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VOLUME XV, NO. 12 |
TEXAS DAIRY REVIEW |
DECEMBER 2006 |
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Southern Great Plains dairy consortium to combine research efforts
MILC Program extended until September '07 Texas area rest stops provide free wireless internet service |
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Dairy consortium to combine research efforts |
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The Southern Great Plains is rapidly
becoming the land of not only beef, but milk, said a Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station leader. This is providing an opportunity to build on
many research and educational strengths in the livestock industry and
create new partnerships, researchers say. As a result, a multi-university,
interagency Southern Great Plains During the past 10 years, a shift in milk production has transformed the West Texas/New Mexico milkshed into one of the top producing regions of the nation, said Dr. John Sweeten, Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center resident director in Amarillo.
More than 50 large dairies have opened in
the past five years, Southwest Cheese in Clovis, N.M., opened in 2005, and
Hilmar Cheese is being built in Dalhart, said Dr. Ellen Jordan, Texas
Cooperative Extension dairy specialist in Dallas. The migration of dairies
from other parts of Texas and as far away as California has brought a
different size and scope of farms to deal with This has created a demand for new research and Extension programs. Teaching and graduate training programs are being updated as well, said Dr. Don Cawthon, dean of agriculture at Tarleton State University. The consortium will coordinate research, education, Extension and diagnostic service programs, Sweeten said. The consortium will develop and enhance technology, as well as deliver educational programs to enhance the efficiency and quality of milk production and reduce environmental effects.
A dairy producer's forum conducted by the
consortium partners has identified environmental quality, production,
products/quality, marketing, human resources, Extension and educational
programs and water availability as some of the key issues. Cooperating
institutions and agencies are: New Mexico State University, Experiment
Station, Extension, Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab, U.S.
Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, West Texas The consortium will be funded by the respective institutions and agencies, and education and research grants, Sweeten said. Special federal or state legislative initiatives also are being pursued. To demonstrate the growth in the dairy industry and how these dairies differ from the established Texas dairies, he pointed out the October milk production report showed Deaf Smith County had moved to the No. 3 Texas milk-producing county, with nearly 44 million pounds from 12 producers, an average of 3.7 million pounds per producer. By comparison, the No.1 Texas milk-producing county was Erath County, in which 100 producers totaled about 95 million pounds of milk, or an average of 950,183 pounds per producer.
To give more perspective, the High Plains
contingent in the top 10 Texas milk producing counties - Deaf Smith, Lamb,
Castro, Parmer, Bailey, Hale and Hartley - produced more than 209.5
million pounds of milk with only 58 producers or 37 percent of the state's
total milk with only 8 percent of the producers. The three other counties
in the top 10 - Erath, Hopkins and Comanche - produced 179.8 million
pounds of milk with 263 producers for 32 percent of the state=s total
production. The addition of Curry and Roosevelt counties in New Mexico
brings |
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TSU Dairy Center promises unlimited learning boundaries |
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"We want it to be everything it can be," said Dr. Don Cawthon, dean of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences at Tarleton State University (TSU), when discussing the forthcoming TSU dairy teaching and research center. "We want this dairy center to be of maximum utility to the dairy industry and allied businesses," he added. The center is anticipated to break ground as soon as September 2007. The new dairy center has been authorized to receive $11 million in funding from state legislation that was passed in the spring session. At a meeting in mid-November, Cawthon and TSU President Dennis McCabe both praised Rep. Sid Miller's (District 59) efforts for getting the project approved. Cawthon said the overall mission of the dairy center is to provide enabling infrastructural support for teaching, research, and service outreach (extension) programs to meet the needs of higher education, the dairy industry and society in Texas and the southwest. A site has not yet been designated to date, but Cawthon said several locations are being considered. He said whatever is decided, the site will provide for expansion as the dairy center continues to grow. Cawthon said once the location and size of dairy has been determined, the next step is to apply for a wastewater permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). "We have met with the TCEQ and they outlined the permitting process to us. We intend to bring in a certified engineer to design our plan," he said. Cawthon said the City of Waco, located 80 miles downstream, supports the dairy center and will facilitate the process . The City of Waco is one of many stakeholders that are showing their support. Others include Brazos River Authority, City of Stephenville, DairyMax, Erath County, Southwest Dairy Farmers, Inc., Stephenville Economic Development Corp., Texas Association of Dairymen (TAD), TCEQ, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Tri-County Agribusiness Assoc., and other individuals and groups. The center will provide hands-on educational and internship opportunities in agriculture, veterinary medicine, environmental science, natural resource management, food science, engineering and business for undergraduate and graduate students in Texas and the southwestern states. "We're looking at expanding our program offerings and have been exploring the possibility of multiple variations for degree plans. We've also been studying the possibility of offering a one-year post baccalaureate certificate program." Other goals include providing resources for basic and applied research in dairy science, environmental science and engineering, and field-testing of new equipment and technology. Cawthon emphasized the importance of providing an environmentally friendly program. "We will develop significant and definite environmental attainment goals," he said. The center will also provide continuing and public education opportunities for dairy and service industry representatives. Educational facility considerations include classrooms, offices, computer lab, conference room, covered teaching pavilion, and student employee and visiting student dormitory. Research facilities may include an animal metabolism unit, ruminant nutrition laboratory, compost analysis lab, sample processing lab, reproductive physiology lab, and a toxicology lab. Service and outreach plans hope to include DHIA milk/forage analysis lab, meeting/conference rooms, web cams and visitor access/activities. The TSU dairy will milk from 400-600 cows in a state-of-the-art facility. "If possible, we hope to build three different parlors which may include a rotary, a herringbone and a robotic." Cawthon was especially enthused at the prospect of partnering with sister universities within and outside the A&M system and to gather expertise and develop close connections with teaching and research faculty in west Texas. The center would also like to engage private industry for technology and additional input. Ultimately, Cawthon said they would like to reach out to other universities in the long term. "This is a very exciting time for us and we what to ensure everyone of our intent to develop an excellent learning and research educational center." |
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MILC Program extended until September '07 |
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The Milk Income Loss Program was extended to September 2007 in the 2006 Budget Reconciliation bill.
The extension would reduce the income loss
payment from 45 percent to 34 percent of the difference between the
trigger price and whatever the current market price is when the MILC President Bush proposed extending the program for two years in his 2005-06 budget. WFBF supports the Milk Income Loss Program and is working with the Wisconsin Congressional delegation to have it extended through September 2007. Wisconsin dairy producers have received just over $400 million since the beginning of the program.
The Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC)
Program financially compensates dairy producers when domestic milk prices
fall below a specified level. The program was authorized by the
Eligible dairy producers are those who,
anytime from December 1, 2001, to September 30, 2005, commercially produce
and market cow milk in the United States or produce milk in the The MILC program financially compensates dairy producers when the Boston Class I milk price falls below $16.94 per cwt (100 lb). The MILC payments are made on a monthly basis for up to a maximum of 2.4 million pounds of milk produced and marketed by the dairy per fiscal year. The 2005 fiscal year begins October 1, 2004 and ends September 30, 2005. Payment rate per cwt is determined by multiplying 45% of the difference between $16.94 and the Boston Class I price for that month. For example, The Boston Class I price announced for July 2003 was $13.02. Therefore 45% of ($16.94 - $13.02) is $1.764. MILC payment rate for July 2003 was $1.764 per eligible cwt sold. The MILC program allows dairy producers to select which month of the fiscal year payments will begin. The selected starting month will remain the same throughout the duration of the contract, unless it is modified. Once a starting month is selected, the payments continue for the consecutive months that follow until the 24,000 cwt cap is reached or the fiscal year is ended. Dairy operations that have not designated a starting date will be issued fiscal year 2005 payments beginning with October 2004. |
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Agricultural risk management education grants available |
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Approximately $800,000 is available from the Southern Region Risk Management Education Center's Agricultural Risk Management Education Competitive Grants Program this year. The Southern Region Risk Management Education Center (Southern Center), hosted by the Texas Cooperative Extension is seeking proposals to fund. The grant monies are available 2006-2007 for comprehensive risk management education for agricultural producers in the Southern Region's 13 states, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Risk management education is providing training that improves the ability of agricultural producers and their families to effectively manage risks associated with their farming and ranching business in production, marketing, financial, legal and human resources. Organizations eligible to seek the grant monies include land grant institutions, cooperative extension services, public and private colleges and universities, public and private entities such as farm and/or ranch organizations, commodity organizations, lenders, consultants and risk management service providers. Individuals wishing to be considered for funding must submit a pre-proposal using the on-line proposal application form available under the Available Grants tab on the Southern Center's website http://srrme.tamu.edu. Online pre-proposals must be submitted by 5:00 PM (CST) December 14, 2006.
For more information, contact: Ken Stokes,
(254) 968-4144, k-stokes@tamu.edu. |
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Texas area rest stops provide free wireless internet service |
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Who would have thought that this age of communication would bring us this far? With computers and cell phones at our touch in the 21st century, it's important that our mobile society has access to the internet while traveling about. Realizing this need, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), in October 2003, launched a multipurpose project to provide free wireless internet access in all of the state's rest areas and welcome centers. The project serves traveler safety as well as convenience for internet users. The project is expected to be completed at the end of 2005. "Our main goal is safety," says Andy Keith, safety rest area program manager for Texas DOT's maintenance division. "Anything we can do to encourage travelers to take more breaks makes our roadways safer." Keith added that additional safety features include weather updates and road conditions. Texas was the first state to provide the wireless internet access to allow travelers, business users, recreational vehicle drivers and commercial truck operators a way to check emails, connect with their offices, update weather, traffic and other useful information. Continuous driving causes driver fatigue---a major cause of serious accidents. Wireless internet service, along with other exciting features at TxDOT's new generation of Safety Rest Areas, entices drivers to make regular stops and then return to the road more rested and more alert. The service is provided by TxDOT inpartnership with Road Connect wireless internet service. It is available at each of TxDOT's Safety Rest Areas and Travel Information Centers. |
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