The National Farm-City Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing links between farm families and urban residents, is now seeking nominations for the first annual Charles Eastin Outstanding Service Award, paying tribute to an outstanding individual who has contributed to Farm-City activities as an advocate for accurate communications between rural and urban audiences. The award is in honor of Charles "Charlie" Eastin, DVM, who passed away earlier this year and played a fundamental role in Farm-City activities. A board member for many years, Eastin was especially active in planning and initiating Farm-City events in the Lexington, Kentucky, area.

Common language on fauna betrays an anthropocentric bias … “Words such as ‘pets,’ ‘wildlife,’ and ‘vermin’ are derogatory … ” says the director of the Oxford Center for Animal Ethics. I imagine there are people in England who take the director seriously. But, as we watch this once-powerful nation disintegrate before our eyes, it may be observed that it has truly gone to the dogs. Even using similes like “sly as a fox,’ ‘drunk as a skunk,’ or ‘perky as a porpoise’ are considered animal abuse. Actually, the word ‘Animal’ is not approved and the description ‘Differentiated Being’ is preferred, according to the director.

GEA Farm Technologies announced the purchase of one of its largest dealerships, San Joaquin Valley Dairy Equipment, Inc. San Joaquin Valley Dairy Equipment has been located in Tulare, California for the past 20 years. It also operates from a second location in Bakersfield, California. Customers served from both locations can rest-assured, they will see very little change in daily operation. The knowledgeable staff and management team that dairy producers are accustomed to working with from San Joaquin Valley Dairy Equipment will continue to be involved as the dealership becomes part of the GEA Farm Technologies organization.

At its June meeting, the NMPF Scholarship Committee selected four graduate students to receive scholarships as part of the 2011 NMPF National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program. These students are all conducting research in areas that will benefit dairy cooperatives and producers. The 2011 Hintz Memorial Scholarship, given to the top scholarship candidate, was awarded to João Paulo Nascimento Martins, a Ph.D. candidate in animal science at the Michigan State University. His research project is “The effect of enhanced luteinizing hormone pulses during ovulatory follicle development on oocyte competency and subsequent pregnancy losses in dairy cattle.”

The 2011 Michigan Dairy Expo got off to an exciting start last month when the Supreme Champion Dairy animal, exhibited by Parker Hardy of Tipton, Michigan, topped the Michigan Livestock Expo Sale-abration with an impressive bid of $21,000. The buyer of the first dairy lot of the livestock sale was a strong contingency of dairy industry supporters who pooled their money to purchase the winning lot. In total $33,000 was bid on four dairy lots: Supreme Champion; Reserve Junior Champion exhibited by Sarah Michalek, Deckerville, Michigan; Supreme Dairy Showman Brittany Westendorp of Nashville, Michigan; and the Grand Champion Cheese exhibited by the Michigan State University Dairy Plant. The money raised through the selling of the dairy lots goes back into the statewide dairy youth fund of the Michigan Youth Livestock Scholarship Fund. The 4-H members exhibiting the winning animal receive $1,000 each.

E.I. Medical Imaging (EIMI) announced the release of the 1.07 firmware update for the Ibex family of ultrasound systems. The update (version 1.07) is available now for download for Ibex customers free of charge from EIMI Imaging via the company website. This update underscores EIMI’s commitment to customer feedback and product evolution. To download, simply register at www.eimedical.com for your login account information.

The National Farm-City Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing links between farm families and urban residents, is now seeking nominations for the first annual Charles Eastin Outstanding Service Award, paying tribute to an outstanding individual who has contributed to Farm-City activities as an advocate for accurate communications between rural and urban audiences. The award is in honor of Charles "Charlie" Eastin, DVM, who passed away earlier this year and played a fundamental role in Farm-City activities. A board member for many years, Eastin was especially active in planning and initiating Farm-City events in the Lexington, Kentucky, area.

The parasite, Cooperia, has become the most prevalent internal parasite in U.S. cow-calf operations according to research data from USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring Service (NAHMS) Beef 2007-2008 cow-calf survey. The effects of Cooperia on cattle productivity, however, have largely gone unchecked. Fortunately, a newly published research study – completed by leading U.S. parasitologists and sponsored by Merck Animal Health – brings to light the negative impact Cooperia can have on productivity if a deworming program is leaving these worms behind.

According to the current USDA data available in 2008, cull dairy cows accounted for just over 7 percent of all cattle slaughtered in the U.S., but were responsible for approximately 90 percent of carcasses in which drug residues were detected. Some of the more common reasons leading to having a carcass condemned for drug residues include: 1. Changing the dose or route for Procaine Penicillin G: The label dose for PPG is only 1 cc per 100 pounds, or about 15 cc total. When a cow is given higher doses or treated subcutaneously (under the skin), the slaughter withdrawal time can increase from the label four to 10 days up to several weeks.

It’s 6 ½ hours from Sierraville to Modesto and the packing house. Karl had put together a load of cull cows. While unloading, a bony gummer mama cow, who looked like a ragged shag carpet hangin’ over a sawhorse, balked, backed up and fell between the chute and the truck!