For several years, California dairyman Greg Hooker has been aligning his 4,500-cow dairy operation for what he says is a “large shift” in heifer rearing – a focus on quality and not quantity. “In the past, we’ve gotten as many heifers as we can, kept as many alive as we can, raised as many as we can. And if you didn’t need them, then you could sell them,” Hooker says. “The ability to sell springers for a profit – long-term – isn’t necessarily there anymore.”

The USDA recently completed an analysis of potential economic and productivity impacts from changes to the availability of farm labor. Their results found that dairy would be one of the sectors most affected by changes. Although the study did not review one specific policy or any proposed legislation, the model does seem to compare the potential outcomes of mass deportation of unauthorized workers, the expansion of a guest-worker program for agriculture and doing nothing. Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley followed up with the study’s authors.

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.

I recently read an interesting blog post about how bees manage their time and resources. The author Michael O’Malley’s main point is that: “Honeybees have institutionalized procedures that prevent catastrophic loss, and their record of accomplishment is stunning: more than 100 years of productivity and growth.” (Click here to see the blog)

Ag communications consultant and owner of CMA Consulting Charlie Arnot recently said this summer’s consumer and news media attention on food brands and agriculture production should be an “inflection point” in how agriculture perceives crisis management and the defense of traditional farming practices. Progressive Dairyman Editor Walt Cooley asked Arnot to explain his statement.

Several articles in this issue were inspired from published comments we’ve tracked down to more fully report on. Two of their backstories are detailed here. ‘Fragile consensus’ On July 11 the House Ag Committee spent 14 hours reviewing proposed Farm Bill legislation. I dropped into the live webcast at about the 22nd minute. Dairy reform took top billing then as the 46-member committee began discussing a controversial proposed amendment. (Click here to read the story that explains the fireworks that ensued and what they were all about.) Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Oklahoma) said the following opening comments to frame the debate over dairy policy reform:

Some hate broccoli, some hate bacon, I hate having my picture taken. My dad frequently recited these first lines to Ogden Nash’s poem “Waiting for the Birdie” when it was time for a family picture. He said he memorized it in grade school and hasn’t forgotten it since. I, like most others, agree with its message. Its universal proclamation against the need for still images of ourselves has contributed to the poem’s forever fame.

My caller ID said the incoming line was phoning from Tennessee. Besides my friend Bill Maness, there’s only a few dairy folks that ever call me from the Volunteer State. When I picked up the phone, the woman identified herself as an associate of a prominent dairy market analyst. She said her boss told her to phone me with some unexpected, bad news. “Ben Yale passed away,” the voice said. “Mary Ledman thought you would want to know.”