Over the weekend, our own Carson Horn had the chance this year to serve as a judge for the Oklahoma State Fair's Cow to Cone Ice Cream Contest, sponsored by DairyMax. Also serving as judge, was Angie Meyer, a dairy producer from Okarche, Okla. who spoke with Carson about some of the challenges the dairy industry faces today and why public events like this and other efforts by DairyMax are important to both the producers and their consumers.

"We have challenges all the time and things don't always go the way you would like," she admitted. "For instance, the labor issue with immigration. That's definitely being talked about and discussed and it's a high priority for us right now."

One harsh reality about the business that dairy producers are dealing with right now, is when the cost of feed is actually higher than the price of milk. This is a challenge that she says dairy farmers have time and again have had to deal with, causing them to struggle just to breakeven in many cases. Another issue is that dairy consumption has decline some recently, facing new competition from dairy alternatives that have adopted the term 'milk' in describing themselves, much to the dairy industry's chagrin.

"So, you have to have a passion to do this 365 days a year. There's not a day off... cows don't take Sundays off," she said. "For us to get up every day and continue to face those challenges and struggles - it's because we love what we do, and we love providing a safe, nutritious, wholesome product for our families and yours."

Click here to jump to the original story to continue reading or to hear Meyer explain why she supports DairyMax and the organization's mission to promote and educate consumers about dairy and its vital role in a nutritious and balanced diet.

OSU Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist Glenn Selk touched on the ideal body condition to keep replacement heifers and the nutritional requirements needed to maintain that level for the best opportunity at successful calving this winter, in his article for this week's edition of the Cow/Calf Corner newsletter.

 

Ideally, Selk says two-year-old heifers should be in a body condition score "6" at the time that their first calf is born. Bred replacement heifers that will calve in January and February will need to continue to grow and maintain a body condition score at that level. This will allow them the best opportunity to provide adequate colostrum to the baby, repair the reproductive tract, return to heat cycles, rebreed on time for next year, and continue normal body growth. From now until calving time, he says a heifer will need to gain about a pound per day, assuming that they are in good body condition already.

Selk says that if available, wheat pasture can be used to supplement heifers' nutrition to get them up to their goal weight. However, wheat pasture should be used judiciously as too much will cause heifers to be overweight by the time their pregnancy reaches term which could result in difficulty calving. He advises a one-day rotation on wheat pasture to every two days on either native or Bermuda grass to keep heifers at an appropriate weight.

 

Click here for more of Selk's advice about how to take advantage of this potential opportunity, in his full article for this week's Cow/Calf Corner newsletter.

 

Under Secretary Greg Ibach announced this week that the USDA is investing $102.7 million to increase opportunities for farmers, ranchers and other growers across the country through five grant programs. The funding supports a variety of locally-led projects intended to expand markets for local food promotion and specialty crops.


"Every state has agricultural priorities that contribute to the well-being of farm families, consumers and the economic health of rural America," said Ibach. "These programs target resources to the state, local and regional level where the people who understand the issues best can find solutions that help everyone."


The resources announced today are administered by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and include: $72.15 million directed to state departments of agriculture in 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories to support farmers growing specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops; $13.35 million is directed to 49 projects supporting direct producer-to-consumer marketing projects such as farmers markets, community-supported agriculture programs, roadside stands, and agri-tourism; $13.45 million directed to 44 projects to support the development and expansion of local and regional food businesses to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products, and to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets; $2.67 million was awarded to six projects to support the efforts of states, tribal governments and research institutions to increase market opportunities for the domestic maple syrup industry; and $1.1 million went to nine projects to assist in exploring new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products and to encourage research and innovation aimed at improving the efficiency and performance of the marketing system.


The complete list of FY 2018 grant recipients are available in the full article which can be reviewed, here.

Cattle producers are invited to learn about the latest best management practices that can help maximize profit potential from some of the region's leading beef industry experts, at the Oklahoma State University Beef Industry Conference. The conference will begin at 8:30 a.m., finish about mid-afternoon and will take place in the OSU Conoco-Phillips Alumni Center. Cost is $75 per participant if registering before Oct. 13 and $100 thereafter.