California Ag Network

Category: Dairy Industry

  • How Dairy Farmers Are Helping Us Meet Our Climate Goals

    by Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture

    Sacramento, Calif., (February 22, 2018) – Each time I drive through California’s Central Valley I am in awe of how much food it produces. The Valley is responsible for almost 10 percent of the country’s agriculture value and is home to many of California’s most productive dairies. In fact, 90 percent of California’s milk is produced in eight counties – all located in the center of our great state. California is the country’s number-one milk producer and our dairy farmers work diligently to provide the highest quality milk for America’s families.

    A great many of these dairies are family run. They have been passed from one generation to the next and have become a staple of the Valley’s landscape. But along with milk, Central Valley dairy farmers are increasingly producing something they never have before – renewable energy – and are doing it using manure from cows.

    Earlier this month I joined hundreds of dairy farmers, industry representatives, public officials and academics for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Lakeview Dairy Digester and two other digester facilities in Kern County.  The mood was electric (although that might have been the electricity buzzing through the digester system!)

    As I spoke with our partners who helped make this project a reality, I could not help but appreciate a genuine synergy.  When we were developing the Dairy Digester Research and Development and Program that helped fund the project, we knew that sister agencies like the California Energy Commission, the Air Resources Board, and the California Public Utilities Commission as well as private partners like California Bio Energy would be integral in bringing these projects to life and having them stay operational for many years to come. It was refreshing and energizing to see dairy families working with public and private partners to create something that produces benefits for all Californians.

    Digesters work by capturing methane released by manure in covered lagoons. The captured methane is then broken down in a high-efficiency generator, where it produces renewable electricity. By using this system, the Lakeview Dairy Project is expected to cut methane emissions by approximately 75 percent and produce 6.7 million kWh of electricity annually – enough to power 757 homes for one year!

    Along with energy production, these three projects will collectively reduce an estimated 503,990 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent over 10 years, which is equal to taking 107,921 passenger vehicles off the road. In total, the 24 projects supported by the DDRDP will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent.

    The Lakeview project also serves as an excellent example of California’s innovative “hub and spoke” model for meeting our low carbon fuel standards, reducing emissions, and upgrading California’s transportation infrastructure. The concept is simple. One centrally located operation (the hub – in this case Lakeview) collects raw dairy biogas through low pressure PVC pipelines (spokes), from a group of existing dairies. The hub then serves as focal point for cleaning, conditioning and upgrading the gas to be used as fuel for transportation.  Not only does this model significantly reduce construction costs and environmental impacts, but also demonstrates how cooperation and collective action helps us modernize transportation to meet our climate goals.

    I am particularly proud of the environmental rigor in these projects. These digesters have met the strictest water and air quality requirements by double-lining their lagoons to meet the San Joaquin Valley’s strict NOx air quality limits and ensure protection of groundwater from nitrates. These technologies also help reduce odors and reduce overall dairy operating costs.

    It was heartening to hear the experience of Cal Bio Energy’s management team explain their appreciation and positive experience in meeting the new requirement for community outreach. According to them, this turned into a great opportunity to understand any existing concerns, answer questions, and explain to employees, neighbors and other local community stakeholders how the project operates.

    I want to applaud the leadership of all the parties involved in making these projects possible. Achieving our ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals will require cooperation between industry, government agencies and the public.  To quote Governor Jerry Brown, “Taking significant amounts of carbon out of our economy without harming its vibrancy is exactly the sort of challenge at which California excels.”

  • USDA, Dairy Industry In Partnership to Promote and Enhance Environmental Sustainability

    Hanford, Calif., (February 21, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy to jointly promote and enhance environmental sustainability in the dairy industry. The pact extends and builds upon a MOU originally signed in 2009.

    USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue (r) shakes hands with dairy farmer Paul Rovey after signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the United States Department of Agriculture and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

    Secretary Perdue signed the MOU yesterday with Arizona dairy farmer Paul Rovey, chairman of Dairy Management Inc. and an Innovation Center board member, at DeGroot Dairies in Hanford, CA.

    “USDA and the Innovation Center will continue to work together to accelerate the adoption of innovative technologies and increase energy efficiency improvements on U.S. dairy farms,” Secretary Perdue said. “These improvements will help producers diversify revenues and reduce utility expenses, while they strive to support their families and local communities by operating economically, environmentally sustainable dairy farms.”

    “USDA has resources that can help the dairy industry be successful but in many cases they are difficult to find because they are spread out through various agencies,” Secretary Perdue continued. “This MOU hopefully will be a potential navigator to the Innovation Center and give a ‘green light’ to interact with our agencies and centralize our various research and voluntary conservation efforts to reach their goals.”

    USDA’s support for agricultural and waste-to-energy research has played a key role in the agreement’s success to date. USDA will continue to work on enhancing the application and approval process for Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) programs, to make the process more efficient and tailored for producer convenience. USDA will also continue to examine ways to expand the award of conservation grants for sustainability initiatives by producers, cooperatives, non-governmental organizations and state and local governments.

    The Innovation Center agrees to work with its member companies to partner with USDA in communicating and educating producers on the value of sustainable practices while encouraging them to take advantage of conservation program opportunities.

    “Over the years, we have pursued creative and common-sense ways to work together that have allowed us to develop research, technologies, and on-the-ground practices that move us closer to our collective goals,” said Barb O’Brien, president of the Innovation Center. “The Innovation Center is proud of the synergy that has resulted from our collaboration with USDA, and we have no question that this public/private partnership works in the best interest of farmers, our dairy community and, most importantly, consumers of dairy who trust us to produce nutritious products they can feel good about feeding to their families.”

    USDA’s national and locally-based teams of subject matter experts and portfolio of programs help improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers, and the quality of life in rural America.

    “This MOU allows the dairy industry to continue to build on all of the good work we have done for years with USDA,” Rovey said. “It allows our industry to have a voice and work within a structure where we can continue making progress toward our shared goals and priorities. We are thankful to have USDA at the table with us.”

    Previous and current collaborations have resulted in research, resources and a variety of programs that have advanced sustainability within the dairy community, including anaerobic digesters on farms, food waste reduction and the development of nutrient recovery technologies through NRCS and dairy’s Newtrient company.  Additionally, the Farm Smart Project led to the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Environmental Stewardship module. This voluntary tool empowers farmers to identify opportunities for sustainability improvements on their farm as detailed within the FARM program. Ninety-eight percent of the U.S. milk supply participates in FARM.

    Note – CDFA’s Dairy Digester Research and Development Program is also working for enhanced environmental sustainability on dairies.

  • Tricolored Blackbird Update

    Modesto, Calif., (February 21, 2018) – As I write this on February 14, Valentine’s Day, love is in the air. The Tricolored Blackbirds are also in an amorous mood getting together with their mates and looking for a place to build a nest. In a natural setting 200 years ago they would be looking for a wetland with cattails to weave their nests above the water. However, today fields of wheat and Triticale are more common and just as acceptable to the Tricolored Blackbird.

    The Tricolor continues to be a candidate for listing under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) and as such is a protected species. It is unlawful to kill a protected species. After a considerable time as a candidate, it looks like the Tricolor will get its hearing in front of the California Fish and Game Commission as early as this April. The Commission will decide whether to list the Tricolored Blackbird as threaten or endangered under CESA. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has written a status review of the Tricolored Blackbird and in that status review the Department makes a recommendation that the Commission list the species as threatened. Having farmers work proactively to protect the bird helps make a case that the species does not have to be listed as efforts have been undertaken that will protect this species. Western United Dairymen has been engaged on this issue since I have been here and will continue to advocate for our members at the upcoming hearing.

    One of those efforts is a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) grant from USDA- NRCS that Western United Dairymen partnered on with California Farm Bureau, Dairy Cares, Sustainable Conservation, and Audubon of California to help compensate farmers who decide to delay harvest due to nesting Tricolors. The grant would make payments for the lost feed value from the area where the birds nest in a field. Additional information about this funding is available at your local NRCS office or you can contact me at the WUD office.

    Farm Bureau, working with the groups mentioned above, has once again worked to develop protections for farmers who delay harvest and follow the advice of a qualified biologist in allowing for an area to not be harvested until the birds have fledged. Farmers that follow that advice, and inform the Department of Fish and Wildlife, are eligible for that protection. This is important because penalties for harming the birds can be significant and are best to be avoided.

    The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and other volunteers will be out once again looking for areas where the birds might be nesting. If you have any questions on this issue please give me a call at the WUD office. If you believe you might have Tricolors nesting your forage fields, you should contact NRCS to have their biologist provide a confidential assessment.

     

  • Efficient Technique Discovered for Isolating Embryonic Stem Cells in Cows

    Davis, Calif., (February 16, 2018) – For more than 35 years, scientists have tried to isolate embryonic stem cells in cows without much success. Under the right conditions, embryonic stem cells can grow indefinitely and make any other cell type or tissue, which has huge implications for creating genetically superior cows.

    A cow blastocyst with the Inner Cell Mass, which is the precursor of embryonic stem cells, stained red. (Pablo Ross / UC Davis)

    In a study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists at the University of California, Davis, were able to develop a new culture system that allows them to efficiently derive stem cells on almost every single attempt.

    Producing embryonic stem cells from large livestock species like cattle is important for genetic testing, genome engineering and studying human disease. The cells may offer a better model for human stem cell therapies. Mice and rats are sometimes too small to demonstrate whether certain therapies will work on humans.

    Breeding a better cow, faster

    If researchers can generate gametes, or sperm and eggs cells, from the stem cell lines, the ramifications are profound. Such “in vitro” breeding could decrease the amount of time it takes to produce genetically superior cattle.

    “That could revolutionize the way we do genetics by orders of magnitude,” said study author Pablo Ross, an associate professor in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis’ College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

    In just a few years, scientists could speed up the process of improving generations by decades. “In two and a half years, you could have a cow that would have taken you about 25 years to achieve. It will be like the cow of the future. It’s why we’re so excited about this,” said Ross.

    A colony of cow embryonic stem cells. (Pablo Ross / UC Davis)

    The cow of the future could have more muscle, produce more milk, emit less methane, or more easily adapt to a warmer climate.

    Ross envisions the findings helping the cattle industry become more sustainable. “Animals that are more efficient and have improved welfare, that may have more disease resistance is better for everyone,” said Ross.

    Additional co-authors include Yanina Soledada Bogliotti, Marcela Vilarino, Delia Alba Soto, Rafael Vilar Sampaio with the UC Davis Department of Animal Science; Jun Wu, with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Daiji Okamura with Kindai University; Cuiqing Zhong, Masahiro Sakurai, Keiichiro Suzuki and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

    The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

  • California Dairy Digital Magazine: February 2018 Issue

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    The December issue of California Dairy Magazine is now available to read online! Read the latest California Dairy & Feed industry news and technology.  Here’s a peek of what’s inside:

    • AI Breeding & Consulting with 3 Parreiras
    • Dairy Producers Plea for Emergency Price Increase
    • USDA Delays California Milk Marketing Order
    • Federal Budget Deal Supports Dairy Insurance
    • Controlling Alfalfa Weevils with Pyrethroid Resistance

    Click Here to view it on Californiadarymagazine.com

  • CA FMMO Decision – Don’t Hold Your Breath

    Modesto, Calif., (February 13, 2018) – The final decision for a California Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) was expected sometime before the end of 2017. At least that appeared to be a reasonable timeline for the agency in charge of working on the extensive document since releasing its draft in February 2017. Then the holidays have come and gone with complete radio silence from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Rumors of “any day now” peppered the first few weeks of 2018 in coffee shops throughout the state. Government may not have a reputation for speed, but this seemed to be pushing the limits. Then this week, the Federal Register published an announcement from USDA regarding the timing of the release of the final decision, clarifying why we have not seen a final decision yet. It turns out, it has nothing to do with USDA staff’s typing speed but instead a completely separate court case (Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission).

    You may wonder what that has to do with milk, and the answer is nothing. It has to do, however, with administrative law judges (ALJ). If you participated in the 2015 California hearing proceeding in Clovis, you may remember Judge Clifton who presided over the process. Judge Clifton was an ALJ. In short, there is ambiguity around ALJs and if they should be nominated or simply appointed. According to USDA’s release “at the time of the hearing, USDA believed ALJ Clifton to be an employee of the Department and her appointment was completed in accordance with agency procedures, however, if the Court determines that ALJs are inferior officers of the United States rather than employees, then ALJ Clifton’s original appointment as an ALJ would be brought into question”.

    Early in January, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. USDA will be delaying the final decision for a California FMMO until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the challenge to the use of ALJs throughout the federal government agencies. The timeline for a Supreme Court decision is determined by the scheduled adjournment date of the court’s term which is at the end of June each year. The court generally releases decisions in a number of cases just as the term is ending. WUD will be contacting Secretary Perdue to urge USDA to release the final decision before the Supreme Court issues its ruling.

    By Annie AcMoody, Director of economic analysis

  • Flooding Alfalfa Fields Has High Potential For Groundwater Recharge

    Sacramento, Calif., (January 23, 2018) – A rigorous field study in two California climate zones has found that alfalfa can tolerate very heavy winter flooding for groundwater recharge. The research was published online Jan. 16 in California Agriculture journal.

    Flooding an alfalfa field for groundwater recharge. (Photo: Andrew Brown)

    The alfalfa research is the latest in a series of projects studying the effects of using land planted with permanent crops – including almond orchards and vineyards – to capture and bank winter storm water. Such projects have great promise but also require collaboration across multiple jurisdictions and agencies. UC Agriculture and Natural Resources vice president Glenda Humiston has made groundwater recharge on working lands and open spaces a division priority and is working with water and land use leaders around the state to facilitate it through policy recommendations and cross-agency collaboration.

    Groundwater is a critical water reserve in California, particularly during droughts when surface water supplies are low. Water slowly filled California’s aquifers over tens of thousands of years. Beginning in the early 20th century and continuing in the present day, groundwater has been consistently withdrawn at a higher rate that it can be replenished naturally. In 2014, the California Legislature enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which requires all critically overdrafted groundwater basins to have a groundwater sustainability plan in place by 2020.

    Flooding agricultural land during the winter, when surplus surface water is often available, is one promising strategy for replenishing overdrafted aquifers.

    View a four-minute video about on-farm flooding for groundwater recharge on the UCTV Sustainable California channel. In the video, Professor Helen Dahlke discusses the work she and her fellow UC Davis researchers, UC Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists, and California farmers are undertaking to test the impacts of irrigating almond orchards in the winter to recharge groundwater.

    For the alfalfa flooding research, UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension scientists flooded two established alfalfa stands, one near Davis and one in the Scott Valley, Siskiyou County, during the winters of 2015 and 2016. The sites were selected because the soils in those areas have relatively high water percolation rates.

    Integrated hydrologic science professor Helen Dahlke in an almond orchard being flooded for groundwater recharge.

    “We found that most of the applied water percolated to the groundwater table,” wrote lead author Helen Dahlke, integrated hydrologic science professor at UC Davis.

    The alfalfa endured saturated conditions in the root zone for a short time, but the yield loss was minimal.

    Dahlke and her co-authors – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service soil scientist Andrew Brown, and UC Cooperative Extension specialists Dan Putnam and Toby O’Geen and the late UCCE advisor Steve Orloff  – noted that the positive results of the alfalfa trial show tremendous potential for the state’s groundwater basins. Using an index created by O’Geen that identifies the locations of California soils suitable for on-farm groundwater recharge, the scientists calculated the potential groundwater recharge. If all the suitable alfalfa acreage were flooded with six feet of winter water, and assuming 90 percent percolates past the root zone, it would be possible to bank 1.6 million ac-ft. of groundwater per year.

    “For reference, the Oroville reservoir, second largest in the state, has a storage capacity of 3.5 million ac-ft.,” Dahlke wrote.

    Leigh Bernacchi, program coordinator of UC Water at UC Merced, interviewed Helen Dahlke to get more details on groundwater recharge strategies for California. Read the Q&A on the UC Water Center website.

    Author: Aubrey Thompson

  • California Dairy Digital Magazine: January 2018 Issue

    [redirect url=’http://www.californiadairymagazine.com/read/’ sec=’0′]

    The December issue of California Dairy Magazine is now available to read online! Read the latest California Dairy & Feed industry news and technology.  Here’s a peek of what’s inside:

    • Staying Ahead of the Curve with Albert Straus
    • Large Dairies Can & Do Produce Quality Milk
    • Environmental & Economic Situation for CA Dairies
    • Iron (Fe) Deficiencies Can Cause Chlorosis
    • Quota Implementation Plan Passes
    • California Dairyvations
    • Udder Things

    Click Here to view it on Californiadarymagazine.com

  • Tunzi Family: 119 Years of Farming in Roblar

    Santa Rosa, Calif., (January 18, 2018) – Six generations of the Tunzi family have grown up in Southern Sonoma County. Many of the six generations have two things in common: raising cattle and attending the small Dunham School in Roblar. The Tunzi family immigrated to America from Switzerland in 1882. Natale Tunzi, grandfather of the current family patriarch Jim, first lived in Lakeville before moving to Two Rock, and met his wife Isolena in Petaluma.

    Six generations of the Tunzi family have grown up in Southern Sonoma County. Many of the six generations have two things in common: raising cattle and attending the small Dunham School in Roblar. The Tunzi family immigrated to America from Switzerland in 1882.

    Natale and Isolena had three children and purchased a ranch in Roblar in 1898. They bought the ranch from a local doctor who owned a lot of property in the area. They built the first house on the property, which the family still lives in today, in 1906 and built their original barn around the same time.

    The Tunzi family had a small dairy and milked around 60 cows by hand. At the height of the family’s dairy, they had around 100 head of cattle. They built a grade A barn in 1937 and were one of the first families to have a milking machine in the county. At the time it was built, the barn had state of the art facilities.

    Before building this barn, the family packed the milk 100 feet to a separate room to separate the milk from the cream. They sold the cream to the Petaluma Coop Creamery in cans. The leftover milk was mixed with kale the family planted and used to feed their chickens.

    The family had a lot of chickens at the same time they were raising dairy cattle. They had multiple chicken and brooder houses as well as their own hatchery as part of their operation. The family said they made more money on eggs than milk at that time.

    In addition to raising cattle and chickens, the family grew hay on 110 acres in Roblar as well as at Hamilton Air Force Base during World War II. The family recalls hearing stories of cutting hay while bombers were taking off and landing at the base.

    The family raised dairy cattle and utilized their grade A barn until the late 50’s when they retired from the dairy business. Jim said milking cows was a seven day a week job and joked that the family decided they liked to deer hunt and didn’t want to be tied down. They bought a ranch in Geyserville, phased out milking and began raising beef cattle. Jim and his brother were not farming full time and were partners in their excavating business for 40 years.

    Today, the Tunzi family is still raising cattle on the same ranch in Roblar. The family has 342 acres split into three parcels, although the ranch was more than 500 at one point. Jim lived on the ranch with his wife Joan, who keeps track of their family history. They own their cattle in conjunction with Fred, a member of the fourth generation who didn’t grow up on the ranch but later became involved with the cattle.

    Over the years, the family has raised multiple different breeds of cattle including Herefords, Simmental, Brangus, Charolais and currently have Angus. They peaked at 100 head of beef cattle, but now have about 80 cattle on the property.

    Ten of these are Limousin cattle part of a small herd Robby, Jim’s grandson, is raising. Robby said his herd started when his uncle gave him a heifer when he was five. At the time, he was in kindergarten and from that bottle calf he raised, bred and built his herd off of. He bought a few head along the way and showed them at the fair which helped pay for college.
    With his cattle project, Robby won the carcass contest one year at the fair, an accomplishment he views as a better achievement than winning the show. He was also the recipient of the Farm Bureau Foundation of Sonoma County’s Gold Cup his last year showing.

    Robby is currently attending Oklahoma State University, majoring in Ag Business and Economics. After graduation, he has plans to come back to Sonoma County and keep the ranch going. While he doesn’t think the ranch is large enough to build a career on, he knows it will definitely be a part of his life going forward.
    Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the author and Sonoma County Farm Bureau when reprinting this item.

  • CDFA Announces Funding For Dairy Digester Development Program

    Sacramento, Calif., (December 20, 2017) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting applications for the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP). The program, which is funded through California Climate Investment dollars, provides financial assistance for the installation of dairy digesters in California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    “Reducing methane emissions is a critical component in the state’s efforts to combat climate change,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Digester technology is an excellent example of how state and private partnerships can protect the environment, reduce emissions all while also providing an economic benefit for our dairy producers.”

    CDFA will allocate between $61-$75 million for potential projects. The final sum will depend on the needs of successful grant applicants. Additional funds have been allocated to support non-digester practices that reduce methane emissions from dairy and livestock operations through the Alternative Manure Management Program(AMMP). Milk producers and dairy digester developers can apply for up to $3 million for projects that provide quantifiable greenhouse gas reductions.

    Prospective applicants can access the “Request for Grant Applications” at www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/DD  for information on eligibility and program requirements.

    To streamline the application process, CDFA is partnering with the State Water Resources Control Board, which hosts the Financial Assistance Application Submittal Tool (FAAST). All prospective applicants must register for a FAAST account at https://faast.waterboards.ca.gov. Applications and all supporting information must be submitted electronically using FAAST by Friday, January 26, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. PST.

    CDFA will hold two free workshops and one webinar to provide information on program requirements and the FAAST application process. CDFA staff will be present at the workshop to provide guidance on the application process, provide application examples and answer any questions. Individuals planning to attend should emailgrants@cdfa.ca.gov with their contact information, number of seats required and the workshop location.

    Workshop locations include:

    • Modesto – Wednesday, January 3, 2018,
      1:00 – 3:00 pm
      Stanislaus County Agricultural Commissioner Office, Room HI,
      3800 Cornucopia Way
      Modesto, CA 95358
    • Tulare – Thursday, January 4, 2018
      1:00 – 3:00 pm
      Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner Office Conference Room
      Agricultural Building
      4437 S Laspina Street
      Tulare, CA 93274
    • Webinar – Monday, January 8, 2018
      10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
      To register for the webinar, please visit the program webpage at cdfa.ca.gov/go/DD.

    Prospective applicants should refer to the DDRDP webpage (www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/DD ) for information on community outreach assistance coordinated by CDFA. For general program questions, contact CDFA’s Grants Office at grants@cdfa.ca.gov.