Another undercover video has surfaced depicting blatant animal cruelty on a Texas cattle ranch. National Milk’s Chris Galen reported that the video came from the animal rights group, “Mercy for Animals” - a group that produced videos last year from dairy farms in New York and Ohio, a veal operation and now this ranch in west Texas which raises dairy and beef calves.

“The scenes were disgusting and very deeply disturbing,” Galen said. “And it is another example of the fact that we always have to be vigilant about what happens on everyone’s operation. This is another case of a bad apple potentially spoiling the whole barrel.”

The video was released shortly before the Easter weekend so it didn’t get a lot of air play on the major media outside of Texas, according to Galen, but he said “it’s a wakeup call for the entire industry again that we need to have good training programs in place for everyone on these farms because it only takes a few people who don’t understand what proper animal care rules are to besmirch and to despoil the image of the entire livestock sector.”

He emphasized that this is a “deeply disturbing practice” illustrated in the video and he reminded listeners that the National Dairy Farm program, developed by National Milk, is “very clear that they don’t allow for the types of euthanasia that apparently was practiced on this farm and don’t allow animals to be struck or dragged or the variety of things certainly not acceptable that were depicted on the video.” “More importantly than just having the guidelines in place,” he concluded, “They need to be followed by everyone working on these operations.”

Pasteurized Milk Ordinanace
The National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) is considering major changes to the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) which sets standards for ‘Grade A’ milk production, processing and packaging, from the farm to the consumer. The NCIMS is meeting in Maryland through May 4, according to Dairy Profit Weekly editor Dave Natzke.

NCIMS includes representatives from the dairy industry, government, and educational institutions, and they will consider 91 proposals this year. Two similar proposals could have the biggest impact on dairy farmers, according to Natzke.

Both the National Milk Producers Federation and the National Mastitis Council proposed lowering the national somatic cell count (SCC) standard incrementally in 2012 and 2013, reaching 400,000 cells per milliliter in 2014. The current standard is 750,000 cells, established back in 1993.

“While most officials say the current U.S. standards pose no human health concerns,” Natzke said, “Proponents say the tighter standards will improve consumer confidence in the safety and quality of the U.S. milk supply, reduce antimicrobial and bacterial contamination risks, and improve farmer profitability.”

NCIMS has rejected numerous attempts to tighten standards during the past two decades, Natzke said, but last year the European Union tightened guidelines for milk and dairy ingredients used in any foods it imports, and failure to meet those standards could have a negative impact on U.S. dairy exports.
If NCIMS endorses the new standards, they must still be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Natzke concluded.

Conrad Kvamme, consultant with the Midwest Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Center,  said the beef checkoff is creating tools for both beef and dairy producers to keep them informed of their responsibility for the proper use of antibiotics.

Kvamme said the responsibility starts with the heifers, from day 1 and on, and he emphasized that injection sites, be it for vaccination or medication, should only be in the neck region because, if it’s given in the rump or shoulder area it will be evident for the lifetime of that animal when it comes to market.
That prompted Kvamme’s next point which was drug withdrawal times. He pointed out that some drugs which are today prohibited have shown up in the tissue of 3-5 year old cows that was given as a calf. It will show up later.
He also underscored the importance of documentation of all treatments. Heifer growers need to provide the records to go with the calf that leaves its premises, according to Kvamme.

These efforts are important to preserve the safety and wholesomeness of milk and dairy products and the meat from dairy as well as beef cows Kvamme said our quality assurance is in the high 98, 99 percent but there can be some slip ups so we want them (producers) to be well aware so we don’t have a train wreck.

Class III benchmark falls
“What goes up, must come down,” so it’s said, and so it is true of milk prices. The USDA announced the April Federal order Class III benchmark price April 29 at $16.87 per cwt., down $2.53 from March but still $3.95 above April 2010. That pulled the 2011 average to $16.67, up from $13.62 at this time a year ago, and compares to a meager $10.33 in 2009.

Looking ahead, the CME’s May Class III contract was trading late Friday morning at $16.39, June $17.20, July $17.55, August $17.78, September $17.97, October $17.73, November $17.29, and December $16.91.

The April Class IV price is $19.78, up 37 cents from March, $6.05 above a year ago, and $2.91 above the Class III price.

The four-week, NASS-surveyed cheese price averaged $1.6983 per pound, down 27.4 cents from March. Butter averaged $1.9975, down 6.2 cents. Nonfat dry milk averaged $1.5680, up 7.4 cents, and dry whey averaged 48.08 cents, up 2.3 cents.

California’s April 4a and 4b prices are scheduled for release on May 2. Downes-O’Neill dairy economist Bill Brooks looks for the 4a butter-powder price to come in at around $19.46. That would be a 46 cent gain from March and would be $5.97 above a year ago. He looks for the 4b cheese milk price to hit $14.34, down $2.42 from March, $2.04 above a year ago, and would be $2.53 below the comparable Federal order Class III price.

The cash cheese market saw some strength the last week of April. The 40-pound blocks closed the week at $1.6125 per pound, up a penny and a quarter, and 24.5 cents above a year ago.

The 500-pound barrels closed at $1.6025, up 2 1/4-cents on the week, and 22. 25 cents above a year ago. Nineteen cars of block traded hands on the week and 20 of barrel. The NASS-surveyed U.S. average block price lost 2.5 cents, slipping to $1.6202, while the barrels averaged $1.6222, up 0.1 cent.
 
Retiring from the radio

Last but not least I announced on my April 29 broadcast that I am retiring from the DairyLine microphone after almost 23 years. DairyLine’s parent company, DairyBusiness Communica-tions, offered and I accepted an early retirement package and Bill Baker will become the new host of DairyLine.
It has been an honor and a privilege for me to have served this great i
ndustry in this capacity. DairyLine was an idea the Lord put on my heart in 1988, after doing a local farm program in Lynden, Wash. for several years and it grew beyond my wildest imagination.

I will continue to write my weekly column and I thank my listeners and readers for the confidence and trust that I have so enjoyed this past 23 years.

Readers with questions or comments for Lee Mielke may write to him in care of this publication.