Missed opportunity to make hay

While trying to get the corn and soybeans planted, Franklin County Ohio farmer, Neall Weber says he missed a really good opportunity to get some hay made.

“A couple weeks ago would have been the primetime to start getting first cutting up, the longer we go the more the grasses will go to head and some won’t look as nice in the bale for some of our equine customers that are very particular,” said Weber. “But it should be fine, it’s always difficult to get good hay up first cutting.”

Weber says ideally once they mow hay, they need a good three days of drying before they bale. Neall adds that while the quality may be down some, the quantity should be excellent.

Audio: Neall Weber, farmer, Franklin Co. Ohio (2:05 mp3)

Ohio Wine Month kickoff

Ohio Wine Month 2013 (3)_webThe Ohio Grape Industries Committee held an early kickoff to Ohio Wine Month Wednesday evening, May 22, at the Ohio Statehouse.

“This is an opportunity to just show that Ohio can compete with any other state, as far as our winemakers and the vintages we produce are concerned,” said Director of Agriculture Dave Daniels, on hand for the event to present Director Awards to Ohio Wineries.

The Director also shared with Brownfield the significance of the wine industry in Ohio.

“It employs about 4,100 Ohioans, we have over 200 wineries that produce over one million gallons of Ohio wine a year,” said Daniels. “It’s about $580 million worth of economic activity to this state, so it’s a very significant portion of agriculture in Ohio.”

June is Wine Month in Ohio, to learn more go here.

Audio: Dave Daniels, Director, Ohio Department of Agriculture (2:00 mp3)

A little more cheese in the coolers

Total cheese in cold storage at the end of April 1.012 billion pounds up 1 percent from the end of March and 4 percent more than a year ago. The National Ag Statistics Service says American type cheese stocks increased 2 percent for the month and 5 percent for the year ending April at 698.77 million pounds. Butter in cold storage totaled 310.66 million pounds up 22 percent for the month and the year.

National Dairy Products Sales Report for the week ending May 18th, cheddar cheese blocks averaged $1.88 per pound down 0.4 cents from the previous week. Barrels were up 2.1 cents to average $1.76, butter decreased 4 cents to $1.64, dry whey was a half-cent lower at 57.2 cents per pound and nonfat dry milk decreased 0.6 cents to average $1.63.

The Class I base price for June is $18.93 per hundredweight up $1.17 from May. The base skim milk price for Class I is $1.20 higher at $13.09. These are the highest Class I base prices since January.

Read the full NASS Cold Storage Report here:

Crop planted in two weeks

For Neall Weber who farms just west of Columbus, near Hilliard (Ohio) spring planting has been quick.

“We started on the 5th of May and we’ll be wrapping up today,” said Weber. “That’s pretty good, getting everything in in two weeks.”

So what’s allowed them to get things planted as quickly as they did?

“Having good help, having machinery that’s ready to go and luckily, knock on wood, we haven’t had any significant breakdowns,” Weber said.

With only about 100 acres of soybeans to plant, Neall says they should be finished with planting today (May 22) and then it’s on to making hay.

Audio: Neall Weber, farmer, Franklin Co. Ohio (3:40 mp3)

American Lamb Board nominations

Nominations to fill two-producer director positions for the American Lamb Board (ALB) are being accepted.

The board positions up for appointment are for a producer who owns less that 100 head annually and one for a producer who owns more than 500 head annually. One of the nominees must be from Region 1, which includes Indiana and Ohio.

Those interested in being considered producer nominees should contact the Indiana Sheep Association or the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association.

Cong. Gibbs named ‘Soy Champion’

The American Soybean Association (ASA) has presented Ohio 7th District Congressman Bob Gibbs with the organization’s ‘Soy Champion Award.’ Gibbs was recognized for his advocacy for soybean farmers and soybean related issues on Capitol Hill.

“ASA is proud to recognize Congressman Gibbs as a Soy Champion for his outstanding advocacy on behalf of soybean farmers. His work on waterways and regulatory issues, as well as on the farm bill, has proven critical not only to my fellow soybean farmers and I, but to the agriculture community as a whole,” said Danny Murphy, ASA President.

 

CWT accepts nine export requests

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted nine requests for export assistance from Bongards Creameries, Dairy Farmers of America and Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) to sell 3.016 million pounds of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese to customers in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered May through September 2013.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 56.826 million pounds of cheese, 51.727 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 31 countries on six continents.

Magnochi named World Dairy Expo cattle show manager

World Dairy Expo announcing the new Dairy Cattle Show Manager is Ann Marie Magnochi. The Washington State University graduate grew up on her family’s purebred dairy farm at Carnation, Washington. She is active in Two Sisters’ Dairy, home to Magnaville Holsteins, Buttercrest Brown Swiss and her sister’s Amber Rose Jersey and Guernsey prefixes.

Most recently she has been a Field Reporter for Holstein World as well as a Youth Advisor for the Washington Junior Holstein Association. . Prior to that, she served as a Resource Planner for Small Farm and Dairy Planning at the King Conservation District.

She will begin her duties with World Dairy Expo on June 10th where she will manage the cattle show functions including the eight breed shows, breed sales, youth contests, ethics, Dairy Cattle Superintendents and Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Committee. She will work closely with the Wisconsin Division of Animal Health to insure animal health protocols are being followed. Ann Marie will also work with The Dane County Fair, North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge and Purebred Dairy Cattle Association organizations of WDE Management, Inc.

Minnesota salmonella outbreak linked to raw milk cheese

Just as the trial of a Wisconsin farmer has brought the raw milk issue to the forefront comes news at least 25 people in the Twin Cities were made ill by consuming a raw milk cheese. A salmonella outbreak was first reported in April and the Minnesota Department of Health says the cause was a Mexican-style cheese known as queso fresco, a raw milk cheese which was made by an individual in a private home. The product was reportedly delivered to customers’ homes.

On Monday, the department said that all the known cases occurred from March 28 to April 24, all have recovered and that the outbreak may be over. But it issued a warning that anyone who bought or received the product should throw it away.

Food for Thought Challenge winners named

The Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program (OSGMP) has named the Ridgedale and Ridgemont FFA Chapters winners in the Food for Thought Challenge.

The statewide competition is designed for FFA chapters to develop a program to increase awareness about the nutritional value of a whole grain diet and other healthy behavior changes at their schools.

FFA students at Ridgedale High School worked closely with kitchen staff to introduce more whole grains into the school’s daily menu. Food diaries and health classes educated students about nutrition. And, during the Ohio Graduation Tests, students ate whole-wheat snacks and granola bars to improve their concentration.

Like Ridgedale, Ridgemont refreshed its school menus to include more whole grains, increasing students’ whole grain consumption by 100 percent. Ridgemont also initiated blind taste tests, finding that 64 percent of students could not taste the difference between foods made with whole or processed grains.

As the state winners, Ridgedale and Ridgemont FFA’s both received $2,000.