July NEDLT Meeting Highlights

Dairy herds producing higher levels of milk from fewer cows have a smaller carbon footprint than those herds producing lower levels of milk, Dr. Judith Capper from Cornell University told participants at the Northeast Dairy Leadership Team (NEDLT) meeting held earlier this month in Binghamton, N.Y. Dr. Capper and her colleagues recently completed a comprehensive 12-month study evaluating how production affects a dairy herd’s carbon footprint. To view Dr. Capper's presentation, click here.

To see Dr. Capper's paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, click here.

Erin Fitzgerald and Chuck Cruickshank from Dairy Management Inc. spoke about their organization's efforts to address the sustainability issue. DMI is working closely with the National Milk Producers Federation and the International Dairy Foods Association to develop the “Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy,” a new organization that will focus on sustainability, health and wellness, product development, globalization, and consumer confidence issues.

To see general meeting highlights, click here

Farm Bill Update

Bob Gray provided NEDLT participants with an update on the new farm bill and the programs it will include for dairy producers and the industry in general. The NEDLT agreed to send a letter to USDA Agriculture Secretary Schaeffer supporting the farm bill and its dairy-related initiatives.

To see fact sheets about the farm bill, click on the links below:
Fact Sheet on Farm Bill Dairy Provisions
Fact Sheet on Farm Bill Energy Title
Fact Sheet on Farm Bill Conservation Provisions

Joanna Samuelson from First Pioneer Farm Credit provided highlights from the 2007 Northeast Dairy Farm Summary, which documented higher earnings, higher milk prices and higher production for the year. 2007 saw the highest annual earnings for dairy farms in the 29-year history of doing the report, despite a $2 jump in the average cost of production. To see her presentation, click here.

For more information about the July meeting, e-mail your state NEDLT coordinator:
Pennsylvania – John Frey at 717-346-0849 or c-jfrey@state.pa.us
New York – Mark Kenville at (315) 453-3823 or mkenville@nycde.org
Vermont – Diane Bothfeld at 802-828-3835 or Diane.Bothfeld@state.vt.us