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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
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GUEST COLUMN
Dairy industry update; a Highway 169 kerfuffle
By Rep. Paul Anderson
Our summer of weather extremes continued this past week with heavy rains, damaging winds, and hail over parts of the district. A tornado touchdown was even reported northeast of Brooten.
Our farm received around seven inches of rain the night of Aug. 12 as three separate storms moved through the area. I say “around seven inches” because my rain gauge has markings that only go up to five-and-one-half, and the water was way above that mark. It’s the most rain I can recall our farm ever receiving in one 12-hour stretch.
The timing of the downpour was ironic because earlier that same day, while attending a dairy extension meeting at the Funk Dairy Farm near Greenwald, I had mentioned to John that we could use one more good rain to finish off the corn and soybean crops. I should be more careful what I wish for!
The dairy meeting, conducted by University of Minnesota extension specialists, was well-attended and pertained to the new requirement for somatic cell counts (SCC) in milk. Originally set to take affect this fall, the requirement that lowers the count to 400,000 on each individual farm will probably not go into effect until sometime next year. The lower threshold for SCC is being pushed by the European Union, and we must adopt it or face losing that export market.
One of the presenters at the meeting, dairy scientist Dr. Jeffrey Reneau, estimated that about 15 percent of the dairy herds in the Upper Midwest currently would not meet the new standard. He said that with consistent management in the area of bedding and manure, along with careful preparation of cows just before they are milked, the new standard should be attainable for all producers. Dr. Reneau added, “I know we can get there. And it’s important because we export approximately 11 percent of the milk that’s produced in this country.”
A silo alongside Highway 169 just outside of St. Peter is drawing considerable attention. Adorned with soft drink signs for nearly 30 years, the silo received a facelift and new paint job thanks to the Cambria Company, a firm from LaSueur that manufactures counter tops. The Nicollet County Board of Adjustment and Appeals voted to deny a variance for the silo, which now sports a Cambria company logo. The silo’s new look has also drawn the ire of the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation, which says a permit is needed to advertise along certain sections of highway.
A hearing on the MnDOT permit, postponed once, has now been re-scheduled for late next month. E-mail comments on the Mankato Free Press web site are running heavily in favor of the Cambria make-over and against the county’s ruling and MnDOT. Typical comments make reference to the fact the company is a good employer in the area, and for government workers to get back to their real jobs and have some common sense.
Even though smallpox is a disease that has officially been eradicated, the U.S. government is stockpiling a supply of vaccine to fight the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the last known case in this country occurred in 1949, while the last naturally occurring case around the world was in Somalia in 1977. The smallpox virus still exists in laboratory stockpiles and could potentially be a target for bioterrorists. Twenty million doses are being collected, mainly for those whose immune systems have been compromised. Medicine from the stockpile can be delivered to any state in the country within 12 hours.
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