Sandie Custer Madison, Wisconsin Sales Support Administrator CRV USA

Martha Baker Amherst, New York Dairy Marketing Nutritionist Land O’Lakes Purina Feed

Chris Dschaak Logan, Utah Forage Nutrition Specialist Mycogen Seeds

New Hire: Scott Hall — Madison, Wisconsin Safety Director / Vita Plus

Fate of dairy reform uncertain after Super Committee failure Just prior to the pre-Thanksgiving failure of the Super Committee to reach an bipartisan agreement on deficit reduction, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota) addressed, via a pre-recorded video segment, dairy producers attending NMPF/DMI’s joint annual meeting in San Diego, California. Peterson said his sponsored legislation, The Dairy Security Act of 2011, had and “as much consensus as one can get” in Washington. During the meeting NMPF confirmed that it was not support for dairy reform, but rather reform of direct payments to ag producers for other commodities, that stressed a deal on deficit reduction for agriculture committee chairs in both the House and Senate.

Muddy River Farm, like other Northeastern dairies impacted by strong Atlantic storms that brought heavy rains and flooding earlier this fall, continues to clean up while looking for relief. Dairywoman Karli Johnson said the day before the first major storm – Hurricane Irene – was just like any other day at Muddy River Farm. “We knew there could be strong winds and heavy rains and that there wasn’t much we could do to prepare,” Karli says.

The Dairy Calf & Heifer Association Conference Committee has scheduled another great lineup of speakers and presenters, including Gary Sipiorski, dairy development manager, Vita Plus Corp.; Kerry Scott, H2A program manager, Mid-Atlantic Solutions Inc.; and Gary Conklin, Conklin Farms. The 2012 Dairy Calf & Heifer Conference will be held March 20-21, in Visalia, California, centrally located in California's dairy country.

Select Sires Inc. has completed the new Calf Campus facility located near Plain City, Ohio. During the summer of 2011, construction began to develop two state-of-the-art facilities that will foster bull calf health and growth at Select Sires. The bio-secure campus will be home to nearly 150 calves when it is fully occupied.

Dairy Day will be held at the Miner Institute in Chazy, New York, on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The free event begins at 10 a.m. with time to visit with vendors present. The speakers program begins at 11 a.m.

Michigan high school and college students who are interested in pursuing a career in the dairy industry have until Jan. 6 to apply for the 2012 Michigan Dairy Ambassador Scholarship and Leadership Program. The annual program, now in its seventh year, awards two scholarships, one to a junior winner and another to a senior winner. The senior division is reserved for college students up to age 22, and the winner receives a $1,500 scholarship. The junior division is limited to high school students in grades 9 to 12, and the winner goes home with $1,000 that can be applied toward higher education or purchasing a dairy animal within the upcoming year. Money raised during auctions held annually during the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference (GLRDC) funds the scholarship.