Click here to download a pdf of the latest export watch, provided by U.S. Dairy Export Council. PD

The North American Manure Expo is the largest manure equipment demonstration event in the U.S. and Canada. The show combines demonstrations of the latest developments in manure-handling equipment with presentations on the latest research in manure management. Expo 2012 is being held Aug. 22 starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Dairy Forage Research Center located north of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. (Click here for more information) The expo is sponsored by the Professional Nutrient Applicators Association of Wisconsin and UW Extension with support from industry agencies and companies.

Some hate broccoli, some hate bacon, I hate having my picture taken. My dad frequently recited these first lines to Ogden Nash’s poem “Waiting for the Birdie” when it was time for a family picture. He said he memorized it in grade school and hasn’t forgotten it since. I, like most others, agree with its message. Its universal proclamation against the need for still images of ourselves has contributed to the poem’s forever fame.

For several years now, readers of this magazine have been privileged to read the thoughts of Ben Yale, who passed away in June at the age of 60. For the last 10 years, I have been privileged to work for and with Ben, to learn from his experience, to share in his professional experiences and to enjoy his friendship. He was my mentor. To better understand Ben, you need to understand his personal and professional background. Ben was born in Waynesfield, Ohio – a village of about 900 people in west-central Ohio. His family operated a printing shop there and, for a period, also farmed grain crops and raised dairy cows.

Chances are every one of us knows people who think they’re always right. It’s pretty tough dealing with them, isn’t it? At some point, it’s usually just easier to give in or give up. Of course, thinking that you’re right and actually being right are two completely different things. And if you’re a parent who has teenagers, this scenario probably describes a day in your life right now. Fortunately, the older we get, the more self-aware we become and it’s easier to accept when we’re wrong. Nonetheless, hopefully you’re right more often than you’re not.

I was recently having dinner with a friend who was telling me his plan to get in shape. He had always been on the skinny side and wanted to bulk up a bit. His plan was to gain 10 pounds over the following two months. Being a good friend, I told him he’d probably fail. My response may seem rude or pessimistic, but it was the truth. I’ve known this friend for a long time – long enough that we can give each other blunt feedback without taking offense – and setting fitness goals only to make zero progress was so common it was practically a ritual for him.

Where is the optimism in the dairy industry? What should the producer hang his or her hat on when the milk price less feed cost goes from over $11 per hundredweight (cwt) to a projected level under $7 per cwt? The future can be projected but the actual situation is not known until the future has arrived. What is known, however, is the financial data that paints a picture of the trends in an individual operation and in a cohort group of similar dairy producers. Looking to the past with financial benchmarking can provide insight into the future, even when the industry is experiencing the stress that exists in 2012.