During a recent trip to New Zealand Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley sat down with New Zealand’s Minister of Agriculture David Carter at Fieldays, the country’s largest ag trade show exhibition. Carter discusses the country’s transition to food production without government subsidies and how his country’s recent signature into the Kyoto Protocol will impact New Zealand’s global ag competitiveness. What’s your background in agriculture? CARTER: I am a sheep-based farmer. I was originally an agricultural farm student and graduate and then immediately went into farming. I had quite a significant involvement in the introduction of some European cattle breeds into New Zealand in the days when embryo transplanting was first developed. I’ve continued to farm since, and I have two properties down in the Canterbury Region (the middle of New Zealand’s south island).

A few years ago country music duo Brooks & Dunn released a song called Only in America. The premise is that only in America can a regular kid grow up to be whatever he or she dreams possible. They sing that it’s only here “where we dream as big as we want to, we all get a chance, everybody gets to dance.” I always love hearing what kids want to be when they grow up. The answers range from pro athlete, U.S. president, fire fighter, doctor, movie star and everything in between. It’s great to see that the notion of “limited potential” has never occurred to them.

The following are responses by producers and industry experts who participated as panelists or provided testimony at the Department of Justice/USDA antitrust hearing in Madison, Wisconsin, June 25. What good may come from the USDA/DOJ workshop? I believe that it was very significant to the future of our dairy industry that Secretary Vilsack and Attorney General Holder recognized the importance of conducting workshops, such as the one held in Madison, Wisconsin. This event provided representatives of our industry an opportunity to focus the attention of our public officials, in addition to everyone in our industry, on their views about the critical issues we need to solve in order to restore economic stability to our industry.

“Drug misuse on dairy cows prompts federal warning,” Star Tribune, Nov. 21, 2009 Newspaper headlines such as the above are becoming too common. The Star Tribune published an article in November 2009 recounting the reprimand of two local Minnesota dairy producers by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sending cows to slaughter with “dangerously high” violative drug residue levels in their system.

A new model for manipulating vitamin D levels in young calves has been developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who say it could help establish just how much of this important nutrient the young animals need to promote optimal growth and health. Newborn dairy calves get crucial Vitamin D in the colostrum from their mothers as they nurse during the first few days after birth. Later, the neonatal calf often receives Vitamin D in commercial milk replacers. But levels of Vitamin D in these supplements may need to be re-evaluated, given recent evidence suggesting Vitamin D status influences not only bone growth, but also immune function.

Too often, dry cows get minimal herdsman attention on many dairies. Drying off cows can be accomplished through routine protocols that minimize risk and maximize results when done correctly. When done poorly, mastitis, lameness, low-quality colostrum and open dry cows can result. I wrote an article for herdsmen in the August Issue 4 of El Lechero to help them understand facts regarding dry cow management. I’d like to summarize that information for you and suggest that you tighten up implementation of your dry cow protocols as necessary.

How many of the following statements apply to you and your farm? • Working as hard as you can but always one step behind. • Frequently caught between work and personal/family expectations and obligations. • Often cannot find time for things you know are important. • Constantly focused on crises and emergencies. • Rarely have time to think and plan ahead. • Not able to implement what you already know.

Talking with nutritionists drives home the practical importance of a healthy energy status during the transition period in 2010. Energy status and transition performance move in lockstep in well-managed dairies, they say.

Johne’s disease remains a significant threat to the dairy industry worldwide, even though knowledge and tools are available to effectively relegate these bacteria back to their native environment – the soil. In the research laboratory, there are many obstacles to developing solutions for Johne’s. On the farm, however, there appear to be just three: anxiety, prioritization and inaction.

In many areas of the country it is currently costing between $1,400 to $1,500 to raise a dairy replacement heifer. The average annual culling per replacement rate for these same dairy herds is around 30 percent – almost one-third of the milking herd. Whether a dairy is milking 100 cows or 1,000 cows, herd replacement expenses represent a significant cost of doing business. Along with that, a first-calf heifer spends her first lactation paying for herself – not making you any money. The cost of replacements is typically second only to milk cow feed costs. Sooner or later everything on the farm wears out – including the cows. That’s why an aggressively managed replacement program is so important to the profitability of your dairy. Culling cows from the herd along with attrition through mortality is one of those aspects of dairy farm management that we’d just as soon not have to deal with. We’d rather that the cows would go on milking for many more years than they do. Planning, implementing and managing a replacement program becomes every bit as important as the milking, feeding and reproduction management on your dairy.