California dairy cows dying of bird fl

 

Hundreds of dairy cows are dying of highly-pathogenic avian influenza, reversing early observations that is mild in cattle, although deadly to poultry flocks.

In the state’s Central Valley, extreme heat has exacerbated health issues in cows suffering from the virus, which causes fever, slowed milk production and other symptoms, said Anja Raudabaugh, chief executive officer of  CEO of Western United Dairies, which represents almost 90 per cent of the state’s dairy farms.

Farms that might normally lose one or two cows per month have had hundreds die, Raudabaugh said.

Farmers contract with rendering companies to pick up dead cows, buy they’re having trouble keeping up, so some are rotting in the sun, he said.

Temperatures in the southern Central Valley, home to many dairies, have exceeded 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) six times so far in October, according to the National Weather Service.

Baker Commodities, a California rendering company, has seen an increase in dead dairy cows due to the heat and bird flu, said spokesperson Jimmy Andreoli II.

Joey Airoso, a Tulare County dairy farmer, said he is surrounded by dairies that have been hit with bird flu infections.

“The way its been traveling around here, I feel like almost everybody will probably get it,” he said.

The dead cows are a threat to spread the flu, particularly via carrion-eating birds such as vultures.

Some temps get mental health assistance

 

Some temporary foreign workers will gain access to mental health support because the federal and Ontario governments are giving nearly $1.8 million to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

It will provide funding first to its chapter in Windsor-Essex and then expand to Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk.

The program will provide referrals to free local services,

including recreational activities, primary care, counselling, support groups, in-person workshops, etc.

The services will be provided in Spanish, Tagalog, French and English.

Wasted milk critiqued

“Systemic inefficiencies” in Canada’s supply management system have led to billions of litres of milk going to waste since 2012, according to a new study published in the journal Ecological Economics.

It put the total at between 6.8 billion and 10 billion litres, about seven per cent of total production.

The study was one by researchers based in Denmark, Michigan and Halifax’s Dalhousie University. 

They put the value at $14.9 billion and said the milk could have fed 4.2 million Canadians, or about 11 per cent of the population.

The surplus milk contributed to “significant” land and water resource waste, and about 8.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Dairy Farmers of Canada questioned the accuracy of the findings.

“The authors of the study acknowledge that much of their conclusions are drawn from ‘estimates’ rather than a robust data set,” said chief executive officer Jacques Lefebvre.

The study’s research team said the supply management managers should charge penalties for over production and increase transparency about milk production, including reports on surplus production and waste.

They said dairy quotas should better fit with market demand and consumer preferences.

Lefebvre said “milk disposal is not a unique issue to Canda, Milk is disposed only as a last resort after exploring all other alternatives. This is done in accordance with regulations and the costs are borne by the dairy farmers,” he wrote in an e-mail to CTV news.

American shoppers shift to cheaper chicken

Pricing is resulting in more chicken sales, reports CoBank in its review of the U.S. meat industry which it said remains strong.

Chicken consumption is on pace to rise 1.5 pounds this year.

In pork, hog production margins are improving on lower feed costs, with CoBank citing Iowa State University’s projection that farrow-to-finish operators posted their fifth consecutive month of positive margins in August.

However, CoBank said expansion in production is unlikely as all costs but feed are still high. As a result, pork prices should hold steady through the rest of the year, it said.

Global pork demand is so strong that the U.S. will likely overtake Europe as the leader in pork exports this year, CoBank predicted.

Rising beef prices didn’t slow demand in the grilling season and retail prices continued to climb through August, exceeding $8.60 ($11.83 Cdn) per pound.

There were ample retail hamburger promotions, the report said.

The composition of beef coming to market in 2024 has been derived more from fed cattle, with more steers entering the feedlot than last year. 

Falling feed prices, a changing mix of cattle and tighter availability is contributing to higher cattle weights, CoBank said.

 

Matt McIntosh wins top international award

 

Matt McIntosh, a farmer and writer from Southwestern Ontario has won Agricultural Journalist of the Year from the International 

Federation of Agricultural Journalists.

His winning article about how greenhouses pollute Lake Erie water was published in the Narwhal magazine.

McIntosh writes for a number of different agriculture publications and has a website as the Rural Philosopher.

Huffman elected treasurer of NAMI

Randy Huffman of Maple Leaf Foods has been elected treasurer of the North American Meat Institute.

He is chief Food Safety and Sustainability Officer for Maple Leaf Foods.

The institute’s members are all of the major meat packers in Canada and the United States.

James Snee of Hormel Foods was elected president and Peter Bozzo of Michael’s Finer Meats and Seafood vice-chairman.

Alberta plant cuts milk transport costs

 

Dairy Innovation West plans to open a $75-million plant by spring that will remove water from milk and thereby cut milk transportation costs in half.

The plant will use reverse osmosis and ultra-high filtration to process milk. The water-reduced milk will then be sent to industrial milk processing plants to make cheese, butter and yogourt.

The province’s milk-hauling fleet will be cut in half and farmers will save about $15 per year on transportation costs.