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Michael Schutz, professor of animal sciences at Purdue University, has been involved with the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge for several years. He co-teaches a course with Tamilee Nennich called "Dairy Farm Evaluation," which is comparable to the Dairy Challenge events.
Schutz shared with Progressive Dairyman a story of a student who came to Purdue without an ag background but with a passion for dairy.
Here's our interview with that student — Michele Jones (pictured at right) — who is now working in the dairy industry, thanks in large part to the Dairy Challenge program.
“Lolly brings a unique perspective on the dairy value chain and a tremendous passion for the long term sustainability and growth of this industry. She has a keen understanding of what it is going to take to keep Pennsylvania a viable dairy state and brings this understanding to numerous discussions both as chair of the Center for Dairy Excellence Board and a member of the Dairy Task Force. Lastly, she has been very active in meeting with legislators about dairy, the Center for Dairy Excellence, and the value of the Dairy Task Force.”
—John Frey, Executive Director, Center for Dairy Excellence
Jessica Budge, representing Clackamas County, was crowned the 2011 Oregon Dairy Princess-Ambassador during ceremonies January 15, 2011 at the 52nd Annual Coronation Banquet hosted by the Oregon Dairy Women.
Ms. Budge was crowned by outgoing 2010 Oregon Dairy Princess-Ambassador, Hanna Emerson, to the theme “Road Trip” amid more than 300 guests and four other Oregon County Princess-Ambassador finalists. The finalists were evaluated by a three judge panel over the course of two days.
At the 2010 World Dairy Expo, three early career Wisconsin dairy farmers participated in a panel discussion, where they shared how they got started. This article highlights each of the farm profiles, their pasture management strategies and their comments and advice about grazing.
Click a link below to get started:Progressive Dairyman asked these producers, "What makes a grazing dairy progressive and not regressive?" Click here to see their responses.
"Bucky has a true passion for the dairy industry and is committed to the production of quality milk."
— Anne Saeman, NMC executive director
Lester "Bucky" Jones
Member of the National Mastitis Council
( to learn more about NMC)
Age: 70, but feel 45
Location: Massey, Maryland
My dairy’s history: My grandfather started the dairy in 1932 and my father took over the business in 1936. I started managing the dairy in 1962. My wife, Diane, and I have six children. My three sons and one daughter-in-law currently manage the 1300-cow dairy farm, and I have an expanding dairy equipment business.
Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley interviews CWT management staff — Jim Tillison, Chief Operating Officer of Cooperatives Working Together, and Chris Galen, Vice President of Communications of National Milk Producers Federation — about the program's shift toward funding export assistance instead of herd retirements.
Q. How and why did CWT first start an export assistance program?
A. GALEN: You have to go back to 2003 when CWT was first created to answer this question. There were actually three different elements to CWT in its first year.
One of the three, which lasted only a year and was dropped, was paying producers for reducing their milk output, but that didn’t prove to be cost-effective or easy to manage.
What we ended up with was a two-sided coin –one being the herd retirement program and the other being the export assistance program. And the reason that we had the export program was, and still is, because it has a more immediate impact than the herd retirement program.
The late Ed Klessig and his wife, Margaret, ran a conventional dairy farm for decades, just as three generations of his family had done before on the same piece of land in eastern Wisconsin.
In 1989, at the urging of their two sons and son-in-law, they made the switch to rotational grazing and let their cows out of the barn.
Warren Taylor doesn’t just believe in the benefits of grass-fed milk or enjoy the taste. He’s trying to start a revolution.
His business card for the recent venture he began with wife, Victoria, states, “Warren Taylor, Dairy Evangelist.” And given the rapid success of the Taylors’ Snowville Creamery, Taylor may just be preaching to the converted.
At the 2010 World Dairy Expo, three early career Wisconsin dairy farmers participated in a panel discussion, where they shared how they got started. Progressive Dairyman asked these producers, "What makes a grazing dairy progressive and not regressive?"
Click here to see these producers' farm profiles and view more comments about grazing systems.
Tim and Heidi Vosberg
There are obvious advantages to grazing, such as improved cow health and longevity, as well as the fact that the cows do some of their own harvesting and manure spreading. But most importantly, it is what today’s health-conscious consumer wants.
Graduate, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Intern with Genex
Based in Shawano, Wisconsin
Background
Q. In what area did you pursue a degree?
I graduated with a degree in dairy science with an emphasis in international agriculture and Spanish
Q. What is your agricultural background?
Arthurst Farm is the name of my family farm, where we milk around 80 registered Brown Swiss cattle. Our cows are housed in a freestall barn and milked in a double-six herringbone parlor twice a day. We farm around 150 acres of corn and soybeans and grow most of our own feed.
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