E-MOO!
Central Plains Dairy Industry News
July 2, 2008
Central Plains Dairy Tour next week
Don’t miss a tour of innovative dairies in the I-29 Corridor July 10-11. You’ll visit dairies ranging from 250 to 7,000 cows in size. There is a new pit barn, cross ventilated barn, close-up cow barn and lot, a cheese plant, a feed mill and a micro-ethanol plant on the tour. Dairies to be visited include Prairie Gold Dairy and Helmer Dairy in South Dakota, Newalta Dairy and Schutlz Dairy in Minnesota and Winding Meadow Dairy, Van Ess Dairy, Ysselstein Dairy and Plymouth Dairy in Iowa. We’ll also see the new Green Meadows Foods cheese plant, Deluxe Feed’s new mills and the micro-ethanol plant being built at Hexad Farms to provide distillers grains for Turner County Dairy and a beef/dairy feedlot. Cost is $80 per person (not including lodging) for CPDA members. Click on Central Plains Dairy Tour for a complete itinerary and registration form or call Kathy at 218-236-8420 or kathy@centralplainsdairyexpo.com.
$50 million at Veblen East
Veblen East Dairy, Veblen, S.D., showed off its $50-million facility at a recent open house. The dairy has 23 acres under roofs and will milk 4,900 cows when it is in full operation this fall, according to a report in the Marshall County Independent. It is one of five dairies operated by Prairie Ridge Management Company, including Veblen West (formerly MCC Dairy).
Calving facility unique
One reason Veblen East was built, according to manager Rick Millner, was to provide a central calving facility the five dairies in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota operated by Prairie Ridge Management. "We've been able to take the social needs of the cow into consideration," said Millner, said in an interview with the Marshall County Independent. "Cows don't like change, and they don't like to leave the cows they've been living with. With our layout, the calving pens are right next to the maternity pens where they've been living for three weeks. That reduces the stress at calving time and improves efficiency, he says. Read more.
700 attend Iowa dairy open house
An estimated 700 people toured Dykstra Dairy, Struble, Iowa, as part of a June Dairy Celebration. The Western Iowa Dairy Alliance, Iowa State Dairy Association and the Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers sponsored the event. "We just want to convey to the public," Dykstra said in an interview with the Le Mars Sentinel, "that dairy farmers want to take great care of their livestock and want be good stewards of what we have." Read more.
Dairyman likes move to Nebraska
"We're extremely happy with how it has worked out," says Dan Rice, who moved his family’s operation from Pennsylvania to Firth, Neb., in 2003. His 2,000-cow dairy -- Prairieland Dairy LLC -- was the site of Nebraska’s June Dairy Month tour. Prairieland produces skim, 2%, chocolate and A2 milk, which is derived from a protein produced only by certain cows and is similar to goat's milk. A2 milk is more easily digested by some people. Prairieland’s milk is packaged in corn-based PLA plastic bottles, which can be composted, and its manure is composted and sold to landscapers and homeowners.
N.D. dairy opponents sue county
A lawsuit has been filed over the way the Foster County, N.D., Commission recently handled a dairy zoning application. Some opponents of the 1,000-cow dairy claim the commission broke the state’s open meeting law during the hearing process.. The suit is not expected to affect construction on the dairy, which received a permit. Read more in the Jamestown Sun.
PETA cites MN dairy
PETA has joined the controversy over Excel Dairy, a 1,500-cow dairy near Thief River Falls, Minn. The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals says besides suing the dairy for alleged air quality violations, the state attorney general should ask the state legislature to enact a ban on building any new “factory farms.”. Prairie Ridge management -- which now operates Excel -- told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that it is draining and dredging the manure storage lagoon at the state’s insistence that it repair damage that occurred under previous management. Read more about in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The scoop on Dean Foods and Wells
Dean Foods is planning to increase production from the plant in Le Mars, Iowa which it bought from Wells Dairy, according to a report in the Le Mars Sentinel. "We have a lot of capacity right now and we're actively looking at what we can do to improve that," says Joe Leedom, plant manager. "The sales force is out identifying potential customers we would want to work with. We'll do that first, before we think about any kind of physical expansion." Read the full story.
2009
Central Plains
Dairy Expo
April 1-2
Sioux Falls, SD
Convention Center
Join the
Central Plains
Dairy Association today!
The Central Plains Dairy Association is a non-profit organization that works to grow the dairy industry in the Central Plains states and the I-29 Corridor through education and communication activities. The membership region currently includes Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and North Dakota.
Producer Membership
$50 per year
Associate Membership
$150 per year
Corporate Membership
$350 per year.
Contact Kathy at 218-236-8420 or kathy@centralplainsdairyexpo.com
Future dates of the
Central Plains Dairy Expo are:
March 31-April 1, 2010
March 30-31, 2011
March 28-29, 2012
March 27-28, 2013
March 26 & 27, 2014
Got news? Send your dairy news to kathy@centralplainsdairyexpo.com
Company information about products, services and people are welcome. Put “Dairy News” in the subject line.
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6258 90th Ave North
Glyndon, MN 56547
Phone: 218.236.8420
Fax: 218.236.1134
Web Site: www.centralplainsdairy.com