Milk Matters NovDec 2019

November - December 2019 • KDDC • Page 1
KDDC is supported in part by a grant from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund
Milk MattersN o v e m b e r - D e c e m b e r
w w w. k y d a i r y. o r g
KENTUCKY
Supported by Kentucky Farm Bureau Update
page 6
Kentucky Dairy PartnersAnnual Meeting
page 8
Winter Is Here, WhyAren’t My Cows Milking More?
page 20
KDDC Dairy Margin Coverage Incentive Program Pays

2019 KDDC Board of
Directors & Staff
Executive Committee
President: Richard Sparrow
Vice President: Charles Townsend, DVM
Sec./Treasurer: Tom Hastings
EC Member: Tony Cowherd
EC Member: Freeman Brundige
EC Past President: Bob Klingenfus
Board of Directors
District 1: Freeman Brundige 731.446.6248
District 2: Josh Duvall 270.535.6533
District 3: Keith Long 270.670.1388
District 4: Bill Crist Jr. 270.590.3185
District 5: Tony Compton 270.378.0525
District 6: Mark Williams 270.427.0796
District 7: Greg Goode 606.303.2150
District 8: Steve Weaver 270.475.3154
District 9: Jerry Gentry 606.875.2526
District 10: Richard Sparrow 502.370.6730
District 11: Stewart Jones 270.402.4805
District 12: John Kuegel 270.316.0351
Equipment: Tony Cowherd 270.469.0398
Milk Haulers: Alan Wilson 606.875.7281
Genetics: Dan Johnson 502.905.8221
Feed: Tom Hastings 270.748.9652
Nutrition: Dr. Ron Wendlandt 502.839.4222
Dairy Co-op: Justin Olson 765.499.4817
Veterinary: Dr. Charles Townsend 270.726.4041
Finance: Michael Smith 859.619.4995
Heifer Raiser: Bill Mattingly 270.699.1701
Former Pres.: Bob Klingenfus 502.817.3165
Employee & Consultants
Executive Director: H.H. Barlow
859.516.1129
kddc@kydairy.org
DC-Central: Beth Cox
PO Box 144, Mannsville, KY 42758
bethcoxkddc@gmail.com
859.516.1619 • 270-469-4278
DC-Western: Dave Roberts
1334 Carrville Road, Hampton, KY 42047
kddcroberts@gmail.com
859.516.1409
DC-Southern: Meredith Scales
2617 Harristown Road, Russell Springs, KY 42642
mescales2@gmail.com
859.516.1966
DC-Northern: Jennifer Hickerson
4887 Mt Sterling Road, Flemingsburg, KY 41041
j.hickersonkddc@gmail.com
859.516.2458
KDDC
176 Pasadena Drive • Lexington, KY 40503
www.kydairy.org
KY Milk Matters produced by Carey Brown
President’s Corner
Richard Sparrow
I
am a nonpartisan voter; by that, I mean I try to vote for an
individual based on the merits of their stand and record
on the issues. Having said that, for me the unintended
consequence of the recent gubernatorial election is the
probable change in leadership in the Governor’s Office of
Agricultural Policy.
Warren Beeler has always been a strong
advocate for Kentucky agriculture. During
his tenure as head of the GOAP, Warren has
taken the allotted tobacco settlement money
and multiplied its effect across the board. It
would take all the pages of this publication to
list the GOAP-funded projects during the last
four years. Warren has been a strong friend
to Kentucky dairy and the KDDC. He has
encouraged KDDC to develop and evolve our
programs.
Warren’s unrivaled passion, integrity,
and common sense approach have moved
Kentucky agriculture and Kentucky farm
families to new levels of diversification and
financial success. Thank you, Warren, and best
of luck to you in your future endeavors..
KY MILK MATTERS ADVERTISING RATES
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Full Page $400/$450 $380/$428 $360/$405
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Business Card $100/$125 $95/$119 $90/$113
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DATES
JANUARY 13
11:00am - 3:00pm
Christian County
Extension Office
JANUARY 14
11:00am - 3:00pm
Taylor County
Extension Office
JANUARY 15
11:00am - 3:00pm
Barren County
Extension Office
JANUARY 16
11:00am - 3:00pm
Fleming County
Extension Office
Learn about the little things that could be making a big impact to your bottom line.
Our speakers will be presenting ways you can improve profitability on your farm.
(No cost, lunch provided)
RSVP appreciated, but not required to: Dave Roberts |859-516-1409|roberts@kydairy.org
KDDC Dairy Producer Meetings
LITTLE THINGS: BIG IMPACT
Sponsored by
Milk Quality
Dr. John Laster
Building On the Basics
Dr. Elizabeth Eckelkamp
Heat Stress
Jenna Guinn
Novel Data Analysis
Dr. Jeffrey Bewley
Forage Management
John Winchell

Executive Director Comments
H H Barlow
J
ust when you think things are settling down somewhat
in the nation’s dairy industry, another bombshell hits all
of us. Of course, I’m talking about Dean Foods filing
Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 11 is a reorganizational
bankruptcy and the ball is actually in the court’s hands as to
what they will approve for a plan going forward, so we have
no idea how this announcement will affect all of us.
Dean Foods did pay October settlement checks in full for
their independent producers, which was a major blessing for
sixty Kentucky dairy farmers. However, there is concern about
the pay for many of their coop suppliers. With sixty-six milk
plants across the U.S., their actions will ultimately affect most
of us.
DFA has announced they are in negotiations with Dean’s to
purchase some of their assets. At the present time, Dean is still
receiving milk and continuing operations as usual.
There are many activities taking place in Kentucky’s dairy
industry. In early October, KDDC sponsored a busload of
Kentucky Dairymen to Wisconsin, where we toured six farms,
a teaching center and spent a complete day visiting the World
Dairy Expo.
The farms were outstanding dairy producers. Luck-E
Holsteins was a genetic giant with nearly all excellent cows.
The other farms were large commercial dairies. Each had
something unique, such as rotary parlor, methane digester,
cheese plant and a cover-all barn for 400 cows. We also toured
ST Genetics.
My highlight of the Expo was our native Kentucky son, Joe
Sparrow, judging the National Brown Swiss show. Joe clearly
made the correct placing for the Grand Champion Brown Swiss
cow, as she became the unanimous Supreme Champion of the
Expo. Joe was so descriptive and entertaining in explaining
his placings. Also, the Supreme Champion cow was owned
by Kentucky native Kenny Manion. We are already planning
for next year’s tour and anticipate many Kentucky Young
Dairymen and other producers going with us.
Another highlight activity for KDDC was the completion of
the Dairy Margin Coverage Insurance Incentive Program. It
took considerable consultant time to gather the forms needed
to complete the program. We are pleased to announce we had
164 producers participate and we will issue checks totaling
$117,000 in early December.
I thank all dairymen who filled out our KDDC producer
survey. You can read the results in this issue. The highlight
for me in the results was that only 9% to 10% of Kentucky
dairymen plan to exit the business in the next 5 years. With
these results, it appears the liquidation of herds has slowed
dramatically and our producers see some light ahead.
On November 14, Dave Roberts, Freeman Brundige, Charles
Townsend and I attended the Southeast Dairy Stakeholder’s
Forum in North Carolina. This conference was held to look at
what has happened over the last 20 years and explore changes
that can be made to federal order rules that will halt the decline
of dairies across the southeast. The discussions were specific
to Southeast Federal Order 7 and Appalachian Federal Order 5.
Kentucky has producers in both orders.
Our speakers were Dr. Bill Herndon, covering the history of
Federal Order Reform; Dr. Mark Stephenson, who detailed milk
production location, both past and present; John Newton, who
outlined American Farm Bureau proposals for Federal Order
change; and Sara Dorland, who talked about future opportunities
for southeast milk production. There were 60 to 70 attendees
from ten different states. After much discussion, agreement
was reached to form a task force of two representatives from
each state to create a game plan to go forward on Federal Order
reform. This endeavor will take some time, but I believe it will
be beneficial. Kentucky will be represented by myself and one
other producer.
On November 21-23, we attended the Southeast Dairy
Challenge Competition, where over 100 college students and
advisors participated in the event on the David Corbin and
Sidebottom farms. The University of Kentucky was the host
this year. It was great interacting with these students from 13
different states, where they enjoyed the opportunity to visit
Kentucky and share their ideas and knowledge.
A special thanks goes to the Corbin and Sidebottom families
for opening their farms to over 100 visitors, and to Pat
Hardesty and the Taylor County Extension folks for serving as
headquarters for the event. Good job Donna Amaral Phillips for
directing the event.
As you can see, there are a lot of activities in the Kentucky
dairy industry. KDDC is doing our best to improve the fortunes
of dairy farmers and our allied industries. It takes all of us
working together, because we are dependent on each other.
Have a great holiday season. Merry Christmas and don’t forget
to drink lots of eggnog and custard!!!

KDDC Fall tour to Wisconsin
Two of Kentucky Dairy’s rising stars got the nod to judge the Brown Swiss classes at Madison Wisconsin’s World Dairy Expo, Joe
Sparrow (Senior Judge) and Jeff Core (Associate Judge). Joe judged the Swiss classes with the accuracy and ease of a seasoned long-time
judge and giving an entertaining and descriptive set of reasons for each class. As the day progressed some spectators commented on the
unique style and ability Joe demonstrated. Both Joe and Jeff represented themselves and Kentucky in a first-class way that left no one with
any doubt “those Kentucky boys know their cows.” At the end of the show Joe concluded with a heartfelt “Thank You” for the opportunity to
judge at the World Dairy Expo, and gave credit to those that helped him attain his knowledge and love for all things dairy.

Kentucky Farm Bureau National Update- Farm Labor: United States House of
Representatives Begins Consideration of Farm Labor Reform
Many farmers in Kentucky struggle to secure an adequate
labor force to perform numerous farming jobs and as a result
utilize the H-2A program to meet their labor demands. In fact,
Kentucky is a top-ten state in the usage of the program. While
the H-2A program has served as a useful tool in acquiring
workers, many producers have found the program, in its current
form, to be burdensome, costly, and limited in scope. Kentucky
Farm Bureau (KFB) policy supports restructuring the H-2A
program to make the program more reliable, economical, and
simple for farmers to use.
On October 30, 2019, Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA-19)
introduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019.
This legislation would provide legal status for agricultural
workers that meet certain requirements. In addition, it would
institute a nationwide E-verification system for all agricultural
employment, modify the adverse effect wage rate methodology,
and open the H-2A program to year-round agricultural work.
While this legislation provides an opportunity to discuss farm
labor reform, KFB believes there are several areas in which
the bill could be improved. At its core, the legislation fails to
adequately address the high costs of the H-2A program. In
addition, while the legislation opens the H-2A program to year-
round agricultural work, there is a limit placed on the amount
of visas that would be granted for such workers. Farmers have
been wanting Congress to adopt meaningful farm labor reform
for decades. It is imperative reform is done right because once
Congress passes legislation, it is unlikely it will revisit the issue
for years.
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019 was
considered and passed favorably out of the House Judiciary
Committee on November 21, 2019. It is still unclear when the
full House of Representatives will consider this legislation
or if the United States Senate plans to move forward with
similar legislation. An adequate, reliable labor force is critical
for Kentucky agriculture and KFB will continue to monitor
movement on this critical issue.
Additional information on the Farm Workforce Modernization
Act may be found at https://lofgren.house.gov/media/press-
releases/bipartisan-farm-workforce-modernization-act-passes-
house-judiciary-committee.
Cowherd Equipment & Rental, Inc.
For More Information:
Cowherd Equipment & Rental, Inc.
1483 Old Summersville Rd.
Campbellsville, KY 42718
270-465-2679
270-469-0398
Penta 4030
Tire Scraper
J&D Head Locks
Roto Grind 1090
Hagedorn 5440
Manure Spreader
Silage Defacer
Tire Scraper
Cowherd Dairy Supply
For chemicals, supplies and more
from our dairy to yours, Cowherd’s
has all of your dairy needs.
Cowherd Dairy Supply
1483 Old Summersville Rd.
Campbellsville, KY 42718
270-465-2679 or
270-651-2643
• Boumatic Milking Equipment and
Chemicals
• Chore-Boy Parts
• BouMatic Coolers
• J&D Manufacturing
• IBA Chemicals
• Mueller Milk Tanks
Penta 4930
BouMatic
Feed
pusher
• SCR Systems
• Up North Plastics Available

Eric Risser
423-368-7753
Zack Burris
270-576-7001
10%
Higher capacity
No
tank milk
wasted
Fewer
labor hours
Excellent
service by
certiﬁed
technicians
REAL
Quarter
Milking
More than
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milk per day
99%
Teatspray
hit rate
99.8%Attachment rate
Up to
faster
attachment
time
50%
Data collected on test and pilot farms. Results may vary and are not guaranteed.
Parallel
Parlor
P500

KENTUCKY DAIRY PARTNERS ANNUAL MEETING
February 25 & 26, 2020
Sloan Convention Center, 1021 Wilkinson Trace, Bowling Green, Kentucky
KDDC Young Dairy Producers Meeting
Tuesday, February 25 (All Times are Central Time)
8:30 Registration for KDDC Young Dairy Producers Conference
9:00 AM-11:30AM Trade Show Set up
9:30 Josh Wilson- transition
10:15 Dr. Jeffrey Bewley
11:00 Break
11:15 Shelly Meyer- Wisconsin Dairy Producers
12:00-1:30 PM Lunch and Trade Show Opens
1:00 - 5:00 ADA of Kentucky Board Meeting
1:30 Sherry Bunting
2:30 Steve Isaacs – University of Kentucky
3:15 Break
3:45 Ernest Hovingh - Penn State
4:30- 6:00 Visit Trade Show
6:00 - 8:00 Dairy Awards Dinner -Keynote Speaker
Wednesday, February 26 (All Times are Central Time)
8:00 AM Registration & Trade Show Open
8:20 Welcome – Dr. Richard Coffey, University of Kentucky
8:30-9:15 Dairy Alliance Speaker
9:15-10:00 Ernest Hovingh- Penn State
10:00 Break
10:30-11:15 Dairy Alliance Speaker
11:15-12:00 UK Speaker
12:00-12:45 Shelley Meyer
12:45 – 2:00 PM Lunch - KDDC Annual Business Meeting – Trade Show Exhibits
(Bidding Ends on Silent Auction Items)
2:00 – 2:45 KDDC Speaker
2:45-3:00 Wrap up and Evaluations
Holiday Inn Hotel room rate is $105 and room block ends January 15, 2020
Call 270-745-0088 under KY Dairy Partners
Tentative Schedule subject to change

Dairy Producers - PRE-REGISTRATION FORM - Dairy Farmers only
Young Dairy Producer/KY Dairy Partners Conference
February 25-26, 2020
ADDRESS
FIRST ATTENDEE
HOME PHONE
SECOND ATTENDEE
CELL PHONE
EMAIL ADDRESS
NO. OF COWS COUNTY
Check all that apply: ON-LINE REGISTRATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT KYDAIRY.ORG
Dairy farmers:
• There is a charge of $30 per dairy farm family to attend Feb 25 and/or Feb 26 (LIMIT 4 PER FARM)
• There is also a charge of $50 per hotel room night.
• Both fees are payable at the conference but please send registration to the address below.
___Acknowledge $30 charge per dairy farm (one charge for one or two days-not each day)
___I will attend the YDPC on Tuesday, Feb 25 (full day of meeting.)
___I will attend Ky Dairy Awards Banquet Tuesday evening , Feb 25
___I will need a hotel room for Tuesday night, Feb 25. Cost is $50 per room night for a dairy farmer
available to qualified young producers (n/c for KDDC board members).
___I will attend Wednesday, Feb 26 - Ky Dairy Partners Meeting and lunch
All fees payable to KDDC at the conference.
Mail registration form to: Ky Dept of Agriculture • c/o Eunice Schlappi • 111 Corporate Drive • Frankfort, KY 40601
Or email to: Eunice.schlappi@ky.gov
If you have any questions, contact Eunice Schlappi at 502-545-0809

Kentucky Dairy Partners Annual Meeting (2020) – Exhibit & Conference Reservation
February 25-26, 2020 – Sloan Convention Center, Bowling Green, KY
ADDRESS
NAME OF COMPANY
WHAT TYPE OF DISPLAY DO YOU HAVE? (FULL FLOOR, TABLE TOP, PULL-UP?)
REPRESENTATIVE
CELL PHONE
EMAIL ADDRESS
Allied Industry - Booth & Conference Registration:
REGISTRATION ALSO AVAILABLE ON-LINE AT KYDAIRY.ORG
_____________= $400 Booth space*
includes booth space and (1) two day registration – all meals included
_____________Indicate below if you are a Platinum or Gold KDDC sponsor or if you are government/education group:
_____________*Platinum KDDC sponsors – free booth space, (1) free two day conference registration
_____________* Gold KDDC sponsors ‐ $300 booth space, (1) free two day conference registration
_____________ *no booth charge for government, educational, etc. (HOWEVER, does not include attendee registrations)
_____________= $50/person Tuesday - Young Dairy Producers Meeting/banquet Feb 25 x_____________
(number attending)
_____________= $50/person Wednesday - KDP conference registration Feb 26 x_____________
(number attending)
_____________= Total amount enclosed ‐ Please make checks payable to: KDDC (KY Dairy Development Council)
Ky dairy producers will be charged $30 per dairy farm for the two day conference (limit 4 attendees) – separate registration
Yes, we would like to provide a door prize ‐ list item:_________________________________________________________
Yes, we would like to provide an item for the silent auction– list item:_____________________________________________
LARGER THAN 10’X6’? NEED ELECTRICITY?
Mail registration form to: Ky Dept of Agriculture • c/o Eunice Schlappi • 111 Corporate Drive • Frankfort, KY 40601
Or email to: Eunice.schlappi@ky.gov
If you have any questions, contact Eunice Schlappi at 502-545-0809
HOME PHONE

NAAB Name NM$ Rel% CM$ PTAM Rel%
7HO12821 EVEREST 963 92 996 1,488 97
7HO12788 FRAZZLED 948 94 957 2,096 99
7HO13454 ROCKETFIRE 937 90 945 2,999 96
7HO12659 PASSAT 930 92 938 1,705 97
7HO12819 OUTSIDERS 884 92 889 2,251 98
7HO12421 MILLINGTON 874 96 902 1,540 99
7HO12266 YODER 872 99 900 1,020 99
7HO13504 JAGUAR 838 88 876 1,487 93
7HO12864 INFERNO 822 90 845 921 94
7HO13334 PHANTOM 821 93 848 2,256 98
12/19 CDCB/HA Genomic Evaluation: All bulls, except YODER, qualify for semen export to Canada.
7HO12788 FRAZZLED7HO12788 FRAZZLED
Pine-Tree 9839 Fraz 7613-ET
Photo by Herges
Customer satisfaction is guaranteed when you
choose Select Sires-home to breed leaders for
both NM$ and CM$. Contact your local Select
Sires representative today to add these elite
sires to your breeding program.
7HO12421 MILLINGTON7HO12421 MILLINGTON
S-S-I La 17798 Genevieve-ET (VG-86-VG-MS)
Larson Acres, Inc., Evansville, WI, Photo by Fisher
7HO13454 ROCKETFIRE7HO13454 ROCKETFIRE
S-S-I Rocktfir 5033 8223-ET (GP-80)
Photo by Herges

Kentucky 4-H Places Sixth at National 4-H Contest
The 98th Annual National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest
was held September 30, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. The
Kentucky 4-H team traveled to several farms beforehand
practicing and preparing for this event. The team members for
the 2019 Kentucky 4-H Dairy judging team are Kelly Baird,
Madison Goodlett, Casey Montgomery and Tyler Moehrke.
The team was recognized several times throughout the
evening. Overall, the Kentucky 4-H team placed sixth in the
contest. Team member Casey Montgomery placed 14th overall
in the contest, while team members Kelly Baird and Tyler
Moehrke were 27th and 28th overall in the contest.
In the breed awards, Kentucky was third in Brown Swiss,
second in Guernsey and second in Holstein. The team was
also fourth place team in oral reasons. Kelly Baird was fifth in
Guernsey and third in Holstein. Madison Goodlett place 8th
in Guernsey. Tyler Moehrke placed ninth in Guernsey. Casey
Montgomery was sixth in reasons and second high individual in
Holstein.
There are several people we thank for their continued support
of the Dairy Judging program. First we want to thank the
University of Kentucky Coldstream Dairy Crew for hosting
the State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest each year. The following
breeders served as host for the workouts: Fairdale Farm,
Owenton, Keightley-Core Jerseys, Salvisa, and EKU Stateland
Dairy, Richmond. We also thank the following sponsors for
all their help and financial support: Elanco-Andi Branstetter
Cook, Select Sires of MidAmerica-Dan Johnson, Michael Smith,
Steve Smith, Melinda and Rick Barber, Venture Grant by the
Kentucky 4-H Foundation, Oliver and Virginia Payne 4-H Dairy
Endowment, Kentucky Purebred Dairy Cattle Association,
Kentucky Dairy Development Council, Kentucky Department of
Agriculture and the Kentucky State Fair.
Bland Baird, coach, Casey Montgomery, Kelly Baird, Madison Goodlett, Tyler Moerhke, and Larissa Tucker, coach.

Producers Responded: 169 (about 36 % of producers responded)
Average Age of Producer in the 4 regions: 42,49,59,54
Total Cows: 17,696
Average Cows/Herd for the 4 regions: 77, 205, 72, 116
Where do you market your milk? All markets were represented
What are your plans for the next five years?
a) Continue milking – 128
b) Transition to next generation –23
c) Discontinue milking –16
d) Other explain – 5
Would you expand your herd if markets were available and dairy was more profitable?
Yes- 71 No-70
What programs have you participated in with KDDC?
a) MILK Program –102
b) Milk COUNTS –57
c) Summer/Wisconsin Tour –36
d) Annual Meeting –57
e) Energy Grants –30
Did you know KDDC has a website?
Yes –72 No –85 (some don’t have computer)
Do you receive the KDDC Milk Matters newsletter?
Yes -154 No –13
Do you receive KDDC’s e-newsletter?
Yes - 41 No –109 (76% of these do not have computer)
Comments:
Continue to improve profitability and sustainability for our farms to help involve the younger generations so there will be a
dairy future for the state of Kentucky, ALL GOOD!, Raise prices and keep them up, Continue helping dairy farmers, Continue
helping with manure management plan, Make local milk competitive with out of state milk, We have needs but I am not aware
of what is available, Continue to push for whole milk to be back in schools, Keep helping to promote dairy in our state, I
appreciate what you’re doing, more profitable, market milk to schools get whole milk in schools, keep helping dairy farmers,
try to provide a better market, keep up the good work, every little bit helps, more grant money, pay more on the coverage
program, support and promote family dairy farms in KY, markets and pricing, support supply management, Improve export
contracts, put a cap on number of cows a large dairy can milk, help be more profitable, continue to keep Ky dairy farmers
operating, breed more jersey for component, KDDC has done a whole lot, continue the good work, get all the dairy industry
on the same page, better prices, keep working to improve milk market.
KDDC Producer Survey Results

Dixie Dairy Report
December 2019
Cheese at its highest price in five years. For the first
time since 2014, the monthly cheese price, used to set federal
order prices, is over $2.00/lb. The November cheese price is
$2.1723/lb. which is over $0.70/lb. higher than last November.
Barrel cheddar propelled the higher cheese price by increasing
almost $0.40/lb. from October to November. After being $0.22/
lb. lower than blocks in October, barrels were $0.13/lb. higher
than blocks in November. The high cheese price resulted in
a November Class III price of $20.45/cwt., again, the highest
price, since 2014. Higher cheese prices are the result of: 1)
Lower inventories. Since May, American cheese inventories
have been below the same month a year ago with the October
31 inventory 9% lower than last October. 2) Strong demand. In
October domestic cheese consumption was 3.4% and exports
11.6% higher than last October. 3) Lower production. October
American cheese production was 3.2% lower than last October.
Looking ahead, cheese prices are retreating, but still much higher
than a year ago. As of December 4, CME block cheddar and
barrel are $1.9750/lb. and $2.2525/lb. respectfully. Cheese prices
are anticipated to decline from current levels, as production
increases, but prices are projected to remain significantly higher
than a year earlier through the first half of 2020.
The price of nonfat dry milk powder (NFDM) keeps
climbing. The November NFDM price is $1.1540/lb., the
highest since 2014. Factors propelling high powder prices are:
1) Increased exports. The volume of milk powder exported in
September was a record for any September. 2) Strong domestic
use of powder by bakers and confectioners. 3) Increased use
of powder and wet solids for cheese milk standardization.
Currently, the domestic NFDM price is about $0.20/lb. lower
than the world price. The NFDM price is projected to continue
to move upward in 2020, and will be a primary reason for higher
milk prices next year.
The butter price is dropping. Since July, the butter price
has declined every month with the November CME butter price
the lowest in three years. Reasons for the decline include: 1)
Increased butter production. Production up 5% in October. 2)
Expanding inventories. Inventories have increased each month
since July. 3) Heavy butter imports, and lower world prices
continue to put downward pressure on the domestic butter price.
Butter prices are projected lower in 2020, compared to recent
years.
DAIRY PRODUCTS SALES REPORT (DPSR) PRICES*
Product NOV 19 OCT 19 NOV 18 NOV 17
($/lb)
Butter $2.0869 $2.1599 $2.2677 $2.2810
Cheese (block) $2.0987 $2.0569 $1.5246 $1.7475
Cheese
(barrel)
$2.2280 $1.8379 $1.3433 $1.7450
Cheese
Weighted Avg
$2.1723 $1.9694 $1.4463 $1.7617
Nonfat Dry Milk
Powder
$1.1540 $1.0957 $0.8860 $0.7553
Dry Whey $0.3071 $0.3396 $0.4626 $0.3587
*Dairy product prices used to calculate federal order class prices
More milk and cows. For the fourth consecutive month,
milk production is higher than a year earlier. October production
is 1.3% higher than last October. Of the 24 milk reporting
states production was higher in 17 and lower in 7 states. Texas
continues as the production leader, up 9.3%. October production
was 2.8% higher in California and up 1.0% in Wisconsin.
Estimated cow numbers at the end of October were 9.327 million
head. Cow numbers have increased 10,000 head over the past
two months.
However, the nation’s dairy herd is 40,000 head less than
last October. It is interesting to note, cow numbers in Texas are
31,000 more than a year ago while Pennsylvania has 30,000 less
cows.
In the three southeast reporting states, October production
is up slightly in Georgia and Florida, but Virginia continues
its decline. Higher production in Georgia and Florida is due to
more milk per cow. In Florida, October milk per cow is over 3%
higher than last October
Poor quarter for fluid milk sales. Fluid milk sales,
combined, for the three southeastern federal orders were 2.1%
lower during the third quarter of this year compared to the same
quarter a year earlier. Third quarter changes for the individual
orders were: Appalachian down 2.2%, Florida down 1.5%, and
Southeast Order down 2.5%. Fluid sales, declining more than
production, is a continuing challenge for the Southeast States.
Blend prices. November blend prices, in the Southeastern
federal orders, are projected about $0.50/cwt. higher than
October in the three southeastern federal orders. December
blend prices are projected to be $0.50 to $0.75/cwt. higher
than November. Due to the change in the Class I Mover
calculation, Southeast dairy farmers will not see all of the recent
cheese prices gains in upcoming milk checks. In parts of the
Appalachian and Southeast orders, the November Class III price
will be higher than the order blend price.
SOUTHEAST MONTHLY MILK REPORTING STATES OCT-OCT
Georgia Florida Virginia Total
(Production) (million lbs)
OCT 19 136 172 119 427
OCT 18 135 170 128 433
Change % 0.8% 1.2% -7.0% -1.4%

Milk Prices
FMMO 5
www.malouisville.com
November 2019
Class 1 Advanced Price
(@3.5%BF)
$ 21.54
(@3.5%BF)
$ 22.73
FMMO 7
www.fmmmatlanta.com
November 2019
(@3.5%BF)
$21.94
(@3.5%BF)
$ 23.13
PROJECTED BLEND PRICES–BASE ZONES – SOUTHEASTERN FEDERAL ORDERS
Month Appalachian Florida Southeast
($/cwt. 3.5% butterfat)
October 2019 $20.17 $22.00 $20.65
November $20.58 $22.54 $21.17
December $21.07 $23.34 $21.74
January 2020 $20.91 $22.97 $21.40
February $20.66 $22.89 $21.34
March $20.13 $22.43 $20.68
*Projections in bold
Looking forward to 2020. Our projections show blend prices in the three
Southeastern federal orders averaging about $1.25/cwt. higher in 2020 compared to
2019. However, two factors can easily change the projection. They are production
and sales. There is concern higher milk prices will spur on more milk production.
Hopefully, dairy farmers will think twice before expanding, remembering the
consequences of too much milk. On the sales side, domestic demand is enjoying a good
year. We are optimistic this will continue as the economy remains strong. On the export
side, powder exports are moving up. And, whey exports should improve next year as
Asia rebuilds its swine population. Overall, we are optimistic for higher milk prices in
2020.
Best wishes to all of you for a blessed and joyous Christmas season.

Key Changes:
• Employer groups of one may be eligible for small group plans.
• Husband/wife employer groups may be eligible for
small group plans.
• Employer groups of 5 or more can choose 2 plan options.
• Employer groups of 10 or more can choose 3 plan options.
For more information, please contact:
ASSOCIATION
ADVANTAGE
INSURANCE GROUP
We’ve Got Your Members Covered!
Anthem of Kentucky has revised
their eligibility guidelines for KDDC
Association Group Health Plans.
Cassie Grigsby
Association Advantage Insurance Group
(502) 875-1593
cgrigsby@aaigky.com
Melissa Hinton
The Hinton Agency
(859) 351-6559
thehintonagency@gmail.com

Spencer County FFA Notched Seventh Consecutive National Title
Patti Huertgen, Online Media Manager
“
A huge, powerful, and overwhelming force or institution.”
That is the definition of juggernaut, and Spencer County
FFA in Kentucky has certainly earned the description after
claiming their seventh consecutive National FFA Dairy Cattle
Evaluation and Management Contest title. And, keep in mind,
once a student judges in this contest, they cannot judge again.
This means 28 national champion students in seven years.
Few high schools in any discipline can demonstrate this type of
dominance.
Each student places six classes representing three breeds
(Holstein, Brown Swiss, and Jersey), gives three sets of reasons
(one per breed), and takes a written test, which includes
evaluation of Dairy Herd Information (DHI) records. The points
earned are then added to a group presentation score. This team
activity includes evaluating a farm and providing feedback in the
form of an oral team presentation where all four youth discuss
the farm’s recommended animal health protocols.
Team Results
Kentucky FFA’s team members were Kelly Baird, Madison
Goodlett, Tyler Moehrke, and Casey Montgomery, and were
coached by Bland Baird. All four Spencer County FFA members
earned gold rankings and the team won the presentation portion
of the contest.
Prairie Central FFA in Illinois trailed Kentucky by 30 points
and placed second. This Illinois FFA team consisted of Ashlyn
Kratochvil, Ainsley Kratochvil, Jacob Raber, and Addie Raber.
Amery FFA in Wisconsin placed third, just nine points behind
Illinois. Team members were Courtney Glenna, Kathrine
Elwood, Hailey Clausen, and Ella Williamson. The top three
teams are invited on the International Dairy Judging Tour next
summer in Europe. They will compete at the Royal Highland
Show in Edinbugh and tour a dairy operation in Scotland and
Ireland as well as historic locations.
Chehalis FFA from Washington placed fourth. Team members
included siblings Gary and Lauryn Young, Cassy Schilter, and
Kaylee Keehr. Illinois, Wisconsin, and Washington all had three
gold and one silver emblem individuals among their teams.
Ionia FFA in Michigan and Maquoketa Valley FFA in Iowa
had all four team members earn gold emblems and placed fifth
and sixth, respectively. Rounding out the top ten were Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and California. Additionally,
Billings FFA in Montana, Plainview-Elgin-Millville FFA in
Minnesota, and North Iredell FFA in North Carolina also earned
gold team emblems. North Carolina was the only other team
with all four students earning gold rankings among the 43 state
teams.
FFA Individuals
The individual honors tally the combination of classes,
reasons, the written test, and DHI record evaluation, while
excluding the team presentation score.
Not to be outmatched by Kentucky’s win, Miriam Cook of
Ionia FFA dominated the contest winning by an amazing 43
points! She won the Brown Swiss, Jersey and oral reasons
portions.
Courtney Glenna of Amery FFA had the high score on the
written exam with 132 points out of a possible 150.
The overall top individuals receive cash awards. Here are the
top 10:
1. Miriam Cook, Michigan FFA
2. Isaac Rott, Minnesota FFA
3. Kelly Baird, Kentucky FFA
4. Ian Black, Michigan FFA
5. Julia Heijkoop, Florida FFA
6. Lauryn Young, Washington FFA
7. Laurel Gray, North Carolina FFA
8. Kinley Topp, Ohio FFA
9. Courtney Glenna, Wisconsin FFA
10. Jacob Raber, Illinois FFA
Dairy Handlers Contest
In a separate contest, the dairy cattle handlers activity
is evaluated during the Dairy Cattle Evaluation contest in
Indianapolis, Ind. The leadspeople for the judging contest each
won their state contest and presented the animals for the FFA
members to judge. As leadspeople, they were evaluated for
their skill at presenting the animal they were given. The top
three individuals were Katheryn Longenecker of Central FFA in
Pennsylvania, Perry Baird of Woodbury FFA in Tennessee, and
Austin Baker of Providence Grove FFA in North Carolina.

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protect dairy farmers from the decline in quarterly revenue
from milk sales. Contact us today for more information
about protecting one of the biggest risks to your operation.
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To place a classified ad, contact any of the KDDC Dairy Conultants or Carey Brown at (859) 948-1256

F
or the past 10 years, Madison Dyment has been
evaluating dairy cattle. All those years of dedication
paid off when she recently won first overall individual
in the 2019 World Dairy Expo’s Intercollegiate Dairy
Judging Contest. She also took first place in oral reasons
and in two breed categories.
“I’ve always immersed myself in the dairy industry,”
said Dyment, who is a senior studying agricultural
communications in the UK Department of Community and
Leadership Development and print journalism in the UK
School of Journalism and Media. “I’m always observing and
judging them informally. My stepdad, Jamie Howard, has
always been my personal coach. He’s pushed me and helped
me become who I am. He’s the best cow person I know.”
Howard also judged dairy cattle while in school at UK
many years ago. Dyment also credits her collegiate coach,
Derek Nolan, with much of her success.
“We are constantly practicing,” she said. “On the way to
the World Dairy Expo, we spent two days going farm to farm,
judging and evaluating different cows and then giving oral
reasons about them. He cares so much about our team, and he
loves the industry. He really wants us to have the best overall
experience.”
Nolan is a doctoral student in the UK Department of
Animal and Food Sciences in the College of Agriculture,
Food and Environment. He teaches the dairy judging class
and has coached the dairy judging team for the past two
years.
“I am very excited for Madison,” Nolan said. “I know
how much time and effort she put in to get to this point. We
had a pretty good feeling going into the competition that she
could win. It’s a great accomplishment for her and for our
program.”
Dyment came to UK from Burgessville, Ontario. She plans
to attend graduate school upon graduation. She would like to
continue studying agricultural communications and become
a professor someday, giving back to the industry she loves so
much.
UK Student Triumphs in 2019 World Dairy Expo
Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest
Aimee Nielson, University of Kentucky
(L to R) Dave Selner, executive director of the National Dairy Shrine; UK student Madison Dyment; Derek Nolan, UK doctoral student and
team coach; and Larissa Tucker, UK senior extension associate for Dairy Youth Programs. Photo submitted.

I
t seems like every year we gladly see a miserable
summer come to an end. We all know how hard the
summer is on us dairymen and dairywomen, and excuse
some of our cow’s decreased performance on the extreme
heat felt in the southeast. It seems as though these summers
are lasting longer and longer, and when they do finally come
to an end and the weather breaks, we expect the flood gates
to open on milk production. If it doesn’t, we begin to wonder
why? This is when our phones start ringing with clients
expecting more milk production and wondering what buttons
we can press to achieve these desired higher levels of cow
performance.
Every year some herds are able to switch gears from survival
mode through sweltering summers, to a higher gear and see the
cows take off. As the years go on and we see the gaps widen
between the haves, in terms of Quarter 4 milk production, and
have-nots; it begs the question of what are the “haves” doing
right? In this brief article, I would like to pass forward a few
trends some herds are executing to achieve desired fall and early
winter milk production success.
Forage Carry-over: One of the best things we can do for our
cows in this type of weather and season transition, is to have
fully fermented forage in storage. The main reason we like to see
fermented forages being fed is starch digestibility. As you can
see below, starch reaches near optimal digestibility in corn silage
after 18 weeks. This is crucial because starch that isn’t utilized
passes through in manure. The goal is less than 3% starch
remaining in manure. For every point above that, we are leaving
around .75 lbs of milk on the table. It is not uncommon to see
fecal starch run around 10% on herds that switch to new crop,
shortly fermented corn silage. As such, we would be leaving 5.25
lbs of milk on the table.
I sometimes preach this point about feeding fermented old
crop silage and am reminded all farms simply do not have more
than 12 months of storage capabilities, nor have the acreage to
harvest more than that. Also, our dear friend mother nature can
have something to say about what we grow and what we do not.
With this in mind, I still believe there are things we can do to
help switch gears to achieving these desired milk production
levels in transition time, even without keeping an extra 6 months
of corn silage on hand. First, we need to harvest corn silage at
optimal moisture, between 68 and 72 percent moisture. Also, we
need to focus on kernel processing; the goal would be above 60
on the KPS. These two factors can drastically improve starch
digestibility. I also believe genetics are crucial when discussing
seed corn varieties. Some of the newer, soft kernel (floury) types,
as well as BMR corn silage can feed shortly fermented like they
have been in the trench for 6 months.
Dry Cow Heat Stress: Its easy to look at cows calving in
cooler weather (October and November) and ask why their
performance isn’t better. A simple reason may be the time period
they were dry. I often see peaks higher for cows calving in July
than in November. One of the main reasons for this is the stress
on fall calving cows during their dry period. A recent research
trial showed 14 lbs of milk difference for peak milk for cows
experiencing heat stress in the dry period vs. cows that did not.
According to a recent NAHMS Dairy Study, nearly 80% of our
dairy farms provide fans on their lactating cows, while less than
50% provide fans on their dry cows. Researchers believe milk
yield reduction is due to impaired blood flow through the dry
cow’s udder over the last two months of pregnancy. The udder
is rapidly growing over this period in preparation for the next
lactation. The impaired blood flow stunts udder growth, which
means they possess fewer functioning mammary cells with
reduced secretory capacity. As a result, they will produce less
milk and become disadvantaged while calving.
In summary, I want to pass along two of the key things I
see as opportunities to help us as we transition our cows from
summertime stress to maximizing milk production as the
weather breaks. It is important we account for days in milk and
component percentages while we shift gears. Summertime can be
dreadful, however I truly believe, if we focus on our cows and
our forages, we can make the most of milk production and cow
performance in the early part of winter. Thank you for all you
do.
Winter Is Here… Why Aren’t My Cows Milking More???
Joe Sparrow

S
outhland Dairy Farmers have partnered with Jill
Castle, a registered dietitian, child nutrition expert,
author, and mom, to help educate consumers about
the importance of a healthy diet and sensible eating practices
for children.
Jill Castle, MS. RD. is a 27+ year veteran of pediatric nutrition
with years of training and experience in the specialized field of
nutrition for infants, toddlers, children, and teens. Jill knows that
raising healthy eaters is not easy, but through her experiences
she knows that you can raise a healthy eater and a healthy child.
Jill feels strongly about what she calls the “trifecta of child
nutrition”:
• Food and Nutrients
• Nurturing feeding practices
• Childhood development
Through our partnership, we have produced a series of short
videos that are now available on our webpage and through our
social media outlets to address the issues of dairy products and
childhood nutrition. Among the issues discussed are:
• Dairy Alternatives vs. Whole Milk Products
• Early Childhood Brain Development
• The Benefits of Chocolate Milk for Kids
• Research Updates on Whole Milk
• Modern Childhood Nutrition
In addition to our videos, Jill will create and write a quarterly
white paper dedicated to education about, and promotion of,
the nutrition and health values of dairy products which will
be posted on Southwest / Southland Dairy Farmers digital
platforms and social media. These white papers will address
the “cutting edge” issues for current dairy nutrition wisdom and
conversations that are now taking place.
Using digital marketing practices, our partnership will help
get Jill’s engaging dairy nutrition messages to consumers. Our
organization is pleased to join forces with Jill Castle to provide
her expertise with our dairy mission to inform and promote
“Milk, a part of everything that’s good.”
To find out more information on Jill Castle and to
view the newly released video series, please visit www.
southwestdairyfarmers.com/pages/jill-castle.
Jill Castle and Southland Dairy Farmers Partner for Child Nutrition

Dairy Delivers Mealtime Inspiration
In collaboration with Eat
Y’all, The Dairy Alliance took
12 Chef Camp attendees to learn
about dairy. Eat Y’all helps
family farms and food producers
connect with chefs seeking
to provide better ingredients
to the community. To create
this connection, in partnership
with The Dairy Alliance, Eat
Y’all routinely offers free Chef
Camps to provide information
about locally produced foods to
the community’s chefs. There,
chefs can find inspiration for
their next tasty creation while
learning where these ingredients
come from.
One of these two-day offerings took place at Kenny’s
Farmhouse Cheese in Austin, KY. Beginning as a dairy before
focusing in the cheese business, Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese
is part of a second-generation dairy farm owned by Kenny
Mattingly that offers over 20 cheese varieties. The modern dairy
farm includes a robotic milking system, allowing the cows to
milk whenever they wish. Part of the fluid milk is sold while the
remainder goes to producing their award-winning cheeses.
Camp attendees were treated to a tour of the facility, including
seeing the robotic milking machines in action and a visit to the
calf barn. The guests saw the dairy farm’s creamery and its cheese
caves before enjoying a cheese tasting. The days on the farm
were spent sampling various cheeses, skeet shooting, hayride
tours of the land and learning all about dairy for the chefs. The
location was perfect for enjoying charcuterie board appetizers
and cheeseburger dinners featuring the dairy farm’s signature
cheeses, which the chefs prepared for each other while
sharing cooking techniques. The event inspired new offerings
from these chefs, and they knew just where to get the
delicious cheese needed for these creations!
New Milk Dispensers for Fleming County
The Dairy Alliance assisted Fleming County Director of
Nutrition Services Jan Anderson with obtaining new milk
dispensers for Fleming County Schools. Two of the schools
in the system, Ewing Elementary School and Simons Middle
School, launched new milk dispenser programs featuring
white and 1% chocolate milk, with The Dairy Alliance
providing promotional educational materials for students
interested in learning more about the importance of milk.
Anderson reports that Fleming County students continue to be
big fans of the bulk dispensers, enjoying how cold the milk is
in the new equipment and having the opportunity to go back
for multiple servings of milk. With these bulk milk dispensers
in place, Kentucky’s students can’t deny their love for fresh
milk!

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Allied Sponsors
PLATINUM
Alltech
Ag Central
Bluegrass Dairy & Food
Burkmann Feeds
Cowherd Equipment
CPC Commodities
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Kentucky Farm Bureau
Kentucky Soybean Board
Shaker Equipment Sales
GOLD
Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition
Dairy Express Services
Dairy Products Assoc. of Kentucky
Dairy Farmers of America ME
Farm Credit Mid-America
Givens and Houchens Trucking
Mid-South Dairy Records
Select Sires Mid America
Todd County Animal Clinic
Trenton Farm Supply
SILVER
Advanced Comfort
Grain Processing Corp.
KVMA
Luttrull Feeds
Prairie Farms
Owen Transport
RSI Calf Systems
South Central Bank
Southland Dairy Farmers
BRONZE
Bank of Jamestown
Bagdad Roller Mills
Central Farmers Supply
Double “S” Liquid Feed
Genetics Plus
H J Baker
Kentucky Corn Growers
Limestone & Cooper
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers
Provimi (Cargill)
QMI
Wilson Trucking

176 Pasadena Drive
Lexington, KY 40503
859.516.1129 ph
www.kydairy.org
Non-Profit
US Postage
PAID
JAN 07
KDDC Board Meeting, Nelson County Extension
Office 10:00 EST
JAN 13
Alltech Meeting Christian County Extension Office
11-3 CST
JAN 14
Alltech Meeting, Taylor County Extension Office,
11-3 EST
JAN 15
Alltech Meeting, Barren County Extension Office,
11-3 CST
JAN 16
Alltech Meeting, Fleming County Extension
Office, 11– 3 EST
JAN 16-17
Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association Convention
and Ag Industry Trade Show Owensboro Conven-
tion Center, Owensboro, KY
JAN 20-22
Georgia Dairy Conference, Savannah Marriott
Riverfront, Savannah, GA
Calendar of Events
FEB 11
Kentucky Proud – KDDC Legislative Breakfast,
Capital Annex Building 7:00 A.M. EST
FEB 12-15
The Kentucky Farm Machinery Show, Exposition
Center Louisville, KY
FEB 25
Dairy Awards Banquet, Sloan Convention Center,
Bowling Green, KY 6:00 P.M. CST
FEB 26
Kentucky Dairy Partners Meeting and Industry
Trade show, Sloan Convention Center, Bowling
Green KY 8:30 A.M. CST
MAR 18-19
Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Busi-
ness Conference Madison, Wisconsin
APR 03-04
Kentucky National Dairy Show and Sale, KY
Exposition Center, Louisville, KY

Milk Matters NovDec 2019

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