Though the plant broke ground in February 2004 and has been running since last October, Southwest Cheese Co., LLC (SWC), celebrated its official opening on October 6, 2006. Hailed as one of the largest cheese and whey processing plants in the world, SWC is a joint venture between Glanbia PLC and the Greater Southwest Agency. Glanbia, whose global headquarters are located in Kilkenny, Ireland, handles cheese and whey sales and management of the plant, while the Greater Southwest Agency supplies raw milk through Dairy Farmers of America (DFA); Select Milk Producers, Inc.; LoneStar Milk Producers; and Zia Milk Producers.

Over the past couple of months, two situations within the world of animal nutrient management have come back into the limelight, forward movement of the EPA on monitoring air emissions from various agricultural facilities across the U.S. and a new look at who is actually required to obtain a discharge permit for CAFO operations. Neither development is going to change the face of agriculture today, but as information continues to flow, there is opportunity for change in the future.

When crude oil was $10 a barrel, the benefits cow power can provide to farms, communities and the environment were a blip on the radar. Now that crude oil has surpassed $70 a barrel, interest in renewable energy is on the rise. However, biogas recovery from anaerobic digestion still takes a backseat to ethanol and biodiesel in the limelight. Experts in the energy field are beginning to shift this focus, pointing out the multiple benefits of using waste to produce biofuels.

Ammonia used to be considered only as a nuisance odor emitted by dairies and other livestock operations. Now, ammonia is known to react with atmospheric nitric and sulfuric acids to form fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5), which is a major contributor to smog production.

“We must stop the cruel confinement systems used in modern corporate factory health care!”

The goal in feed bunk management is to obtain maximum dry matter (DM) intake by ensuring that a fresh, palatable, balanced TMR is available to all cows.

Seasons, technology and change I can always tell when fall is finally here. Workdays begin in long, not short, sleeve shirts. Workweeks end with the excitement of football, both for hometown high school heroes and proud professional fanatics. Skies are a bit more cloudy, and days grow shorter and shorter.

College life. Now that is a statement that brings back many fond memories of trudging up and down Old Main Hill to a variety of classes at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. It is a place that changed the course of my life and is very much responsible for me writing this article today. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.

When milk prices are down, independent nutritionist Greg Bethard has this advice for the dairy producers he serves: “Stay the course with your rations.”

It was a case of naked dedication.