Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2021)
10 CapitalPress.com Friday, February 19, 2021 Dairy Subscribe to our weekly dairy or livestock email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters Dairy exports break volume record By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press U.S. dairy exports in 2020 set a record by volume, shipping nearly 2.1 million pounds of milk solids overseas, an increase of 12.9% year over year. The exports were worth nearly $6.6 billion, the highest value year since nearly $7.2 billion in sales in 2014. Export achievements in 2020 were in spite of the pandemic, ship- ping issues and historic price vola- tility in the cheese market, analysts at U.S. Dairy Export Council said in their latest report. Exports of nonfat dry milk and skim milk powder increased 16% year over year to 812,683 metric tons. Powder exports surged to South- east Asia with regional buyers ensur- Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press File Agropur’s Jerome, Idaho, plant. U.S. dairy exports set a record by vol- ume last year. ing they had adequate supplies on hand. In addition, the European Union worked through intervention stocks of skim milk powder in 2019 and U.S. powders were competi- tively priced, the analysts said. U.S. powder exports were up 194% to China, 68% to Japan and 44% to Southeast Asia as U.S. sup- pliers have enjoyed a price advan- tage over major competitors since mid-2020. Rising skim milk powder prices despite readily available supply suggests strong global demand, and the price differential should con- tinue to spur U.S. sales, the analysts said. U.S. powder shipments were down in November and Decem- ber, however, suggesting problems at West Coast ports, and that could continue into 2021. “Shipping issues created by the pandemic have been affecting ports for nearly a year. Those issues inten- sified at the end of 2020 with height- ened port congestion and equipment shortages and moves by ocean car- riers to ship empty containers back to Asia at the expense of outbound U.S. agricultural products, including dairy,” the analysts said. Whey exports for the year were up 24% to 554,980 metric tons. Those exports “benefited immensely from China’s market reopening following the Phase 1 agreement and an exemption for permeate combined with a booming demand as China rebuilt its swine herd,” the analysts said. Cooperative pioneers satellite technology in dairy pasture By SIERRA DAWN MCCLAIN Capital Press MONMOUTH, Ore. — A farmer-owned organic dairy cooperative is experi- menting with satellite tech- nology to improve rota- tional pasture grazing. Farmers will use the technology to make man- agement decisions and improve the health of their dairy herds, pastures and the environment — all while saving them time. Satellite photography is gaining popularity in other farm sectors, including row crops. Its use in dairy man- agement, however, is rare, and Organic Valley cooper- ative members involved in the pilot project say they’re excited to be early adopters. “I’ve tested satellite imagery designed for corn and soybeans on my pas- tures, and already it’s been pretty darn helpful. Now we’re going to fine-tune it for grazing,” said Jon Ban- sen, an Organic Valley dairy farmer in Monmouth, Ore. Bansen is one of 22 farm- ers across the nation who Courtesy of Organic Valley Juli Bansen, left, and hus- band Jon Bansen own Double J Jerseys in Mon- mouth, Ore. Courtesy of Organic Valley Jon Bansen’s pastures as seen from satellite. signed up for the co-op’s pilot project. Farmers divide their perennial pastures into smaller portions, called paddocks, and move their herds frequently — a method known as “inten- sive rotational grazing.” Rotational grazing is time- and labor-intensive. One goal of the project, its leaders say, is to save farmers time. The satellite will deliver photos show- ing the amount of forage in each paddock to the farm- er’s phone or computer, which should ease some of the burden of on-the-ground surveying. For example, Ban- sen said in his early tests he could tell from satellite images what parts of his field were not as fertile and could use more manure-rich lagoon water. He could also tell where irrigation lines had missed spots. Organic Valley’s senior director of farm resources, Wade Miller, is leading the project. Miller described his department of the co-op as “sort of like a private extension service.” Miller said the co-op was inspired to do this proj- ect because of a study at Michigan State University, which found dairy farmers using satellite technology got at least 20% more use out of each pasture. Miller said the farm- ers in the pilot project will help fine-tune, or calibrate, the satellite devices by tak- ing on-the-ground mea- surements of pastures daily and submitting the data to the co-op’s technology experts, who will adjust the satellites to better “read” pastures. Through the 2021 to 2022 grazing season, Ban- sen, the farmer, said he’ll be taking measurements with a meter every day — at about 20 reference points per field. “I’ll be doing quite a bit of meandering,” he said. “I better get a podcast to lis- ten to.” But Bansen said he expects his work on the front end will pay off long-term. “If you don’t take part in your own industry and own co-op, what’s the point? You get out of stuff what you put into it,” he said. When the pilot period has ended, Miller said Organic Valley will offer access to satellites for free to the co-op’s 1,800 farmers. Money for the project came from Organic Val- ley’s grant program, Farm- ers Advocating for Organic, funded by annual, volun- tary contributions from the co-op’s farmers: five cents per hundredweight of milk. S219908-1 Dairy promotion leaders elected Capital Press Leaders of Dairy Man- agement Inc., the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and the United Dairy Indus- try Association have announced election results for officers to lead national Dairy Checkoff strategies and programs. Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national checkoff program, is co-funded by National Dairy Board and United Dairy Industry Association. Marilyn Hershey, a farmer from Cochranville, Pa., was re-elected chair of Dairy Management Inc. “I’m honored to join fel- low farmers and import- ers nationwide as we work together to create a suc- cessful future for the dairy industry,” she said in a press release. “The board and elected officers represent our part- nership to fund, govern and lead the Dairy Checkoff program,” she said. In addition to Hershey, other Dairy Management Inc. officers elected were: Steve Maddox, Riverdale, Calif., vice chairman; Skip Hardie, Groton, N.Y., sec- retary; and deb Vander Koi, Worthington, Minn., treasurer. The National Dairy Board elected: Alex Peter- son, Trenton, Mo., chair- man; Connie Seefeldt, Coleman, Wis., vice chair- man; Arlene Vander Eyk, Tulare, Calif., secretary; and Jennifer Heitzel, Mar- tinsburg, Pa., treasurer. The 37-member National Dairy Board car- ries out coordinated promo- tion and research programs to help build demand, and expand domestic and inter- national markets for dairy products. United Dairy Industry Association elected: Neil Hoff, Windthorst, Texas, chairman; Allen Mer- rill, Parker, S.D., first vice chairman; Rick Podtburg, Greeley, Colo., second vice chairman; Tom Woods, Gage, Okla., American Dairy Association, sec- ond vice chairman; Audrey Donahoe, Clayville, N.Y., National Dairy Coun- cil, second vice chairman; Charles Krause, Buffalo, Minn., secretary; and John Brubaker, Buhl, Idaho, treasurer. The United Dairy Indus- try Association is a feder- ation of state and regional dairy promotion organi- zations that provide mar- keting programs devel- oped and implemented in coordination with its members. American Dairy Associ- ation officers elected: Tom Woods, Gage, Okla., chair- man; Glen Easter, Lau- rens, S.C., vice chairman; Lowell Mueller, Hooper, Neb., secretary; and Corby Werth, Alpena, Mich., treasurer. Farmers and co-ops founded the American Dairy Association to pro- mote U.S. dairy to consum- ers through advertising and retail promotions. The asso- ciation also fosters coordi- nation of local promotion organizations. National Dairy Coun- cil officers elected were: Audrey Donahoe, Clay- ville, N.Y., chairman; Chase Fullmer, Sigurd, Utah, vice chairman; Har- old Howrigan, Sheldon, Vt., secretary; and Kevin Moore, Wauchula, Fla., treasurer. National Dairy Council is a nonprofit organization founded by dairy farm- ers and funded through the national Dairy Checkoff program. It is committed to providing science-based education about the nutri- tion and health benefits of dairy foods.