The Milk Producer - May 2012 - (Page 4)

EDITOR’SNOTES By Bill Dimmick Oh Canada Thinking nationally, rather than provincially or regionally, can only make our industry stronger J ing the 2011 annual meeting of the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec passed a resolution requesting Canada’s big three processors to start using the 100% Canadian Milk symbol on their packaging. At the Dairy Farmers of Ontario Spring Policy Conference this past March, producer delegates approved a resolution calling for development of 100% Canadian Milk brand. Two months earlier, at DFO’s annual meeting, Ashley Chapman, whose family processes a major national ice cream brand, assured producers the symbol “is working.” Better known as the little blue cow, the symbol is gaining traction among consumers who are starting to look for it, he said. The symbol has become something of a rallying point among milk producers across our nation. The Dairy Farmers of Canada market growth task force has recommended the Dairy Branding Program, using the little blue cow, be maintained and expanded. This thinking appears to fit in well with a rising sense of Canadian nationalism. Darrell Bricker, chief executive officer of Ipsos Global Public Affairs, a leading market research firm, has reported how Canadians have become “more aggressively Canadian.” “They (Canadians) are embracing the symbols of our country,” he told a DFC meeting. Also embracing this attitude are the immigrants who make up a rapidly increasTHE I PRO U R TH E MI LK PRODUCER is published monthly RODU e m nthl hly by Dairy Farmers of Ontar o, 6780 Campobello Dai Farmers of Onta airy r tari b Road Mississauga, Ontario, Road, Mississauga, Ontar L5N 2L8 ad, ssis a t EDITOR: ill D m ick EDITOR: Bill Dimmick ITOR ASSISTAN EDIT R ASSISTANT EDITOR: Sharon Laidlaw SISTANT ITOR ai law Co-ordinated by Communications Co-ordinated by Co -ordinat s and Planning Div and Planning Di ision, n Bill itch Bill Mitch Assi tant Director. chell, ssis Chan Chan of address notices should be sent to: ange u be sent to: THE MILK PRODUCER 6780 Campobello Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5N 2L8. s 8 Subsc pt Subscription rate : $26.88 for one year, $49.28 bscr ates ye $49.28 ear, 9 for two years and $67.20 for three years in o w year n r e yea in ears Canada (includes HST), $36 per year in the nada (includes l s U.S. $36 per year overseas. Single copy: $2.50. U.S., $36 per year overs S., r vers Make cheques payab Make cheques payable to Dairy Farmers of heque able iry ir Ontario. Ontario. tari ing segment of our nation’s population. “New Canadians want to be part of that. Canadians are excited about being Canadian.” I have also been getting a strong sense of rising national pride among dairy farmers. Widespread grassroots support of the little blue cow, for example, is not about Quebec milk, Ontario milk, B.C. milk or Newfoundland milk. It’s about 100% Canadian milk. There is more anecdotal evidence. Although administered by the provinces, the Canadian Quality Milk program is national in scope. It grew out of an agreement among dairy farmers themselves at DFC meetings. In January 2011, I listened to an address by John Bongers, who was stepping down as CanWest DHI chair, calling for a single national milk recording agency. He believed any obstacles could be overcome. Meanwhile, the P10 negotiations continue. The aim is to come up with a way to pool all markets and revenues across the country to put all Canadian producers on equal footing, regardless of province. Now, Progressive Dairy Operators is striving to reach out from the organization’s Ontario base to producers across Canada, as detailed in our cover story this month on page 26. This trend to thinking nationally, rather than provincially or regionally, can only make our industry stronger. Canada Post Publications Mail Sales Product d tions Mai Sale P oduc a e uct Agreement No. 40063866. Return postage 0063 66. Retu postage 3866 turn o 38 guaranteed. Circulation: 10,000. io 0,000 o 000. ISSN 0030-3038. SS Prin Print d in Canada. inte n nada. a National Nation Marketing Manager tion eting Manager ana James Fitz James Fitzgerald tzg 154 Jean 154 Jean Street, n RR 5, Strat ord, Ontario N5A 6S6 5, Stra ratf Toll-fre Toll-free advertisers only: 1-888-460-6212 ll-free Phone (519) 393-5292 Fax (519) 393-5293 5292 52 51 29 E-m E-mail: milkjim47@quadro.net @quadro n ro.n Opinions expressed herein are those of the ed herein are thos f the erei hose author and/or editor and do not necessarily ditor and not necessarily e aril reﬂect the opinion or policies of Dairy Farmers n or policies of Dair Farmers lici iry of of Ontario. Publication of advertisements does P lication dvert sements does erti ment not constitute endor stitu ndor tute orsement or approval by The or t The Milk Producer or Dairy Farmers of Ontario of f products or services advertised. The Milk Producer welcomes let i oduce cer comes et etters to the e editor about magazine content. bout g bo maga ine content. t t. Phone: (905) 821-8970 ( 0 821-8970 1-89 Fax: (905) 821-3160 (905) 821-3160 1-31 E-mail: bdimmick@milk.org bdimmick milk. immick@m k.o slaidlaw@mil or slaidlaw@milk.org w ilk org Website: Go to publications o at www.milk.org 4 | May 2012 | MilkPRODUCER http://www.fsc.org http://www.milk.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - May 2012

The Milk Producer - May 2012
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair's Message
Dairy Update
Farm Finance
DFC Promotion
Cover Story
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Udder Health
Calf Health
Markets
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - May 2012