In anticipation of its Sept. 28 kick-off, the World Dairy Expo has announced another way to promote its annual trade show and the dairy industry on your website or blog. On the WDE website, you can now save images in 449×70, 234×125 and 150×300 pixel sizes.
We’re excited to attend, where we’ll be at booths 450 and 451 in the Arena building. Just a few short weeks until grilled cheeses and milkshakes galore!
Hoard’s Dairyman’s blog HD Notebook featured an interesting post last month on the impact farming has on local economies. It looked at the USDA’s recent Economic Research Service report, which was summarized in the June issue of the organization’s “Amber Waves” magazine.
The study found that half of all farm expenditures are spent locally. That goes to show in areas where agriculture is a top industry, the local economy greatly benefits from the many expenses that go into running a successful farming operation.
Throughout the Corn Belt, NutriDense works with grain mills to deliver contract premiums that allow growers to lock in more profit versus conventional yellow dent corn. We call these locations “Local-Use Networks” and work very closely with the feed mill managers at each one. In these locations, we see firsthand the impact grain producers have on the local economy and population.
It’s great to know that as agriculture feeds the world, it still has a positive impact on local economies.
With the dairy industry facing economic constraints, producers are looking for ways to cut costs without sacrificing milk production. One place to look is feed — when feed efficiency increases, producers are able to get the same milk with less feed.
That’s why NutriDense was excited to see the results of a recent feed efficiency study performed by Dr. Larry Chase, professor and dairy nutrition extension specialist at Cornell University. Dr. Chase revealed results that found NutriDense Silage to be six to eight percent better in feed efficiency, or converting feed to milk, than other high-quality corn silage in the study.
These findings were featured in a recent Progressive Dairyman article titled “Improve feed efficiency, increase profitability by selecting high-quality corn silage hybrids.” To learn more about the study and how NutriDense stacked up against other hybrids, check out the findings in the magazine’s July 1 edition or online.
When it comes to dairy agvocacy, Barbara Martin – perhaps better known as the “Dairy Goddess” blogger behind her popular blog – is a “moo-ver” and a shaker. The California dairy producer shared her top five must-have tools required to get the job done with Progressive Dairyman, including a desktop computer, Flip video camera, Internet, Blackberry and, of course, ideas, creativity and emotion. Martin and many others in the industry use tools such as these to spread the word about industry facts, figures and events such as National Dairy Month.
Even though the June holiday is over, the online dairy community still has four days left to enter our Web Moo.0 Contest. Tell us how you use social media to promote the dairy industry by submitting a YouTube video, Flickr slideshow, blog post or short essay over on the contest website.
With the help of the AgChat Foundation, one grand prize winner will be chosen to attend the first AgChat Foundation’s Agvocacy 2.0 Conference (including the $350 registration fee and travel and hotel expenses valued up to $1,000), held August 30-31. The exclusive conference, which only has 50 open spots, will focus on ways agriculturalists can take their social media efforts to the next level. In addition, second and third-place winners will receive Flip Cameras.
We’ve gotten some great entries – enter now to submit your story!
From genomic testing to calf diets, the World Dairy Expo’s 2010 seminars schedule will examine a variety of industry topics. Dairy industry leaders will lead eight seminars during the show’s five-day run, held in the Exhibition Hall’s Mendota 2 meeting room.
BASF Plant Science is excited to sponsor “Managing Feed Costs 2010” on Thursday, Sept. 30, at 1 p.m. The seminar will be presented by Dr. Mike Hutjens, professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008 American Dairy Science Fellow and 2008 World Dairy Expo Industry Person of the Year.
Dr. Hutjens will discuss strategies for evaluating forage inputs, building rations for optimal performance in high-producing cows, and determining nutrient levels and forms, and will be available to answer questions from the audience.
For more information on 2010 World Dairy Expo seminars and speakers, visit the World Dairy Expo Seminars website.
NutriDense Silage boosts feed efficiency in cows. What is feed efficiency, and why is it important? I spoke with Jerry Weigel, manager of nutrition and technical service, to get the answers to these questions and more.
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Check back in two weeks for our second podcast on feed efficiency and dairy cows, where we will talk more with Jerry about how NutriDense fits into the equation.
What do cows have in common with clubs, chip-ins and cart paths?
Those unlikely pairings collide next week when the Dairy Business Association – whose tagline is “Keeping the Cows in Wisconsin” – hosts its eighth annual DBA Golf Outing Wednesday, June 23, at the Lake Arrowhead Golf Club in Nekoosa, Wis.
Our own Dr. Janet Snow, field nutritionist, and Darwin Kuhlers, forage specialist, will be on hand to represent NutriDense Silage as a tee block sponsor.
Good luck to all of the golfers!
