|
VOLUME XIV, NO. 10 |
TEXAS DAIRY REVIEW |
OCTOBER 2005 |
 |
|
|
Dare to be different, at Texas Dairy Review Party
Hurricane Dairies revitalize Panhandle areas and booth economic growth |
|
|
Dare to be different, at Texas Dairy Review Party |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Texas Ag Expo "sitting on ready" |
|
|
The 15th Annual Texas Ag Expo (formerly named Texas Dairy, Farm & Ranch Show) is coming up Fri., Oct. 28 and 29 at Lone Star Arena in Stephenville. Exhibitors' booths will be open on Fri. from 10 am to 7 pm and Sat. from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission to the show is $1 with proceeds benefiting youth agriculture scholarships. All attendees can register for prizes. This annual event, sponsored by TriCounty Agribusiness Association (TCAA), showcases agricultural product and service dealers including equipment, feed, animal nutrition, financial services, and much more. Texas Ag Expo will offer Dairy Education Seminars for two DOPA credits. On Fri., Oct., 28, beginning at 10:30 am, Bill Ross, TCEQ, will speak on permits,that offers 1 hour of DOPA credit. At 1 p.m., Clyde Bohmfalk and Kerry Nieman, TCEQ, will speak about the Total Maximum Daily Loads, (TMDLs) process, offering 1 hour of DOPA credit. Additional Seminars on Friday will include: Goat Management, 3 p.m.: Preparing for Breeding Season, Kyle Eckert, Assistant Sheep & Goat Specialist, Texas Cooperative Extension; at 5:30 p.m., Habitat Management, Mike Miller, Wildlife Biologist, Texas Parks & Wildlife. On Sat., at 9 a.m., Hunting Lease Provisions and Landowner Liability, Judon Fambrough, Attorney, Texas Real Estate Center; At 3:30 p.m., Horse Clinic (Arena 2), Scot Jackson. Other Activities throughout the show include an Antique Tractor Show: Both Days; Farm Safety 4 Kids, Fri., 9-Noon; Parade of Horses, Sat., 2 pm. The Annual Ag Expo Golf Tournament will take place Thurs., Oct. 27 at Legends Golf Course. The foursome scramble will start at 9 am. $75 greens fee includes cart and lunch. Golfers will vie for cash prizes and awards. Hole sponsorships are available! For more information call July Danley, TCAA Executive Director at 254-965-2406, email tcaa@our-town.com, or visit www.tricountyag.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
Waco plays “cat and mouse” with renewals |
|
|
After waiting for nearly four years, it’s about time the dairies or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) start getting state permit renewals approved. But, so far that hasn’t happened. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. Once again, the City of Waco is throwing a wrench into dairy progress by contesting permit renewals. During late September, the City of Waco contested three operations located in the Bosque River watershed that are trying to get their wastewater permit renewals approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The three operators are Scenic Ridge Dairy, owned by Tony Beltman, who had also asked for an expansion from 999 head to 2,500; Erath County Dairy Sales (ECDS), and Beyer Dairy #1, both owned by Jim and Jason Beyer. These three operators are the first renewal applicants to come up under the new TCEQ rules that were revised and rewritten as far back as 2001. The thing that comes to mind here is that during those long rulemaking revision sessions, dairymen, state and federal agencies, ag-related organizations, the TCEQ, and the City of Waco, all had their input. Although Waco was never fully satisfied with the new rules---claiming they still weren’t stringent enough---the one change they did like was that any CAFO on the Bosque River watershed that milks more than 200 cows, must file for an individual permit rather than the previously required general permit. Of course, an individual permit allows for contested case hearings, whereas the general permit only requires administrative approval. Therein lies the problem. It appears from these first renewals, there’s a likely possibility that Waco, exercising their right to a contested case hearing, will do so on each renewal that comes up. Although the TCEQ has the authority to either grant Waco’s contested case hearing requests or dismiss it, in these first three renewals, the TCEQ chose to sign off on them. Meanwhile, dairy producers are forced to continue to operate under the old rules. Clearly, Waco is playing a cat and mouse game. It appears they are intent on purposely stopping the renewal process with their protests so that dairies remain in limbo or tied up indefinitely. And they don’t seem to care that their own actions defeat their original purpose of revising rules that in large part were made to suit them. Waco criticizes all three renewal permits for what they consider to be inadequate plans for disposing of waste as fertilizer on crops and that the permits fail to meet the legal requirements to include specific data on the fields where the manure is applied. However, their main objection is to Scenic Ridge Dairy’s expansion request. Scenic Ridge is also one of the six dairies that remain in the lawsuit filed by the City of Waco last year. The city claims Scenic Ridge’s renewal has numerous errors and that the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), a standard for reducing pollution in the Bosque watershed, has been discarded. The city best describes the renewal application as an “incomplete and indecipherable conglomeration.” “Waco is purposely trying to make us spend our money until we’re all out of business,” said Jason Beyer, owner of ECDS, a well-know sale barn that conducts business nationwide with dairy producers, calf buyers and sellers. Obviously piqued at Waco’s actions, Beyer said the sale barn and the dairy is in compliance with TCEQ regulations, “which ought to be enough.” “We just want to run our business and make a living,” he said. “But this thing with Waco has gotten ridiculous and I think everyone is fed up with it. If it means holding a meeting for all the producers on the Bosque River Watershed, I’ll do it---and maybe we can come up with a way to fight back, once and for all, and put an end to Waco’s vendetta.” Fort Worth attorney Jim Bradbury, representing Scenic Ridge Dairy, said he agrees with Beyer and taking action against Waco is the only thing that will save the livelihoods of these and other operators. “Their goal is to pick the dairies or CAFOs off, one by one. They simply do not want dairies here and they will continue in their efforts until each one is gone.” Bradbury said the lawsuits that were filed against dairies last year are part of an overall plan. “Either Waco gets its way about all of this, or they will take action against the dairies and the state whom they feel have been too lax on the regulations,” Bradbury said. “They’re not just interested in those who are in the lawsuit, either. They are after the entire watershed,” he said. |
|
|
|
|
|
Hurricane |
|
|
No doubt, hurricane Katrina put the fear of God into many people who experienced one of the worst storms in US history. With hurricane Rita right on its heels, it makes one wonder just how much folks can endure. While concern for the brewing Katrina that helped to devastate New Orleans a few weeks ago was utmost on the minds of folks who lived inland from the Gulf, they never dreamed it would cause such chaos for them. They never expected that Katrina’s wrath and evil forces would stretch more than 100-200 miles inland, striking out at the unprepared and unsuspecting residents of Smithdale, Mississippi. “Thinking we were safe was certainly a false sense of security,” said Buckey Jones, 65, a third generation dairy farmer at Smithdale, located straight north of New Orleans near McComb. Jones milks 80 Holsteins at his dairy on a 650-acre farm. He lives near the dairy and oversees his sister who also lives on the property. Still shaken by the aftermath of Katrina’s forces, Jones said he would never forget that day---Mon., Aug. 29. He said he had kept an eye on the development of the storm, but thinking he was safe, he went about his dairy business as usual. As a dairy farmer, Jones said he and other dairy producers have a unique situation that sets them apart from other people during a crisis such as Katrina. “Cows have to be milked and you just can’t leave them to take care of themselves.” Although there was no mandatory evacuation, Jones said choosing between your own safety and your livelihood could become a real problem. “No dairy farmer is going to leave his cows. How can you pick up and go and leave your cows to the mercy of nature, especially something as strong as Katrina?” Jones said it was about noon when the winds began to pick up speed, and suddenly the power went out. That episode---got his attention and he knew he was in trouble. As the storm gathered strength in the afternoon, he and his two employees were in the barn, trying to hurry through a milking. “We used a back up generator like most dairy farmers would do, but diesel is what powers it and it was getting low.” Meanwhile, the winds got up to 107 miles per hour and from about 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the storm raged, rattling everything in its path and leveling it as it went by. Jones said no one could be prepared for a disaster as big as this, no matter what they thought or did. “It’s a funny feeling when the storm finally passes and you go out to look at what’s left. As Americans, we think we’ve got control but we don’t have control over anything when you see something like this.” He said his commodity barn, work shop, and equipment shed were no longer intact. Power lines were down, 100-year-old trees were devastated and lying on worker houses, while 45,000 area people were without electricity. “I was blessed and luckier than most other dairymen who are closer to the Gulf. It didn’t damage my dairy barn and I didn’t lose a cow, but it was really scary. We are too far inland for a storm surge but we got about 4 inches of rain and I had about 200 acres under water. “I just couldn’t believe that it did as much damage as it did--- and with us being 100 miles inland. You can imagine what it did to those people on the Gulf.” He said he looked around and thought, “I don’t even know where to start.” He said it would take five men with chainsaws for the massive cleanup. He said he went to town but he didn’t know why because there was nothing to buy. “Cars were out of gas and sitting on the side of the road. People went to walking---I never thought I’d see that in the United States. I’m 65 years old and I saw things I thought I’d never see.” Jones said he talked with DFA to discuss the damage. He said he sat in line at a gas station for 4 hours and 15 minutes so he could go and check on things for the coop. “I went out for them, but they went out for me, too.” He said DFA gathered up supplies to bring to the area and within three days, the supplies were there. “I don’t know what I’d done, if it hadn’t been for DFA showing up with diesel. We were running on fumes by the time they got here. They brought 100 generators and all kinds of other supplies, too. “I don’t think I can find the right words to express my gratitude to DFA for what they did for me and others. They may never get repaid for the supplies they sent. They made a real humanitarian effort without concern for economics which gives great a lot of credit to their character. Jones said there’s no drama to his story. No need for it. The storm caused enough drama on its own. “If I’d had electricity and been able to watch TV, it would have been too emotionally overwhelming to see all those families without homes. It was bad enough.” Jones said the storm shook him up and made him stop and think about being thankful for what he’s got. “We Americans take things for granted and are accustomed to things such as electricity. We’re totally dependent on it and you don’t realize that until you don’t have it. When it’s gone, you feel like part of you has been taken away.” But, Jones has a great love for his country and feels Americans in general are a caring and forgiving population. “I believe most people really want to do the right thing. New Orleans will be rebuilt. It will be difficult, but this too, will pass. “We have to look to a brighter day,” he said. Jones got a pretty good start on a brighter day a little over a week after the Katrina dilemma ended. As a widower and the father of four daughters, Jones could barely contain his excitement over a new grandson that was born on Sept. 7. |
|
|
|
|
|
Construction on Huckabay Ridge natural gas plant to start soon |
|
|
With fuel prices on the rise and expected to worsen this winter, scientists, entrepreneurs and industrialists are looking at alternative ways to make natural gas. Microgy, Inc., a company that has a history of making fuel and electricity from anaerobic digesters, has found that the ability of Erath County’s dairy industry to produce an abundant supply of cow manure is an excellent location for building a multi-methane digester system and gas treatment facility. The fuel plant, known as Huckabay Ridge, will be designed, constructed, owned and operated by Microgy, Inc. and will be located at the site of Producers Compost, a composting operation owned by Jim Beyer of Stephenville. “Producers Compost is currently receiving manure from area dairies and turning it into compost. Our digesters will speed up that composting process while producing biogas. It’s a win-win situation for all,” said Pat Chase, development manager for the company. Chase said the new facility would include eight 916,000-gallon digesters, capable of processing manure from up to 10,000 cows. Each digester will be 64 feet tall by 50 feet in diameter. The digesters are expected to produce an aggregate of one billion cubic feet of biogas per year with an energy content of 650,000 million BTU. The biogas is to be scrubbed and compressed into pipeline-grade natural gas that will be sold as a commodity directly into a nearby natural gas pipeline. The scrubbing process to clean the biogas into natural gas will be conducted by South Tex Treaters, a partner with Microgy. Chase said raw manure that goes into the digester tanks, stays in the tanks for approximately 21 days. It comes out as compost and is virtually odor-free, pathogen-free and seed-free. Producers Compost will handle the compost marketing. “Funding is in place to begin,” Chase said, with plans for construction underway. Microgy is a subsidiary of Environmental Power Corporation, a company that in the 1980s developed the utilization of waste coal to generate electricity. A pioneer in their field, Microgy, has the exclusive North American licensing rights granted by a Danish company that currently has 22 digesters operating in Europe. In addition, Microgy has three methane plants in operation in western Wisconsin. The three plants are located on individual 1,000 cow free stall dairies. On these farms, dairy slurry is fed into the digester and the gases are used to fuel an electric generator. The electric company owns the generator and Microgy sells the gas to the utility. |
|
|
|
|
|
Dairies revitalize Panhandle areas and booth economic growth |
|
|
When folks in the Panhandle say “ya’ll come back, now” there’s an unmistakable ring of truth to it. And people from California and elsewhere---are literally taking them up on it. They go home, sell their dairies, pack up their cows, and move to Texas. Certainly, it’s not that simple. But, there is something to be said for Texas hospitality. Mix that, with reasonably priced land to spread out on, low humidity, available water, and a host of other Texas amenities, and they just keep coming. And the Panhandle is reaping the benefits from tremendous dairy growth in a very short time. Muleshoe, Texas, used to be a little burg located on a well-traveled road between Lubbock and Clovis that boasted a life-sized mule downtown that people pointed to as they went by. But, now people are pointing to something much bigger. Janet Claborn, executive director of the Muleshoe Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) in Bailey County is proud to say there are now nine dairies within 12 miles of their city. With eight new sites currently under contract, she said the dairy industry has been very good for their community. “We never had oil or gas but have always been an agricultural community. The dairy industry has brought another market to our farmers,” she said. Bailey County ranks number seven in the state of Texas in milk production. The dairies in the Muleshoe marketing area include Muleshoe Dairy, milking 150; Prairie View Dairy, (the oldest in Muleshoe) milking 2500; J&S Dairy, milking 2100; Boehning Dairy, milking 2800; Track Dairy, milking 800; Rio Blanca Dairy, milking 2800; Gerald Osterkamp Dairy, milking 2100; and 3-H Progress Dairy, milking 3000. “Because of the growth we are experiencing, our school census has increased by 200 students in the last three years and our school facilities are no longer adequate,” Claborn said. She said the Muleshoe Center of South Plains College recently opened and that there has been an increase in sales tax, plus three new restaurants and a donut shop. Hereford, Deaf Smith County, was once renowned for its back-to-back, nearly wall-to-wall feed yards. However, Executive Director for the Hereford Economic Development Corporation, Don Cumpton, said dairies have boosted the city’s economic growth lately with six established dairies to their credit and five new ones soon to be up and running. The new dairies in Hereford include Milky Way Dairy, Jim Heida, permitted for 4,000; PV Dairy, Jim Te Velde, permitted for 5,000; Little Creek Dairy, Any Schaap, permitted for 5,000; Jim & Frank Cnossen Dairy, permitted for 5,000; Doug Benson, B&J Dairy #2, permitted for 5,000. “These new dairies are dairymen from Idaho, New Mexico and California,” Cumpton said. “All the dairies are having a positive impact on the town and have created several new businesses and two new ethanol plants,” he said. “This growth is very exciting.” Deaf Smith County ranks number 10 in the state for milk production In Friona, Parmer County, dairies have sprung to life in a just a few years. Executive Director of the Parmer Economic Development Corporation, Chris Alexander, said the dairies have been warmly welcomed. Parmer County Dairies include Black-Ridge Dairy, 2400-2500; Lone Star Dairy, LP, 3600-3800; S&D Farm, 2,000; High Plains Dairy, 3200; Parmerton Dairy, 300; Mesman Dairy, 250-300, a cheese making operation that sells their products to the public; Parmer County Dairy, 2,000. “We have two new ones coming in,” Alexander said. “Visser Ranch and Del Rio Dairy will be permitted for 8,000 cows each,” she said. Parmer County ranks number 8 in milk production for the state. Parmer County ranks number 8 in state milk production. Plainview, located in Hale County, has come a long way in six years, said Hale County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director, David Evans. “We get about three visitors per month from people wanting to relocate their dairies or build new ones,” he said. Parmer County ranks #6 in milk production in the state. Currently, there are five dairies in Plainview which includes Vista Grande, milking 3,000; Legacy Farms, milking 5,100; Dairy Fountain, milking 3,000; Fox Dairy, milking 1,000; Cow Planet Dairy, less than 200. Hale County ranks number 6 in state milk production. |
|
|
|
|
|
What drives a business to success? |
|
|
Statistics show that 90% of all small businesses fail. But, in spite of these failed attempts, there are those who are compelled to succeed. These highly motivated individuals recognize a need or a demand for a product or service, are able draw off their own experience and knowledge, and turn a vision into something that will allow them to successfully compete in today’s business world. Several years ago, Carl Conrad realized a need for making a mineral product tailored to fit the farmers’ needs. With 30 years experience in the livestock and nutrition industry, Conrad set out to fulfill this need and meet a challenge that still keeps him going today. Conrad grew up on a western Wisconsin dairy farm. He left the farm after 25 years to join a large corporate nutrition company. In 1977, the company promoted him to Oklahoma to expand their customer territory. The company eventually sold to another, and that’s when his chance to do something on his own presented itself. With a wife and six children, Conrad knew whatever he did, he had to survive. “That was the biggest driving force of all,” he laughed and said. But the necessity to survive wasn’t necessarily a necessity to succeed. Conrad’s desire to succeed was backed by his own self-motivation, determination, and his great sense of integrity. In 1982, Conrad “stepped up to the plate” and organized Custom Miser Livestock Premix, a unique family-owned company located in Perry, Oklahoma. The company has successfully managed its products and served its customers for the past 25 years. His wife Janet, their son Cary, and daughter-in-law Christy, are also part of the business. The company’s success has largely depended on Conrad’s ability to provide a high quality mineral for all livestock at competitive prices while offering sound nutritional advice. “For years, I knew farmers needed a tailor-made product that would fit their individual operations versus an all-purpose ration. One pair of pants just won’t fit everybody,” he said. Custom Misers prides itself on fine-tuning and custom-blending products to suit their customers’ needs. “The ration must be 100% correct,” he said. He makes it very clear that his farmers’ needs come first. “My customers are some of the finest people I know. I’ve built a business and personal relationship with many of them and I’m just lucky I’ve been able to deal with these folks all these years.” Owning a small business is not easy in any sense of the word. “If you own it, you better make sure you know what’s going on every day,” Conrad said. Long hours, overseeing all operations, and keeping up with changing ideas are just a few of the drawbacks, while the threat of corporate magnates looms overhead. “But, being able to say it’s your own business, promotes independence, self-worth, and the freedom to make your own decision and own mistakes,” he said. “I am competitive and the bigger companies keep me on my toes. I’m driven the hardest when I think someone is trying to dominate, undercut or take advantage of me and I’ll try that much harder to succeed. I know that a customer can always get a product cheaper, but high quality is what counts. I also know that you have to make things work economically for both the customer and yourself.” Conrad feels his small business has a slight edge on other larger companies because he’s able to custom-blend his products and identify with his customers on a personal basis. His personable attitude along with his dairy background allows him to talk to his customers on their level. “I’ve been in their shoes and understand what they’re talking about,” he said. “My customers know that I’m there for them and will lend them a helping hand when they need it.” While making a profit and financial gain are the ultimate goals in any business----integrity, dependability, and meeting moral obligations rank high on Conrad’s plan for success. Without these, he feels a business will die quickly. “You’ll never get rich in this business,” he laughed and said. “But, I really like to work hard and I will do whatever it takes to satisfy my customers. As long as I can do that, I’ll be okay.” |
|
|
|
|
|
All internet content of this site are
Copyright © 2005 TDR Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. This site was built using the "KISS" concept — "Keep It Simply Simple" — No whistles, bells or POP-UPS ! Send an E-mail to contact the Designer. |
