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Seventeen 4-H and FFA dairy project members from across Illinois took part in the 2011 Superior Young Dairy Producer Award (SYDPA) program on Aug. 20 at the Illinois State Fair.
“The purpose of the contest is to create an educational activity that promotes youth development, career development, and personal growth through increased knowledge of the dairy industry,” said Dave Fischer, retired University of Illinois Extension dairy educator.
Pfizer Animal Health has felt the effects of the summer’s flooding – most directly in Mandan, North Dakota, from flood victim Donny Wald, territory manager, Pfizer Animal Health.
With no escape from the flooding in Mandan and surrounding communities, residents had to stay and battle the rising flood waters. Both the Salvation Army and the Red Cross were there to support the efforts. As a result, Wald and Pfizer Animal Health split the donation equally between the Salvation Army Bismarck/Mandan Service Center and American Red Cross West Dakota Chapter.
Land O’Lakes Purina Feed supported Jersey youth during the 2011 National Jersey Convention in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. A cash giveaway was presented to Amanda Killian of Blair, Wisconsin, at the 54th National Heifer Sale on June 25 to be put towards the Jersey Youth Academy.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has honored the latest winners of its annual student engineering and mechanization awards during the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers' (ASABE) annual international meeting, held Aug. 7-10 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The AEM "Student Trophy Competition" awards recognize outstanding achievement in ASABE university student branches, which provide agricultural engineering-related undergraduates with insights into their chosen profession. AEM is a longtime supporter of ASABE and its mission to advance engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems. AEM initiated the awards in 1935 as part of its commitment to excellence in agricultural engineering education.
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Summary: We've featured four "Repurposed corner" ideas in our Progressive Dairyman Extra e-newsletters, thanks to Damon Carson of Repurposed Materials Inc. in Denver, Colorado. Carson recommended using a 275-gallon tote to store grain or water. to see comments from producers with additional ideas for the totes.
[Click here or on the image above right to see the full list of the Top 25 articles of 2011. Click here to see the list from 2010.]
ARTICLE
The byproduct of industry:
275-gallon, steel beam-reinforced, plastic totes are manufactured to hold a variety of liquids from fertilizer to agave syrup. They are filled through the large, screw cap-covered opening on the top of the container and the contents can be dispensed using the spigot on the front. This makes for a very functional storage container that is easy to fill and dispense.
So if these totes are so functional, why don’t the original users take them back?
This is really a logistical issue as the companies often sell in bulk to a distributor who then sells to locations spread around the country. Once the contents are used, it is not economically viable to ship the totes back to the manufacturer, which becomes the genesis for the secondhand market.
The repurpose:
Discarded in near mint condition, once washed, the totes can be filled with practically any liquid or solid that can fit through the 1.5” diameter spigot. For dairy applications, the totes could make for excellent portable grain or water storage.
I have also seen people sink the totes into the ground as septic systems or used in a variety of aquaculture and hydroponics applications.
As always, if you have a unique “repurposing” idea, please contact me through the website. PD
Damon Carson is the owner of www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com in Denver, Colorado. The company has a diverse selection of repurposed products for sale. Its motto is: “recycling by re-using byproducts of industry.”
Check out other 'Repurposed corner' articles:
• Conveyor belting
• Street sweeper brooms
• Recycled billboard tarps
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COMMENTS
Spend a few days in the blistering Texas sun during the state’s worst drought in generations, and you learn something vital about the beef industry.
The summer of 2011 may be winding down, but for many producers in the Southwest, this has been a scorcher that’s stuck around too long.
The heart of Texas typically gets around 36 to 37 inches of rain a year – this year it’s received less than 8. The state saw the hottest month of June on record and the driest 12-month stretch through July.
Argentina and China have completed sanitary agreements needed to start exports of beef from the South American country, wrapping up negotiations kicked off late last year, according to Argentina’s agriculture ministry.
The agreement also opens China’s markets to Argentine corn, wine, biofuels and barley, the agriculture ministry said.
China’s agriculture minister visited Argentina in November and pledged to work toward opening up the Chinese market to the Argentine farm goods.
