Texas Dairy Review


	Waco’s next beef? Lone Oak Cattle Company Attention out of state consignors DairyFest 2005 Promises to be ‘UDDER FUN!’ Dairy farmers receive cash allocation New Mexico trade show coming up “CHEERS TO CONSUMERS, PRODUCERS…” TSU FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation Career Development Events
	Waco’s next beef? Lone Oak Cattle Company
	Looks like the City of Waco is on another roll with their newest attempt to disrupt the agriculture industry by filing a petition against Lone Oak Cattle Company, owned by Duane Jones, in Stephenville. The City filed a petition with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in late May that asked the agency to stop the cattle company from operating under its current permit. The Waco paper reported “another victory” for the city after they learned the cattle company’s permit had been withdrawn. TCEQ spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said Lone Oak sent a letter to the TCEQ requesting voluntary revocation of its existing permit and will operate under rules that limit the number of head to 300 for the time being. The cattle company has filed for a notice of intent for a new permit, which will give them the ability to expand if the permit is granted. Morrow said initially Lone Oak had applied for an expansion, then withdrew the request, and applied for a general permit for the existing size as a renewal instead of an amendment for expansion. “We issued the permit on inaccurate information provided by Lone Oak,” Morrow said. “However, they are rectifying that situation.” Waco claims an approved expansion will increase waste production that will be harmful to the city’s water supply. The city has been pursuing a battle against the dairy industry for the past several years over the same claim. Last year, the city sued 14 Bosque River dairies of which 6 are still involved in the suit. As to date, no new events have taken place in the ongoing lawsuit.
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	Attention out of state consignors
	According to the Texas Animal Health Commission, all sexually intact dairy cattle that are 6 months of age or older may enter the State of Texas provided they are officially indentified, accompanied by a certificate stating that they were negative to an office tuberculosis test conducted within 60 days prior to the date of entry. Heifers that are less than six months of age must be officially identified and obtain an entry permit from the TAHC to a designated facility where the animals will be held until they are tested negative at the age of six months. Animals which originate from a tuberculosis accredited herd, and/or animals moving directly to an approved slaughtering establishment are exempt from the test requirement. In addition, all sexually intact dairy cattle originating from a state or area with anything less than a tuberculosis free state status shall be tested negative for tuberculosis in accordance with the appropriate requirements for states or areas with a status as provided by Title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 77, Sections 77.10-77.19, for that status, prior to entry with results of the test recorded on the certificate of veterinary inspection. For more information, contact the TAHC, 1-800-550-8242.
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	DairyFest 2005 Promises to be ‘UDDER FUN!’
	Every June, TriCounty Agribusiness Association (TCAA) sponsors DairyFest, a family fun event celebrating our area dairy industry. This year’s big event will be held Saturday, June 18 from 2-9 pm at the Stephenville City Park. Enjoy delicious dairy foods including milk, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, ice cream and much more while listening to local entertainment and letting the kids play dairy-related games! The purpose of DairyFest is to celebrate the success of the tri-county’s (Hamilton, Erath, & Comanche counties) largest economic influence, promote its future, and foster a closer relationship between the urban and rural communities in this area through family fun related to dairy animals, products, and services. Dairy is the largest industry in our area and plays a vital role in our local economy and quality of life. We invite everyone to make plans now to join us in showing our appreciation for the many dairy farm families who work so hard to provide us with fresh, nutritious dairy products. Armbands will be available at booths throughout the park for only $1. The armband will allow the wearer to enjoy all the grilled cheese sandwiches, cheeseburgers, yogurt smoothies, ice cream and milk. Festival goers will enjoy music, dancers, and local entertainers, dairy-related games, Milk-Mustache Polaroids, Mobile Dairy Classroom, Texas Farm Bureau Mobile Learning Barn, an Antique Tractor Show and much, much more!!! DairyFest is a S.P.A.R.D Event sponsored by TCAA (a non-profit organization promoting agribusiness in Erath, Comanche & Hamilton Counties), HEB, Southwest Dairy Farmers, and the dairy farm families of DairyMAX. For more info contact TCAA Executive Director July Danley at 254-965-2406, email tcaa@our-town.com, or visit us on the web at www.tricountyag.com! DAIRY RELATED FOODS AVAILABLE AT DairyFest MILK — Provided by the dairy farm families of DAIRYMAX & Southwest Dairy Farmers Cheeseburgers — Cooked & served by Stephenville Chamber Ambassadors and Optimist Club Members Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Grilled and served by Ag Texas Farm Credit Services and Lextron Dairy Ice Cream — Provided and served by HEB ICE CREAM SANDWICHES — Provided by Southwest Dairy Farmers YOGURT SMOOTHIES — Made and Served by Duane & Susan Hutchins, Family & Friends All dairy products are provided by DairyMAX and Southwest Dairy Farmers. All other food and supplies are provided by TriCounty Agribusiness Association with the support of our many event sponsors. ACTIVITIES Mobile Dairy Classroom - Southwest Dairy Farmers Watermelon - Sliced up by Littlejohn’s Produce Inflatable Games for Kids - Thanks to local Dairymen Swimming - Thanks to SPARD Face Painting - West Texas Gospel Ministries for Children Mobile Learning Barn - Texas Farm Bureau Milk Cow Game - Cowboy Capital Elks
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	Dairy farmers receive cash allocation
	Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas dairy farmers, who market their milk as members of the Southwest Area of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA), received some extra good news in their mailboxes this spring. DFA’s Southwest Area, based in Grapevine, Texas, recently approved the additional cash distribution of $4.1 million to its dairy farmer members. The 100 percent cash payment or “DFA Advantage” check is a special allocation. Issued earlier this month to Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma DFA members, the payment equaled 10 cents per hundredweight (i.e. every 100 pounds) on all of the milk a dairy farmer shipped through DFA’s Southwest Area between July 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004. David Jones, senior vice president and chief operating officer for DFA’s Southwest Area says, “This is the seventh DFA advantage check issued in DFA’s seven years of operations. DFA advantage checks are issued to ONLY DFA members. The money is a direct result of our members’ investment in their cooperative and DFA’s value-added manufacturing operations, as well as its joint venture marketing relationships.” Since DFA’s formation in 1998, the co-op’s Southwest Area has issued more than $24 million in income in addition to regular milk checks to DFA’s farmer-owners. “We are extremely proud of being able to issue these extra checks,” says Wayne Palla, Clovis, N.M. dairy farmer and chairman of DFA’s Southwest Area Council. “These payments are a direct result of our farmers’ ability to bridge markets, process dairy products and to operate efficiently as a cooperative and a food company.” Wayne noted that the cooperative’s “absolute focus” is to maximize returns to its farmer-owners in the Southwest. This special cash payment simply reflects that mission. This is not the first time, in 2005, that DFA’s dairy farmer members have received “extra” good news from their co-op in their mailbox. In March 2005, DFA - across its 49-state marketing area -- issued an additional $10 million in cash to dairy farmer-owners who marketed milk through the co-op in 2001. The payment retired a portion of a special allocation made to DFA members in 2002 from the gain on the sale of one of DFA’s fluid milk processing relationships, Suiza Foods Group, L.P. “All of these cash payouts show that DFA - in the Southwest and across the cooperative -- is a farmer-owned, farmer-focused co-op that is committed to maximizing returns and returning investments to members in a timely manner,” says Palla.
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	*New Mexico trade show coming up*
	Dairy Producers of New Mexico will hold their annual convention and trade show on Fri., June 17 at the Ruidoso, New Mexico, Convention Center, 111 Sierra Blanca Dr. The annual producer’s meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. in meeting room 5. A silent auction will be held from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in meeting room 1. The trade show is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with lunch scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Vendor door prize drawings will be at 2:30 with the trade show reception from 4 to 7 p.m. On Sat., the annual golf tournament will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Golf Course.
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	*“CHEERS TO CONSUMERS, PRODUCERS IN NATIONAL DAIRY MONTH”*
	*— by John Cowan* Prepare to uncap a jug of milk or dig into a big bowl of ice cream - just in time for the first uncomfortably warm Texas weather, June is National Dairy Month. This is a time to thank the consumer for his or her support and recognize the state’s dairy farmers for their hard work, day in and day out. Milk and milk products have been an important part of our nation’s diet and livelihood since the first cows were brought to Jamestown, Va., in 1611. Dairy Month has been celebrated annually in the United States since 1939. Much has changed in the industry in the past decades. More products are available now than ever before. And the products are safer than ever before, thanks to advances in refrigeration, technology and food packaging. Technology has also had a tremendous impact on milk production, although some aspects of farming haven’t changed for generations. With so many beverage, especially soft drink, options available to consumers, they still haven’t lost their desire for milk, nature’s most nutritionally perfect food. They also are continuing to eat plenty of butter, cheese and ice cream, even though more are turning to lighter or lower fat versions. The most recent statistics available show that each of us annually consumes about 22 gallons of fluid milk, almost 1 pound of yogurt, 4.5 pounds of butter, 30 pounds of cheese and almost 27 pounds of frozen dairy products. Of course, without the commitment of our dairy producers, the stores’ shelves would be bare. In Texas, about 800 dairy farmers produce more than 656 million gallons of milk a year, ranking Texas 12th in milk production nationwide. Those same producers (and their cows) also help make Texas the fourth leading producer of ice cream in the country. These farmers also are contributing to the Texas economy as a whole, and even more to their local communities. The economic impact of the dairy industry on Texas is estimated at $772 million in goods produced and 10,926 jobs. Dairy farming isn’t easy. Cows don’t take a day off - they always have to be fed and cared for. And the work isn’t glamorous. These days, being a farmer also means coping with new technology, rising business costs and increasingly complex and stringent environmental regulations. Yet our farm families wouldn’t choose any other life. The Texas Association of Dairymen thanks our farm families for their dedication to feeding our nation. And we thank those who drink milk and eat other dairy products for appreciating the fruits of our farmers’ labor. In appreciation to both, a toast by TAD with a glass of cold milk. We invite you to join us.
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	*Tarleton State University FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation Career Development Events*
	*— by Dr. Barry Lambert, Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Sciences’ Tarleton State University* Tarleton State University hosted 3 FFA Dairy cattle evaluation contests during Spring Semester that brought in over 1200 high school FFA students from around the state. The Invitational contest was the largest, attracting approximately 600 students, and was held on March 24. The high scoring individual was Dustin Smith from Plainview, TX. On April 13, approximately 400 students from Areas 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9 competed in the Area contest in an attempt to qualify for the state contest which was also held on the Tarleton campus on April 28. The State dairy cattle evaluation contest hosted the top 54 teams (206 students) from across the state. Klondike FFA took top honors in the state and qualified for the National FFA dairy cattle evaluation competition. Complete results for all contests are available at: www.judgingcard.com. It is encouraging to see so many young people interested in dairy cattle evaluation and we are proud to be able to host these contests at Tarleton State University. Putting these contests together requires a lot of preparation and the cooperation of numerous individuals. We wish to thank the following individuals and dairies for generously volunteering their time, cows and/or heifers to help make the contests a success: Glen Holub, Jam-Dot Dairy, Shane Stegall, Kow Castle Holsteins, William Lasater Dairy, Keith Broumley Dairy, Green Valley Dairy, Pete Whitefield, Elvis and Scott Lowe, and SLT Dairy.
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	VOLUME XIV, NO. 6	JUNE 2005