Cash cheese slid again on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Wednesday, blocks down another 6.5 cents to close at $1.6925 while barrels fell 5 cents to $1.73. The final price in both cases was set by actual sales; there were lower unfilled bids for each. In the last week, blocks have lost 31 cents, barrels are down 40 cents while the October through December Class III contracts have lost an average 90 cents per hundred.

Dairy Market News says cheese buyers are tempted to jump it and take advantage of the lower prices but most are holding off, waiting to see if the prices will go any lower. Export interest is also picking up prompted by the lower prices. There are still strong indications that there really is not a lot of cheese available in the Midwest and Northeast as contract sales are clearing the bulk of current cheese production…anything extra is coming out of the West where the cows had a much-more-pleasant summer.

The market is still trying to deal with the cold storage report on Monday showing total cheese stocks increasing 3 percent in July and American type stocks increased 5 percent. Both groups are 1 percent larger than a year ago. After American cheese stocks held steady in May and June, the July increase was a disappointment. This comes on top of last week’s July milk production report showing a slight increase in overall U.S. production as the West more than covered the heat-related losses in the Midwest and Northeast.

source:  brownfieldagnews.com

FULTON — A proposed 7,000-head dairy is one step closer to being built in Hanson County, but some in the county say opposition to the project is growing.

Michael Crinion, of Hanson County Dairy Developers, recently received verbal approval of a water permit application from the state Water Management Board, pending a fact-finding pursuit. A public hearing was held July 13 before the board, according to Eric Gronlund, natural resources engineer.

The quasi-legislative, quasi-judicial board is made up of seven citizens appointed by the governor.

The dairy is proposed to be located two miles northeast of Fulton. The water permit would allow for watering the cattle, flushing milking parlors three times a day and drilling three new wells to draw from the Floyd-East James aquifer.

Crinion applied for the permit several weeks prior to the hearing, which was prompted by an appeal from residents in Hanson County.

Resident Robert Bender and state Rep. Stace Nelson, R-Fulton, both petitioned in opposition to the water permit.

Nelson said he is concerned as both a resident of Hanson County and as a representative for the people that the dairy will contaminate the area water supply. He said some wells near the proposed site for the dairy are only 16 to 18 feet below the surface.

“I didn’t want to get dragged into this big dairy fight, but it’s going to be a problem for Hanson County,” Nelson said.

Although between 60 and 70 jobs could be created by the dairy, many families have protested its creation, Nelson said. He put in his petition to attend the July 13 meeting to represent about 20 families from the area, he said.

“There’s a huge gathering in public opposition to the dairy,” he said.

He added that many residents have become aware the project is progressing and have formed a group called The Concerned Citizens of Hanson County, led by Robert Bender.

Bender declined to comment.

Although the board approved the water permit 7-0 after hearing the public’s comments and concerns, the decision could be appealed to the courts.

Representatives from the dairy will appear before the board in early October in Pierre.

“The prevailing party — the Hanson County dairy — will prepare findings of fact, conclusions of law and final decision,” Gronlund said. “All parties then get the opportunity to object and file alternative findings.”

The board will then take all the findings and any comments to arrive at a decision, he said.

Otherwise, the dairy is set to begin building, said Mary Wilcox, Hanson County planning and zoning director.

“Their (building) permit is valid,” Wilcox said. “But they cannot proceed until the water permit is finalized.”

Earlier this year, the backers of the dairy asked the Hanson County Commission about implementing a tax increment financing district. The commission held a public meeting on the issue in March, which was the last time the county discussed the issue.

Wilcox said the dairy can move ahead without the approval of a TIF district. However, if construction begins without an approved TIF district, the district cannot be implemented afterward, she said.

source:    mitchellrepublic.com

ROCKSPRING, Pa. — Before allowing Marcellus Shale gas extraction on their land, property owners should spell out, in the lease agreement to drill, what kind of water testing is done before — and after — drilling.

Potential aftereffects of hydraulic fracking, a method of pumping pressurized water and other chemicals through shale to “fracture” the rock and extract the natural methane gas, has some questioning the safety of water supplies.

To ensure water supply safety, a Penn State extension educator believes in the importance of outlining, in the drilling lease, when water is tested, to ensure against potentially dangerous pollutants. In the fracking process, wastewater is generated and must be removed from the drill site.

Testing

The important thing to remember is: accept the water testing from the drill company. If you want to test the water yourself, “decide what you can afford,” said Bryan R. Swistock, extension associate, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Resources Research Institute. Those costs can be hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

Swistock spoke Aug. 17 during the annual Penn State Ag Progress Days at Rockspring, Pa. The topic: protecting water supplies during Marcellus gas drilling.

Check credentials

The important thing to remember, according to the extension educator, is to ensure the well testers are independent, from a state-accredited lab, and not employed by the gas company. Ensure the testing is spelled out in the lease agreement.

“Whatever is in the lease agreement will trump” when it comes to ensuring well water is protected. “The more testing you do,” said Swistock, “the more legal protection you have.”

Over one million Pennsylvania homes and farms and 3 million people use private water wells and springs, according to Swistock. Ninety percent are drilled and 10 percent are hand-dug wells and springs.

About 45 percent have never been properly tested (Pennsylvania is one of the few states that do not require testing) and approximately 41 percent fail at least one health-based standard.

In addition, Swistock stated he sees a number of issues with regard to proper design and maintenance. Wells are often not capped properly — he has discovered bees’ nests, rodents or even no caps at all.

Another hazard is animal control — he once saw a dog tied to a well with his doghouse placed well within the 100-foot setback.

Guidelines

Important guidelines, according to Swistock, are:

• Maintain your own wellhead site, free from pets and other intrusions to protect the overall quality of your well water.

• Ensure enough setback from streams and waterways. At least a 100 foot radius protection area should be maintained from existing well heads, streams, and wetlands for storage of farm and home items, animals, etc.

• Casing should be above ground, with a sanitary well cap, grout seal, and sealed spring box, etc.

• Understand that pre-drilling problems are common. In a 2006-2007 survey of 701 wells, the water contained or was corrosive, hard water, coliform bacteria, iron, and low Ph among other issues.

• Naturally occurring methane is present in about 20 percent of water wells. Low amounts are less than 1 milligram (mg) per liter. A cause for concern is when methane reaches 5-10 mg per liter (the well must be vented).

If the measurement reaches 20-25 mgs per liter, the water should be aerated. But methane is one of the “easier” items to remove from water, according to Swistock. There are no drinking water standards for methane, he said.

• Don’t wait too long before drilling. Make sure the testing is done close to the time that well drilling begins.

“Cooperate with testing, allow testing to occur,” he said. The testing runs in “tiers,” with costs dependent on the level of testing, which can run into several hundreds of dollars.

Basic testing looks for methane, chloride, sodium and other elements and compounds. More complex testing will look at baryon, iron, manganese, and others. Ensuring water safety rests on the drilling company for 1,000 feet of the gas well and within six months from of the start of drilling, according to Swistock.

Results

Penn State will soon see the results of its own water well research on 250 water wells across the Marcellus Shale drilling region. The report will be released in the fall and may answer a lot of questions about the safety of fracking.

The study will be released by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and will look at approximately 18 different elements and compounds in water and what effects on well water fracking may have.

One question: does fracking affect the very deep underground water, known as “brine,” originally from eons-old oceans, but stored deep underground?

Brine is “nasty stuff,” said Swistock.

The big question is, if drilling and fracking penetrates deep enough, could brine move into protected waters? Additional research is needed, despite the ongoing work in opening up new wells daily.

source:   farmanddairy.com

WEST ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (AP) — The news just keeps getting worse for a western Pennsylvania dairy that stopped producing milk earlier this month because it has been tainted by bacteria that has sickened at least 14 people.

A storage building containing two farm vehicles and about 20,000 pounds of scrap newspaper has burned to the ground at the family-owned Brunton Dairy in Independence Township, Beaver County.

The fire was reported about 5:45 p.m. Thursday.

James Brunton, a partner in the operation, says the scrap paper is shredded and used as bedding for animals.

No animals or people were hurt in the fire.

The dairy continues to cooperate with the state Department of Health’s investigation into Yersinia bacteria and has voluntarily stopped producing milk in the meantime.

source:    chron.com

I have read with amusement the comments of Rob Aliasso from Henderson. He claims that wind farms will destroy the pristine beauty of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. He’s too young to realize that his idealized image vanished when the St. Lawrence Seaway was created and when the numerous trailer parks along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River developed more than 50 years ago. He can’t see the polluted beaches, the damage invasive species have caused and the sewage draining into these waters.

Mr. Aliasso also claims that the wind companies have run roughshod over communities. If he talked with many wind-farm township supervisors, township assessors in wind-farm areas, or the superintendents of schools receiving monies from the wind farms, he would not say that about these thriving communities. He would also have a very different impression if he talked with many of the more than 55,000 residents living in the 14 wind farms covering more than 25 townships in New York state.

Since Mr. Aliasso can’t see beyond more than a couple thousand feet of the shorelines, he has no idea how much once-viable farmland has gone to scrub brush in Cape Vincent. Lands that once produced crops for the dairy industry have become wastelands as one after another dairy farm has ceased operation. Even though the farmer no longer sustains a dairy or raises the crops necessary for milk production, he still pays taxes on the land. As the income to farmers dwindled, so did the economy of the village of Cape Vincent. Many who have lived in Cape Vincent for only a decade or two have no idea what the village was like in an earlier era when dairy farms were numerous.

Times have changed, and the future requires alternative methods of energy production. The farmland beyond the village of Cape Vincent could once again become viable. The income the farmers received through turbine leases could once again benefit and strengthen the economy of the village. All who own property, especially seasonal landowners who pay taxes on more than one property, would benefit from reduced property taxes.

source:  watertowndailytimes.com

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The rate of milk production continues to rise nationwide, even as it slows in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The U.S. produced 15.4 billion pounds of milk last month. That was a 1 percent increase from the same month last year.

That improvement was driven by increases of 8 percent in Texas and 5 percent in Idaho.

But Wisconsin and Minnesota continued their trend of recent months, producing less milk this year than in comparable periods in 2010.

Wisconsin milk producers harvested 2.2 million pounds last month. Even though that keeps the state solidly in the No. 2 position behind California, it’s a 4 percent drop from last year.

The decline was even steeper in Minnesota because of summer heat. Dairy farmers there produced 735,000 pounds, a 7 percent decrease.

source:    gazettextra.com

The Government, Maori tribe Ngai Tahu, the Canterbury regional council and dairy cooperative Fonterra have contributed funds to the clean-up of Lake Ellesmere, or Te Waihora.

Run-off from surrounding dairy farms and clearance of wetlands has left Lake Ellesmere in Canterbury with the worst water quality of any New Zealand lake.

The Government has contributed $6 million towards the project, while Canterbury Regional Council has put in $3.5 million and Fonterra $1.3 million.

Some of the funds will be put towards compensating farmers for land around the lake that will be converted into wetlands. There will also be changes to farming practices.

It is the biggest freshwater environmental clean-up project the country has undertaken to date and is expected to take as much as 20 years for Lake Ellesmere to be clean again.

source:   radionz.co.nz

DES MOINES —Jake Mills, 18, loves the show ring, but he says milk pays the bills for the Strawberry Point dairy operation that he is building.

The senior at Starmont High School milks 11 cows, including the four-year-old Brown Swiss that was reserve grand champion in the 4-H Dairy Show at the Iowa State Fair. Her name is Anna Jill, but he calls her Brown Cow because she’s the only brown cow in his herd. His aunt, Karen Schantz, gave him Anna Jill for working for her. Mills also showed a Holstein summer yearling, which won a blue ribbon.

“I’d like a herd of Holsteins and Brown Swiss, but any breed is good to me as long as it milks,” said Mills, whose herd name is Millstar.

Mills’ operation is on his parents Cathy and Jay’s farm.

He also feeds dairy steers, owns three beef stock cows and a percentage of a bull. He sharecrops 160 acres with his dad raising corn, soybeans and hay. He gets one-third of the crops.

“Dad quit milking in 2000,” Mills said. “A year ago I had the equipment gone through, put in some makeshift stalls and started milking.”

Mills is a member of Starmont FFA and received his Iowa FFA Degree this year.

source:  agrinews.com

Is chocolate milk a healthful choice for schoolchildren?

Some nutritionists say chocolate milk is a perfectly fine snack for students, one that provides much-needed calcium and vitamins, and is a healthy alternative to sugary juices and sodas. But others say flavored milks, with their added sugars, contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. Some school districts have tried removing flavored milk from their cafeterias entirely, but studies show that many students simply skip milk altogether when they do not have flavored milk as an option.

Now parents who are concerned about the amount of sugar their children are chugging in school cafeterias may be encouraged by an announcement from the milk industry. Starting in September, chocolate milk will have fewer calories and less sugar.

The eight-ounce cartons of fat-free and low-fat chocolate milk served in schools will have 38 percent less added sugar and just 31 more calories than regular white milk, said the Milk Processor Education Program, or MilkPEP, the industry group that runs the national “Got Milk?” campaign. On average, cartons of flavored milk will contain less than 150 calories and 22 grams of total sugar this year, the group said.

The changes will affect a vast majority of the nation’s school districts. A report by the School Nutrition Association last week found that almost 96 percent of school districts offer students flavored milk, and all but 2 percent offer fat-free milk.

The issue of flavored milk has been highlighted by the chef Jamie Oliver, who railed against chocolate milk and processed foods in school cafeterias in his ABC television series, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.” On his Web site he notes that one serving of chocolate milk has four teaspoons of added sugar.

“When kids drink chocolate and strawberry milk every day at school,” he writes on the site, “they’re getting nearly two gallons of extra sugar each year. Too much sugar is threatening the health of our kids and we’ve got to do something about it.”

This year, in the face of mounting pressure, the Los Angeles Unified School District voted to ban chocolate and strawberry milk entirely from Los Angeles public schools. The district’s board of education voted 5 to 2 to remove flavored milk after intense pressure from Mr. Oliver and parents of children in the district, some of whom held protests outside the district’s headquarters organized by the activist group FoodForLunch.

Whether the taste of the new, leaner varieties of milk will have any effect on how much milk students drink remains to be seen. One study by MilkPEP in 2009 looked at what happened when 58 elementary and secondary schools in seven districts around the country removed flavored milk from their cafeterias, either entirely or only on select days of the week. The study found as a result that milk consumption among elementary school students fell by 35 percent. The average daily consumption of milk per student, meanwhile, fell to four ounces at schools where only white milk was offered. At schools where all flavors were offered, it stayed at six ounces per student.

In a statement, MilkPEP said that taking away low-fat chocolate milk — the most popular milk choice in schools — would mean students would get “fewer essential nutrients.”

“Whether plain or flavored, milk contributes so many vital nutrients to a child’s diet,” said Vivian Godfrey, the group’s chief executive, “and we want to do our part to be sure the milk on the tray is enjoyed and actually consumed with the meal.”

source:  well.blogs.nytimes.com

School’s back in session in many towns, and the milk industry says kids will be sipping on slightly healthier flavored milk this year.

The Milk Processor Education Program, a trade group, says many of its members have worked over the past five years to lower the calories and sugar in milk sweetened with chocolate or other flavorings as concern has grown that it is contributing to childhood obesity.

The group, the same one behind the “Got Milk?” campaign, said this week that milk companies across the U.S. are reformulating flavored milk while preserving its nutritional value and taste. The new products aim for 150 calories and fewer than 22 grams of all types of sugar per serving. Milk naturally contains the sugar lactose.

“Milk is a nutritious, core component of school meals, and the milk industry is committed to offering a product that meets school nutrition standards and is appealing to students,” said Vivien Godfrey, the group’s CEO. “Whether plain or flavored, milk contributes so many vital nutrients to a child’s diet, and we want to do our part to be sure the milk on the tray is enjoyed and actually consumed with the meal.”

Some schools and districts have removed chocolate and other flavored milks from their cafeterias, but the industry argues that has cut down on overall milk consumption, which makes it difficult to meet children’s needs for such nutrients as calcium, vitamin D and potassium.

The group has faced criticism from health advocates and schools for promoting flavored milk.

source:    businessweek.com

BAD AXE — While Huron County commissioners over the past three months have been approving farmland preservation agreements in lock, stock and barrel fashion, the board put the rubber stamp away Tuesday morning.

Officials refrained from acting on several farmland preservation agreement (PA 116) applications sought by John and Anthonia Verhaar,

The Verhaars, who pleaded guilty in federal court earlier in June to hiring illegal immigrants, filed seven applications to enroll a total of 363.66 acres into PA 116 in Grant Township.

Part 361 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protect Act of 1994 — most commonly known as PA 116 — allows farmers to enter into an agreement with the state where farmers promise to keep their land in farming and agree not to develop the land for a minimum of 10 years. In return, the farmers get certain income tax benefits, and the land is not subject to special assessments for sanitary sewer, water lights or non-farm drain projects, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

There has been an influx in the number of new applications submitted to the county, after Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed budget included the elimination of PA 116 credits. However, the Legislature has taken no action. As a result, the program has not been eliminated at this time. It’s unclear what will happen in the future.

Commissioners on Tuesday estimated more than 100 applications have been submitted to the county since this spring. Applications first go through the Huron County Planning Commission, which reviews the application and then recommends it to the Huron County Board of Commissioners for approval. Once approved by the county, the application is forwarded to the state.

When a PA 116 application is forwarded to the board of commissioners, it means the planning commission has determined the application is adequate and meets all the eligibility requirements, and the board of commissioners gives it the rubber stamp approval.

But that wasn’t the case Tuesday, as a number of commissioners were concerned about a letter from Grant Township Supervisor Mike Mandich. Mandich wrote that during the township board’s Aug. 1 meeting, multiple residents voiced concerns over “so-called farming operations within Grant Township.”

“Their complaints ranged from noise, foul odors, road damage and unsafe speeds by these local operations,” Mandich wrote. “It seems there are some large, mega farms within Grant Township and throughout Huron County that have cattle that produce sizable amounts of waste. This waste is being trucked on our township roads, causing damage from the amount of trucks, weight of the trucks and unsafe speeds of the trucks, all of which were complaints of our residents. Besides the road damage, the odor from the deposited waste is causing health concerns to one resident, who has been and currently is seeking medical treatment. The waste is being deposited within feet of his property line.”

Mandich sought the board’s support in getting the help of local state officials and the Huron County Road Commission.

Commissioner David Peruski said he cannot vote to approve the applications until all the concerns in that letter are addressed. He said information from Corporation Counsel Stephen J. Allen indicates there may be a way to deny the Verhaars’ applications.

However, the Verhaars could appeal to the state and have it approved anyway, Peruski said. But, he added, it may be worth it because it would let the application go to the state so state officials can see what the county faces. If the board were to rubber stamp the applications, the issue never would go to Lansing.

Commissioner John Horny favored tabling the issue and having a meeting with the Verhaars to see what plans they have to resolve these issues. If they don’t have a plan, then the board could deny it and let them appeal to the state, he said.

Commissioner Steve Vaughan said he realizes there have been issues with the dairy, but they have been fined and paid restitution. Per their guilty plea in federal court, the Verhaars agreed to pay a $2.7 million penalty, and acknowledged they had employed about 80 illegal immigrants from 2000 through much of 2007. The couple faces up to six months in prison when they’re sentenced in October.

Vaughan said the dairy, which is in his district, is a multi-million dollar operation that supports the county. Verhaar also has two sons that are building two cattle operations that also will result in revenue for the county, Vaughan added.

He said the issue shouldn’t be about denying their applications. Rather, it should be about working with the Verhaars to teach them better practices and have them become better neighbors. Vaughan also noted that the Verhaars aren’t actually named in that Grant Township letter: The letter just referred to “mega farms.”

Board Chairman Ron Wruble questioned what kind of legal ground the county has to reject the application, and whether the board is singling out this one farm. Peruski noted the board previously had never received a letter like the one from Grant Township.

Vaughan said the county doesn’t have the right to overrule the Right to Farm Act, and the issues raised in the letter aren’t ones that should be addressed by the board of commissioners. Instead, he said, they are issues that need to be discussed with the Michigan Department of Agriculture, road commission and health department.

He said it’s the local government’s role to approve the application if it’s filled out correctly and meets all the eligibility criteria — not whether the applicant’s farming practices are standard or substandard.

Wruble said when county commissioners get complaints, their answer always is that the county can’t do anything about it because of the Right to Farm Act. But this may be a way for the county to intervene — or to at least voice disapproval on what’s going on, he said.

Horny agreed, noting the board can use this as either leverage “to get them to clean up their act or send a message to Lansing that we don’t like what’s going on.”

Still, Wruble said he didn’t want to vote on the applications without more information about the legality of denying the applications if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Commissioners John Nugent and John Bodis agreed. Nugent said the Verhaars need to have a say in this issue. Bodis felt the farming practices and PA 116 application are two separate issues that need to be addressed.

The board voted six to one to suspend the discussion until the board’s next meeting on Sept. 13. Vaughan, who voted against the motion because he favored approving the applications, said he will ask the Verhaars to meet with the board to discuss the issue.

Efforts to seek comment from the Verhaars were unsuccessful as of press time.

Kate Hessling • (989) 269-6461 • khessling@hearstnp.com

source:    michigansthumb.com