NDB Scholarship Award Winners Announced

Published on Fri, 11/18/2016 - 10:35am

 

The dairy checkoff has awarded 13 academic scholarships to students enrolled in programs that emphasize dairy and who have shown potential to become future dairy leaders.

The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB), through Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff, annually awards $2,500 scholarships to each student. In addition, the NDB awards a $3,500 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship to one outstanding scholarship recipient.

Eligible majors include journalism, communications/public relations, marketing, business, economics, nutrition, food science or agriculture education. Scholarship criteria include academic achievement, a career interest in a dairy-related discipline, along with demonstrated leadership, initiative and integrity.

Laura Jensen from the University of Minnesota is this year’s winner of the James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship. Students earning $2,500 scholarships are:

Lauren Chirnside (University of Wisconsin), Morgan Goche (South Dakota State), Simon Itle (Penn State), Kristin Mohr (South Dakota State), Shayna Popkes (South Dakota State), Mariah Schmitt (Iowa State), Audrey Schmitz (Kansas State), Lauren Sipple (University of Wisconsin), Gabriella Sorg (University of Minnesota), Audrey Souza (South Dakota State), Maggie Stiles (South Dakota State) and Jacob Weg (South Dakota State).

 

Quick Tips for Dry Cow Therapy

Dry cow therapy is designed to treat subclinical infections over the dry period to give cows a fresh start in the next lactation. It can also be used to prevent new infections around dry-off.
Dr. Linda Tikofsky, Professional Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI), offers five quick tips to ensure your dry cow therapy program is effective:
Tip #1: Choose a Gram-positive tube When it comes to dry cow mastitis, nearly 95 percent of cases are caused by Gram-positive pathogens, so make sure you’re choosing a tube that targets these pathogens.
Tip #2: Keep it clean Be sure to follow your dry-off protocol to ensure you don’t introduce an infection during the process. Milk out the cow, dip the teat, wipe the teat, scrub teat ends with an alcohol-moistened swab or gauze, infuse teat end, then dip the teat again. If using an internal teat sealant, sanitize the teat end again with the alcohol swab prior to infusion.
Tip #3: Train staff to use partial insertion Inserting the tip just a short way up the teat canal reduces the chance of introducing a new infection. BIVI offers mastitis tubes with a flexible tip and guide to ensure partial insertion.
Tip #4: Move cows to clean, dry area House dry-off cows in a clean, dry, comfortable area to reduce any bacterial challenge toward the teat end.
Tip #5: Sanitize between cows Wear gloves and sanitize in between cows to reduce the chance of introducing an environmental or contagious bacterial infection.

 

Relive Golden Expo Moments from Anywhere

It was a golden atmosphere as World Dairy Expo® celebrated its 50th Anniversary, October 4 through 8 in Madison, Wis. This record-breaking year is due to the world-class events that took place, from the Dairy Cattle and Trade Shows, to Virtual Farm Tours and Expo Seminars.
Throughout the five-day event, eight Virtual Farm Tours were presented from across the country, enhancing the Expo experience for attendees. The tours included farms with value-added products, strong commitments to family and the environment, plans for expansions and more. Complete recordings of the 2016 Virtual Farm Tours are available at worlddairyexpo.com, or on the World Dairy Expo YouTube channel, providing a valuable resource for producers at any time. 
Along with the farm tours, Expo Seminars were a key feature at the show. Top researchers and experts came to WDE to aid farmers in expanding their knowledge on topics, ranging from nutrition to the new veterinary feed directive, and farm labor to managing low milk prices. The 2016 Expo Seminars are online as well at the World Dairy Expo website and YouTube channel.
In addition to these online resources, Expo is pleased to share photo and video coverage from the show on its website and social media pages allowing fans to continue to relive the glory and splendor of WDE. The World Dairy Expo YouTube channel includes every Dairy Cattle Show class presented on the colored shavings. Worlddairyexpo.com features digital copies of Expo Daily Edition, published by Dairy Star, highlighting the stories of exhibitors, volunteers and attendees, alike, the Official Program, published by Dairy Herd Management - filled with judge biographies, featured stories and more - and photo galleries.  
For five decades, the global dairy industry has been meeting in Madison, Wis. for World Dairy Expo. Crowds of nearly 75,000 people from more than 100 countries attended the annual event in 2016. WDE will return Oct. 3-7, 2017 as attendees and exhibitors are encouraged to “Discover New Dairy Worlds.” Visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@WDExpo or #WDE17) for more information. 

PDPF Makes Grant Funds Available
Professional Dairy Producers Foundation (PDPF) seeks to fund innovative programs that help build dairy producer professionalism, a proactive and prepared dairy community and public trust in how dairy products are produced. Grant applications are due December 1, 2016. Organizations may apply for grants of up to $5,000. For grant criteria and an application package, visit www.dairyfoundation.org
Examples of projects that have previously been funded include:
WiCAER Watershed Education and Information Programs
Farmer-led watershed initiatives facilitate voluntary practices that protect and enhance water quality.  WiCAER works with Yahara Pride Farms, Farmers of Barron County Watershed, Peninsula Pride Farms and Buffalo Trempealeau Farmer Network. Our grant helped engage farmers in projects by offering producer education and training as well as cost-sharing for practices they want farmers to implement.

PDPW Cornerstone Dairy AcademyTM
Is an educational track that focuses on communication and leadership skills.  Cornerstone is especially effective for those with strong technical skills, who want to pair that knowledge with the communication skills needed for advancement and leadership in the dairy industry.

Young Guernsey Leaders
Leaders in the American Guernsey Association created this program to involve young people in leadership opportunities within their organization. The program enhances leadership skills and builds mentor-internship relationships that will strengthen the dairy community long-term.

Dairy Worker Training Videos
With grant funds from the Foundation two training videos were created in English and Spanish to be used on dairy farms for training purposes. The videos support dairy producers and dairy farm workers, and meet an industry-wide need for quality training for new and existing employees.

The Professional Dairy Producers Foundation was established to raise funds and award grants for educational programs that benefits the dairy community. The Foundation is a 501(c) (3) entity. For information on programs funded and ways to donate, visit www.dairyfoundation.org

Adisseo Appoints New Ruminant Technical Manager
Dr. David Atwell has joined U.S.A. Inc. as Ruminant Technical Manager for the upper Midwest and Western United States. He will be responsible for providing technical support and development for Adisseo’s methionine products, Smartamine M and MetaSmart.
Atwell holds a Ph.D. in Dairy Nutrition from the University of Illinois, where his research focused on improving the digestibility of cereal straws for ruminants. He has extensive experience in the dairy nutrition business, providing technical support and training. He is well versed in the practice of AA formulation key to maximizing the value of ruminant methionine to the producer. Atwell is a published researcher in multiple mainstream and peer-reviewed publications.
Adisseo is one of the world's leading experts in feed additives. The group relies on its 7 research and technology centers and its production sites based in Europe and China to design, produce and market nutritional solutions for sustainable animal feed.  For more information, visit www.adisseo.com.

Canale Honored as Penn State’s 2016 Distinguished Alumnus

Dr. Chris Canale, U.S. Technology Deployment Manager, Cargill, has been named the 2016 Dairy Science Distinguished Alumnus by Penn State’s Department of Animal Science, and will be honored at a departmental ceremony on Friday, November 11 at University Park.
He earned his Ph.D. in animal nutrition from Penn State in 1989, after receiving his M.S. from the University of Maine in 1984 and his B.S. from Cornell University in 1981. After serving as a post-doctorate research associate at the USDA Research Center in Beltsville, MD, he joined Agway, Inc. as manager of dairy nutrition, later serving as vice president of nutrition.
Canale began his work in Cargill in 2004, where he directs training, technology deployment, and product development within the US.  His research responsibilities include model development, experimental design, diet review, and data interpretation and transfer. 
Dr. Terry Etherton, Head of the Department of Animal Science, said, “We are delighted to recognize Chris for the outstanding contributions he makes to the dairy industry, and look forward to welcoming him to campus. A very strong Penn State supporter, he is truly a credit to our Department and the University, always exhibiting a positive outlook as he shares his expertise to wide and diverse audiences.”

KAJKOWSKI NAMED VP OF FINANCE FOR UNITED DAIRYMEN OF IDAHO

Jason Kajkowski has joined United Dairymen of Idaho as its vice president of finance. He will play a vital role as a strategic steward of Idaho's dairy check-off dollars.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jason to our team after an exhaustive search and interview process," United Dairymen of Idaho CEO Karianne Fallow said. "He comes to us from Micron with 15 years of experience in the internal audit and finance departments of one of Idaho's leading companies, which will be advantageous to Idaho's dairy promotion organization as we seek to meet demand in an evolving world."

Kajkowski served in a variety of roles at Micron Technology -- most recently as a senior manager and capital investments controller -- before joining United Dairymen of Idaho. Micron hired him in 2001 as a SAP training developer and editor, Kajkowski began working as an internal auditor in 2002 and was promoted to audit manager in 2004, and he was named capital investments controller in 2011. Prior to that, Kajkowski worked as a technical writer at Micron Electronics in Nampa and as a technical writer and editor in Michigan for the software and automotive industries.

 

World Dairy Expo® Welcomes Miller as Program Assistant

World Dairy Expo is pleased to welcome Cassi Miller, of Mount Horeb, Wis., to the staff as Program Assistant. Her duties in this position will include providing program assistance for World Dairy Expo and all WDE Management, Inc. entities, coordinating Expo school tours, providing customer service and aiding in the planning and execution of the Expo Recognition and Friends of Expo programs.

Miller joins the WDE staff with strong roots in the dairy industry. She grew up on her family’s registered Holstein farm, Miller Holsteins, in Vesper, Wis., exhibiting cattle at various shows, competing in a variety of FFA contests and participating in and serving the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Association. Miller also comes to the position with experience promoting fairs, as she served as the Central Wisconsin State Fair Fairest of the Fair in 2014. Recently, Miller aided World Dairy Expo as a volunteer in the Ultrasound Tent, Dairy Cattle Show office and as a visitor survey distributor.

Since graduating in May 2016 from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness, with emphases in communications, marketing, and management, Miller has been working at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board in the Channel Management department. While at college, Miller was active in the Pioneer National Agri-Marketing Association, Sigma Alpha Sorority, Collegiate Farm Bureau and Pioneer Dairy Club. Throughout her time in school, she worked in the Event Reservations office and Pioneer Academic and Transitional Help Center, along with spending a summer as the Communications Intern at East Central/Select Sires.