cwt.

• 601,000 - 750,000 -50¢/cwt.

• Over 750,000 -$1.50/cwt.

A payment of 5¢/cwt. will be added for each of the following, if the count is equal to or below: • 10,000 Raw Bacteria Count • 20,000 Pre-Incubated (PI) Count There will be a deduction of 10¢/cwt. for: • Greater than 100,000 Raw Bacteria Count

A high raw count deduction will be waived if the producer has received the quality premium the previous three months for raw bacteria count.

To qualify for Raw and PI Bacteria Count premiums there must not be any of the following during the month: • Positive drug residue • Abnormal freeze points • High load count shipment or rejected load shipment • #3 or #4 sediment • Raw Bacteria count over 100,000 The count levels for raw and PI will be determined on one test run per month.

To qualify for MMPA SCC premiums there must be: • No abnormal freeze points during the month To qualify for MMPA volume premiums there must be: • No abnormal freeze points during the month • An average somatic cell count of 750,000 or less.

MMPA Member Testing Fees

P

ayment for testing will be made through an automatic milk check deduction. All costs are listed per individual sample.

• Scheduled Herd Tests $1

Scheduled Herd Test samples are tested for: Culture for Streptococcus agalactiae, Strep non ag, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase negative staph and SCC.

Additional testing can be coordinated through your MMPA Member Representative to include: Total coliform, E-Coli, raw bacteria count, and components.

All herd tests must be scheduled with the laboratory through your MMPA Member Representative. At the discretion of the Director of Member Services, unscheduled cow samples will be charged at $2 per sample.

Members who choose to receive their lab test results via U.S. postal service: $2/month Additional Tests Available: All costs are listed per individual sample.

• Mycoplasma Cultures • Bacteriology Cultures

$ 8 $12

– Includes identification of bacteria and drug susceptibility.

• Bovine Viral Diarrhea

- PCR

- ELISA • Johne’s Milk Test

- PCR

- ELISA – cows - ELISA – tank • Bovine Leukosis Test

- ELISA – cows - ELISA – tank

$40 $ 6 $40 $ 6 $10 $ 6 $10

Chemical, Sanitizer & Teat Dip Contact Information These are service personnel only.

Order your Member Merchandise supplies through your hauler.

ECOLAB 24 -Hour Medical Emergency Hotline: 1-800-328-0026 For Service, call the Ecolab Service Message Center 1-800-392-3392 or Stan Palmer 5303 E. Swan Drive #3 Port Clinton, OH 43452 419-797-2101 Rick Schoenhofen W5389 North Shore Dr. Shawano, WI 54166 715-524-2928 Jason Koerth 7509 Aborcrest Dr. Portage, MI 49024 269-207-3773 Pat Mitchell 7273 N. Rollin Hwy. Addison, MI 49220 517-403-0928

A & L Laboratories 24 -Hour Medical Emergency Hotline: 1-800-424-9300 Kurt Fiene 8356 C.R. 115 Kenton, OH 43326 612-889-1063 Jeff Timm NW 8665 C.R. M Shawano, WI 54166 612-840-0555

All tests must be scheduled through your MMPA Member Representative or the laboratory for proper sample submission protocol.

Michigan Milk Messenger 33

Freeliners Call 1-800-572-5824 ext. 224 to place your ad

Bulls REGISTERED HOLSTEIN BULLS: We now have a nice selection of service age bulls, sired by top AI sires. Green Meadow Farms, Elsie, MI. 989-862-4291 or see our Web site at www.greenmeadowfarms.com.

SERVICE AGE HOLSTEIN BULLS. Call Steve Alexander, 810-622-8545 evenings or 810-404-8546.

Freeliner Policy

RED & WHITE AND B&W HOLSTEIN BULLS. Also, Jersey-Holstein crossbred bulls. Dams are high fat and protein testing.

Phone Jerry Good, 616-262-6904. Free delivery.

SERVICE AGE HOLSTEIN BULL from ET flush cow. 810-679-3948.

REG. SERVICE AGE HOLSTEIN BULLS. Also, 5 CalfTel hutches. 517-445-2662.

SERVICE AGE BULLS, SWISS HOLSTEIN/JERSEY HOLSTEIN CROSS, 100% AI. 810-724-8825.

The Freeliners column is open to current MMPA members who wish to advertise—at no charge—goods or services relating directly to their dairy farm operations.

REGISTERED HOLSTEIN BREEDING BULLS, all AI sired from top bulls, b&w, red, red carrier and some polled, high production, low SCC herd. Bulls are priced to sell. Ver Hage Holsteins, 269-673-4886 or 269-217-6076.www.verhageholsteins.com

• An item submitted will be published for no more than two consecutive months (one month, unless otherwise requested).

Cows/Heifers

• After that, it will be withdrawn.

• It will be published again for no more than two consecutive months only if the member resubmits the item by contacting their MMPA Member Representative or by writing or calling the Novi office.

• Reference to a name of a firm or other commercial enterprise with which a member is involved will be deleted, with permission of the member.

• If the member does not wish such deletion, he may choose to have the item published as a Classified Ad at the regular perline Classified Ad rate.

• Freeliners must be received by the 10th of the month preceding the desired month of publication.

Example: to be included in the January issue, the freeliner must be at the MMPA office by December 10.

34 January 2010

RUMEN CANULATED CULL COWS: Collect rumen fluids to use when treating cows that are off feed. Will help reestablish normal rumen bacteria. 517-355-7473 or 517-204-1049.

Equipment 20 FT. STEEL GRAIN BOX w/ hoist, nice cond. 810-531-4619.

ROSKAMP ROLLER BLOWER, $1,500.

10 ft. Waldron blade, J.D., $1,000. 6 – Mirofount 2 hole waterers, $50 ea. Call Mike, 734-368-7366.

WOODS 214 BAT WING MOWER, good blades, $3,500. 2001 J.D. 930F platform pto shafts and contour master, $14,500. N.H. 195 spreader, dual apron chain, poly floor, end gate, good, $8,500. 810-724-0068.

GENERATORS Winpower & Katolight

Stocking up to 100 KW 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE serving Michigan for the past 30 years 800-345-1887 MIDWEST POWER SYSTEMS

PATZ BARN CLEANER, right hand, chain appr. 265 ft., elevator, 19 ½ ft., w/ drive unit, $2,000. 616-681-9668.

75 MSU FREESTALLS AND CLAMPS. 30 sets of J&D 4 hole headlocks. 517-819-8871.

USED SILO DOORS, $10/door. 810-7248825.

2,000 FT. OF RUBBER MAT, 7/16 thick, 6 ft. wide, 100 ft. rolls and 40 ft. rolls available, used 2 ½ yrs., can be used for mattress top cover or alley mats, like new, $12/linear ft.

989-386-3816.

Dairy Equipment DELAVAL VACUUM PUMP, $300. 989673-3999.

650 GAL. MUELLER HIGH PERFORMANCE BULK TANK w/ new compressor. DeLaval 3 in. pipeline, appr.

200 ft. DeLaval 78 pump w/ 5 hp motor.

DeLaval double 4 parlor, used 4 yrs., out of barn. XR16A semen tank w/ 42 units of semen. 989-551-0713.

DOUBLE 10 PARALLEL, BLUE DIAMOND, RAPID EXIT PARLOR, stainless enclosed cabinetry w/ advisory takeoffs, $15,000. 231-768-5245.

1995 MUELLER 4,000 GAL. BULK MILK TANK, 2 – 5 hp compressors and high speed washer, in great cond., make offer. DeLaval SST2 take offs and other parts, 32 units, some for parts, make off. 1570 Case tractor, needs some repairs, $5,000 or best offer. 616262-0551.

Get more mileage from your silage To stretch your corn silage, add Pioneer® brand 11CFT inoculant. Using exclusive Pioneer Corn Fiber Technology, Pioneer 11CFT provides increased fiber digestibility and dry matter intake for your cows, along with the efficiency benefits of higher corn silage inclusion rates. Having 11CFT in your silage also improves stability and extends bunklife. When you add it all up, Pioneer 11CFT simply means the potential to produce more milk.

Start getting more mileage from your silage with 11CFT.

Wanted

To learn how, contact your local Pioneer sales professional today or visit www.pioneer.com/forage

2 ROW JD SNAPPER HEAD. 260-7058185. ¾ OR 1 TON 4X4 DIESEL FARM TRUCK. Also wanted 730, 830 or 930 Case tractor for parts. 989-673-3999.

PLASTIC OR FIBERGLASS CALF HUTCHES. 260-705-8185.

MANURE PUMP, 6 IN. ON WHEELS. 231-924-2430.

, , Trademarks and service marks of Pioneer Hi-Bred.

All purchases are subject to the terms of labeling and purchase documents. © 2009 PHII ADTVS013530P360MVAR2

® TM SM

Michigan Milk Messenger 35

Classifieds Call 1-800-572-5824 ext. 224

Classified Ads ($5.65 per line) Mail ads, preferably typewritten, to: Classified Ads, Michigan Milk Messenger, PO BOX 8002, Novi, MI 48376-8002. Ads must be received by the 10th of the month before the month of desired publication.

Send check or money order for $11.30 (two lines) with your order. MMPA neither sponsors nor endorses products or services advertised in the Messenger.

OPPERMAN GROOVING: Diamond sawed grooves, no hammering or cracking of concrete.

No hoof damage. Call Opperman Grooving Inc., Portland. 517-647-7381. ______________________________________ DAVIDSON CEMENT GROOVING, INC: NO water needed. Wider, rougher grooves for better traction. We also offer texturing for your previously grooved floors. 3 operators will travel Michigan and other states. No interest payment terms. Est. since 1987.

Call 1-800-365-3361. ______________________________________ CONCRETE GROOVING BY TRI-STATE SCABBLING, home of the 2” wide groove. Best traction, lowest prices.

(800) 554-2288. www.tristatescabbling.com ______________________________________ CONCRETE GROOVING/FLOOR TEXTURING: Bring existing grooves back to 100% efficiency/new construction. Blue Ribbon Hoof Trimming, LLC. 989-635-1494. ______________________________________ WANTED TO BUY: USED BULK MILK TANKS, 200 gallons & larger, Sunset & Mueller. 1-800-558-0112. ______________________________________ FOR SALE: 5000-4000-3000-2500-2000-1500 OH MUELLER LATE MODEL BULK TANK MILK TANKS, complete, will trade.

1-800-558-0112. ______________________________________ DAIRYTECH MILK PASTEURIZER: DT30W, 4-30 gals., feeds 4-60 calves, $4,900.

517-420-0414. ______________________________________ GENERATOR: 175 KW, CUMMINS DIESEL w/ housing, fuel tank and automatic switch, like new, 300 hrs. 248-770-5122. ______________________________________ 4X6 ROUND STRAW BALES, stored inside, $80/ton plus delivery. 810-384-6538 or 810841-5405. ______________________________________

Reshape your milk production From planting through feedout, your local Pioneer sales professional can offer you silage hybrids with higher yield potential and digestibility, crop specific inoculants and knowledgeable advice — along with helpful tips about silage harvest and bunker management and much more. Let Pioneer help you get more milk out of every acre. For more information, visit www.pioneer.com/forage Leading the way to more nutritious feed.

, , Trademarks and service marks of Pioneer Hi-Bred.

All purchases are subject to the terms of labeling and purchase documents. © 2009 PHII CRNSL013531P360MVD

® TM SM

36 January 2010

Policies MMPA Policy on Drug Residue in Milk: MILK ON FARM – DRUG RESIDUE SUSPECTED

MILK SHIPPED — POSITIVE DRUGS CONFIRMED

If a member suspects milk in the farm bulk tank contains drug residue:

If a member ships milk from the farm and testing by approved laboratory methods show that the milk contained drug residue, the member will be assessed the penalties imposed by the state regulatory agency and be disqualified for raw and PI bacteria count premiums.

1. Call a MMPA Member Representative to have the milk in the tank tested. A “hold” must be placed on the tank contents until the test results are known. - OR 2. The member can test the milk on the farm. If dumped, the member must be sure to take the stick reading, record the number of pounds of milk, and report the information to their membership representative.

• If the tank tests negative (no drugs present), the milk may be released and shipped.

• If the tank tests positive (drugs present), the membership representative will authorize the member to dump the tank of milk.

The member will be paid 75% of the value of the tank of milk involved.*

• If for any reason MMPA personnel must pick up samples at the farm for testing three or more times within 12 consecutive months, the member involved will be charged $25 per trip.

If a loss is incurred by MMPA due to the disposal and/or nonmarketability of a load of milk or milk products containing drug residue, then the member responsible will be provided an invoice for the entire value of the loss plus transportation and disposal costs as required by the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance. This invoice may be submitted to the member’s insurance carrier. MMPA must receive settlement on the invoice within 90 days of issuance. If settlement is not made within 90 days, the full amount of the invoice will be deducted from the next milk check unless other settlement arrangements are made.

Milk from that member’s farm tank must be tested and found clear of drugs before the next tank of milk can be picked up.

A hauler whose entire load sample shows the presence of drugs will be charged the amount of an average shipment on that load if the individual member samples all show negative.

ALL POSITIVE DRUG RESIDUE SHIPMENTS MUST BE REPORTED TO THE ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

MMPA Policy on Milk Quality QUALITY QUESTIONABLE

REJECTED LOAD SHIPMENT

When a member suspects that the milk in the farm bulk tank is of poor quality they should call a MMPA Member Representative who will authorize milk in the tank to be dumped. If the member dumps the milk on their own, they must be sure to take the stick reading and record the number of pounds of milk, and report the information to the Member Representative.

If:

If the milk is dumped, the member will be paid 75% of the value of the tank of milk involved.

In order to receive payment for an added water voluntary dump, the member must install a Swingline Safety Switch. The Swingline Safety Switch can be ordered from the St. Louis warehouse. The MMPA Member Representative will verify the switch has been installed. Reimbursement for the Swingline Safety Switch and the voluntary dump will then be made to the member.

The member assumes all liability for losses incurred as a result of shipping poor quality or contaminated milk.

MILK SHIPPED – HIGH BACTERIA COUNT If:

1. A load of milk is received (unloaded) at a dairy processing plant and,

2. a sample from the load has a bacteria count of 300,000 or more and,

3. testing of the individual member samples on that load identifies the member or members having a bacteria count of 300,000 or more, then the member or members involved will be charged the value of one-half of one day’s production** and will be disqualified for raw and PI bacteria count premiums. **For members using more than one bulk tank, the assessment will be based on the value of milk in the tank or tanks in violation of the MMPA quality policy.

1. A load of milk is rejected (not unloaded) at a dairy processing plant and,

2. the milk cannot be sold through normal Grade A channels for reasons of quality which results in the load being sold or disposed of at a loss to MMPA, and,

3. testing of the individual member samples on that load identifies the member or members that caused the contamination or rejection of the load, then, the member or members responsible will be charged the full value of the loss to MMPA plus transportation and disposal costs, and be disqualified for raw and PI bacteria count premiums except for loads rejected for temperature.

4. MMPA will provide an invoice to the member for the amount of the loss, to be submitted to the member’s insurance carrier. MMPA must receive settlement on the invoice within 90 days of issuance. If settlement is not made within 90 days, the full amount of the invoice will be deducted from the next milk check unless other settlement arrangements are made.

If a member has a third occurrence or more within 12 consecutive months, that member must appear before the MMPA board of directors to review steps taken on the farm to correct the quality problem which will enable MMPA to continue to market the milk for this member.

HAULER

A hauler whose entire load sample exceeds 300,000 per mL bacteria count will be charged the amount of an average shipment on that load if the individual member samples all are less than 100,000.

A hauler will be responsible for all costs incurred by MMPA for loads rejected for temperature.

Charges and assessments made under this program will be withheld from milk checks of members or haulers involved.

* The member will only be paid for two (2) voluntary dumps in a 12 month period.

Michigan Milk Messenger 37

Market Report For Milk Marketed in November 2009

MARKET STATISTICS

Mideast Federal Order #33 (pounds)

This Month

Year Ago

% Change

Total Class 1 Sales

575,772,484

551,264,969

+4.45

Total Class 2 Sales

258,003,258

220,145,408

+17.20

Total Class 3 Sales

403,821,498

412,661,070

-2.14

Total Class 4 Sales

70,557,557

115,936,379

-39.14

1,308,154,797 1,300,007,826

+0.63

Total Production Class 1 Utilization

44.0%

42.4%

Mideast Federal Order #33

Current Month Total Producers 7,178 Average Daily Production per Farm 6,075 Average Protein Test 3.13% Average Butterfat Test 3.76% Average Other Solids Test 5.70% Average SCC Count (MMPA) 194,000

NATIONAL TRENDS (million pounds)

Production California

2009

2008 % Change

3,133

3,312

-5.4

Wisconsin

2,051

1,963

+4.5

Idaho

977

981

-0.4

New York

965

986

-2.1

Pennsylvania

838

827

+1.3

Minnesota

720

712

+1.1

Texas

706

688

+2.6

Michigan

641

628

+2.1

New Mexico

625

635

-1.6

Washington

451

451

0

Ohio

414

404

+2.5

Indiana

274

264

+3.8

13,955

14,089

-1.0

* U.S. Y-T-D** 160,648 160,652

0

* Total U.S.

COMPONENT PRICING INFORMATION Mideast Federal Order #33 Protein Price/lb.

$2.6991

Butterfat Price/lb.

$1.4656

Other Solids Price/lb.

$0.1524

Class III Price @ 3.5%

$ 14.08

Prod. Price Diff/cwt. (Mich. Mkt.)

-$0.17

Uniform Price @ 3.5% SCC Adjustment/cwt./1000

$ 13.91 $0.00076

NASS Survey Prices

Monthly Avg. Cheese/lb. 1.5169 Butter/lb. 1.3817 Nonfat Dry Milk/lb.

1.1120

Dry Whey/lb.

0.3471

38 January 2010

* For 23 states ** 2008 YTD Total adjusted for leap year

COMMODITY CREDIT CORP. (CCC) PURCHASES (million pounds)

Butter Cheese Nonfat Dry Milk Total Solids

This Year Month Ago 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 +36.15 0.00 +255.65

MMPA Staff NOVI (Headquarters) 248-474-6672

800-572-5824 General Manager John Dilland, ext. 200 Member Services/Quality Control Milk Sales/Dispatch Finance/Controller Gary Trimner, ext. 213 Carl Rasch, ext. 244 Joseph M. Diglio, ext. 240 Producer Testing/Herd Health Programs Manufactured Sales/Operations Credit/Insurance

Dean Letter, ext. 217 Clayton Galarneau, ext. 229 Cheryl Schmandt, ext. 210 Laboratory Supervisor Member Relations/Public Affairs Data Processing

Patti Huttula, ext. 219 Sheila Burkhardt, ext. 208 Gregory Schulkey, ext. 237 Human Resources Member Communications

Cindy Tilden, ext. 220 Mindy Pratt, ext. 211

Laura Moser

MANUFACTURING PLANTS

Constantine 269-435-2835 Plant Manager Thomas Carpenter

Ovid 989-834-2221 Plant Manager David Wittkop

MMPA FIELD STAFF MASTITIS MANAGEMENT Supervisor: Tom Herremans...........................231-853-8008 Ravenna......................mobile 269-967-0890 Tom Stakenas..................................................

Ludington mobile 989-289-7310 Gerry Volz.......................................989-848-5996 Fairview mobile 989-289-9219 NORTH AREA Supervisor: Jack Stickler St. Louis Office..........................989-681-5183 Preston Cole, ................................231-584-2587 Mancelona mobile 989-289-9301 Frank Brazeau...............................920-834-4059 Oconto, Wis. mobile 906-250-0337 Jack Stickler...................................989-561-5022 Remus mobile 989-289-9075 Gerry Volz.......................................989-848-5996 Fairview mobile 989-289-9219 Steven Lehman............................989-875-3441 Ithaca mobile 989-330-1638 Tom Stakenas...........................................................

Ludington mobile 989-289-7310 Duane Farmer............................. 517-552-3976 Howell mobile 586-484-9278 Katie Pierson.............................................................

Coleman mobile 989-289-9686 Jeremy Droscha.......................................................

Lyons mobile 989-289-6617 Lyndsay Stakenas....................................................

Fremont mobile 231-519-2455

EAST AREA Supervisor: Michael Marvin Marlette Office..........................989-635-3650 Gary Best .......................................810-664-4984 Lapeer mobile 586-484-9279 Bulk Tank Calibration Christy Dinsmoore ................................................

Fairgrove mobile 989-528-9102 Richard Fluegge .........................989-872-2858 Cass City mobile 248-709-0283 Michael Marvin.............................989-635-0209 Marlette mobile 989-670-4864 Jody Bugaiski............................................................

North Street mobile 989-289-8610 SOUTH AREA Supervisor: Dale Ledebuhr Battle Creek Office..................269-962-5550 Steve Beroza .................................269-623-8178 Delton mobile 269-986-6792 David Brady...................................517-522-5965 Grass Lake mobile 517-937-9061 Gary Hughes.................................517-568-3655 Homer mobile 269-986-6793 Dale Ledebuhr.......................269-965-2474 Battle Creek mobile 269-986-6791 Ed Zuchnik.....................................269-273-7612 Three Rivers mobile 269-967-7351

If you are unable to reach your assigned member representative, contact any one of the representatives listed in your area.

MMPA LABS Novi: 800-572-5824 (in MI)

800-233-2405 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mon-Fri Ovid: 989-834-2515 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. Daily Constantine: 800-391-7560 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. Daily MERCHANDISE—ST. LOUIS Supervisor: Joe Mishler............989-681-2334 Fax.................................................989-681-3988 Toll Free.......................................877-367-6455 Orders (Novi).......800-572-5824 then dial 2

Michigan Milk Messenger 39