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On Sept. 11-13, the 19th edition of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) will be held at Canada’s Outdoor Park in Woodstock, Ontario. The COFS team and its exhibitors have worked tirelessly planning demonstrations and events for the 40,000+ attendees – including two major field demonstrations.
"Our field demonstrations provide a unique opportunity for our exhibitors to showcase their products in a field of competitors," says Paul Roper, COFS exhibitor sales and demonstrations coordinator. "This year, we are excited to run two major field demonstrations for moldboard ploughs and solid manure spreaders."
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the practice of tail docking in the dairy industry began in the early 1900s in New Zealand as a method to reduce the incidence of leptospirosis in milking personnel. It continued as producers cited a variety of benefits, such as improved comfort for milkers and animal handlers, enhanced cow and udder cleanliness, reduced incidence of mastitis and improved milk quality.
The most commonly used method for docking tails in dairy cattle is the use of elastrator bands. Usually performed on pre-fresh heifers or calves near weaning, the elastrator band is applied to remove one-third to two-thirds of the tail. Other methods of docking include using a cauterizing docking iron, use of emasculators and surgical excision.
Two years ago, leaders of Ohio State’s animal science department decided to cut the campus dairy herd, located at the Waterman Dairy Farm, from two breeds to one. The Holsteins were sold to the state prison system, while the Jerseys remained.
The herd, which now consists of about 100 milking cows, served as a real-life example of research conducted by Washington State University’s Jude Capper, which she shared at the recent Ohio Dairy Forum.
With grant funding from the NRCS, the University of Idaho has recently created a series of field days focusing on manure handling on dairy operations. The first of such field days about manure collection and composting was held July 24 at Ted Miller Dairy in Jerome, Idaho. Subjects covered included:
• Scraping manure from alleys
• Vacuum truck usage
• Managing manure slurries and solids using composting
• Proper composting techniques using a compost turner
Tulare County dairyman and Western United Dairymen president Tom Barcellos expects “double-digit bankruptcy filings” by local dairymen in coming weeks as the feed price crunch caused by the Midwest drought hits the credit crunch at home this summer.
Barcellos told the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register that dairymen in the area are "getting out of the business – sending their cows to slaughter as fast as they can."
Groups including the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and United Dairymen of Arizona have joined a coalition called Farm Bill Now.
The coalition is comprised of 39 agricultural organizations with a shared goal of raising public awareness of the need for Congress to pass a new, comprehensive, five-year farm bill before current farm programs expire in September.
Swiss food and drinks giant Nestle SA posted an 8.9 percent rise in first-half profits and strong sales that showed it was taking the rising costs for many of its ingredients in stride.
But the company predicted the remainder of 2012 will be challenging as it warned of a slowdown in its key U.S. market.
Russia has joined the World Trade Organization, a body which restricts import duties and subsidies to make international trade fair, after 18 years of negotiations.
Consumers in Russia are expected to benefit from the lower cost of imported goods, while some industrial sectors, like agriculture, will lose state subsidies, exposing them to foreign competition.
Last year, Russia imported a total of $2.1 billion from the world, making it a key destination for butter, cheese and other high-value dairy products.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he’s easing some environmental regulations so that dairy farmers can more easily own more cows.
The news came at the first ever yogurt summit convened by Cuomo at the State Capitol Aug. 15.
Cuomo chaired a public meeting that brought together dairy farmers, yogurt makers and an array of state officials.
He says with the phenomenal success of Greek yogurt, the struggling upstate economy has been presented with one of the best entrepreneurial opportunities in “30 or 40 years”.
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