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KENTUCKY
January - February 2016 w w w. k y d a i r y. o r g
Milk Matters Warren Beeler Appointed as Executive Director of GOAP Find out more on page 5 Spending Your $$$ Wisely on Your Dairy Replacement Program Find out more on page 14
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Winter Storm Jonas Left Its Mark
heard the sleet start hitting the window at 12:10 AM Friday, passed as if they hadn’t even been there. The same scenario occurred January 22st. It was no surprise that it had arrived, the local in Adair Co. as one county salt/scraper truck turned over and others news and weather had warned it was to begin about that got stuck trying to pull it out. Many of these county crews worked to exhaustion without a lot to show for their efforts because of the ice base time. Watching as it came down from the security lights broad and amount of snow. illumination, it changed from sleet to a fine snow. The wind gusts The Kentucky Dairy Development Council contacted newly appointed created a whiteout to the point it was difficult to even know where GOAP Executive Director, Warren Beeler and he quickly contacted the snow was coming from or where it was state transportation and highway officials in an attempt to mobilize manpower and going. When the snow finally stopped, equipment to problem areas. Local farmers about seven inches had accumulated in were contacted to evaluate the condition of my yard; but as it moved east across their roads and estimate how long they had Kentucky, the winter storm named “Jonas” before having to dump milk. The situations by the National Weather Service, had were overwhelming with snow falling and dumped up to 22 inches in some places drifting over a solid layer of ice. Much thanks to Sharon Burton, her daughter Toni with drifts as deep as five to six feet. Humphress and Mike Keltner, Adair Co., Some milk haulers in preparation had KY Emergency Management Director, for picked up as much milk as they could on their hard work as well. Thursday and even dropped tanker trailers By Saturday the 23rd milk trucks were at larger dairies for extra storage. State road running in some areas of west KY and crews cleared interstates and parkways first by Sunday the 24th roads were gradually then moved on to secondary becoming passable as you moved east. roads. County crews had Unfortunately as tankers got full and tremendous challenges trying went to plants to unload another obstacle to stay on the less traveled sometimes occurred, long lines of full milk KY roads as the wind drifted trucks waiting hour upon hour to off load. snow. Producers were waiting to milk because In South Central KY, near Winter storm Jonas put they thought the hauler was on the way and Temple Hill one dairy farmer a halt to most everytheir tank was full. As we see one problem leads reported finding four county thing across the state to another, but thanks to all those involved, some road department trucks stuck of Kentucky, including warmer weather and time, things have finally in ditches as they attempted the dairy industry. gotten back to normal. to clear roads. Their area Snow covered roads The KDDC checked with all markets in the received freezing rain rather led to vehicles getting state to have accurate amounts of milk dumped than sleet and the light snow stuck and since the due to the storm. There was 1,245,939 pounds of that fell on top made the roads weren’t cleared KY producer milk dumped or just slightly under roads dangerously slick. The the milk couldn’t be 25 tanker loads. This was quite a great loss due to high winds would cover the picked up. Mother Nature’s winter storm “Jonas”. roads as the scraper trucks