Dairy Farmers

The Lexington Legends will tip their caps to Kentucky's dairy industry at Dairy Night at Applebee's Park on June 9. "I'm grateful to the Legends for setting aside a special night to honor our dairy producers and other farmers for the fifth year in a row," Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. "Dairy farming is a noble calling and a way of life. This special event will give our hard-working dairy farmers some well-deserved recognition and a chance to enjoy a night of good, clean family fun at the ballpark.

A series of milk quality barn meetings will be held in March -April. The program, "Bigger Milk Checks Through Quality Premiums and Higher Production," is hosted by the Kentucky Dairy Development Council. Registration is at 9:30 a.m. The workshops will be on milk quality, milking equipment and cow care. Lunch will be provided by a sponsor at each meeting. Here is a list of the meetings: Thursday at Larry Baxter farm in Salvisa. For more information, call David Croshaw at (859)

After a year of below-average milk prices, Kentucky dairy farmers hope next year will be easier on their pocketbook. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that 2004 milk prices will be similar to 2003. Let's hope they are wrong. The futures prices indicate Kentucky farmers can expect $13.50 to $14 per early in 2004. Kentucky milk price should rise above $14 next summer and peak at more than $15 by September. On average, Kentucky farmers get about $2 above the Class III milk futures price.

Gov. Steve Beshear has requested that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack utilize all available resources under his authority in an effort to save dairy farms and the jobs that these farms create. Record low milk prices and high input costs are leading to devastating losses in dairy farming communities across the country. Because this is an issue for dairy farmers nationwide, not just Kentucky, Beshear garnered the support of six other governors to co-sign the letter to Vilsack, including the governors of Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Guam, Oklahoma and Vermont.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced that the Obama Administration is taking immediate action to support struggling dairy farmers by increasing the amount paid for dairy products through the Dairy Product Price Support Program (DPPSP). USDA estimates show that these increases, which will be in place from August 2009 through October 2009, will increase dairy farmers' revenue by $243 million. The increase will raise the price paid for nonfat dry milk from 80 cents per pound to 92 cents per pound, the price paid for cheddar blocks from $1.13 per pound to $1.31 per pound, and the price of cheddar barrels from $1.10 per pound to $1.28 per pound.

LANCASTER - More than 100 entries were present at the 4-H/FFA dairy cow show Wednesday at the Garrard County Fair, but very few were local. Joyce and Paul Colson, owners of Colson Hope Swiss of Cynthiana, said raising dairy cows can be a difficult way to make a living. "But you can make the money showing them," Joyce Colson says. Their son, now 21, put himself through college showing cows, she says. She says 4-H and FFA are something to encourage the youth to continue doing - it teaches them responsibility.

Farmers looking for a viable alternative to tobacco production might want to take the lead from hundreds of others in the state who are trying their hand at a fast-growing industry: raising dairy heifers. Raising dairy heifers is an important component of the dairy industry, which annually brings in about $300 million in Kentucky. The heifers are needed to replace the 30 to 40 percent of cows that leave dairy farms each year because of reproductive and other problems. In the past, most dairy farmers raised their own replacement heifers.

SALVISA - As a gray dusk settles on the horizon, Larry Baxter's cows form a single file line to the milking room. In turn, the mud on their teats is wiped away and a machine gently pulls out milk from the udder and sends it gushing into a cooling tank. As natural as water, milk contains nine vitamins and minerals: calcium, Vitamin D, protein, potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, riboflavin, niacin and phosphorus. Milk is "so natural, wholesome," says Baxter, who sits on a bucket inside a barn to escape the light evening rain.

The Lincoln County Fair has long had the tradition of being an agricultural fair. Since the very beginning fair activities have centered around agricultural interests. The Lincoln County Fair has made a lot of changes and improvements in the past few years to provide more fun activities for all Lincoln Countians. However, the Fair Board has not forgotten to keep agricultural activities a part of the fair. I hope that you folks involved in farming will show your appreciation by participating and by attending many of the farm oriented activities.

LANCASTER ? Garrard County dairy farmer Gilbert Edgington is having a tough time selling milk. He can barely sell it for the same amount he got in 1976. "With the times the way they are, we're putting more in than we're getting out," he said. "If we keep going that way, then we're all going to have to quit. " While financial markets were collapsing around the globe last year, U.S. farms were booming ? 2008 was the farming industry's most profitable year ever. This year, however, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says profits will be down an estimated $33.2 billion ?

Gov. Steve Beshear has requested that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack utilize all available resources under his authority in an effort to save dairy farms and the jobs that these farms create. Record low milk prices and high input costs are leading to devastating losses in dairy farming communities across the country. Because this is an issue for dairy farmers nationwide, not just Kentucky, Beshear garnered the support of six other governors to co-sign the letter to Vilsack, including the governors of Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Guam, Oklahoma and Vermont.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced that the Obama Administration is taking immediate action to support struggling dairy farmers by increasing the amount paid for dairy products through the Dairy Product Price Support Program (DPPSP). USDA estimates show that these increases, which will be in place from August 2009 through October 2009, will increase dairy farmers' revenue by $243 million. The increase will raise the price paid for nonfat dry milk from 80 cents per pound to 92 cents per pound, the price paid for cheddar blocks from $1.13 per pound to $1.31 per pound, and the price of cheddar barrels from $1.10 per pound to $1.28 per pound.

The Lexington Legends will tip their caps to Kentucky's dairy industry at Dairy Night at Applebee's Park on June 9. "I'm grateful to the Legends for setting aside a special night to honor our dairy producers and other farmers for the fifth year in a row," Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. "Dairy farming is a noble calling and a way of life. This special event will give our hard-working dairy farmers some well-deserved recognition and a chance to enjoy a night of good, clean family fun at the ballpark.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Before the sun begins to peek over the horizon of his 800-acre farm, 50-year-old cattleman Tim Stobaugh climbs into his pickup truck and begins his hour-and-a-half drive south to attend classes at the College at Southwestern. For a man who for 20 years rarely left rural Cooke County, located along the Texas-Oklahoma border, this early morning sacrifice reflects a commitment to the Lord's call on his life. The majority of Stobaugh's life has focused on cattle.

Since Jan. 2005, dairy production in many United States counties has been severely impacted by widespread and significant natural disasters, such as ice storms, heavy rainfalls, floods, extreme heat, and etc. The Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program (DDAP III) will provide benefits to eligible dairy producers who suffered dairy production losses as a result of these natural disasters. This program will provide a direct payment for eligible losses to help relieve economic injuries suffered by the dairy industry in disaster counties throughout the United States.

LIBERTY - A Casey County farmer will have additional income this year by participating in a new program that will help improve his dairy operation. Greg Goode, who farms in the Creston community in western Casey County, got his first check this week as part of the Market Incentive Leadership for Kentucky Program. The Casey farmer will share in the $143,000 presented to 51 farm families in 23 counties this month by the Kentucky Dairy Development Council in premiums to dairy producers in the program.

LANCASTER - More than 100 entries were present at the 4-H/FFA dairy cow show Wednesday at the Garrard County Fair, but very few were local. Joyce and Paul Colson, owners of Colson Hope Swiss of Cynthiana, said raising dairy cows can be a difficult way to make a living. "But you can make the money showing them," Joyce Colson says. Their son, now 21, put himself through college showing cows, she says. She says 4-H and FFA are something to encourage the youth to continue doing - it teaches them responsibility.

The Lincoln County Fair has long had the tradition of being an agricultural fair. Since the very beginning fair activities have centered around agricultural interests. The Lincoln County Fair has made a lot of changes and improvements in the past few years to provide more fun activities for all Lincoln Countians. However, the Fair Board has not forgotten to keep agricultural activities a part of the fair. I hope that you folks involved in farming will show your appreciation by participating and by attending many of the farm oriented activities.