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August 2008 Editorial Memorial Lines These were some of the voices in the news, June 25 through 28 at the 140th Annual Meeting of the American Jersey Cattle Association and the Golden Anniversary meeting of National All-Jersey Inc., all in Asheville, N.C. We need to talk about the sustainability advantages of the Jersey cow. We have an animal that is smaller, uses fewer natural resources and produces a smaller carbon footprint. We have a cow with a longer productive life that produces a more nutrient-rich milk that consumers are demanding and are willing to pay for. We have a great story to tell, although as we know it is not a new one. Jersey is our Queen of Quality™ and the future of a successful dairy industry. NAJ President James Ahlem Artisan cheesemaking is not a panacea for the problems in the dairy industry, but it is offering a number of dairy producers options for their business. In 1990, you could find artisan cheesemaking going on in 25 states. In 2000, it went up to 32 states. In 2008 (there are) 44 states. Jersey dairies comprise 55% of the businesses working exclusively with cow milk. That’s an extraordinary number. It suggests something is going on, about the place of value-added and using Jersey milk to make great products. To me this is an exciting change. It means consumers have greater access to these products. Jeffrey Roberts, Principal Consultant Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese Right now ... you’re only going to capture dollars on [classes] II, III and IV—the other solids on II and IV, and the protein on III. The rest of it, quite frankly, is just a redistribution of the protein, because you don’t get it on Class I. That’s something I wish we could work on. That’s really where we need to head, is have the [Federal] Orders recognize the protein in the Class I. It’s really valuable and if you look at all the health benefits that the experts tout, why can’t we get money for the protein that’s in Class I? It’s ridiculous. It really is. NAJ Keynote Speaker Sonia Fabian Chief Operating Officer, Southeast Area Council Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. In California, plants as well as co-ops have limited how much [milk] they will take based on historical production. [Producers] cannot increase profitability by increasing total production, but [they] can increase profitability by increasing the value of the milk … We are starting to run some promotional material on the fact that production caps don’t need to be profit caps. We are using data from the California Department of Food and Agriculture on mailbox price for Jersey milk and market average milk, as well as the cost per hundredweight to produce that milk, showing the net advantage per hundredweight of 39 cents for Jerseys. ... Add in premiums [from cheese plants] and that net advantage is around $1.00 to $1.50 per hundredweight. On a million pound basis you are now talking $10,000 to $15,000 additional net and we will be stressing this with the producers in California. NAJ General Manager Erick Metzger Much has been spoken and written about 2007 as the greatest year in our breed’s history. Through the leadership and commitment of our staff and boards past and present, we have achieved unthinkable accomplishments. We have had the courage and the leadership to change our cow and change the milk market to equitably price the milk she produces. We must remain focused on improvement of the qualities in our breed that are sought-after today. … There are some exciting new developments on the horizon in animal breeding. You have all heard or read about genomics. We have a huge task ahead of us to embrace this new technology, come to an understanding of what it means, and finally to learn how to use it to make the greatest possible genetic improvement for our breed. Believe me, our competitors will be doing the same! AJCA President David Chamberlain If we want all the good things we have been talking about this morning to continue, we are going to have to pay attention and take care of our cow. We have started jumping around a little bit on our milk production growth. We can improve that. We have to keep the pressure on. There are tools coming that can help us do a better job of it. The closing message is: We have to make our cow so good that the industry cannot resist her. AJCA-NAJ Executive Secretary Neal Smith You can read all of what they said in Asheville in this issue, beginning on page 23. |
