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14 CapitalPress.com June 19, 2015 Subscribe to our weekly dairy or livestock email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters Dairy/Livestock Western United Dairymen hires new CEO By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press The leadership of Western United Dairymen has hired Anja Raudabaugh as the or- ganization’s new CEO. Raud- abaugh will officially begin her role in late July, WUD announced on Thursday. “We are pleased to wel- come Anja to the Western United family,” WUD vice president hrank Mendonsa, said in a press release. “I look forward to the fresh perspective, valuable experience and superior per- sonal characteristics she will offer our membership as the new CEO,” he said. Raudabaugh has served as executive director of Madera County harm Bureau since 2011. Before that she worked as a project manager for a hortune 500 company and as the senior legislative as- sistant for Rep. Doug Ose, representing California’s 3rd District in Washington D.C. Previously the marketing director for the California Asparagus Commission and district representative for state Sen. Dick Monteith, her extensive experience in the political environment will add tremendous value to the organization, WUD stated. Raudabaugh’s time in Sac- ramento working as a project manager and technical advis- er handling CEQA and NEPA requirements as they applied to state and federal agencies has lent her a skill set adept with navigating complex is- sues, WUD stated. A graduate of the Univer- sity of the Pacific in Stock- ton, Raudabaugh earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and earned a mas- ter’s degree in biochem- istry from UC Davis, with an emphasis in global pan- Diversification helps farm thrive By HEATHER SMITH THOMAS For the Capital Press demics and infectious dis- eases. “I am honored and ex- tremely humbled to be ac- cepted into the role of CEO with Western United Dairy- men. It will be my privilege to grow the organization and expand our members’ glob- al opportunities, along with maintaining our vision and way of life,” Raudabaugh said. Raudabaugh replaces for- Glanbia to train 40 new workers with state help By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press GOODING, Idaho — Start- ing their own cheese-making business in 2004 allowed the Ballard family to diversify by creating an additional market for its milk. “We came here from South- ern California and our son Tra- vis is in business with us now. We have 50 acres and rent an- other 40 acres from a neighbor,” Steve said. This is a family operation, he said. “Stacie does the financial side of the business and market- ing. She provides input on al- most everything, and helps with the cows — she has a knack for dairy farming. She milked the cows for a long time before we started the cheese side of the business,” he said. Their cows are 100 percent Jersey. “We like Jerseys because their milk is a lot richer,” Steve said. They process 40 percent of their milk in their cheese plant, and sell the remaining 60 per- cent to Glanbia hoods. “We don’t want to be limit- ed with all our eggs in one bas- ket. Diversity has helped, with more than one product to sell. If we weren’t making cheese we would have been in and out of the dairy business within 12 years.” When milk prices are low, the cheese business adds another customer base. Their many varieties of cheese are marketed under their label — Ballard Cheese. Most is sold wholesale, but visitors who take a tour of the dairy and cheese plant can also purchase cheese. The Ballards also have regular restaurant and retail customers, ranging from Win- Co and other big box stores to small farm stands in the Trea- sure Valley. “We sell to specialty food stores and restaurants direct, and to the food service indus- try,” Steve said. “It helps to be vertically integrated, so we have more control over quality and handling of the end prod- uct.” Their son Travis is the cheese-maker, and is involved with the dairy’s operation. “If I’m traveling on business The Idaho Department of Labor has committed $167,123.50 in Idaho Work- force Development Training hunds to Glanbia hoods to train 40 new employees in safety, quality assurance, sustainability, dairy oper- ations and maintenance, according to a Labor De- partment press release on Monday. Glanbia, the largest American-style cheese manufacturer in the United States and one of the largest whey ingredient producers, is expanding its Twin halls Cheese Innovation Center by seven new positions and its Gooding production facility Photos by Heather Smith Thomas/For the Capital Press A Jersey calf is fed at the Ballard Dairy in Gooding, Idaho. Ballard Family Dairy & Cheese Owners: Stele and Stacie Ballard Since: 1995 Location: Near Gooding, Idaho Herd: 80 Jersey cows Cheese is made at Ballard Family Dairy & Cheese in Gooding, Idaho. for the Idaho Dairy Products Commission or the National Dairy Board, he helps take care of the dairy. Our daughter Jessi- ca also works with us, and her boys, Michael and Matt (age 14 and 18), also work on the dairy, and in the cheese plant with their uncle,” Steve said. Ballard’s Jersey cows pro- duce for a long time. “We milk a lot of cows that are 10 years old and still doing well. A person has to choose the production level to aim for. As soon as a cow drops below that level she goes for another pur- pose,” he explains. Jerseys are smaller-framed than Holsteins and take more time to gain much weight. “If you have a young cow that’s not productive enough and sell her as beef, you won’t get as much money as you would with an older, heavier cow. The nice thing about Holsteins, by contrast, is that they can serve a dual purpose. You can milk them a few years and then move them on,” he said. “It all depends on how you want to manage your herd.” The dairy industry typically supplies 40 percent of the beef market, he said. “Dairymen who run large operations do a very good job, but I prefer to keep my farm small. I want to be able to take care of the land and my cows — and have the ecosystem on our farm support itself. It all boils down to the management style a person chooses,” Steve said. “We also choose to be a conventional dairy. Personal- ly, I don’t feel that organic is any better than conventional. It costs a lot to do things organic, and our customers are satisfied with our product,” Steve said. “That’s the beauty of Amer- ica; everybody has a choice. This is what we market — a choice, and the experience of what we produce here on our farm. We are happy to share our quality products with customers across Idaho.” 25-2/#4N mer CEO Michael Marsh, whose 15-year tenure with WUD abruptly ended in De- cember due to the desire of the organization’s directors to move in a different direc- tion and re-energize member- ship. Paul Martin, who retired from WUD in 2012 after serving as the long-time di- rector of environmental ser- vices, has served as interim CEO. by 33 positions. The 40 new full-time positions will pay an aver- age of $20.63 per hour plus employer-assisted medical benefits. The positions to be created include production operators, maintenance staff, management and administra- tive support, lab workers and warehouse workers, accord- ing to the Labor Department. Glanbia also has facilities in Blackfoot and Richfield. The company’s global head- quarters are in Kilkenny, Ire- land, and its North American headquarters is in Twin halls, Idaho. The Idaho Workforce De- velopment Training hund is financed by a 3 percent set- aside from employer unem- ployment insurance taxes. Montana wildlife group seeks to stop sheep grazing BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A wildlife group is asking a federal judge to stop domestic sheep grazing that it says is a threat to wildlife on U.S. Na- tional horest land in the Grav- elly Mountains of southwest Montana. The Gallatin Wildlife As- sociation claims the govern- ment’s authorization for the Helle family of Dillon to graze almost 8,000 sheep in the area is harming endangered grizzly bears and wild bighorn sheep. Attorney John Meyer said the Bozeman-based group planned to file an injunction request in U.S. District Court Monday seeking to halt graz- ing this summer on two of the Helle’s seven grazing allot- ments. A lawsuit challenging the approval of the allotments was filed last week. Helena lawyer Jim Brown, who represents the Helles, says the family has cooperat- ed with wildlife officials on bighorn sheep conservation efforts. Cash cheese makes significant rally By LEE MIELKE For the Capital Press Dairy Markets My thoughts last week that the global chickens had come home to roost following the previous week’s contin- ued drop in the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction came into question. Cash cheese rallied significantly last week, reaching levels not seen since November 2014 but then re- versed gears hriday. Cheese is making its way to Chica- go and traders this week had another GDT to analyze and are awaiting Thursday’s May Milk Production report. The cheddar blocks, after soaring to $1.78 on Thurs- day, dropped 2 1/2 cents hri- day and closed at $1.7550 per pound, up 4 cents on the week and the sixth consec- utive week of gain, but are still 27 1/2-cents below a year ago. The blocks shed another 2 1/2 cents Monday but were unchanged Tuesday at $1.72 per pound. The barrels, after hitting $1.7550 Thursday, dropped 3 1/4-cents hriday to close at $1.7225, up 8 cents on the week but 24 1/2-cents below a year ago. They lost 2 3/4-cents Monday but were also un- changed Tuesday, holding at $1.6950. Three cars of block traded hands last week and 22 of barrel. Cash butter started last week losing 4 cents Monday but gained it back Thurs- day and hriday and closed at $1.90 per pound, unchanged on the week but 28 1/2-cents below a year ago. Only four cars traded hands on the week. The spot butter was unchanged Monday but lost a penny and a half Tuesday, closing at $1.8850 per pound. Lee Mielke Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk gained 4 cents in the first three sessions last week but lost 2 1/4 cents on hri- day to close at 89 3/4-cents per pound, up 1 3/4-cents on the week but 96 cents below a year ago. Eight cars traded hands at the CME last week. The powder was unchanged both Monday and Tuesday. GDT slippage slowing? This week’s Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction saw the weighted average for all prod- ucts offered slip 1.3 percent, following a 4.3 percent de- cline June 2, and a 2.2 percent decline in the May 19 event. This is the seventh consec- utive session of loss but the smallest since March 3, 2015. The declines were led by anhydrous milkfat (AMh), down 8.9 percent, following a 7.4 percent loss last time. But- ter led the losses in the June 2 event, down 10 percent. Lac- tose was the next biggest loser Tuesday, down 2.8 percent, following a 6.9 percent drop last time. Skim milk powder was off 0.2 percent, follow- ing a 1.3 percent decline last time, and whole milk powder (WMP) was off 0.1 percent Tuesday, following a 3.1 per- cent drop last time. Moving to positive terri- tory, buttermilk powder led the way, up 10 percent, after dropping 7 percent last time. Rennet casein was next, up 4.3 percent, after dropping 4.4 percent last time. Butter was up 3.3 percent Tuesday,