Live dairy cattle will be on display during this year’s World Ag Expo for the first time in show history. The exhibit, part of Semex’s “Walk of Fame,” will allow dairy producers to see and touch nine lactating dairy cattle, featuring Holstein and Jersey breeds.

University of Idaho animal physiologist and dairy management Prof. Amin Ahmadzadeh works closely with Idaho’s rapidly growing dairy industry. He also puts a priority on educating future dairy leaders, recently winning national recognition as the cream of the crop among college teachers. “Amin is very deserving and does a great job with students. He’s enthusiastic and brings a lot to the classroom,” said John Foltz, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences associate dean and academic programs director. “My advice to all the teachers is that we must teach with all the energy we have. If at the end of class, we don’t feel exhausted and tired, we haven’t done our job. I want to give the students everything I have to help them learn. My mission is to accomplish that the best way I can,” Ahmadzadeh said. That works both ways. Students also have to invest effort, he added. “I tell students: Education is not something to have like a degree. Be an educated person.” Ahmadzadeh won one of six regional teaching awards given by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. He was among eight professors, including two from the West, who were honored Nov. 12 in New York City by the nation’s oldest higher education association, which represents 216 colleges and universities. “His role is important because we’re a large and growing dairy state,” Foltz said, citing recent statistics that showed Idaho is battling with New York to become the third-largest milk producer in the U.S., behind California and Wisconsin. “We don’t have more cows, but we’re much more productive. Amin does a good job of giving our students a practical view of the science,” Foltz said. Idaho cows average 63 pounds of milk a day compared to New York cows’ 52 pounds. Ahmadzadeh, an associate professor of dairy management, joined the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences faculty in 2000. He teaches courses on dairy management and animal science. PD —Excerpts from University of Idaho news story Amin Ahmadzadeh Dairy Management Professor amin@uidaho.edu

Editor’s note: California dairy producer Randy Mouw gave the following statement to the House of Representative’s Agriculture Committee regarding the labor needs of agriculture in the U.S. Mouw testified on behalf of Western United Dairymen, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).

Editor’s note: Jim Tillison submitted the following response after Progressive Dairyman invited him to respond to an open letter from Gary Genske printed in the magazine in September (see Issue 9, page 17). Both the producer-led CWT committee and the staff of CWT have been charged with the responsibility of utilizing, as effectively as possible, the investment made by dairy farmers across America who produce nearly 70 percent of America’s milk. Both groups take this responsibility very seriously, and this “effectiveness” mandate is the main reason why CWT has always been a multi-faceted program.

Growers and producers have had to deal with an ever-increasing amount of regulations. The Social Security No-Match letter has the potential of becoming one of the most devastating challenges American agriculture has faced in decades. If this regulation is truly enforced, and if provisions for immigrant labor are not streamlined or established, farm operators will be scrambling for labor. The words “labor shortage” will take on a whole new meaning.

Editor’s note: The following is a follow-up article to last issue’s discussion about career opportunities for students interested in studying the dairy industry. The author has made his best attempt to update the average incomes for various dairy careers to reflect current market conditions.

Exactly 18 months after its groundbreaking ceremony, Hilmar Cheese Company in Dalhart, Texas, hosted an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony in September.

Large dairies often make easy targets for protestors and activists. Similarly, organic dairies often come under fire. So what about a large dairy that’s also organic? While most people don’t normally think of “large” and “organic” in the same sentence, a few have combined the two.

Dairy producers from Idaho are invited to attend the 2007 United Dairymen of Idaho Annual Meeting to be held at the Boise Centre on the Grove October 24-26.

Editor’s note: The author sent the following letter on July 27, 2007, to Cooperatives Working Together’s (CWT) CEO Jim Tillison. As of August 21, the author had not received a reply from Tillison.