Post World Dairy Expo
Ultrasound Short Course
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. In
the interest of maintaining show
ring ethics Holstein Association
USA Inc. is co-sponsoring an
ultrasound short course Oct. 5 in
Madison, Wisconsin.
Certain forms of alterations
to the udders of show cattle have
been accurately detected
through the use of ultrasound
technology.
In an effort to make ultra
sound testing more accessible in
the show ring the Holstein
Association, along with the
University of Wisconsin, will
host this post World Dairy Expo
short course.
Dr. Steve Trostle and Dr.
Robert T. O’Brien of the
University of Wisconsin are
organizing this event and have
already received more than 16
New DFA venture building the future for
nonrefrigerated dairy packaging
Dairy products that
maintain freshness with
out refrigeration have been
a dairy industry dream for
years some call it “the
last great frontier in dairy.”
But now, a new processing
and packaging develop
ment alliance promises to
bring that dream to reality.
Dairy FairolfedfAmerica
(DFA) and Netherlands-
registration forms from foreign
individuals. Attendance is
expected to reach 30 or 40 peo
ple.
The program will consist of
lectures covering the principles
of ultrasound, ultrasound of the
udder, detection of abnormali
ties in the udder, and ultrasound
and computer equipment needs.
There will also be time dedi
cated to laboratory exercises in
which participants will gain
experience in using the ultra
sound machine and acquiring
computerized images from cattle
with abnormalities.
For more information about
the short course contact Judy
Dvorak, continuing education
coordinator for the Wisconsin
School of Veterinary Medicine at
608-263-6626 before Sept.
based Stork Foods and
Dairy Systems, Inc. have
formed ASEP-TECH USA,
LLC, a joint venture to
develop high-tech process
ing and packaging systems
that result in extended
shelf-life dairy products
that don’t require preserv
atives, high-tempera,ture
processing or refrigeration.
“The need for refrigera
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people who produce our food and
fiber.
Gov. Ridge was the first state
governor to declare a drought
emergency. And he said he hopes
some good will come out of the
drought situation—especially a
new consciousness of this
precious natural resource that
must not be wasted. No one
appreciates water more than the
agricultural communitv.
Farmers in most of the state
will have at least a 35 percent
crop loss, and many counties will
have 70 to 80 percent crop losses.
Ridge complimented the
people who efficiently made
national response to
Pennsylvania's disaster relief
request. But this program is
predicated on low cost loans that
simply put the farmer deeper in
debt. Gov. Ridge said even
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
tion is a huge limiting
factor for dairy products,”
explains Ed Tilley, DFA
manager of business devel
opment. “Using aseptic
processes, we can avoid
preservatives or high tem
peratures that can alter the
natural flavor of milk or
other dairy foods. With new
ASEP-TECH technologies
we can develop products
Gov. Ridge, Pres. Spanier Head
Ag Progress Speaker's Roster
that are ‘shelf stable’
they won’t spoil when kept
at room temperature As
long as the package
remains unopened, prod
ucts will be as good as the
day they were packaged for
several months. Being able
to transport and store dairy
products without refrigera
tion opens tremendous new
marketing opportunities.”
Gary Hanman, DFA
president and CEO, agrees:
“ASEP-TECH positions
dairy farmers at the fore
front of promising new
technologies and systems
that are necessary to give
us a competitive edge in
the multibillion-dollar food
and beverage industry.
“Stork brings world
class technologies, state
of-the-art equipment and
advanced manufacturing
experience to the joint
venture. DFA brings a
leading-edge research
and development facility,
strong product develop
ment expertise and more
than 50 years of process
ing and packaging expe
rience,” Hanman explains.
“Tbgether, we will develop
innovative processing prac
tices and plastic packaging
technology that will create
new marketing opportuni
ties for daily farmers.”
In addition to creating
its own branded products,
DFA will market ASEP
TECH services to the U.S.
food and dairy industry.
The pilot plant can be
used for product develop
ment, short production
runs, or processing a vari
ety of extended-shelf-life
and shelf-stable products
for limited test markets.
ASEP-TECH will share
facilities with the DFA
Technology Center in
Springfield, Mo. The com
bined facilities will also
offer advanced product
development and testing,
analytical and taste-testing
capabilities.
though farmers are self-reliant
and do not normally accept grants
from government, this time the
situation merits such a response
from the federal government.
"People don't realize, have no
idea, how well they eat and how
little they pay for it, because of
our farmers' productivity," Gov.
Ridge said. "We want the federal
government to understand that
agriculture now has a need for
some help, and they should send
back to us some of the tax money
we have been sending to them for
a long time."
U.S. Senator Rick Santorum
agreed with Gov. Ridge. He is the
first Pennsylvania member of the
Senate Ag Committee since 1906.
He said that since most of the ag
committee members have
traditionally been from the Mid
west and Southeast, the disaster
relief programs have been written
with those areas in mind. He said
political people think of
Pennsylvania in terms of coal and
steel and do not know about the
largeness of the agricultural
industry in the state.
Santorum said he has worked
to get livestock, specialty crops,
and crop insurance programs into
the current disaster relief bill.
Direct cash assistance has gone to
other farmers because of low
prices that are generated by large
surplus production. In the
Northeast, many farmers have
nothing to sell. So they have been
hit with low yields, low prices,
and low crop insurance coverage.
The Senator said one help to
drought situations is crop
insurance and that's why he is
working to get a good emergency
assistance program in place so
that a good crop insurance
program will be available to
farmers next year.
Penn State's President Graham
Spanier said the welfare of farm
and rural families is essential to
the social and economic vitality
of agriculture around the world
and in Pennsylvania now and in
the future. "Our society is
changing rapidly, shaped by the
information revolution, and the
realities of life m the new
marketplace and society," Pres
Spanier said "It is therefore
imperative that land-grant
universities like Penn State have a
strong and effective outreach and
cooperative extension system in
order to fill our societal
responsibilities and mission. We
are deeply committed to
enhancing these resources to the
people of Pennsylvania in service
to society."
Pres. Spamer said Ag Progress
Days was a premier exhibition
that proved Penn State's
commitment to agriculture and its
importance to the people of
Pennsylvania.
ALUMNI SOCIETY MEETS
The College of Agricultural
Sciences Alumni Society met on
Tuesday at a noon luncheon.
Dean Robert Steele gave the
college report and compared 1899
with 1999. At the turn of the last
century, the university had 241
students that included 11 students
in the agricultural sciences
department. Today, 80,000
students are enrolled m Penn
State University, and more than
3,000 students are majoring in
agriculture. He said the number
one interest area now is in the
animal sciences.
Dean Steele said we leave this
century with one of the best
budgets we have ever had There
has been very strong support from
advocates and the political sector
But in the future not all the
money will come from
Harrisburg. The federal
government will continue with
some support, but increasingly the
university will rely on private
funding through personal gifts
and investments by Pennsylvania
industry. He also reported that in
the university’s $46 million fund
raising campaign three-fourths of
the target has been met.
Jeff Harding announced a
mentoring program to match
students with alumni in the field
of their experience. Larry
Campbell, alumni association
president, reported that Penn State
has 23,881 alumni, number one in