Upcoming Babcock Institute / World Dairy Expo International Dairy Short Course, Sept 2010 The 13th Annual International Dairy Short Course is scheduled for September 27-29, 2010. Topics will include: Genomics, Farm Management, Feeding Efficiency, Cow Comfort, Treatment of Mastitis, and Calf Care. Read more about the event here. To register for the course please go to the World Dairy Expo website. 

Babcock Institute Attends CIGAL Conference, August 2010
Babcock Institute Outreach Specialist Laura Van Toll attended the 26th annual Conferencia International sobre Ganado Lechero (CIGAL) dairy trade show in Guadalaraja, Mexico in early August. Van Toll traveled with representatives from DATCP, Humane, Kuhn Knight, Techno-Pro, and US Livestock and Genetics Exports. Click here to read more about the event.

Dairy Artisan Reunion Dinner, August 2010
Dairy Artisans from around the state gathered at the Pyle Center on Monday, August 16 for a reunion dinner hosted by the Babcock Institute. Made possible by the generous support of Jeanne Carpenter of Wisconsin Cheese Originals and Kathy Brown of Planning Options, the dinner was a celebration of the Dairy Artisan Research Program and its participants. Click here to read more about the event.

New! Babcock Institute E-Newsletter, August 2010
Interested in learning about what's happening at the Babcock Institute? Subscribe to our new monthly e-newsletter. Email us at babcock@cals.wisc.edu to be added to our mailing list. You may also view our most recent edition here.

IFCN Dairy Conference in Kiel, Germany, June 2010
Dr. Ed Jesse, director of Trade and Policy Studies for the Babcock Institute, met with dairy economists from 34 countries in early June 2010 for the International Farm Comparison Network conference in Kiel, Germany. The conference is held annually to compare and analyze dairy farms from 45 countries. Results from the conference will be published in the 2010 IFCN Dairy Report available in October. The UW College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has issued a press release, or click here to read more about the event.

Pakistan International Visitor Program Visits Babcock Institute, July 2010
The Babcock Institute facilitated a meeting with several Pakistani dairy industry leaders and DATCP to discuss and promote international trade. The visitors from Pakistan met with Karen Nielsen, director of the Babcock Institute, and Jennifer Lu, DATCP, who presented an overview of trade in Wisconsin. Resulting from the meeting, one participant has made contact with a Wisconsin company to discuss trade opportunities. Click here to read more.

Check Out FarmersFeedUS.org for a Chance to Win Free Groceries for a Year!
It's no secret that Wisconsin farmers work hard to feed families across the state and beyond. What isn't always as obvious, however, is the passion and enthusiasm behind the food production. Several farmers from across the midwest have teamed up to create farmersfeedus.org, a website full of information about how farmers produce safe, affordable and nutritious food everyday. Check out the website to learn more about Wisconsin farms and to register for a chance to win free groceries for a year!

Babcock Institute to Attend CIGAL Dairy Conference, August 2010
Babcock Institute Outreach Specialist Laura Van Toll will travel with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to Guadelajara, Mexico August 11-13, 2010 to participate in the Conferencia International sobre Ganado Lechero (CIGAL), one of Mexico's largest annual dairy conferences. The Babcock Institute will cohost a booth with DATCP to promote the Wisconsin dairy industry. 

New Babcock Institute Discussion Paper, June 2010
The Babcock Institute has published a new discussion paper: "An Evaluation of The Impact of Globalization on the U.S. Dairy Industry: Threats, Opportunities and Implications" written by Dr. William D. Dobson. Building on information recently released by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the paper provides an analysis of global emerging markets and possible strategies for the U.S. to become more globally competitive. Click here to download a copy of the paper.

Babcock Institute hosts French Farmers, June 2010
The Babcock Institute hosted a one-day dairy workshop in early June 2010 for a group of farmers from the Calvados region of France. The program included a presentation on the Dairy Industry in Wisconsin, a tour of the UW-Madison campus, and visits to ABS Global and Blue Star Dairy. Click here to read more.

Babcock Institute travels to Argentina, May 2010
Babcock Institute Outreach Specialist Laura Van Toll and Dr. Victor Cabrera of the UW Department of Dairy Science recently traveled to San Francisco, Argentina to participate in a short course and workshop at Mercolactea in San Francisco, Argentina, May 11-13, 2010. The workshop was hosted by APROCAL in collaboration with the Babcock Institute. Read more about the event here.

7th Sino-US Dairy Research Seminar, April 2010
Babcock Institute director Karen Nielsen recently returned from a trip to Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in China for the 7th annual Sino-U.S. Dairy Development Seminar. This year’s seminar was very successful with approximately 350 attendees -- the largest turnout ever! Ms. Nielsen was accompanied by several industry leaders from Wisconsin. Click here to read more about the event.

Babcock Institute/Dairy Artisan video on YouTube, April 2010
A video of Anne Topham's visit to Ecuador has been posted on YouTube. Listen to Anne talk about her experiences in Quito in her own words. The video can be found here.

 New Babcock Institute Case Study, April 2010
A new case study has been published by the Babcock Institute entitled Snap-Shot Assessment of Resources Use and Production, Small-Holder Dairy Farms in Uttar Pradesh, India written by Mark Powell. The Babcock Institute Case Studies are publications on specific topics not already covered by our other categories of publications. Click on the link to read the first case study.

Babcock Institute in the News, April 2010
The Babcock Institute was featured in a recent issue of Agri-View, one of Wisconsin's leading agricultural newspapers. Click to view the Agri-View website.
 

Dairy Artisan Research Program in Wisconsin Week, March 2010
A local cheesemaker traveled to Ecuador to advise villagers on the care of goats in a new cheese plant. An article featured in Wisconsin Week discusses Anne Topham's trip to Quito, Ecuador, funded by the Dairy Artisan Program and the Babcock Institute. Read the article about the Dairy Artisan Program on the Wisconsin Idea.

Babcock Institute Press Release, April 2010
Resulting from a two-week training program hosted by the Babcock Institute, a farmer from Turkmenistan is planning to build the nation's first on-farm cheese plant. The Babcock Institute has issued a press release with highlights from the two-week USDA Cochran Fellowship Program. Read the full press release.
 

New Dairy Artisan Research Paper Published, March 2010
As part of the Wisconsin Dairy Artisan Research Program, two Wisconsin farmers traveled to the Netherlands and Germany in June 2009. Larry and Clara Hedrich of the LaClare Farm in Chilton, WI share their experience learning about dairy goat products in their report here. Find more information about the Dairy Artisan Research Program here.
 

Cochran Fellowship Program, February 2010
The Babcock Institute organized a 2 week animal breeding training program (Febuary 19th - March 6th, 2010) based at the campus of the University of Wisconsin. The course was sponsored by USDA's Cochran Fellowship for a small group from Turkmenistan.Their schedule included lectures, farm and industry tours, multi-day workshops, and meetings with representatives of Wisconsin government and industry.
 

Babcock Institute in the News, January 2010
The Babcock Institute's work in the international dairy community and a recent visit to Kosovo are highlighted in an article in the Capital Times. Read part one and part two of this article written by John Oncken, correspondent for the Capital Times. 

Discussion Paper,  December 2009
The Babcock Institute has released its new Discussion Paper The Dairy Sector of Mexico: A Country Study by W.D. Dobson and E.V. Jesse. This paper and its shorter partner Will Mexico Become More Self-Sufficient in Milk Production? released as a the next in our series of International Dairy Notes  look at the current situation of the Dairy Sector of Mexico and provide some thoughts about possible future scenarios.

Dairy Partner, November-December 2009
New issue of Dairy Partner/El Compañero from the UW Extension

Kosovo Dairy Development Program, November 2009
The Babcock Institute and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture welcomed dairy leaders from Kosovo to Madison in an effort to formulate strategies to rebuild their agricultural economy. The group experienced Wisconsin agriculture first hand, as they visited area farms and attended lectures given by University of Wisconsin-Madison professors and Wisconsin DATCP officials.

Babcock in the news, November 2009
The Babcock Institute supports research by CALS Animal Science professor John Parrish. Recently covered in grow Wisconsin's Magazine for the Life Sciences, Parrish established a collaboration with National Bull Stud (Bangladesh's federal artificial insemination institution) to investigate a specific question in the fertility of bulls. Read more about it here.

World Dairy Expo International Dairy Short Course, September 2009
The 12th annual World Dairy Expo International Dairy Short Course was held in conjunction with the World Dairy Expo in Madison. This year's event included lectures, farm visits, and workshops attended by participants from over ten countries. The Babcock Institute also hosted groups from China (CAU,USGC), Eurasia, Germany, Iran, and South America.

Wisconsin Trade Mission, September 2009
Babcock Institute Director Karen Nielsen accompanied Wisconsin Governor James Doyle and UW System President Kevin Reilly on a trade mission to China. Mission participants also included representatives of the Wisconsin DATCP and Department of Commerce.

Honduran Dairy Artisan Internship, July 2009
Through the efforts of Partners for Global Dairy Development, two Honduran dairy artisans spent a month in southern Wisconsin interning with local dairy artisans. The interns, Daniel Alexander Matute Berrios and Otho Francisco Tercero Maldonado presented a summary of their internship and received certificates from Molly Jahn, Dean of the UW College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Sino-US Dairy Research Center Seminar, May 2009
Babcock Institute Associate Director Karen Nielsen accompanied Simon Peek, and Thomas Leitzke to the 6th Sino-US Dairy Research Center Seminar held this year in Hang Zhou, China

Dairy Training Program for German Dairy Farmers, May 2009
Organized by Dave Wieckert and led by Gus Wilke and Jutta Berger, this group participated in five days of programming. Speakers included UW Madison and UW Extension faculty in addition to area dairy farmers and industry representatives. The group spent time in Madison and Appleton during the week.

International Dairy Notes, February 2009
The February 2009 issue of the Babcock Institute's International Dairy Notes newsletter is now available. This issue by Edward Jesse touches on the effect of the global economic crisis and other events on the health of U.S. dairy exports.

Babcock Sponsored Visit to Honduran Dairy Industry Sites, January 2009
In January 2009, Norm Monsen from WI DATCP and Dr. Bob Wills, Master Cheese Maker from Cedar Grove Cheese, visited Honduras for one week to evaluate the dairy industry there. They met with government leaders, local dairy industry leaders, and Honduran participants from the Babcock Institute / World Dairy Expo International Dairy Short Course 2008. The evaluation of the Honduran dairy industry was published in the paper written by Dr. Wills, and a 2-month internship program was developed for young Honduran cheese makers in Wisconsin based on the findings in this paper.

Babcock Funded Research, in Hoard's Dairyman January 2009
A 2007 Babcock Institute sub-grant to Mark Powell and Cameron Gourley for the study "Rapid Assessment of Nutrient Use - Efficiencies and Environmental Performance of Dairy Farms in Wisconsin USA and Victoria Australia" has resulted in the publication of a piece in the January 25, 2009 issues of Hoard's Dairyman. 

Discussion Paper 2008-3: The Dairy Sector of Brazil: A Country Study
William Dobson, Edward Jesse, Ronaldo Braga Reis, 2008
Brazil is a major dairy country that has moved from being a significant importer to a net exporter of dairy products. International dairy analysts have identified Brazil as a country that could become an even larger dairy exporter in the relatively near future. This study takes a closer look at Brazil's dairy industry in light of recent developments, with an eye to assessing its growth prospects and the implications of developments for the U.S. and global dairy industries. 

2008 World Dairy Expo Short Course: September 29 to October 1
The Babcock Institute hosted 53 visitors from 14 different countries during the 11th annual World Dairy Expo Short Course. Activities during the Expo included a three-day short course, involving talks on the dairy industry, hands on workshops regarding embyo transfer and milk quality testing, and visits to local dairy farms. During visits to Larson Acres and Spring Grove Dairy participants saw first-hand how the Wisconsin dairy industry operates. Talks by University of Wisconsin faculty at the World Dairy Expo course were presented in both English and Spanish.

2008 Sino-US Dairy Seminar deemed a tremendous success
The most recent Sino-US Dairy Center seminar that took place on June 6-7, 2008 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China was again a tremendous success. Attendance was expected to be around 100-150 participants, but organizers were surprised and pleased with a turnout of nearly 300.

This is the fifth official seminar held through the partnership of the Babcock Institute and China Agricultural University. Topics included the role of dairy cooperatives and Cooperative Extension in the US dairy industry, and current developments in the US dairy industry. Dairy nutritionist, and partner in the Sino-US Dairy Center, Professor Li Shengli also introduced plans for modernizing China’s dairy industry included in the government’s next five-year plan.

Mexican Sheep Farmers Enjoy Educational Five-Day Stay in Wisconsin (April 13-19)

This past April, nine sheep farmers from Mexico visited the Babcock Institute to learn new information about the sheep farming business. They were in Wisconsin for a five-day trip beginning in Madison where they learned about UW-Madison and the Babcock Institute, toured the campus and State Street, and heard from educated speakers about the dairy sheep industry, genetics and breeding and processing sheep’s milk. The second day they traveled to Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain, Wisconsin for a tour of the processing and waste water facilities, and then to Hidden Springs Farm and Creamery in Westby, Wisconsin for a tour of the plant. The third and fourth days were spent in Spooner, Wisconsin where the farmers listened to educational lectures and toured the facility at UW-Spooner Ag Research Station. At the end of the fourth day, the farmers returned to Madison, stopping at the Larry and Emily Meisegeier Farm near Bruce, Wisconsin. Once in Madison on the fifth day, the farmers once again listened to educational lectures involving dairy sheep mastitis, quality issues, housing and parlor design, and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. The rest of the day was spent enjoying Madison before their morning departure the next day.

Overall, the visit was a success. The farmers enjoyed the tour of Wisconsin and took back valuable information about sheep farming. We hope that this will not be their last visit to Wisconsin.