OLDSERA15: Competitiveness and Sustainability of the Southern Dairy Industry (S-217)
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
OLDSERA15: Competitiveness and Sustainability of the Southern Dairy Industry (S-217)
Duration: 10/01/2009 to 09/30/2014
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
Thirty-five (35) years ago an affiliation of southern agricultural economists and dairy scientists with diverse research and extension responsibilities for dairy created the first Southern Dairy Conference (SDC). That affiliation has evolved into the current Southern Extension and Research Activity (SERA-IEG-15). An annual SDC has endured as the signature product of that affiliation. The SDC fosters relationships between participants, producing beneficial outcomes as a result of those joint efforts. This document requests renewal of SERA-IEG-15.
Under the auspices of the current SERA-IEG-15, members have planned and conducted five annual SDC meetings. The SDC is a two day conference held in late January or early February in Atlanta, GA bringing together a variety of stakeholders in the southern dairy industry in satisfaction of objectives 1, 4 and 5 of the existing authority. Stakeholders include dairy producers, dairy industry representatives from cooperatives and proprietary dairy manufacturing organizations, regulatory personnel responsible for matters impacting the economics as well as the technical and public health aspects of the dairy industry, university personnel responsible for both research and extension dairy oriented activities and representatives shaping state and federal dairy policies. Conference topics and the identification of individuals best suited to address those topics are chosen in the late summer by SERA members via a telephone conference call, e-mails and other modes of communications. The process of choosing conference topics and inviting individuals with recognized expertise in chosen topics works to satisfy objectives 2 and 3.
The dynamics of the dairy industry create annual SDC programs featuring repetitive and contemporary sets of topics. Repetitive topics address national and regional dairy situations and outlooks, one or more aspects of current or proposed dairy policy, and the future of the Southeast dairy industry. Frequently presented topics over the last five years include U.S. and international dairy trade, provisions in federal milk market orders, technological impacts at both farm and manufacturing levels, milk quality issues varying from somatic cell counts to shelf life and environmental protection agency concerns with air quality. Many of the contemporary topics presented during the life of SERA-IEG-15 could be classified under the set of SAAESD Priority Areas for Multi-state Research Activities outlined in the 2006-2011 SAAESD Programmatic Plan. Examples of such topics include milk based beverages, bio-security response plans, immigration, European Union CAP reforms, a national animal identification system, generation of electricity from dairy wastes, obesity and health related issues, Johnes & Crohn diseases and consumer animal care expectations. Between 1999 and 2007, SDC presentations were posted at www.southeastdairyextension.org/, a website maintained by the University of Tennessee. However, the TN member of that era is no longer a faculty member at the University of Tennessee. This website is no longer available for posting SDC presentations and no alternative has been found. Kentucky maintains a list serve at SERA15@LSV.UKY.EDU that enables communication between members. Annual reports of SERA-IEG-15 can be accessed at http://www.lgu.umd.edu.
The following list of activities resulted from collaborations initiated in planning and conducting the SDC by the advisory committee.
1.The South Carolina SERA representative played a major role in implementation of a refundable tax credit program for South Carolina dairymen in 2005. Through participation in the SDC, the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federations (LFBF) Commodity Director for Dairy became aware of the South Carolina program. In 2006, the South Carolina representative was invited to Louisiana to explain the program. The Louisiana SERA representative used methodology and procedures in the South Carolina legislation to assist Louisiana dairymen and the LFBF in advocating for a Louisiana Dairy Refundable Tax Credit Program (LDRTCP) in 2007. As a result of this successful effort, 207 Louisiana dairymen received $1.257 million dollars in refundable tax credits based on 2007 production.
2.The 2007 merger of the DHIA programs in Louisiana and Mississippi was a synergistic outcome resulting from cooperation of those two states SERA representatives. That merger expanded to include Alabama DHIA in July, 2008. Those mergers enabled continuation of DHIA programs in all three states.
3.A southern region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant of $288,000 entitled Using Parasitoids in an Integrated Pest Management Approach to Control Flies on Dairy Farms, 2004-2007 was awarded to SERA-IEG-15 members from Arkansas, Mississippi and North Carolina. The concept for the grant originated in discussions at a SDC. This grant also includes Cornell. A 2008-2010 SARE PDP grant for $97,456 entitled Organic Dairy Training Conferences and Educational Materials for Professionals was awarded to SERA members at Arkansas and North Carolina.
4.The Kentucky SARE 15 representative, Dr. Jack McAllister, spent a week in Virginia in 2006 making extension presentations about expanding the gap between income and expenses on dairy farms.
5.Extension specialists at Kentucky and Virginia have co-authored two dairy extension publications on crossbreeding. These appear on DAIReXNET as well as the Virginia Cooperative Extension web site.
6.Committee members from North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia are co-investigators on a multi-state research project in crossbreeding. Each of the participants has a significant Extension appointment and results of the ongoing experiment are converted into useful educational programs for producers on a regular basis.
7.The Southeast Dairy Herd Management Conference has been held for over fifteen years in Macon, GA. It is planned and conducted by extension representatives from GA, AL, FL and SC. Half of the conference is targeted to industry representatives and half to dairy producers. Proceedings papers are published each year.
8.The Southern Affiliates DHIA Group includes dairy extension and DHIA organization employees from Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. It offers the opportunity for joint DHIA educational efforts and the oversight of DHIA programs for these five states. This program has a joint meeting in May of each year.
9.A Workshop for Dairy Extension and DHIA workers is held each year for training and information exchange among participants about dairy programs, interpretation of DHIA data, and other aspects of dairy herd management. This program is led by the Dairy Records Management Service group which is a part of North Carolina State University Animal Sciences Department. Participation involves personnel from all states in SERA 15 plus others.
10.The Universities of Georgia and Florida have a joint Corn Silage Field Day targeted to dairy and beef producers. The 2009 field day was held May 18 at Tifton, GA. Also, Georgia and Florida dairy extension workers have collaborated to put together dairy farm financial data from the two states in recent years.
11.Multi state cooperation has produced a Mid-Atlantic Dairy Grazing Conference every other year for the past several years.
12.In 2007, Virginia hosted a multi state training opportunity for extension agents on the concepts of organic dairy production. Professional Development Program funding from Southern SARE on organic dairying will provide opportunities for extension agent training through efforts in Arkansas and North Carolina.
13.Dr. Steve Oliver of TN is working with researchers in other states, including Dr. Christina Petersson-Wolfe in VA, to improve milk quality in southern dairy herds. This work was initiated outside of our group, but not entirely separate from the work that many of our members perform.
Southern dairy industry stakeholders have benefited from the dialogue and consequent effective extension programming as a result of joint planning and conduct of the SDC. Todays southern dairy industry is shrinking despite increasing demands for dairy products fueled by an increasing population in the Southeast. Effective communications between the remaining educators and researchers in the regions should be encouraged to sustain the dairy industry.
The six objectives proposed below for the replacement SERA-IEG-15 project enable dialogue and involve stakeholders in appreciation of national and regional dairy industry challenges and priorities. These objectives are not addressed in any other way within the region. Because the focus is on the dialogue which entails human interactions, these proposed objectives complement, by promoting synergy among as contrasted to duplicating or competing with, on-going dairy work in the southern region. For these reasons, a SERA is the best mechanism for achieving these objectives as it accommodates the involvement of any individual with an interest in the southern dairy industry regardless of their disciplinary training or defined land-grant responsibilities.
Objectives
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Create a forum for university researchers, extension specialists and agents and regulatory personnel with responsibility for milk production and marketing to share their common concerns for the competitiveness and sustainability of the Southern Dairy Industry.
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Exchange information about existing and expected conditions impacting the southern dairy industry and identify gaps in information and data bases critical to the resolution of challenges resulting from those conditions.
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Facilitate multi-state extension programs for training agents and producers based on researchable issues affecting the Southern dairy industry.
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Disseminate information to industry participants and policy makers.
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Provide a forum for Southern Dairy Industry stakeholders to give feedback in setting research and outreach priorities at Universities in the Southeast.
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Interface with Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, Inc (SUDIA) personnel in the promotion of the dairy industry.
Procedures and Activities
The SDC has a history of involving participants from external agencies as their actions impact upon the competitiveness and sustainability of the southern dairy industry. These agencies range from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Dairy Division of the Food and Drug Administration. External groups such as the Dairy Division of USDA, Federal Milk Marketing Order administrators, executives of dairy marketing cooperatives and dairy manufacturing companies will be invited to send representatives to selected SERA activities. Continued SUIDA participation will be supported because it provides that organization with access to a core set of southern dairy industry workers in a common location and time frame.
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
- The objectives will be accomplished by conducting two planned interfaces per year among members of the SERA-IEG-15 group for purposes of planning and implementing the annual SDC. Additional contacts among subgroup members are a natural consequence of face to face discussions and familiarity with interests and abilities of other members. The SDC provides an audience for vendors of products used by the dairy industry. The replacement SERA will be open to accepting external support for underwriting the costs of functions associated with the SDC.
- The annual SDC will continue to provide a useful forum for disseminating and exchanging ideas and information as well as fostering interactions among its participants resulting in beneficial outcomes in both the public and private sectors of the southern dairy industry
- The replacement SERA will coordinate additional initiatives for merging dairy resources among contiguous states in coping with declines in personnel and resources such as was accomplished with the DHIA programs in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
- The replacement SERA will intensify its use of communications technology in coordinating activities and in disseminating information to stakeholders within the southern dairy industry.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
" Information/outputs from the SERA015 group will be disseminated via list serve at SERA15@LSV.UKY.EDU. The annual proceedings of the SDC will be disseminated electronically once an appropriate site is identified as a replacement for the site once available at TN.
" Conference calls will be used in planning the Southern Dairy Conference and securing speakers.
" With coordination from the University of Kentucky specific dairy research and extension information relevant to the South will be included in the dairy extension database.
" Multi-state training opportunities for extension agents and dairy producers will be facilitated via Elluminate.
Organization/Governance
Chair:
Dr. Bennet Cassell, Professor
Department of Dairy Science
Virginia Tech
Vice-Chair and Recording Secretary
Dr. Jeffrey Bewley
Department of Animal Science
University of Kentucky
The SERA-IEG-15 group is currently using the Standard Form of Governance.
Origin of the proposal:
The following members and/or administrative advisors are responsible for developing the current proposal:
Dr. Terry Kiser, Head
Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences
Mississippi State University
Administrative Advisor
Dr. Jon Ort, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Extension and Engagement
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
North Carolina State University
Administrative Advisor
Dr. Bennet Cassell, Professor
Department of Dairy Science
Virginia Tech
Chairman for 2009-2010
Dr. Wayne Gauthier
Department of Agriculture Economics & Agribusiness
Louisiana State University
Chairman for 2008-2009