KENTUCKY
KDDC Annual Report w w w. k y d a i r y. o r g
Milk Matters Annual Report Featuring KDDC Sponsors See inside
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Don’t Forget the Young Dairy Producer Conference & KY Dairy Partners Annual Meeting View the agenda on page 3
2014 KDDC Year in Review Maury Cox
A
information to KY dairy producers for their protection and to improve our environment. The Young Dairy Producer Conference and the KY Dairy Partners Meeting had the best attendance ever. Over 130 attended the YDPC and 225 – 250 attended the KDPM. Gary Sipiorski, Dairy Developmental Manager for Vita Plus and financial advisor kept the group on the edge of their seats as he shared a wealth of knowledge and information. Dr. Sam Leadley, P.C., Attica Veterinary Clinic, is recognized internationally as one of the top specialists on raising calves. He was a crowd favorite as he talked about how to get the most from your calf feeding strategies. The KDDC hosted a three day tour to Missouri in the last of June. The trip focused on pasture grazing and utilizing forages you grow for maximum margins. Taking shorter trips to states adjacent to KY
s we reflect on 2014, it will be remembered as one the most profitable times is dairy farming. Milk prices broke all records with the All-Milk Price averaging $23.97, $3.92 higher than 2013. Locally, KY dairy farmers reported milk checks exceeding $30.00 per hundredweight for milk with high components and excellent quality. Feed prices retracted some during the year; however soybean meal prices continued to take a bite out of the margins. With that being said, there were some producers still catching up from 2012 and even 2009. The KDDC focused attention on water quality and environment issues. We teamed with Dr. Stephen Higgins, Director of Above: The Compton Family, Kentucky’s 2014 Animal and EnvironmentalTop Quality Producer of the Year. Compliance with the University of KY and Joe Cain, Right: Governor Steve Beshear signs the 2014 Kentucky Farm Bureau to Dairy Month Proclamation host six regional Agricultural water quality and nutrient management meetings. The meetings aptly named, “Poo Begins with benefits in You” were designed to provide information to producers on the KY Ag producers Water Quality Plan and its Nutrient Management Plan component seeing how and to facilitate compliance requirements. An issue in meeting Division others may of Water requirements is for producers to have a KY No Discharge operate in an environment not so unlike their own. We also hosted the Operational Permit. Dairy producers with liquid lagoon systems and World Dairy Expo trip and farm tour. Tom Lorensen, Alltech’s dairy discharge milk house waste water are required by the DOW to have an specialist, showed 55 plus farmers and students around to see some updated KYNDOP. The KDDC continues to work to bring educational unique and outstanding dairy operations in WI. Cont’d on page 2