Dairy Edition 2016

The

Pre

stonCitizen

June 8, 2016Supplement to

Robotic dairies offer less stress for dairy cattleBy JILLIAN HILLCitizen intern

With much interest in the area, ro-botic milking systems could be the next big thing to revolutionize dairies in the area. With robotic dairies, the cows de-cide when it is milking time and they have access to the robotic-milkers 24 hours a day. The cows come to the ro-bot when they choose; they are milked, fed, and cleaned and then are on their way. “We decided to go with the robotic dairy because we wanted to improve the longevity of our cows,” said Jeff Hall, part owner of the family dairy EV & JW Hall Dairy in Lewiston. “With this system, our cows don’t have to stand in a holding pen away from food and water. We also have a lot less lame cows, since the cows

don’t have to be on their feet waiting around.” The Hall’s were the first dairy in

the area to start producing milk through their robotic dairy, on May 19, 2015.

Dairy Systems in Hyde Park is one of the few places in Utah and Idaho that provide and install the robotic dairies. Klark Gailey, the CEO and managing partner of Dairy Systems, said that even though the robotic dair-ies have basically just kicked off, there has been a lot of interest all over the United States including a lot of inter-est in Franklin County. David Nelson, owner of Double Diamond Dairy in Preston, said that he has been interested in putting in a robotic dairy ever since they came out. He said that the consistency of milking is a big part of why he wants to put one in. The price and availability of la-bor are other reasons why he is consid-ering a robotic system. The robotic dairies receive more milk per cow and the robot feeds the

Dairy Edition

By BECKY COXCitizen staff writer

Zach Carter is milking cows on the same farm that his great-grandfather did decades ago. He and his dad, Kay Carter, together milk over 200 cows, run over 1,000 acres of farmland, and love every minute of it. “My grandpa was raised in this house, my dad was raised in this house, and I was raised in this house,” said Zach. “There’s no place I would rather be.” Zach’s grandfather, Jim Carter, worked as a water master for several years, while raising his family and running the farm. Kay has record books from Jim showing his sales of milk in 1956. “That’s as far back as we have records for, but they might have sold milk before that,” he said. Since 1966 they have sold milk to Gossner’s and Kay remembers when Edwin Gos-sner himself came to the farm looking for milk to buy when he was starting up. Carter’s were milking about 13 cows around that time and it was pret-ty labor-intensive work. “We just had the bucket type milking machines then, and I remember dumping the milk into the cans for the milk truck to come pick up,” said Kay. “If you could see the wages he was getting back then, and the work he was doing, it was a tough time to make a living and raise a family.”

Photo courtesy of DAIRY SYSTEMS

The cow itself decides when it is milking time with robotic milkers.

Carter family carries dairy into fourth generation

Photo courtesy of CARTER FAMILY

Members of the Carter Family, Kay and Diane, Zach and Kynzie with baby Zoe, still run the dairy Kay’s grandfather started.

(See CARTER on page 2)

(See ROBOT on page 4)

2 – The Preston Citizen – Dairy Edition - June 2016

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Jim raised three boys and a daughter on the farm and often told his boys “He needed the cows to keep us kids out of trouble,” said Kay. “It was our responsibility to be there night and morn-ing to milk those cows, and we did.” Through the years the dairy has had some changes, the biggest of which is the fully auto-mated system that tracks each cow and puts the milk right into cooling tanks to wait for the milk truck. And as the herd has grown, so have the facilities, with new barns and sheds. But there are still some remnants of the

past; including the barn that Jim built not too long after getting home from the war. “It’s still the original structure, but when you walk in it’s as high tech as you can get. We spent a lot of money to remodel the in-side but we kind of like the old original structure on the outside,” said Zach. The Carter’s have kept the farm a true fam-ily business through the generations. They have one full-time employee to help with the milking, and the rest is done by Kay and Zach and their wives. Diane and Kynzie are in charge of the calves, bottle-feeding and bucket feeding twice a day. Kay and Diane


Jim Carter and his brother, Don, at the farm Jim’s son, Kay, and grandson, Zach, farm today with their families.


An aerial view looking east on the Carter farm in 2000, shows how much Kay and his son, Zach, have expanded the operation started by Kay’s grandfather.


A northeast aerial view taken in 1963 of the Carter farm located at 406 W. 1400 N., Preston.

raised their three daugh-ters and son on the farm and everybody pitched in. “The girls cut hay, and fed calves, and they did it all as good as any boys could,” said Kay. “It’s been a great place to raise a family. It taught the kids the principles of how to work and gave them a good work ethic.” And Zach is follow-ing in his father’s foot-steps. “I don’t think there’s anything else I

would want to do,” he said. “I’ve got a daughter of my own and she loves to be out here.” “The dairy industry has come a long way from hand milking to au-tomatic milkers and now they have robotic milk-ers,” said Zach. But, there are some things that never change. “I get up every morning and come milk cows,” said Kay.

“We just had the bucket-type milking machines then, and I remember dumping the milk

into the cans for the milk truck to come pick up.”

- Kay Carter

(Continued from page 1)

CARTER

In 2014, on-farm cash receipts from milk produced on Idaho farms

amounted to $3.066 billion dollars.- 2015 Idaho Dairymen’s Association Report

June 2016 - Dairy Edition – The Preston Citizen – 3

By BECKY COXCitizen staff writer

The Bingham family has been a part of Weston’s farming community since 1911, when H.R. Bingham purchased land and began farming and milking. The current farmers, brothers, Greg, Dale and Gary, are the fourth generation to farm the same piece of land. The brothers now run 1,000 acres of farmland and milk over 200 cows, and, since 2007, are a certi-fied organic dairy. Organic dairy products are fairly new in the grocery store, first appearing in 1993 according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgM-RC). Over the past two decades sales of organic dairy have climbed. “In 2011 nearly 2.1 billion pounds of organic milk products were sold, a 14.5 percent increase from the previous year and the sec-ond year in a row that sales increased by double digits,” writes Madeline Schultz for AgMRC. Sales have continued to increase each year since 2011. To be a certified organic dairy the cows must be fed 100% organic feed. “We can’t put any commer-cial fertilizers, chemicals, pesticides, or sprays on it,” said Greg. During the summer months the cows must get 30 percent of their feed from pasturing. The cows can’t receive any hormones or antibiotics, so no artificial substances are found in the milk. Calves are fed whole organic milk right from the farm, rather than a milk substitute that is common on a conventional dairy. The Bingham’s dairy is a member of the farmer owned co-op, Organic Valley. Organic Valley is the largest co-op of organic farmers in the US and was one of the first companies to distribute organic milk on a large scale, according to AgMRC. The transition to organic from a conventional dairy takes some time. “You have to transition the heifers in a year period by feeding them only organ-ic feed,” explained Greg. “Your farm ground has to run for three years with no chemicals before it’s con-sidered organic.” The Bingham’s chose to transition with all new heifers, selling off their old herd, as the organic fed

Bingham Dairy returns to its roots as organic dairy

Photo by BECKY COX

Greg, Dale, and Gary Bingham run a dairy started by their great-grandfather in Weston.

herd was ready to be milked. They also transitioned their fields to grow all of their own feed to the re-quired specifications. Growing their hay, corn, and barley organically requires using some different growing methods to keep up crop yield. “We do shorter rotations,” ex-plained Dale, “so for example, we’ll keep hay in ro-tation about three years and then we will plow it

under and that will provide the nutrients that the corn needs to get a good tonnage. We’ll do that in the fall with barley as well, and it does very well with that.” They also use cow manure and raw chicken manure when they need fertilizer. Despite not using commercial products, the farm continues to produce well. “Our yields have been at least as good as they were before, and I

(See BINGHAM on page 6)

By NECIA P. SEAMONSCitizen editor

Idaho is the third-largest producer of milk in the United States, and dairy farm families work hard to ensure their cows are comfortable and healthy. According to the 2015 Idaho Dairymen’s Association Industry Report, all of Idaho’s dairy farms are family owned and operated. Since 1970, Idaho milk production has grown 125 percent. The dairy farm families across Idaho contribute some impressive numbers.: • In 2014, Idaho produced 13.84 billion pounds of milk. • Franklin County cows produced 36,473,855 pounds of milk annually, or 99,928 pounds per day (11,619 gallons per day). • As of January 2015, Idaho has 514 dairy farms, all of which are family owned and 561,577 milk cows. • Idaho has everything from small dairy farms to some of the nation’s largest: 27.2 percent have 200 or fewer cows 18.3 percent have 201-500 cows 19.6 percent have 501-1,000 cows 16.0 percent have 1,001-2,000 cows 18.9 percent have more than 2,000 cows

• In Franklin County, there are 48 dairies and 12, 638 dairy cattle: 29 dairies have 200 or fewer cows. 14 dairies have 201-500 cows

3 dairies have 501-750 cows 1 dairy has 751-1000 cows, and 1 dairy has more than 2000 cows


cows based on their milk produc-tion. The cows have more free-dom, which improves their well-being. Hall said that he also has less mastitis in his cows with more fre-quent milking, and the biggest

benefit has been the improvement of the health of his cows. “If it is time to replace a milk-ing parlor, putting in a robotic system is the way to go,” Gailey said. “Farmers can expect more milk, labor savings, and feed cost savings.” Dairy Systems has installed 12 robotic dairies in the last year

and full installation takes about four to six weeks. The robotic dairies are made to be a very comfortable place for the cows to be. Both Hall and Gai-ley said that the cows take to the robots very well and it really doesn’t take too long to train the cows to the system.

Photo by JILLIAN HILL

Dairy Systems in Smithfield installs the components of a robotic dairy system.


ROBOT

Franklin County has nine percent of state’s dairies

According to health experts, pasteurized milk offers the same health benefits as raw milk, without the risks. The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) recommend that no one consume unpasteurized milk. Pasteurization is a simple, effective method to kill potentially harmful

bacteria. It does not affect the nutritional value of milk in any

meaningful way.

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By JILLIAN HILLCitizen intern

The organic dairy in-dustry in Franklin Coun-ty is growing, and there are now two large buy-ers, Organic Valley and

Sorrento. Sorrento has just recently appeared in the area, but Organic Valley has been buying from organic milk pro-ducers in the county for quite a while. There has been a continued growth and interest in organic milk said Hans Eisenbeis, the public relations manager for Organic Valley. Con-sumers are interested in obtaining clean prod-ucts, which is now caus-ing more demand than supply. “These are interest-ing times for sure, be-cause organic growth is so steep,” Eisenbeis said. “The northwest has been a big growth area for us, and is a key area for the good food movement.” Until last year, or-ganic dairy farms in the Franklin County area only had two choices of buyers, Organic Valley and Horizon Organic. Now Sorrento has en-tered the organic milk-buying arena. “I transferred from Organic Valley to Sor-rento last year, because the pay price is quite a bit higher and the milk is used more locally,” said David Roberts, part owner of the family dairy Renown Dairy, near Preston. Organic milk pro-duced from dairy farms in Franklin County and bought by Sorrento is taken to Nampa, Idaho, and made into Galbani organic string cheese. Roberts said there is a whole different pricing structure between con-ventional milk and or-ganic milk. He said that right now the price for organic milk is a little bit lower than it was a year ago due to the increase in organic milk production. Between Idaho and Utah, Sorrento buys from 12 organic dairies. Sorrento now has a wait-ing list for farms that produce organic milk, due to the increase in or-ganic dairies. There are four farms in Franklin County that sell to Organic Valley and it also has a waiting list. David Nelson, own-er of Double Diamond Dairy in Preston, said that he has looked into going organic and has talked to a processor from Organic Valley. He will have to complete the process of changing his farm to organic before he can enter onto the wait-ing list. Dairy cows have to go through a yearlong process of organic


Organic milk production on the rise locally

Photo courtesy of ORGANIC VALLEY

David Roberts sells to Sorrento, a new buyer for organic milk in Franklin County.

(See MILK on page 7)


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would say, as our soils continue to improve with a lot of green manure, plowing under crops, and giv-ing back to the soil, building the soil, I think that our soil is getting better and that in turn is increasing our crop yields,” said Greg They also feel like they have had a healthier herd. “We’re seeing positive health benefits for our animals,” said Greg. “I’ve seen it both sides (con-ventional and organic), and there’s a night and day

difference between the animals being healthy.” If a cow does get sick, it is treated and then removed from the herd, and usually sold. All organic farms are certified through a li-censed certifying agency. The Bingham’s farm is cer-tified under Oregon Tilth. “They come out at least once a year to verify our records,” said Greg. “The agency looks over the records for the farm and veri-fies the amount of crop land growing the feed and what the cows are being fed and how much.” Every load of milk is also tested, just as conven-tional milk is, and the milk company also does

Photo by BECKY COX

Going organic has made a positive difference for the Bingham’s dairy animals. “I’ve seen it both sides (conventional and organic), and there’s a night and day difference between the ani-mals being healthy,” said Greg Bingham.

BINGHAM(Continued from page 3)

periodic checks at the farm. “They’ll come do pas-ture walks with our cows, and do cow health audits, and just make sure our cows look good. They want to make sure we’re treating our animals right,” said Greg. “We take pride in producing really good quality milk,” said Greg, and their efforts have paid off with recognition from Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and Organic Valley. DFA recently awarded them with a plaque for superior quality milk for the last five years, and they have received a gold or silver award from Organic Valley every year. As the organic movement continues, more farms and dairies are making the transition. There are sev-eral organic dairies in Franklin County, four of which are members of Organic Valley. “We’ve been really happy to be a part of this co-op,” said Greg.“It’s been really good for us.”

DFA recently awarded them with a plaque for superior quality

milk for the last five years, and they have received a gold or

silver award from Organic Valley every year.

Photo by BECKY COX

Cattle on an organic dairy require 120 days on pasture.

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Conventional dairy farmers are in for a rough season with pre-dictions that low milk prices will continue throughout the year. Idaho’s milk prices are currently below break-even. Break-even point is currently at $16.50 per 100 pounds of milk and Idaho is sitting well be-low at $13.75 to $14.25 per 100 pounds. Ben Eborn, a Uni-versity of Idaho agricul-ture economist, said the main reason for these low prices is that milk is being over-produced on a worldwide level.

Over-production in Ida-ho is up 2.5 percent; the United States is up two percent. “This is a cycle ag products go through, when there is an increase in demand we over-pro-duce and shoot ourselves in the foot,” Eborn said. “Things won’t get better until we cut back on pro-duction.” Another reason for the low prices is the U.S. dollar is getting stronger. This makes American products more expensive to foreign countries. Dairy exports from Ida-ho were down 43 percent in 2015. Both over-produc-tion and the U.S. dollar getting stronger hap-pened simultaneously, creating a record low for non-organic milk. “Prices were sky high for about a year in 2014 at $22 per 100 pounds of milk,” Eborn said. “It is typically low for two years then slow-ly creeps back up. In 2015 it was at break-even and in 2016 it is below.” The ups and downs in the dairy economics have some farmers look-ing at switching to or-ganic milk. Eborn said the organic prices have stayed the same over the years because the de-mand is still growing. Scott Workman, a dairy owner in Franklin County, is looking at changing to an organic dairy farm, because he says the economics make it tough to stay conven-tional.


management prior to the production of organic milk, according to the Organic Foods Produc-tion Act implemented by the USDA. “There is a rule that cows have to be out on pasture a minimum of 120 days out of the year,” Eisenbeis said. “The pas-ture rule is very critical and beneficial for end product for it keeps the animals healthy and happy.”


MILK

Dairy farmers are in for another year of low prices

Photo by NECIA P. SEAMONS

Many dairymen stockpiled hay to prevent having to purchase high-cost feed when the market dropped.

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The job of a dairyman is demanding. There are long hours in the workday, and the workday is sev-en days a week. Animals need care on a daily basis; there isn’t a scheduled vacation time. Dairymen are dependent to a great deal on the caprice of Mother Nature. The weather report is part of their daily agenda. Sanitation in the milking parlor is a concern. Raising or purchasing quality feed to produce the best milk and maintain a healthy herd is a number one project. Cows get sick, they abort, they die, they are expensive to replace. Each cow has a health his-tory of her own that becomes part of the dairyman’s studies. An animal’s pedigree is important, as is the pedigree of her sire, … and on and on. A bad winter, not enough moisture, excessive moisture, unexpect-ed freezing temperature, infections, and mastitis all play a part in life on a dairy farm. Some time ago “The Wall Street Journal Jobs Rated Almanac” looked at 250 American jobs– ev-erything from accountant to zoologist, and ranked them after considering salary, benefits, security, and the level of stress inherent in each occupation. The editors of this publication concluded being Presi-dent of the United States is number one most stress-ful job in the country. On this list of 250 occupations, just below air traffic controller and Indy racecar driver, comes number 29 - the dairyman. Yes, according to the Wall Street Journal, making one’s living extracting milk from cows, marketing the product, and manag-ing the business of the dairy farm is more stressful than being an attorney, a physician, or a player in

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As the school year closes, both Preston and West Side high schools’ Future Farmers of Amer-ica (FFA) teams look back on their accom-plishments in the dairy industry. There are two dairy sections that FFA stu-dents can participate in, dairy cattle evaluation and dairy foods (milk quality and products). According to the Na-tional FFA’s website, in dairy cattle evaluation, participants evaluate the cattle’s physical charac-teristics as well as ex-plain their various class-es and analyze a herd re-cord as a team. Partici-pants in the dairy foods demonstrate their knowledge about the quality production, pro-cessing, distribution, promotion and market-ing of milk and dairy foods. On May 18, teams from both schools partic-ipated in dairy cattle evaluation competitions at Richmond’s Black and White Days. West Side took second place over-all and Preston took third. In last year’s state competition, Preston took third in dairy foods

and fifth in dairy cattle evaluation. West Side took tenth in dairy foods and sixth in dairy cattle evaluation. This year’s state competition will be held in Moscow, the sec-ond week of June. “We do really well for being a small school, and we have a really good FFA program with great teachers,” said McKenzie Aston, West Side’s FFA district presi-dent. “At first you don’t really think that judging cows will be all that use-ful, but it has helped me develop leadership, communication, and de-cision making skills, and I get to meet new peo-ple.” Preston High School’s FFA Faculty Ad-visor Larin Crossley said

the only qualification needed to join the team is an interest in the in-dustry and the animals. He said for his dairy teams, he has a lot of kids that work for dairies and who are in the dairy industry. Maren Roberts, pres-ident of the Preston FFA chapter, has grown up on her family’s dairy farm, Renown Dairy, and wanted to continue her dairy experience through the FFA. Her family has a long dairy history as well. “I started doing FFA because my siblings have done it and my uncle did it,” she said. “It’s a good opportunity to get schol-arship and leadership opportunities.”


FFA dairy high school students had a successful year

Photo courtesy of WEST SIDE FFA

Members of the wining team of dairy judges from the West Side FFA Chapter are: (left to right) Jordan White, Paige Smith, Gailsey Geddes, Chase Bingham, Cynthia Zilles, McKenzie Aston, and Hesston Geddes. The team took home three team trophies and McKenzie Aston took home three first place trophies.

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Dairy products have gone through a history of being very accepted by the general public to that same public being warned about health problems that might re-sult from consuming those same products. Over 50 years ago sci-ence decreed that satu-rated fat, found in dairy products, was bad for your health. At one time milk was touted as “one of the few near perfect foods.” It contains nine necessary nutrients– nat-urally, and because it is so easily a part of a per-son’s diet, six more nu-trients have been added to milk, making it even more “a perfect food.” Dairy foods are nutrient rich because they serve

as good sources of calci-um and vitamin D as well as protein and other essential nutrients. The United Dairy-men of Idaho state that when someone enjoys dairy, they not only treat their taste buds, but also provide their body with essential nutrients, key in creating and maintain-ing good health. Calcium builds bones and teeth. Potassium is needed to balance the fluids in our bodies and helps with blood pressure. Phos-phorus strengthens bones and generates en-ergy in cells; protein re-generates muscle tissue and is an energy source. Riboflavin helps with healthy skin and normal eyesight. B12 aids in forming red blood cells and healthy nerve cells. Vitamin D helps the

body absorb calcium and contributes to bone strength; vitamin A con-tributes to normal vision and healthy skin. Niacin aids in the digestion of fatty acids and sugars. Magnesium is vital for bone health. More and more science is finding that dairy foods are linked to healthy weight management, healthy blood pressure, and a lower risk of diabetes and stroke. One frequently reads that fitness trainers en-courage drinking a glass of milk following a stren-uous workout to help both muscle and bone. Cultured dairy products like yogurt contain pro-biotics, which can en-hance the good bacteria in the gut, improve


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the NBA. Franklin County was an area of many dairies not too many years ago. A quick drive through-out the county gives evi-dence of empty barns, empty stalls, and milk-ing parlors no longer in use. No wonder a farmer chooses to shut the doors of his dairy. Besides the

stress of the job the dairy that could feed a small family is a thing of the past, financially. Now even the big dairies are showing signs of calling it quits. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, in May 2016, production prices for milk per hun-dredweight has gone up while the price received for the same amount has gone down, the lowest it

has been in the last five years. The scenario is not new, and those dairymen that are still in business have found a way to weather the stormy economy. The combina-tion of stress and the need to pay the bills may not answer the question as to where the other dairymen have gone, but it does tell the tale as to why.


STRESS

Nutritional value of milk fills wide variety of products


A variety of dairy products provide many nutritional benefits.

(See NUTRITION on page 12)



Back in the 1950’s saturated fat was linked to in-creased blood cholesterol levels. Since dairy fat is about 65 percent saturated, most foods connected with dairy were deemed harmful. Today the USDA still urges Americans to choose low-fat or non-fat dairy foods. However nutrition scientists are evalu-ating numerous studies on dairy fat and are discov-ering evidence that seem to confirm that whole fat dairy products contribute more to good health than do their low-fat look-alikes. Mark Kratz, PhD, scientist at the Fred Hutchin-son Cancer Research Center had this to report. “For decades now, people have judged the health effects of dairy fat mostly on its high saturated fat and cho-lesterol content, assuming that dairy fat is simply an unnecessary source of calories and fats that elevate LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol. However, they’ve been ne-glecting all the other fatty acids in there, some of which may be quite beneficial. We were overdue to look at data and see whether dairy fat consumption is indeed associated with health risks, as has been assumed all these years– or whether it is not.” TIME magazine stated, “Cut the dairy fat, they’ve main-tained, and you’ll sidestep calories without missing out on good stuff like calcium and protein. Win-win. But they might have been wrong, a chorus of ex-perts now say.” Kratz and his colleagues carefully evaluated nu-merous studies on dairy fat and its effects on three important factors– obesity, metabolic health, and cardiovascular disease. Of the 16 studies reviewed on obesity, 11 showed that people who ate more dairy fat or more high-fat dairy foods tended to be leaner and/or to gain less weight over time than people who ate less dairy fat. The evidence suggests that high-fat dairy foods, within the context of a normal healthy diet, may guard against weight gain. More research supports his team’s finding. A 2013 study in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care tracked the dairy intake and obesity rates of more than 1,500 middle-aged and older adults with similar results.

“There were 11 observational studies that evalu-ated the association between dairy fat and the de-velopment of risk factors for diabetes, such as ele-vated blood sugar, and insulin levels. Of these 11, six showed that higher dairy fat consumption was associated with markers of better metabolic health, one was partially suggestive of such a beneficial re-lationship, and three found no association either way. “In the 15 studies that looked at a possible rela-tionship between dairy fat and heart health, results were mixed, with some linking dairy fat to im-proved cardiovascular health… some showing no association… one finding different effects for men and women… and just one suggesting that dairy fat was bad for the heart. Overall, the majority of the evidence indicates that dairy fat may be good rather than bad for heart health.” This question was asked, “Why isn’t the evi-dence for or against full-fat dairy foods more clear-cut?” Geographic discrepancies may cloud the find-ings. Kratz pointed out that dairy fat studied con-ducted in the US often came to different or even op-posite conclusions compared with studies conduct-ed in Europe. In general, dairy fat came out looking safer in the European studies than it did in the US studies. The reasons for this vary; the quality of the dairy fat itself may differ. US dairy farming is highly industrialized. European dairies are less so, and in many regions the cows eat mainly grass which pro-duces milk with higher amounts of unique fatty ac-ids that may have beneficial effects on health. All of Kratz’s reviews were observational, not interventional. There is a big difference between the two. Research has its limitations. Observational studies watch what has happened with different groups of people over time, so they cannot show a cause-and-effect relationship. Interventional studies in nutrition are notoriously hard to carry out, con-trolling the diets of large groups of people for a long enough time to determine the outcomes is difficult. Most of the evidence from these studies indi-cates that high fat dairy foods are better, healthier. Do keep in mind that, like all fats, dairy fat is calo-rie-dense, so moderation is still important. This in

no way indicates we should add sticks of butter to everything, or that it is a good thing to sit down with the plan to eat ice cream by the gallon. “Data should be weighed more heavily than

New controversy pits whole milk against skim milk


The evidence suggests that high-fat dairy foods, within the context of a normal healthy diet, may guard against weight gain.

(See WHOLE on page 15)

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health, and reduce the risk of certain diseases, particularly those that are gastrointestinal. The most obvious dairy food is milk, but many nutri-tious foods are part of the dairy food group. The Dairy Council of California lists key health benefits of con-suming various dairy foods Yogurt is a cultured milk product that is soured and thickened by the action of specific lac-tic acid-producing cul-tures added to milk. Yo-gurt has been made for

centuries throughout the world, but its popularity is relatively modern. Ma-ny people who are lac-tose intolerant can enjoy yogurt. It can be eaten in various ways, as a dip, a spread, frozen, mixed with fruit, or eaten plain. Many smoothie recipes call for a portion of yo-gurt. Cheese is an ancient food with origins that predate recorded history. It is produced through-

out the world. This dairy product is made from pressed milk curds. Dif-ferent varieties are made from unripened cheese (fresh) or ripened cheese (aged). Many cheeses, particularly aged cheese, such as Cheddar and Swiss contain little or no lactose and are often well tolerated by those that are lactose intolerant. There is new re-search challenging the idea that saturated fat in

dairy products is a pri-mary cause of heart dis-ease. It is showing that saturated fat has a mini-mal impact on heart dis-ease risk, which is chang-ing the “saturated fat is bad” paradigm and al-lowing people to enjoy some of these foods. The National Dairy Council reports that a growing body of research indi-cates that dairy food con-sumption is associated with multiple health benefits, including lower blood pressure. Accumu-lating evidence finds dairy food consumption is linked to lower risk for Type 2 diabetes. There are no sugars added to fat-free, low-fat, reduced-fat or whole milk. The sugars that would be listed in a nu-trient table for a cup of milk are natural sugars, primarily lactose, that are found in milk in its most natural state. Fla-vored milk, such as choc-olate or strawberry, will have sweetness added to it. Dairy foods continue to deliver great taste and many nutrients that much of the population find difficult to include in their diets. Currently there is a national battle against obesity. These foods can help with weight management, consumed in the proper portions. It is great for them be on the front lines in this battle.



NUTRITIONAccumulating evidence finds

dairy food consumption is linked to lower risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Cheese is an ancient food with origins that predate recorded history.

Many people who are lactose intolerant can enjoy yogurt.

Dairy foods can help with weight management when consumed in the proper portions.

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14 - The Preston Citizen – Dairy Edition - June 2016

Following is the win-ning recipe of the 2015 Ida-ho Days Dairy Food contest held in Franklin. It was en-tered by Haiden Atkinson.

Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese

Frosting

Ingredients1-1/2 cups cake flour1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour2 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp baking soda3/4 tsp salt2 cups granulated sugar1 cup unsalted butter, soft-

ened1 tbsp lemon zest4 large eggs2 tsp lemon extract1/2 tsp vanilla extract3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp milk1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sour

cream2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice2-1/2 cups fresh blueber-

ries, at room tempera-ture, rinsed and drained well

FROSTING12 oz cream cheese, soft-

ened (1 1/2 pkgs)3/4 cup unsalted butter,

softened1 tsp vanilla extract1/4 tsp lemon extract*3 cups powdered sugarBlueberries and lemon slic-

es, for garnish (optional)

Directions Preheat oven to 350 de-

grees. Butter 3 9-inch

round baking pans and line the bottom of each with a round of parch-ment paper. Butter parchment paper and lightly dust pan with flour, shaking out excess.

Sift cake flour into a mixing bowl. Add all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk for 30 seconds, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fit-ted with the paddle at-tachment (if you don’t have the paddle attach-ment that constantly scrapes sides of the bowl while mixing, then stop mixer occasionally throughout entire mixing process and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl), whip together butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest until mix-ture is pale and fluffy. In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, measure out milk then stir in sour cream and lemon juice, let rest 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix eggs into butter mixture one at a time, then stir in lemon extract and vanilla ex-tract. Toss blueberries with 3 Tbsp of the flour mixture. Working in three separate batches, beginning and ending with remaining flour mixture, add 1/3 of the flour mixture (to the but-

ter/egg mixture) alter-nating with 1/2 of the milk mixture and mixing just until combined after each addition. Gently fold in blueberries. Di-vide mixture evenly among prepared baking pans. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick in-serted into center comes out clean, about 24 - 27 minutes. Cool in baking pans about 20 - 30 min-ute then invert onto wire racks to cool completely. Once cool, frost with cream cheese frosting and decorate with blue-berries and lemon slices if desired. Store in an air-tight container.

Cream Cheese Frosting:In the bowl of an electric

stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese and mix until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon extract and powdered sugar and blend several minutes longer until smooth and fluffy (if frosting seems slightly runny, you can chill it for a bit before frosting cake).

*Omit lemon extract if mak-ing this cream cheese frosting for a different recipe. This frosting is good on so many differ-ent kinds of cake!

Source: Cooking Classy

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Photo courtesy of IDAHO DAYS DAIRY FOODS CONTEST COMMITTEE

Dr. Clyde Williams • Dr. Alan L. AtkinsonDr. Lincoln Mumford

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WHOLE

assumptions,” Kratz says. “And the data doesn’t support the no-tion that eating full-fat dairy is worse for your health than reduced-fat or non-fat dairy.” Some researches ar-gue that not all calories are equal– especially when it comes to weight gain. Some likely make us feel fuller than others. Dairy’s fatty acids may crank up how much en-ergy your body burns, or limit the amount of fat your body stores. Kratz adds, “We don’t know any of these things for certain.” Last fall, October 2015, CBS News report-ed that a food fight was shaping up in Washing-ton over what the federal government should– and shouldn’t– be telling Americans about their diets. Every five years, the USDA updates its of-ficial dietary guidelines to keep up with the latest science on nutrition. The guidelines are used to help shape school lunch programs and other fed-eral food policies. Nina Teicholz, a critic of tradi-tional low-fat diet advice and author of “The Big Fat Surprise,” told CBS News “this is the most important set of guide-lines in the world and they need to be based on really solid evidence.” She published an article in a medical journal stat-ing that the federal pan-el’s recommendations were not based on a rig-orous analysis of the lat-est science. This time the updated recommenda-tions sparked controver-sy. Milk, in particular, is a focus of the debate.

Following is the win-ning recipe of the 2014 Idaho Days Dairy Food contest held in Franklin. It was entered by Kim Wright.

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE BARS

Ingredients:

1 cup flour 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1/2 cup butter1/2 cup seedless rasp-

berry jam3 oz cream cheese (soft-

ened)2 tablespoons milk1 cup white chocolate

chips2 ounces chocolate chips

(with a little oil)1 package chocolate

pudding1 package vanilla pud-

ding8 ounces cool whipFresh raspberries

Directions:

In a bowl combine flour and powdered sugar and cut in butter, mix well. Press mixture into a 9x9 dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool completely.

Spread jam on the cooled crust

Beat cream cheese and milk until smooth.

Melt white chocolate chips and add to cream cheese mixture. Spread over jam. Re-frigerate for two hours.

Make puddings with less milk and spread a light layer on top

Then top with cool whip and raspberries.

Melt chocolate chips and drizzle chocolate on top.

Raspberry Chocolate Bars Local dairymen lead the way

The Idaho Dairy Hall of Fame was first was established in 1956. Eleven years later, a Preston dairyman, Henry Drury was recognized for his outstanding suc-cess in the business. The next local man to be honored was 50 years later. Gale Moser, of Whitney, garnered the honor in 2007; then three years later, Ellis Roberts of Fairview was inducted in 2010. The United Dairymen of Idaho’s Milk Quality Award has been presented since 1989, and has recognized local dairymen five times: H. Ward Nielson in 2003 and 2006, Jay Hurren in 2004 and 2007, and Wynn Nielson in 2012. All of these dairy-men were nominated by Gossner Foods out of Heyburn, Idaho. Today, the board of Directors of the United Dairymen of Idaho includes Allan Swainston, of Preston, in District 3, rep-resenting the Idaho Dairymen’s Associa-tion.

Photo courtesy of IDAHO DAYS DAIRY FOODS CONTEST COMMITTEE


Dairy Edition 2016

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