D4-Lancntar Farming, Saturday, July 31,1993 Planning, Direction Needed For Successful Milk Marketing STRONGSVILLE, Ohio Self-direction and solid planning are needed strategies for dairy in dustry success, said two leaders from Milk Marketing Inc. at its midyear delegate meeting, July 14.-The Columbus, Ohio meeting was held on the Ohio State Uni versity campus. Two keys to these strategies are keeping dairy promotions active and working with Congress to de velop “self-help” government dairy programs, explained Her man Brubaker, MMI president of the board and dairy producer from West Alexandria, Ohio. The U.S. Department of Agri culture is asking dairy producers across the country to vote, once again, on the continuation of the National Dairy'Board. “A solution that has worked for the past eight years is the advertis ing and promotional activities of the National Dairy Board and our regional promotion programs,” said Brubaker. “From the start of this 1983 program, dairy product sales have increased nearly 5 per cent. Definitely, a success.” The MMI board of directors has bloc voted on behalf of its mem bership in support of the National Dairy Board’s continuation. Through this program, reinforced by producer vote again in 1985, IS cents for each 100 pounds of milk marketed goes into a national ad vertising and promotion fund. This fund now generates more than $2OO million a year. “We knew that government support for our industry was dwindling; we could read the signs along the roadside and they said ‘helping yourself was not on ly the best solution, but possibly the only solution,”’ Brubaker told the delegates and guests. “Dairy producers could easily see that if they did not take action to reduce this surplus, the government would take action not to the liking of most producers.” Another self-help solution of fered by Brubaker called for the creation of a National Dairy Sta bilization Board to help decrease or control the mounting milk sur plus. This board, funded by milk producers, involves four “trig gers” for funding. If milk produc tion would climb, assessments to dairy producers would increase by predetermined production sche dules. “Contact your congressional members and ask for their support to include this legislation as part of the deficit reduction bill that the House and Senate conferees will produce before adjourning in August,” said Brubaker. “We don’t have much time.” MMl’s business future has everything to do with cooperation, planning and partnering on all fronts from production to pro curement to processing, said Don Schriver, MMl’s chief executive officer. Cooperation is especially important during this unprece dented cycle of surplus milk sup plies and low Class I demand, he explained. “Right now dairy farmers are feeling the type of price disruption that occurs when farmers refuse to work together,” noted Schriver. “But very recently producers who don’t have the cooperative market guarantee that co-op members have are looking at those privi leges with a better understand ing.” Enhancing Class I market share is one of MMTs ongoing goals, said Schriver. He explained the present surplus and tightening de- mand for Class I milk. “This creates a new environ ment that calls for co-ops, farmers and processors to cooperate,” he said. (Class I milk is used for bot ded milk and receives a higher price than milk used in other dairy products.) Schriver cited developments within the MMI region where pro ducers were notified that their milk no longer had a home. “The reality is that if MMI had all the milk marketed in Federal Orders 33. 36, 46 and 49, almost half of it would still be Class II and Class III,” said Schriver. “That means that even though MMI markets more than 10 mil lion pounds of milk every day, se ven days a week, we must work harder to secure a larger share of the Class I milk sales.” Schriver also welcomed the board members of the Huntington interstate Milk Producers Asso ciation who, in a recent letter to their members, recommended that their 500 dairy producers join MMI. Huntingdon’s board recent ly approved a recommendation that it dissolve its cooperative or ganization. Adding value to member milk through the manufacturing opera tions of Farmers Dairy Foods Inc., Ram UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) The Pennsylvania Sheep and Wool Growers Association will hold their annual Perfor mance Ram Sale and Sheep Field Day, Friday, August 6 and Satur day, August 7, in the Agricultural Arena at Pennsylvania State Uni versity. The events begin noon on Friday and run through evening on Saturday. Prior to the Performance Ram Sale, rams from across Pennsylva nia are collected at Penn State University, where they undergo a variety of testing and feeding pro grams to determine their rate of performance for lamb, meat, and Burdette Speaks At Holstein Club Picnic BLAIN (Perry Co.) Jim Bur dette, owner of Windy Knoll View Farm, was the featured speaker at the annual Perry County Holstein Club summer picnic. Burdette, who farms near Mer cersburg, spoke first of his family, wife Nina, and their two sons Jus tin and Kyle, and the important role each one has in his life and success of the dairy operation. Burdette’s operation is known internationally for breeding indus try elite Holstein cattle. In review ing the success of his 18 years in the dairy industry, Burdette men tioned the early year’s when Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation did so much to improve his found ation herd. From those early days to the present time, 30 excellent cows have been bred by Burdette, one of the most significant being the 94 point, 2E Windy Knoll View Ultimate Pala. This cow is not only well known in the industry, but continues to strengthen the Windy Knoll View herd by the addition of daughters. Four daughters currently milk ing include 88-point and 91-point Melvin daughters. The 91-point cow gained All-American honors as a calf. An 89-point Fala daught er from Astrojet is currently in the herd as is a 92-point Valiant MMTs wholly-owned subsidiary is also an important step to realiz ing MMl’s vision. Schriver said that the partnering process estab lished with MMI and DMV USA has been a success. (In December 1992, MMI announced an interna tional alliance with DMV USA. a division of the Dutch cooperative Campina Melkunie.) “What all this means to MMI members is that they must do their share to support MMl’s vision,” said Schriver. “And that means members must stay involved, ex pect the unexpected, and control what they can. Primary to the overall effort is the production of high quality and nutritious milk.” With less milk manufacturing facilities in the marketplace, there -are fewer homes for milk, reported Rod Carlson, MMI director of member service and marketing, and that makes market security a real issue for many producers. MMI, because of its cooperative methods of marketing, guarantees its members a market for their milk. “If it had not been for those with enough vision to develop the cooperative way of doing busi ness.” said Carlson, “a lot more farmers would be without a mar ket for their milk today.” This summer of heavy rains and Sale, Sheep Field Day Set wool production. The rams are graded by a set of standards and are offered for sale to the public. The Sheep Field Day will showcase a variety of activities featuring sheep and wool. Related industry representatives such as animal nutritionists, dog law en forcement officers, veterinarians, sheep and lamb marketing pro gram board members, and experts on pasture and pasture manage ment will be available. In addition, there will be hand spinning and weaving demonstra tions by the Hill & Hollow Hand spinners, plus sheep guard days daughter from Pala, making a 37,000-pound record. Burdette reviewed some of his successful embryo transfer work and overseas marketing, and con cluded with an affirmation of the registered Holstein business, even in the current economic situation. Dairy Referendum Called LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) A national order establishing a dairy promotion, research, and nu trition education program was au thorized by the Dairy and Tobacco Adjustment Act of 1983 and was fully implemented on May 1, 1984,-The program provides for a 13 cents per hundredweight as sessment cm all milk produced in the United States by dairy farmers. The secretary of agriculture has called for a referendum among producers to determine whether the Dairy Promotion and Research program should be continued. For the program to continue, a major ity of the producers voting in the referendum must favor keeping the program. The assessment is used for re searching and developing new products to increase consumption of dairy products, educating con sumers about the merits of milk this past spring of hot, humid weather will make the marketing process that much more difficult, said Carlson. To deal with these marketing conditions, a committee of MMI board directors, delegates and staff recommended changes in MMl’s Quality Pricing Program. Their new recommended pro gram, along with changes of cer tain federal order provisions, will allow dairy farmers to continue to receive higher prices for higher quality milk. This fall Federal Orders 33, 36 and 49. through USDA, will im plement its Multiple Component Pricing program whereby MMI, or other milk marketing organiza tions and processors, would pay fanners based on certain compon ents of their milk. (Milk compon ents include; protein, lactose, fat, calcium, riboflavin and other minerals.) Farmers will continue to be paid on the volume, fat and now, because of the new program, the protein contents of their milk. Carlson reported that dairy far mers with higher protein milk and lower Somatic Cell Counts will earn higher prices through the federal order program. Other cri teria are needed also to earn the premiums. (A Somatic Cell Count is the number of white blood cells and herding dogs for just about any sheep flock size. A represen tative from the Waterside Woolen Mills will be available for discus sions of wool processing. Savory lamb dishes will greet the visitors with other delicious treats available for purchase. Event organizers include Penn sylvania Sheep and Wool Growers President Joseph R. Vogel, Kemp ton, PA; John Courtney, Mercer, vice president; Pam Bryan, She locta, secretary; Ed Graham, Greensburg, treasurer; and Dr. Clair Engle, Pennsylvania State University. Representative counties in As part of the evening’s activi ties, Club President Ben Dum, Elliottsbuig. introduced the mem bers of the Perry County Holstein Senior Quiz Bowl Team which recently captured first place in the national competition. Marel Raub, products and promoting dairy pro ducts nationally and locally. Some of the monies are returned to the state to help support local promo tional efforts. Producers may re quest that 10 cents be returned to the state. A producer engaged in the pro duction of milk for commercial use during April 1993 is eligible to vote. In the case of a producer who is other than an individual, the business unit is regarded as the producer. Only one vote is permit ted for each dairy farm business unit. A cooperative association may vote on behalf of its producer members. A producer member op posed to the cooperative’s vote may cast an individual ballot. The referendum period is August 3 through August 16. The voting will be conducted by mail and the ballots must be postmark ed no later than August 16. Incom- that move into the udder during a possible inflammation.) Carlson also reported that MMI projects a $12.82 price per hun dredweight on milk for 1993, a 30 to 40 cent decrease from one year ago. The price continues to fall be cause of increasing production and decreasing fluid sales. Carl son told the delegates that the dairy industry continues to see farmer sellouts at a rate of 5 to 10 percent per year. At the same time, milk production per cow has in creased. “It’s those same people with vi sion, who invested in facilities to put milk into storable commod ities and sell later, that ensure themselves a market,” said Carl son. The financial investment of cooperative members to have the foresight to build these values paid through their capital retains builds on the success of the program, explained Carlson. MMI is a 3,500-member dairy farmer-owned cooperative en compassing an eight-state Mid western area including Ohio, Indi ana, Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky, West Virginia, Michi gan and Maryland. Last year MMI marketed more than 3.9 billion pounds or 433 million gallons of milk. these activities will be Bedford, Berks, Bradford, Buck/Montgom ery, Butler, Centre, Cumberland, Greene, Indiana, Lancaster, Law rence, Mercer, Northumberland, Northwest, Somerset, Sullivan, Tioga/Potter, Washington, Way ne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York. The Performance Ram Sale and Sheep Field Day are events open to the public. For more informa tion, contact Joseph R. Vogel, (215) 756-4212 or Glenn Eberly, director of the Meat Animal Evaluation Center, (814) 238-2527. Perry County dairy princess, addressed the group, stressing the importance of the upcoming industry referendum on the National Dairy Board. The picnic, sponsored by the Perry County Holstein Club, was held at the Blain Picnic Grounds. plete ballots or ballots postmarked after August 16 will not be count ed. Ballots are available at the Lan caster County ASCS Office or can be obtained by calling (800) 745-5417. Producers with questions may call Glenn Shirk at the Lancaster extension service, (717) 394-6851, or Ray Brubaker at the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, (717) 397-6235. SjbfA i'm NOT IflU L10N... fflf CLASSIFIED LIVESTOCK S£CTK» HAS lUSTLY SELECnONS!
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