The Silhouette Man by Jillip Paxson is based on the true story of a man’s efforts to use his love of milkshakes to bring a diverse community together. The First Thirty (student edition of the book) was NSDLC 2007 Multicultural Relations Book of the Year. Greg is the real-life educator upon whom the story is based. In addition to speaking at others’ events, he has hosted hundreds of events, meals and milkshake outings to try and build bridges between people of different ages, cultures and backgrounds. In 2005, he was honored at Princeton University as one of America’s top social entrepreneurs under 40. In 2007, Entrepreneurship Week USA recognized him as one of its Trailblazers in Business. He has been featured by media like Good Morning America and The Washington Post.  His website is www.GregForbes.com 

A state air-quality official shocked the audience at the Sierra Cascade Logging Conference here by pledging that new agriculture-specific diesel regulations to be written this year will apply only in the San Joaquin Valley.  California Air Resources Board pollution specialist Timothy Hartigan added that even producers there won't notice much difference because they'll be given credit for steps they've already taken to reduce emissions. "We tend to look at it region by region," Hartigan said on Feb. 9. He explained that diesel emissions from tractors and other ag machinery represent about 1 percent of the Bay Area's pollution while making up 15 percent of emissions in the San Joaquin Valley.  His announcement comes as farmers, ranchers and timber producers around the Golden State have been both dreading and preparing for the state to prod them to replace older, less efficient diesel-powered equipment.  The ARB plans to begin workshops on the In-Use Off-Road Mobile Agricultural Equipment Regulation next month, and the board is slated to vote on a final rule by December, Hartigan said.  (more) Feb. 1, 2013 Capital Press

Western United Dairymen has called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take immediate action to stop the misuse of the name “yogurt” in the labeling of certain products. WUD said its board of directors had recently learned that “soy yogurt” is being marketed alongside true dairy yogurt in the refrigerated dairy cases at local supermarkets. “These products were being displayed in a fashion so as to mislead and confuse consumers as it is labeled as a ‘soy milk’ based product,” said WUD in its complaint filed with the FDA on February 6.

WUD has previously registered complaints regarding the misuse of the name “milk” in the labeling of soy beverages. For whatever reason, the FDA has refused to enforce the standard of identity for milk leading to a multitude of non-milk “milks” being sold and the diminution of the standard of identity.

WUD reminded the FDA that any product that uses the term “milk” as part of the name on its label must conform to the federal standard of identity described as “the lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows.” Said WUD, “The regulation is clear and does not equivocate: Milk does not come from beans, rice, nuts or anything else–it comes from cows.”
By using words such as “soy milk” and “yogurt” in the labeling of this soy-based product, “consumers are doubtlessly misled to believe that it is a product comparable to the nutritional profile and benefits of milk,” noted WUD.

“The soy product industry’s blatant misuse of the term ‘milk’ and ‘yogurt’ as part of a coordinated marketing scheme to deceive consumers must be stopped,” said WUD. “The explicit strategy identified herein and being employed by the soy industry is an attempt to fraudulently lure customers to their product as a substitute for wholesome, nutritious milk.”  Feb. 8, 2013 WUD Weekly Update

The dairy industry has friends in Washington, D.C. We also have bitter enemies. But it has been some time since we had one of our own, an active dairy producer, in town. That changed November 6, 2012, when California’s newly drawn 21st Congressional District went to David Valadao with 60 percent of the vote. Congressman Valadao, a Republican, won a district where registered voters are 47 percent Democrat and only 33 percent Republican. In fact, Representative Valadao won his 70 percent Hispanic district as the only gain for the Republican Party in California, according to a column in The Wall Street Journal. It was the first time that the area covered by much of Valadao’s new district went Republican in 20 years. (more) Feb. 6, 2013 Hoard’s Dairyman

The Central Valley Dairy Representative Monitoring Program (CVDRMP) conducted its first election for district directors in December 2012.
Nominations for six seats on CVDRMP’s 12-member board of directors were accepted through October 22, 2012.  The election was held by mail-in ballot with a deadline for ballots to be received by December 21, 2012.
The following election winners will serve through January 2014:
•    Tom Barcellos, Porterville, District 1 (Tulare County);
•    Ray Gene Veldhuis, Winton, District 2 (Merced and Madera counties);
•    Rodney Kamper, Riverdale, District 3 (Kern, Fresno and Kings counties);
•    Justin Gioletti, Turlock, District 4 (Stanislaus County);
•    Bill Van Ryn, Manteca, District 5 (All other Central Valley counties not included in Districts 1 through 4); and
•    Steve Staas, Marysville, at-large (Any Central Valley county)

CVDRMP’s Board of Directors is charged with carrying out the coalition’s mission of conducting groundwater monitoring activities to help meet regulatory requirements on CVDRMP member dairies throughout the Central Valley. A non-profit, voluntary program, CVDRMP was founded to offer members a cost-effective alternative to individual groundwater monitoring.

CVDRMP members are organized into five districts with two directors each. Directors serve staggered two-year terms, with one seat in each district open for election each year. Two more directors serve at-large, also with two-year staggered terms. More information about CVDRMP is available online at www.DairyCares.com/CVDRMP. Feb. 7, 2013 CVDRMP press release

Legislation to bring California's milk-pricing formula for milk going to cheese vats more in line with prices paid for similar milk across the country has advanced in the California Assembly and is now up for review by that body's Ag Committee. The bill, AB31, takes aim at the value of dry whey in the state Ag Department's formula for setting minimum prices for Class 4b milk. The issue has been at the forefront since January 2010, gaining heat as the spread between Class III prices in federal marketing formulas and Class 4b widens and California dairyman struggle to stay afloat. That spread has represented about a $2 per hundredweight discrepancy for the last two years, said Michael Marsh, CEO of Western United Dairymen. (more) Feb. 5, 2013 Capital Press

Legislation sponsored by WUD that would more closely align the whey value in the California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in surrounding states has been assigned to the Assembly Agriculture Committee for policy review. A hearing on AB 31 by Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) will likely take place mid-late March. If the bill passes there, it will move to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for fiscal review. If successful, the bill will move on to the Assembly floor for consideration by the 80-member chamber. In introducing the legislation, Assemblyman Pan said, “I am proud to partner with dairy farmers to author legislation so new, innovative uses of whey result in income for dairies to be competitive and expand the availability of dairy products. We need to ensure that dairy farmers can be paid for their products at rates that reflect their costs and the true market value of dairy products so California dairies can survive and create jobs in California." Feb. 1, 2013 WUD Friday Update 

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California announced today that $5 million is available to farmers and dairy producers east of the San Joaquin River in Merced and Stanislaus counties for water conservation and water quality improvements. This financial assistance is being made available through the Bay Delta Initiative (BDI), which was created in 2011 to help farmers in California’s Central Valley apply enhanced water quality-improvement practices on their land through a multi-year process. Additionally, this effort will support the work of Sustainable Conservation, Western United Dairymen, local Resource Conservation Districts and other partners to improve water quality and local wildlife habitat. BDI is one of a dozen national initiatives aimed at assisting farmers to put added conservation practices on the ground using a landscape-level approach. Applications are due February 15, 2013. (more) Jan. 25, 2013 NRCS press release

Central Valley dairies covered under the Waste Discharge Requirement(WDR) order as well as the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for Storm Water discharges for Industrial Facilities no longer have to maintain coverage under the NPDES for storm water discharges, according to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. “This is a significant development for our members and one that Western United Dairymen has sought for a long time,” noted Paul Sousa, WUD’s director of environmental services. “We are pleased the water board recognized that this duplication of permits was unnecessary.”

In a letter distributed recently to dairies covered by both permits, the regional water board informed dairies that they can request termination of the Storm Water General Permit by submitting a Notice of Termination form. Submittal of the form does not guarantee termination but the water board will determine each dairy’s status. The termination form can be downloaded at www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/water_issues/storm_water/industrial_general_permit.  Jan. 25, 2012 WUD Friday Update

The program for the 15th Annual Dairy Ingredients Symposium to be held February 21-22, 2013 at the Stanford Court Renaissance Hotel in San Francisco has been announced by the Cal Poly Dairy Products Technology Center. This year’s two-day program is organized into eight sessions from twelve university faculty researchers and eight dairy industry leaders. A special roundtable session will engage all attendees in a dialogue with key industry leaders. There will be presentations on the latest insights on what could be in store for the dairy ingredients industry by 2020 and critical information on the recent new rules related to the Food Safety Modernization Act. To receive the early bird rate, register by January 31 at: http://www.dptc.calpoly.edu/ingredients_symposium.html. This Symposium is sponsored in part by California Dairy Research Foundation, Dairy Research Institute and United States Dairy Export Council. Jan. 23, 2013 Cal Poly press release