Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2015)
September 11, 2015 CapitalPress.com 9 Dairy Subscribe to our weekly dairy or livestock email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters Transparency, education focus of dairy tour By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press BUHL, Idaho — Like vir- tually every other dairyman, John Brubaker is proud of his family operation and the lengths he, his sons and their employees go to care for their animals and bring a whole- some product to the table. But also like virtually ev- ery other dairyman, he’s an independent thinker and until recently just wanted to be left alone to run his dairy and pro- duce quality milk. During a media tour of the family’s Knott Run Dairy on Sept. 3., Brubaker said dairy- men think the quality of their product should speak for it- self, but we’re seeing that doesn’t work when it comes to consumer confidence. Embracing the idea that transparency is a better route to consumer trust has been a learning curve for the fourth-generation dairyman. He now operates with a different mind-set — “Open up the facility; we’ve got nothing to hide,” he said. He led the tour through Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press John Brubaker, left, owner/operator of Knott Run Dairy in Buhl, Idaho, talks with veterinarian Todd Wells during a media tour on Sept. 3. Joining in the discussion are Brubaker’s sons and partners, Mike and Eric, holding their young children. every aspect of his operation, explaining everything from animal health, nutrition and reproductive cycles to milk- ing, refrigeration and moni- toring technology. He invited members of the media to go wherever they wanted and photograph what- ever they wanted. His intention, he said, was to show people who might not have an ag background how his operation produces a wholesome product that’s as fresh as you can get anywhere in the world. His milk is picked up every morning, year round, maybe an hour after the milking is finished, trucked to Glanbia Foods and is a block of cheese by afternoon, he said. “You can’t get any fresher than that,” he said. He and his sons, their vet- erinarian and nutritionist all responded comfortably to a battery of questions, includ- ing those on genetically mod- ified feed and rBST. Cindy Miller, senior direc- tor of consumer confidence for United Dairymen of Idaho, said the dairy industry wants people to come out to the farm to understand the quality mea- sures dairymen have in place and dispel some of the myths about milk production and an- imal care. “A lot of people are really interested in where their food comes from. We can’t invite whole cities,” but UDI holds media and group tours “to help people understand the products on the shelf start on family farms,” she said. There are 514 dairy farms in Idaho, and all of them are family farms, some smaller, some larger than Brubaker’s operation, which milks about 300 cows. The same holds true across the U.S., where 97 percent of the nation’s dairy farms are family owned, ac- cording to USDA. UDI encourages people to learn more about dairy pro- duction. Tours of farms hap- pen all the time, especially with school groups, and peo- ple can request tours through UDI or their local dairymen, Miller said. Personal contact and hands-on experience are powerful tools for educating consumers and promoting the wholesomeness of U.S. dairy, Brubaker said. Active in industry groups, Brubaker recently went on a trade mission to Vietnam with U.S. Dairy Export Council. USDEC had made videos of his dairy operation as well as three other dairymen on the trade mission. Traders from Southeast Asia had the perception that American dairies were indus- trialized operations that didn’t take care of the cows. But they learned through that personal contact that U.S. dairies are far different than their percep- tion and they were eager for U.S. product, Brubaker said. That one day accounted for sales of 65 million metric tons of U.S. dairy product, he said. “It’s all about telling your story. We really need to be more transparent so people know where cheese (and other dairy products) comes from,” he said. New WUD chief Dairy expansion proposals stir controversy hits ground running By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press Western United Dairymen, whose members represent 60 percent of milk production in California, was looking for an administrator to re-energize its members and take the organiza- tion in a new direction. Just six weeks on the job as the new CEO, Anja Rauda- baugh is already shaking things up, bringing new energy and fresh perspective to the 31-year- old producer group. She’s been busy taking care of housekeeping items needed to transition the organization to being more inclusive and more responsive to members, she said. She’s also been busy keep- ing an eye on dairy-relevant legislation as the state Legisla- ture winds up this year’s session in an erratic manner. And she’s gearing up for the USDA hear- ing to consider a federal milk marketing order for the state. Raudabaugh has big plans to advance the organization and the industry, but her first priori- ty has been to reorganize WUD delegate bodies to facilitate dis- cussion on the way in which the organization should move for- ward, she said. “Member input is extremely valuable. I want to reignite their passion for having a voice in the organization,” she said. And she’s been meeting with members, who she said are so kind and genuinely excited about a change in the organiza- tion’s direction. Some of the changes ahead are directed at closing the huge gap between the dairy industry and the urban community and the gap in the dairy industry it- self, she said. Raudabaugh said the indus- try needs a social and urban platform to provide unbiased information and better connect with consumers and the urban community. Raudabaugh said she is pas- sionate about bringing the or- ganization into the technology and global age through so- cial media and Raudabaugh, an overhaul of WUD’s website. She will also be focused on energizing the next generation of dairy farmers by building a confident outlook with solid vic- tories for the industry. That in- cludes mitigating regulatory and labor challenges, working for a consistent milk price structure, and gaining new markets and better market access to Pacific Rim countries, she said. WUD President Frank Men- donsa is happy with Rauda- baugh’s work. “I think we needed a fresh perspective, and we got one in Anja,” he said. “She’s all we hoped for.” He said Raudabaugh has a quality background in environ- mental and legislative issues, a lot of good ideas and high en- ergy. One of the goals of WUD’s board is to unify the industry in California toward common goals, and she has the experi- ence to accomplish that and lead the organization in a new direc- tion, he said. “She is exactly what we wanted and is performing out- standingly,” said Tom Barcellos, WUD board member and im- mediate past president. She brings a lot of experience to the job, has a broad knowl- edge of agriculture, politics and environmental issues and is both intelligent and energetic, he said. “I am very blessed and excit- ed to be in this position,” Raud- abaugh said. Raudabaugh came to WUD from the Madera County Farm Bureau, where she served as ex- ecutive director for five years. There she implemented and de- veloped local action committees and several joint powers author- ities. SALEM — Expansion plans at several Oregon dairies have caused a backlash among vegans and animal rights activ- ists, but farm regulators lack the authority to consider many of their objections. Likewise, the Oregon De- partment of Agriculture can’t do much about dairy industry concerns that publicly dis- closed regulatory filings will expose farms to trespassing and vandalism. As mandated by the federal Clean Water Act, the agency issued a public notice in June that five dairies are seeking to change their animal waste man- agement plans. Wym Matthews, manager of ODA’s Confined Animal Feeding Operation program, said such notices are fairly rou- tine, but this one was somewhat unusual because four of the five dairies want to expand their herds. After an article in Salem’s Statesman Journal described these plans, the agency re- ceived enough requests for a public hearing that one was scheduled for Sept. 2. Previously, such hearing requests were rare, Matthews said. “I think the interest is new.” Several of the people re- questing a hearing identified themselves as vegan, he said. The ODA can only consider comments that relate directly to whether the waste manage- ment changes conform with the Clean Water Act, not overall opposition to animal agricul- ture or CAFOs as being abu- sive, he said. “The permit doesn’t regu- late animal cruelty,” Matthews said. The ODA also can’t con- sider comments that endorse particular management sys- tems, such as organic or pas- ture-raised, he said. Many of the comments made during the Sept. 2 hear- ing appeared to fall outside of the ODA’s purview, as they opposed CAFO expansion generally without identifying specific problems with the proposed waste management plans. Some commenters men- tioned antibiotics, which the agency does not regulate as a pollutant. “They end up in the meat, in the manure and in the water- ways,” said Niko Morozov, a college student. Others objected to the amount of water used to pro- duce milk, which also isn’t reg- ulated under the Clean Water Act. Nic Shipley, another college student, claimed dairy water use is excessive. “Is milk really worth it?” he said. The issue of animal welfare was also brought up. “In an ideal world, we wouldn’t treat animals the way we do and have massive me- ga-farms,” said Laurel Hines. “My opposition is to the large farms, the farms that aren’t or- ganic.” Gavin Curtis expressed dis- may with the practice of culling young calves for “bob veal.” “These two- to three-day- old babies are torn from their mothers and then slaughtered,” he said. U.S. dairy prices defy global reality By LEE MIELKE For the Capital Press U .S. dairy prices con- tinued to defy global reality going into the Labor Day weekend. CME block Cheddar got up to $1.75 per pound Tues- day but relapsed and closed the first Friday of September at $1.6950 per pound, down a half-cent on the week and 65 1/2-cents below a year ago, but a more typical price spread with the barrels was restored. The markets were closed Monday for the Labor Day holiday and Tuesday the blocks remained at Friday’s close. The barrels rolled out the week at $1.67, up 7 cents Dairy Markets Lee Mielke to restore the typical spread, but also 65 1/2-cents below a year ago. They were also un- changed Tuesday. Nine cars of block traded hands last week and three of barrel. Global Dairy Trade Ched- dar was at $1.3215 per pound U.S. on Sept. 1. Midwest milk produc- tion is in a slow, late summer decline, says Dairy Market News. The current heat wave and bottling demand are push- ing milk intakes slightly low- er but manufacturers report available milk is adequate. Western milk intakes are re- duced, due to increases in bot- tling demand and the seasonal decline in milk production but manufacturers report cheese production has remained ac- tive. Export opportunities for cheese are down but domestic demand is good and is keep- ing inventories from getting out of control. Cash butter finished Friday at $2.4525, up 11 1/4-cents on the week but 39 1/4-cents below a year ago when it was trading at $2.8450 and on its way to set a record high that eventually topped $3 a pound. The spot butter was steady Tuesday. 37-2/#7