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Milk intake higher than 2016
According to figures recently supplied by Milk SA, the total milk intake during the first nine months of 2017 is estimated at 2 231 million litres, up 1,8% on the same period last year. In September 2017 an estimated 304 million litres of milk was delivered to dairies, 6,2% more than in September 2016. This increase is attributed to lower grain prices, fewer incidents of disease and a tendency among seasonal producers towards earlier calvings. Monthly production will probably peak earlier than usual. |
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History made at Agri-Expo Livestock
More than 200 head of cattle of outstanding quality from 11 different beef cattle breeds and three dairy breeds participated in the Agri Expo Livestock which was held at Sandringham outside Stellenbosch last week. Johan Ehlers, CEO of Agri-Expo said the Livestock has established itself as the most prestigious cattle expo in South Africa hosting the biggest dairy and beef cattle interbreed championships of its kind.
Andrew Masterson, well-known cattle breeder from the Eastern Cape, made history by winning both the Dairy and the Beef Interbreed Championships at this year’s Livestock on Saturday 14 October. Masterson’s Holstein cow Milagro Sexie 13140 was crowned as the FNB Dairy Queen and his Black Angus cow Milagro Power 1324 as the BKB Beef Queen.
Masterson, from Milagro Farm outside Oyster Bay in the Eastern Cape and chairperson of the Angus Cattle Breeders’ Association of South Africa, says winning both championships is a huge honour especially as the standard is very high at Livestock. “This year’s Livestock is the best exposure I have ever received at a show in South Africa – I have never seen as many people at a cattle show as on Saturday. Livestock offers us an excellent marketing opportunity to show our best animals, firstly to the public and secondly to potential buyers,” says Masterson. Press release.
Andrew Masterson, the first winner ever of both the Dairy as well as the Beef Interbreed Championships at Agri-Expo Livestock, with his Holstein cow Milagro Sexie 13140, crowned as the FNB Dairy Queen. |
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Pupils learn about milk at Agri Expo Livestock
 More than 2 800 primary and high school pupils from schools in the area visited the MPO tent at Agri Expo on 12 and 13 October as part of the MPO’s School Milk programme. Each of the pupils received learning material developed by Milk SA’s Consumer Education Programme (CEP), which illustrates the story of milk from the farm to the fridge. Maretha Vermaak, dietitian at Milk SA’s CEP, educated learners about the nutritional and health benefits of milk and other dairy products and handed teachers’ guides and From the farm to the fridge posters to the teachers present. Pupils each received a 250 ml portion of flavoured milk generously sponsored by Oakland Dairies.
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| Klein Karoo farmers hit hard by drought
Klein Karoo dairy farmer Hannes Nel spoke about the effect of the drought on farmers in the region and the value of attending informative MPO events in an interview on RSG Landbou. To listen to this interesting interview, click HERE. |
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| Please support the MPO’s statutory survey
The MPO administers a statutory measure in terms of the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act (47 of 1996), which requires milk producers to register with the MPO and provide records and returns to the organisation. Questionnaires requesting information on milk product and cow numbers were sent out to all milk producers registered with the MPO last week and are being followed up by telephone. Producers are requested to complete the questionnaires and return them to the MPO by email as soon as possible.
The information is needed as it will enable the MPO to provide milk producers with updated and accurate statistics on the primary dairy industry. For further information contact Dr Koos Coetzee at 012 843 5600 or send an email to koos@mpo.co.za. |
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Danone publishes strong sales figures
Danone’s sales increased by 4,7% in the third quarter, beating forecasts and boosting the French food company’s shares to a record high. The main driver of increased sales is its fast-growing, specialised nutrition business in China. Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber said: “This reflects the strength of our portfolio of cohesive consumer health-focused brands and a solid execution against our strategy, with a step-up in innovation and activation plans. The increase in like-for-like sales has been underpinned by the allocation of additional resources to serve rising demand in specialised nutrition, especially in China.”
Chinese consumers are extremely quality conscious and the demand for imported infant milk formula continues to grow. Profit margins in this market are high and Danone is facing competition from Nestlé and Reckitt Benckiser. To read more, click HERE.
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| Fonterra’s food-service business booming
Anchor Food Professionals, Fonterra’s foodservice business has become New Zealand’s sixth biggest export business. Lucas Paravacini, Fonterra chief operating officer: consumer and foodservice said that US consumers spend more than 50% of food and beverage spend on eating out and the market in China grew by 30% over the past five years. Paravacini said: “We have taken advantage of this eating out trend and currently Anchor Food Professionals is growing around 10 times faster than the global total food-service market. The gross margin from food services is twice or thrice as big as what we can earn from products consisting of basic ingredients.” To read more, click HERE.
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| Tips for storing colostrum
Maintaining colostrum quality should be one of the major priorities on a dairy farm. The quantity of colostrum a calf receives does not matter if the quality of the colostrum is low. To ensure that you are storing and handling colostrum properly, follow these guidelines: Don’t pool raw colostrum, feed or refrigerate colostrum within one hour of collection, do not keep colostrum in the fridge for longer than one week, keep frozen colostrum for six months or less and thaw frozen colostrum with warm water or a microwave. To read more,HERE. |
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Schedule your dairy farm training now
Helene Pheiffer, training manager at the MPO, urges milk producers to schedule their dairy farm training as soon as possible. The Institute for Dairy Technology is continuously updating its schedule of training programmes for 2017. Their courses, some of which form part of Milk SA projects, are aimed at dairy farm workers and supervisors. Click HERE for details of the training programmes offered. Please contact Chantel Joubert at 012 843 5747 or send an e-mail to chantel@mpo.co.za or Jas Wasserman at 082 490 2465 or send an e-mail to jas@mpo.co.za for assistance and/or to book a five-day course. |
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Dairy management courses in October and November
A pasture management course will be presented at Orange Grove Dairy, Dundee and the Cedara Agricultural College in Howick from 30 October to 3 November 2017. The course will deal with pastures and farm planning, feed flow and pasture management, as well as the nutritional value and health risks of pastures.
Call Chantel Joubert at 012 843 5747 or contact her at chantel@mpo.co.za and Jas Wasserman at 012 843 5743 or contact her at jas@mpo.co.za for enquiries and registration for attending these courses.
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MPO helps with occupational health and safety issues
The MPO’s Institute for Dairy Technology offers a five-day training course on the occupational health and safety code of best practice for dairy farmers. The course is practical and equips participants with the knowledge they need to comply with the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Training is conducted on-farm in the language of preference. Dairy farmers who need assistance in complying with the Department of Labour’s health and safety requirements on their farms are encouraged to contact the Institute to schedule a training programme. The Institute is currently scheduling its training programmes for 2017. Click HERE for details of all the training programmes offered. Please contact Chantel Joubert at 012 843 5747 or send an e-mail to chantel@mpo.co.za or Jas Wasserman at 082 490 2465 or send an e-mail to jas@mpo.co.za for assistance and/or to book a five-day course.
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What was total SA milk supply in August?
Do you know how much milk was supplied in South Africa in August 2017? Put your knowledge to the test and stand a chance to win. A winner will be announced every month and there are several prizes to be won. After 12 draws, a national winner will be announced at the MPO’s 2018 gala dinner. Click HERE for more information and instructions on how to enter. |
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Virtual farm brain for smarter decisions
Dairy farms generate massive amounts of data every day – too much for a dairy farmer to analyse alone. But a new app being developed at the Department of Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, called the Virtual Dairy Farm Brain, aims to collate all that data in real time and then use artificial intelligence to analyse it to help the farmer make better decisions. To read more about this exciting new app, turn to page 104 of the October issue of The Dairy Mail. To read the digital copy of TDM, go towww.agriconnect.co.za.
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Why farmers need to attend the WDS 2017
“Making a Difference with Dairy” is the theme of the World Dairy Summit (WDS) 2017 to be held in Belfast, Ireland from 29 October to 3 November 2017. WDS 2017 will give dairy farmers a good overview of the role dairy plays in feeding the world and the opportunity to share experiences and ideas with their counterparts from all over the world. From the opening symposium with presentations from leaders of international dairy companies to sessions on the marketing of dairy, nutrition, animal health and welfare, developing dairy leaders, breeding and managing future dairy herds, and all of the people needed to make the business work, it will be worthwhile for farmers to attend.
The technical tours offered at the end of the week provide an ideal opportunity to network and see all of the technical developments taking place in Northern Ireland.
The IDF states: “The dairy market is global these days and the IDF World Dairy Summit is the best chance there is to understand what the future holds for those farmers that plan to be growing their businesses and feeding the world over the next 50 years.” To read more, click HERE.
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