New York’s milking herd shrunk by 1,000 cows in October, only slightly improving Idaho’s chances of becoming the nation’s No. 3 milk-producing state by the end of the year. After the first month of the fourth quarter, the difference in total annual milk production between the two states was 89 million pounds, down from 118 million pounds at the beginning of the quarter.

After 18 years, the Central Washington Dairy Management Conference (CWDMC) will no longer be offered. Volunteer conference organizers made the decision recently, citing poor producer attendance as their main concern.

Many dairy operations large and small continue to be plagued by a high incidence of metabolic disorders and infectious diseases around calving. Turbulent transitions increase health care expenses, decrease milk production, impair reproductive performance and result in premature culling or death. Farm profitability and animal well-being both suffer. Despite many years of research and field emphasis, practical management strategies to minimize health problems while still promoting high milk production have remained elusive.

On a beautiful autumn day in central Michigan, a colleague and I visited a dairy farm. I am responsible for completing a number of quality assurance reviews for the Department of Agriculture. Specifically, my job is evaluating the planning done on a livestock farm to mitigate a resource concern such as soil and water. We want to make sure the federal government gets some return on the investment made on that farm.

This month I got a call from a “bitching” dairy producer (that’s how he identified himself) telling me that Idaho milk producers ought to be given an award for shooting themselves and everyone else in the foot by continually expanding cow numbers and herd size averages. His complaint was that such business practices drive down milk prices both for those expanding and for everyone else.

Recently, adulterated infant formula in China was linked to tens of thousands of illnesses and four deaths. The scandal has heightened the world’s concerns about political corruption in China and the integrity of Chinese-manufactured goods overall. And the “crisis of confidence” among Chinese consumers will take years to overcome.

Progressive Dairyman teamed up with Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin to bring the 2008 Nutrient Innovation & Technology Tours. Dairymen and industry representatives spent three days driving throughout Wisconsin looking at the latest innovations and solutions to manure management systems.

“We need to preserve our social license to produce food. It’s a reality we all have to face and deal with,” says Logan Bower, who hosted the Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance (DACQA) producer certification “preview” October 15 at his 500-cow dairy in Blain, Perry County, Pennsylvania. Long before the undercover HSUS videos depicted mistreatment of “downer” dairy cows at a beef plant and auction barns, a producer-led effort – the National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative (NDAWI) – was already underway, working to develop its recently finalized principles and guidelines.

During a recent press conference, Dr. Jamie Jonker, the National Dairy Animal Well-being Initiative’s co-chair for the principles and guidelines committee and director of regulatory affairs for the National Milk Producers Federation, explained the changes between the draft initiative and the final approved initiative.

Traveling one afternoon with Ricardo Ehrenfeld Stolzenbach, a veterinarian and sales manager for Cooprinsem, a farmer cooperative in Puerto Varas, Chile, was most informative. Ricardo is in charge of the A.I. department in his area, supervising three technicians and three insemination routes, along with handling direct herd sales and matings. His company represents CRI, Accelerated and Holland Genetics in the area. The average semen price is 6,500 pesos per unit (U.S. $13.00). They average 1.6 services per conception; however, in some of the better herds it is as low as 1.3 services per conception. The average calving interval for well-managed herds is 13 months.