CWT Task Forces to Meet this Week

Two committees formed earlier this year to examine the future activities of Cooperatives Working Together will meet later this week.

The Task Forces – one to review the Herd Retirement program, and a second focused on the Export Assistance program – will meet this week in Chicago to review the operational aspects of the programs’ effectiveness, improve the rules governing the programs, and recommend needed changes to the CWT Committee for their consideration.

Results from these meetings will be discussed in detail at the CWT Committee Meeting on October 30, in conjunction with the NMPF Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, NV.

Back to Top | Newsletter Home

New Water Quality Educational Website Available for Dairy Producers

NMPF has been participating in a project to develop a comprehensive website intended to connect dairy producers and their advisors with experts on water quality issues. The new Livestock and Poultry Environmental (LPE) Learning Center, which is funded through a grant from USDA, is a unique partnership of land grant universities and public and private organizations involved in animal manure management issues.

The initial efforts and funding for the LPE Learning Center are being focused toward identifying and developing user-friendly information for animal agriculture related water quality issues. The LPE Learning Center Priority Issues are:

• Alternative Technologies-- Assemble information related to manure treatment beyond land application of raw manure or wastes.
  
• Capturing Manure Value-- Pull together resources related to species and location differences in manure, finding and developing new markets, tools for valuing manure, and co-processing with other wastes.
  
• Integrated Nutrient Management-- Assemble resources related to nitrogen management, nutrient management plan (NMP) implementation, and integrated nutrient management (whole farm balance and phosphorus index limits).
  
• Pathogens and Pharmaceuticals-- Gather information related to types of zoonotic pathogens, fate and transport in soils and water, BMP's for minimizing risks, antibiotic resistance, source tracking, and current pharmaceutical use in livestock production.

The LPE Learning Center will create unique connections between national experts and individuals and organizations actively engaged with dairy and livestock producers. Over the next year producers will have the opportunity to participate in web cast seminars viewed from their computer and conducted by national experts from USDA ARS, land grant universities, and EPA addressing topics such as "The Value of Manure", "Sustainable Nutrient Planning", and "Our Changing CAFO Rules".

To learn more about the LPE Learning Center and to subscribe to the newsletter, view the LPE Learning Center website.

NMPF Sponsors Two Awards At ADSA Annual Meeting

The American Dairy Science Association is proud to announce Daniel Z. Caraviello of Dow Agrisciences as the 2006 recipient of the National Milk Producers Federation Richard M. Hoyt Award. The award was presented on during the awards ceremony at the ADSA Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The National Milk Producers Federation Richard M. Hoyt Award was created to recognize research efforts with direct application to problems of the U.S. dairy industry. The winner must be enrolled in or have completed within the preceding year a program leading to an advanced degree in a department of dairy science, dairy production, dairy processing, food science, or department with a similar curriculum in an accredited college or university in the United States, and have accomplished research with direct application to problems of the U.S. dairy industry.

Daniel Caraviello has authored or coauthored one book, twelve peer-reviewed journal papers, fifteen abstracts, and eight popular press articles during the last five years. Caraviello carried out the first large-scale application of survival analysis methodology for genetic evaluation of US dairy sires for daughter longevity, which provided an invaluable scientific basis for subsequent changes in the Holstein Association’s Type-Production Index. He also utilized novel machine-learning algorithms to develop decision trees that predict reproductive performance of dairy cows. After he completed the PhD program at the University of Wisconsin in 2005, he joined Dow Agrosciences LLC as a statistical geneticist.

The second recipient was Laurie Winkelman. Laurie was the 2006 recipient of the National Milk Producers Federation Graduate Student Paper Presentation Contest in Dairy Production Award.

The National Milk Producers Federation Graduate Student Paper Presentation Contest in Dairy Production Award winner is selected from graduate student members of ADSA, based on degrees and date received, professional work experience, areas of research, scholarships and fellowships received, professional activities and memberships, and other special interests. Nominees must be members in good standing in their respective national organizations and the sponsoring section/branch.

Winkelman completed her Masters program at The Ohio State University under advisor Chris Reynolds. Her presentation was entitled “Suppressor of cytokine signaling-2 mRNA increases after calving in dairy cows and is associated with elevated estradiol-17 ß concentrations before calving.” Her study has contributed to the current knowledge of growth hormone signaling in transition dairy cows. Winkelman received her B.S. degree in dairy science from the University of Wisconsin, and participated in an internship with Cargill Animal Nutrition in dairy management and also as an intern with Hoard’s Dairyman. She is the Ohio State Collegiate and 4-H dairy judging team coach. She has earned several awards, including the National Dairy Shrine Undergraduate Kildee Scholarship in 2001, the Graduate Kildee Scholarship in 2003, and the 2003 National Dairy Shrine Student Recognition Award. In her short career in dairy science, Winkelman’s achievements are impressive, and she is currently working at Ohio State in Extension and dairy youth program development.

Associate Member Focus: Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research

The Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (CDR) is located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, and is one of the premiere dairy research centers in the U.S. CDR's research program focuses on cheese, dairy safety and quality and dairy ingredients.

To learn more about CDR, contact Dr. Russell (Rusty) Bishop who can be reached at 608-262-5970. You can also learn more about the CDR by going to its website: www.cdr.wisc.edu.