14 CapitalPress.com
September 22, 2017
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Dairy/Livestock
Review board signs off on quota proposal
Dairy
Markets
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Lee Mielke
Capital Press
California dairy farmers
are one step closer to having a
critical component in place to
move ahead with their efforts
to join the federal milk market-
ing order system.
That component is a stand-
alone quota program to contin-
ue the long-standing, produc-
er-funded state program that
pays premiums to producers
holding quota certificates.
The Milk Pooling Producer
Review Board last week final-
ized a plan that would operate
much like the current program.
The main difference is that
producers will be directly as-
sessed to fund the program,
where currently the program is
funded by the milk pool.
But a couple of other items
are substantially different
from the current program. One
brought widespread concern
and the other is specific to the
Dairymen fuel
student health
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
The Idaho Dairy Council is
giving 38 Idaho schools grants
to support their Fuel Up to Play
60 initiatives. This round of
grants totaled $123,317.
Fuel Up to Play 60 is de-
signed to engage and empower
youth to take action for their
own health by implementing
long-term, positive changes for
themselves and their schools.
The national program is
designed to help prevent child-
hood obesity and help youth
develop life-long healthy eat-
ing and daily physical activity
habits.
As part of the program,
student teams work with adult
leaders in each school to make
kid-appealing, good-tasting,
nutrient-rich foods more avail-
able. They also create opportu-
nities for daily physical activity,
such as noon walking clubs and
after-school sports and dance
clubs.
Fuel Up to Play 60 encour-
ages students to get involved
and make changes that will
help make their schools health-
ier places. The program reach-
es youth directly and engages
their help in leading and inspir-
ing their friends.
The USDA, NFL and Na-
tional Dairy Council are part-
ners in the program, and it is
further supported by several
national health and nutrition or-
ganizations.
Dairy West
communication
team expands
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Melinda Petersen has joined
Dairy West, a partner of United
Dairymen of Idaho, as its pro-
ducer and community relations
manager.
She will play a role in sup-
porting dairy farm family out-
reach, partner outreach, com-
munity events and integrated
communication efforts.
“Melinda’s experience and
personal dedication to the dairy
community is something we
truly value, and we believe she
will be able to make an immedi-
ate impact at Dairy West,” said
Cindy Miller, vice president of
integrated communications for
Dairy West.
Petersen brings a foundation
of personal and professional ex-
perience to Dairy West.
She grew up on a dairy farm
in northeastern Oregon and re-
ceived a bachelor’s degree in
agricultural education, commu-
nication and technology from
the University of Arkansas-Fay-
etteville.
She comes to Dairy West
after two years in a similar role
with the Oregon Dairy and Nu-
trition Council in Portland, Ore.
Before returning to the dairy
industry, she served in various
communications and alumni/
donor relations roles for higher
education in Washington and
Oregon.
Visit IdahoDairy.com for
more details.
While the survey might
not be a direct referendum
trigger, it adds uncertainty
and is a potential new chal-
lenge to quota and a departure
from the current program, she
said.
The three co-ops that pe-
titioned USDA to establish a
federal marketing order for
California also objected.
Through public comment,
California Dairies Inc., Dairy
Capital Press File Farmers of America and
Land O’Lakes said the survey
Cows are milked at VanderWoude Dairy near Merced, Calif. The
could serve as a “mandatory
Milk Pooling Producer Review Board has finalized a quota plan
that would operate much like the current program once the federal mini-referendum” and “that
kind of peril will destabilize
milk marketing order is in place.
the California quota program
and diminish producers’ long-
state’s four producer-handlers. the Producer Review Board.
Western United Dairymen term faith in its reliability and
The first was language that
hinged continuation of the pro- did not immediately respond thus its overall value.”
The program pays quota
to requests for comment on
gram on producers’ desire.
The original proposal stat- Tuesday but Annie AcMoody, certificate holders $1.70 per
ed continuation was “subject the organization’s director of hundredweight above the state
to a producer survey every five economic analysis, stated its blend price for the amount of
years” to be evaluated by an concerns in public comment milk covered by their certif-
icate. Those certificates are
independent party selected by on the proposal.
worth $1.2 billion, an asset
that can be transferred or sold.
While producers support
abandoning the state market-
ing system and establishing
a federal marketing order —
hoping to put their milk prices
on par with milk prices across
the country — they contend
loss of quota value in that pur-
suit would be a deal-breaker.
The mandatory producer
survey was not removed from
the final proposal but the lan-
guage of continuation of the
program being “subject” to
a producer survey was aban-
doned.
The other significant
change in the stand-alone pro-
posal is that producer-handlers
will have to pay the quota as-
sessment on milk that was pre-
viously exempt from the milk
pool.
The plan is now in the
hands of the CDFA secretary
for review.
Livestock truckers seek flexibility
in electronic log device rules
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Cattle, pork, fish and bee
organizations have petitioned
the U.S. Department of Trans-
portation for a one-year ex-
emption from compliance
with a rule that will require
electronic logging devices for
truckers to track their time be-
hind the wheel.
The rule is set to go into
effect Dec. 18.
In conjunction with the
ELD exemption, they are
also asking for increased flex-
ibility for livestock haulers in
the hours of service rules that
restrict how long truckers can
stay behind the wheel.
Drivers required to use
ELDs would be limited to the
hours of service rules, which
restrict a driver to no more than
11 active driving hours. Once
a driver hits those maximum
hour allotments, he must stop
and rest for 10 consecutive
hours.
The groups contend the
livestock-hauling industry is
not prepared to use ELDs and
the hours of service rules would
be problematic when transport-
ing livestock.
They also point out that
current ELDs aren’t compati-
ble with the needs of livestock
haulers and question whether
the devices can accommodate
agricultural exemptions to
hours of service.
Pulling off the road for 10
hours isn’t an issue when haul-
ing items such as furniture, but
animals can’t just be left sitting.
It’s an animal-health issue, said
Michael Formica, assistant vice
president and counsel for do-
mestic policy with the National
Pork Producers Council.
Courtesy of Tim O’Byrne/Working Ranch magazine
The livestock industry wants an exemption to a new regulation that would require truckers to use an
electronic logging device and limit the hours a driver can work.
In addition, the available
ELDs would automatically
log miles without regard to
exemptions in place for haul-
ing livestock and agricultural
commodities in general, arbi-
trarily triggering a violation. If
a driver gets enough violations,
he loses his commercial driver
license, he said.
“It’s become a big brother
situation. It’s frustrating, but
we could deal with it as long as
the underlying rules we have to
follow are compatible” with the
unique needs of the livestock
industry, he said.
NPPC is asking for the
exemption because livestock
truckers “have a moral obli-
gation to care for the animals
they’re hauling regardless of
what some bureaucratic rule
says,” said Ken Maschoff,
NPPC president.
“Unfortunately, confusion
and possible misunderstand-
ing over enforcement and how
ELDs operate are causing sig-
nificant concern within the live-
stock industry over apparent in-
compatible HOS rules and the
realities of livestock handling,”
the petition states.
Many drivers are concerned
they will be arbitrarily penal-
ized for choosing the proper
care of animals because of an
arbitrary cut-off in the hours of
service rules, the groups said.
“The lack of effective in-
dustry outreach and education
compounds these concerns.
As a result, we are hearing
increased reports of drivers
choosing to stop hauling live-
stock altogether to avoid this
potential dilemma,” the peti-
tion stated.
National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association contends more
time is needed to address
the concerns and educate all
stakeholders to avoid disrup-
tion in an industry that already
has concerns with driver
shortages.
“A limited exemption from
ELDs will allow for our haul-
ers to continue to safely trans-
port livestock while providing
the livestock industry time to
continue working with DOT to
find workable solutions within
the HOS rules…,” said Craig
Uden, NCBA president.
The American Farm Bu-
reau Federation, North Ameri-
can Meat Institute, U.S. Cattle-
men’s Association, Livestock
Marketing Association, Na-
tional Aquaculture Association
and American Beekeeping As-
sociation joined in the petition.
The petition also pointed
out the lack of awareness of
the ELD rule among livestock
haulers and the livestock in-
dustry and lack of DOT out-
reach.
The groups also cited a
lack of understanding among
vendors in the ELD market-
place of the unique needs of
the livestock industry and es-
sential design features for their
products.
They also noted the older
average age of livestock haul-
ers, who are less familiar with
using new technology and
require more time to train on
ELD use.
Study: Puberty delayed in penned heifers
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
Keeping young beef heif-
ers penned over winter tends
to delay puberty compared to
letting them out on pasture,
according to a new study.
Slowing a cow’s reproduc-
tive maturity may impair her
ability to get pregnant in the
first breeding season, which is
economically undesirable for
ranchers.
Only 32 percent of heif-
ers kept in pens over win-
ter reached puberty by late
spring, compared to 67 per-
cent that remained on pasture,
the Oregon State University
study found.
Among the cows that did
reach puberty, those in pens
achieved maturity 33 days lat-
er than those on pasture and
they were 100 pounds heavier
on average.
The stress of being kept
penned was likely the rea-
son that fewer heifers timely
reached puberty and their ma-
turity was delayed, said Rein-
aldo Cooke, who co-wrote the
study.
“That may be taking a toll
on the reproductive devel-
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
Cows kept in pens over winter tended to reach puberty later than
those remaining on pasture, likely due to stress, according to an
Oregon State University study.
opment of those females,”
he said. “They like to walk
around and graze and they
don’t have that in the pen.”
Cows kept on pasture got
more physical activity, aver-
aging 20,000 steps a week,
compared to 3,100 steps for
penned heifers. Their hair also
had lower levels of cortisol,
a hormone associated with
stress in cattle.
Pens probably make young
heifers uncomfortable be-
cause they’ve spent their ear-
ly lives on rangeland before
weaning and are unaccus-
tomed to being confined, said
Cooke.
“That abrupt change in en-
vironment is pretty stressful,”
he said.
Ranchers often keep young
heifers in pens over winter be-
cause they’re easier to feed
and check on, Cooke said. In
some cases, cattle producers
may not have enough proper-
ty available to keep them on
pasture.
“I’m not saying confine-
ment is bad,” he said. “Many
times it’s necessary. It’s the
only option.”
However, ranchers should
keep in mind that pens may
prevent timely puberty, so
they can try to reduce nega-
tive effects by avoiding over-
crowding.
The half-year study com-
pared 30 Angus and Here-
ford cows kept in pens with
30 heifers of the same breeds
left out on pasture, with all
of the animals being fed the
same diet.
Cooke was an animal sci-
entist at OSU when the re-
search was conducted in late
2015 and early 2016 but was
recently hired as an associate
professor of beef cattle pro-
duction at Texas A&M Uni-
versity.
Researchers decided to
conduct the study after notic-
ing that penned heifers gener-
ally had poorer reproductive
performance compared to
those on pasture, Cooke said.
“Wow, maybe there’s
something going on here,” he
said.
Dairy prices
remain
unsettled
By LEE MIELKE
For the Capital Press
D
airy prices weakened
the week of 9/11. The
cheddar blocks closed
3 1/4-cents lower, at $1.61 per
pound, 4 cents below a year
ago.
The barrels were down 9
cents, at $1.45, 16 cents be-
low the blocks and 3 cents
below a year ago when they
plunged 12 1/2-cents.
The blocks lost a pen-
ny and a quarter Monday,
as traders anticipated Tues-
day morning’s Global Dairy
Trade auction and Tuesday
afternoon’s August Milk Pro-
duction report. They were
down another half-cent Tues-
day, to $1.5925.
The barrels were down
three-quarters Monday but
regained 4 1/4-cents Tuesday,
hitting $1.4850, 10 3/4-cents
below the blocks.
Milk supplies for Midwest
cheesemakers varied, accord-
ing to Dairy Market News.
Some report fairly balanced
milk supplies while others
state that school pipelines are
pulling from their usual avail-
ability. Southern and South-
eastern bottlers, following the
flurry of severe weather, have
also dipped into the milk sup-
plies of Midwestern cheese
plants.
Western cheese output is
active, with most facilities are
running at or near full capac-
ity.
Spot butter fell to $2.41
per pound last Monday,
lowest price since June 1,
2017, but closed the week at
$2.4475, down a penny but 44
3/4-cents above a year ago.
It was up a penny and a
half Monday and a half-cent
Tuesday, inching to $2.4675.
DMN reports that demand
for butter, primarily in the
retail sector, remains healthy
for Central region producers.
European exports and pur-
chases have picked up. Cream
remains available for season-
ally active butter production.
Grade A nonfat dry milk
closed Friday at 82 1/4-cents
per pound, down a quar-
ter-cent on the week and
8 3/4-cents below a year ago.
The powder was un-
changed Monday but gained
1 1/4-cents Tuesday, climbing
to 83 1/2-cents per pound.
Nonfat dry milk is flowing
well to Mexico but the Mexi-
can market is mostly interest-
ed in lower priced product so
competition with European
skim milk powder remains
“intense.”
August milk up
U.S. milk is flowing, plen-
tifully. Preliminary Agricul-
ture Department data reports
August output in the top 23
producing states at 17 billion
pounds, up 2.1 percent from
August 2016. The 50-state to-
tal is 18.1 billion pounds, up
2 percent. Revisions added 31
million pounds to the original
July 23-state estimate, now
put at 17.2 billion pounds, up
2.1 percent from a year ago.
Milk cow numbers totaled
8.73 million head in the 23
states, unchanged from July
but 66,000 more than a year
ago. The 50-state total, at
9.41 million head, is also un-
changed from July but 71,000
above a year ago. Output per
cow averaged 1,948 pounds
in the 23 states, up an impres-
sive 26 pounds.
California output was
off 0.7 percent from a year
ago, the seventh consecutive
month it has trailed, large-
ly due to 13,000 fewer cows
milked. Output per cow was
unchanged. Wisconsin was
up 1.8 percent, thanks to
a 35-pound gain per cow,
but cow numbers were un-
changed.
Utah saw the biggest in-
crease at 10.2 percent, but
Texas remains up there as
well, up 9.2 percent, driven
by 30,000 more cows and a
55-pound gain per cow.