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By Todd Fitchette |
I n New Mexico it's not difficult to be a long way from most everything. There's only a handful of larger cities and the rest are fairly small. So it's important for those folks in remote regions to be vocal and unified if they want to be heard in the public arena. It's even more imperative to be well organized and unified if you're a dairy producer and Santa Fe is three hours and a total mindset away. The Dairy Producers of New Mexico could be described as the bullhorn for a lone voice in the wilderness. With 157 dairy producers and 249,000 dairy cows scattered about over 121,000 square miles -- most a half-day's drive from the state capitol - having an organization to serve as the collective voice for the state's dairy industry isn't just important; it's a matter of survival. As organizations go, the Dairy Producers of New Mexico may be relatively small, but it's potent. About 80 percent of the state's dairy producers and more than 90 percent of the state's total milk production are represented by the organization. Its board is made up of 10 dairy producers from throughout the state. All are elected to three-year terms and represent various geographic regions. While few in number, New Mexico's dairy producers also represent a trend in the West. Larger dairies milk more cows, which means the number of producers relative to the number of cows is becoming more disproportionate. As of June 2000, at 1,478 cows, New Mexico's average herd size is the largest in the nation. Keeping the dairy industry's issues at the forefront of political discussions in Santa Fe and elsewhere in the state is the role of the Dairy Producers of New Mexico. Like with any trade organization, its role is to promote the industry with the goal of helping dairy producers become more profitable. Sharon Lombardi is the only full-time staff member of the trade organization. As executive director, her job is to keep the directors informed, attract new members, and represent the dairy industry's interests at the state and national levels. One of the organization's recent successes was to get a bill passed in the New Mexico Legislature that corrected a "misunderstanding" in the state's tax code. According to Lombardi, the state wanted to tax producers on their raw milk production as milk left the dairy farm. While raw milk is exempt from taxation, a loophole in state law would have allowed milk to be taxed once it left the farm. The new law closed that loophole. At the recent annual meeting of the organization in Ruidoso, N.M., DPNM's past president Rick Wielenga, of West Star Ranch in Hobbs, highlighted some of the industry's recent successes and laid out the challenges ahead. Groundwater quality, proposed federal regulations that could have a huge impact on dairies as it relates to the state's tuberculosis status, proposed permit fee hikes at the state level, and tighter regulations regarding confined animal feeding operations continue to be forefront issues for the organization. Aiding in these discussions and the industry's lobbying efforts came when the dairy producer's group hired an environmental consultant, Lombardi said. "When I look at my job, I can't be an expert on all the issues," she said. "My job is to coordinate and facilitate with our consultants and experts." |
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According
to Lombardi, the organization formed about 10 years ago. It began
after dairy producers recognized the need to be better organized
politically. With state and federal legislators and agencies issuing
mandates that were having negative impacts on the state's growing
dairy industry, dairy producers knew they had to get involved.
It wasn't enough to simply milk cows if milking cows was going
to become more difficult because of restrictions placed on the
business world. Source:
DairyBusiness Communications A Multi Ag Media Company, Copyright
1999-2001 © All rights reserved |
For release---June 24, 2004
Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) Case Count Climbs in Texas
Six more premises in Texas have horses with confirmed cases of vesicular stomatitis (VS), reports the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. The most recent cases, were confirmed this week through laboratory tests, and include horses on a ranch in Uvalde County and, in south Texas, horses on four premises in Starr County, and one premises near Carrizo Springs in Dimmitt County.
Thirteen premises now are under quarantine in Texas and New Mexico because of the sporadically occurring VS virus that can cause affected livestock to develop painful blisters in the mouth, on the tongue, above the hooves, or on the teats. To date, the infection has been confined to about 25 horses in both states, but cattle, goats, swine, deer and some other livestock may be affected. The disease is thought to be transmitted by sand flies and black flies, but all aspects of the disease are not fully understood, because outbreaks occur infrequently. This year’s outbreak, the first since 1998, began in mid-May and could potentially continue until late fall. In addition to the most recent cases, a ranch in each of the following counties remains under quarantine:
· One ranch in Reeves County in far west Texas, the first case confirmed this year
· One ranch in Yoakum County, near Denver City, about 80 miles southwest of Lubbock
· One ranch in Val Verde County, about 150 miles west of San Antonio
Horses on four small premises in New Mexico, near Carlsbad, also are quarantined because of VS.
VS-infected animals, and all other susceptible livestock, are confined to their premise until 30 days after all lesions heal. This helps assure that infected animals do not spread the disease through direct contact with other livestock. Affected animals may become weak, due to their inability to eat, due to blisters or erosions in their mouth or around their muzzles. While generally not life-threatening, care should be taken to assure that infected animals do not develop secondary infections, due to open sores that may require several weeks to heal. Prior to quarantine release, the animals will be re-examined by a state or federal regulatory veterinarian, to ensure healing
States may place additional testing requirements or restrictions on livestock originating from states with VS infection, so owners and private veterinary practitioners are urged to check with receiving states prior to shipping animals. The TAHC has directed private veterinary practitioners to carefully inspect animals for VS, and document the exam on certificates of veterinary inspection (health papers) issued for livestock leaving Texas. A similar statement also is required on paperwork for livestock entering Texas from other states with VS infection.
Owners and practitioners are urged to contact state livestock health officials, if they see potential signs of VS in livestock, so laboratory confirmation tests may be conducted. In Texas, the TAHC is operational 24 hours a day at 1-800-550-8242, with a TAHC or U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian always on call to take reports and work with veterinary practitioners. In New Mexico, producers should make reports to the New Mexico Livestock Board at 505-841-6161.
Any new cases will be reported on the TAHC website as they become available at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us
Dairy
Producers of New Mexico
PO Box 6299, 5106 South Main, Roswell, NM 88202
(505)
622.1646 * Fax: (505) 622.6306 * info@nmdairy.org
Webmaster email * Website
last updated 16-January-2007
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