One of the biggest struggles right now on Texas dairy farms is growing or sourcing enough feed for the herd. About 60% of the modern dairy cow’s diet is based on byproducts of other commodity crops. This year, cottonseed, corn and wheat byproducts are almost nonexistent.
 
The much-needed rain has arrived in Texas, but it may be too late. Pastures are now green, but it’s too late for most crops to produce enough forage needed to feed cows until next year. Corn crops are very poor this year, so they are being baled to be fed to cows. Hay is being transported from several states to Texas dairy farms, and imports will continue well into next year until new forage can be grown. 
 
The drought is not only affecting Texas dairy farmers. Corn inventories are dangerously low with only 37 days of supply on hand. Soybeans are even worse with only 19 days of inventory available. When it comes to grain, most of the world’s supply is produced in just a few countries. Five countries produce 59% of 

global grain production: the U.S., Brazil, China, Russia and Ukraine. And production is compromised in two of those countries, with Russia and Ukraine at war. This will impact most of Europe this year, and next year should see both reduced production as well as supply chain disruptions. 
 
When you look further into the future, you see expected growth in the world’s population. Asia and Africa are expected to grow 41% and 49%, respectively. Where grain is grown today is not where it will be most needed in the future. ...

Midterm elections will be here before you know it (see our countdown clock above), and the first of several election deadlines are right around the corner ahead of the Nov. 8 election. 
 
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 11. The last day to apply to vote by mail is Oct. 28. In order to register, you must fill out and submit a paper voter registration application. The only form of online registration in Texas is through the Texas Department of Public Safety while renewing your driver’s license. For more on registering in Texas, you can visit the Secretary of State’s (SOS) website, where they have put together a primer on registering in Texas. You can also check your registration status on the SOS website. 
 
Early voting begins on Oct. 24 and runs through Nov. 4. Statewide, the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner and one railroad commission seat are up for election. Additionally, all U.S. representatives, state senators, state representatives and members of the State Board of Education 

are up for election after the redrawing of political districts. Some Texas communities also will hold elections for city, county and school board offices and local bonds or propositions. The Texas Tribune is a great resource to view the new districts you’ll vote in after redistricting. Closer to election day, most county clerk websites also provide sample ballots based on your address. The Texas Association of Dairymen (TAD) governmental relations (GR) team will have a full recap of election results in the November edition of the Dairy Dispatch.
 
As election season heats up, the state is slowly starting to cool down. ...

Three Archer County dairy farmers who have adopted robotic technology are opening their farms to the public for Southwest Dairy Day, set for Oct. 20 in Scotland, Texas.
 
One of those farmers is Adam Wolf, a fourth-generation dairy farmer who owns Wolf’s Legendairy in Scotland. Below, Wolf shares with the Dairy Dispatch why he decided to transition his dairy to a robotic one, and how it’s going.

What made you decide to install robotic equipment on your dairy? And tell us about the process. 

Maximizing the genetic potential of my cows was the main reason I decided to go the robotic route. Another major reason was to allow my work schedule to be more flexible so I would be able to spend more time with my family.
 
Tell us about the transition – how does your dairy operate now compared to before? How has it changed the way you operate your dairy farm? ​

We transitioned from a 40-year-old dry lot double 8 herringbone parlor milking 500 cows two times a day to a tunnelventilated barn with 12 Lely A5 robots milking 750 cows 2.9 times per day. Close up dry cows are also housed in the climate-controlled barn to minimize the amount of weather stress. We had six full time employees at the old facility and currently have the same amount at the new facility. Labor costs have decreased $1/cwt in the new facility. Not only has my work schedule become more flexible, but there is also flexibility in scheduling my employees.  Employee turnover has dropped by a considerable amount due to less physically demanding labor. ...

For the past 20 years, uncertainty regarding emissions from animal feeding operations has confounded regulators and served to hinder environmental groups who seek to use regulations as a sword against animal agriculture. After years of monitoring, measuring and peer reviewed studies, this “uncertainty” may be changing. 
 
On July 14, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released preliminary draft air emission models for estimating ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and particulate matter emissions from barns and lagoons on dairy farms. The dairy models, along with models for swine and poultry operations, are products of the National Air Emission Monitoring Study (NAEMS), a nationwide research project intended to gather air emission data from animal feeding operations. The research for NAEMS was funded by the EPA’s 2005 Air Compliance Agreement, which allowed

participating animal feeding operations to pay a civil penalty in exchange for certain immunity from suit from the EPA for potential air emission violations. 
 
The NAEMS research began in 2007 and consisted of 25 monitoring sites (including dairy, swine and poultry (layer and broiler)operations) located in 10 different states. Dairy operations in California, Indiana, New York, Texas, Washington State and Wisconsin were part of the study. With EPA oversight, several universities conducted the NAEMS research, studying and measuring the emissions of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds from barns and manure storage facilities at the selected locations for a two-year period. ...

Texas A&M AgriLife Research is anticipating the largest competitive grant in the organization’s history, up to $65 million, to execute a five-year multi-commodity project to work with Texas’ large agricultural sector on expanding climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices.
The grants are not just historic for The Texas A&M University System, but for the nation, as part of a federal investment in 70 partnerships recently announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to the USDA announcement, these federal projects will expand markets for climate-smart commodities, leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production, and provide direct, meaningful benefits to production agriculture, including for small and underserved producers.

“We are proud to lead this major effort,” said Chancellor John Sharp. “The diversity of Texas’ climates, soils and agriculture allows a carefully crafted Texas Climate-Smart Initiative to serve as a model for 

future climate-smart programs nationwide. This grant further cements Texas A&M as the No. 1 research university in Texas and the Southwest.”

“Production agriculture is the backbone of the Texas economy,” said Jeffrey W. Savell, Ph.D., vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences. “This grant proves that when we assemble a team of expert researchers and leaders, while simultaneously staying focused on being responsive to the needs of Texas and key priority areas, that real magic can happen. We’re proud to be creating meaningful solutions for the people of Texas.”...

Manure is something every dairy farmer must manage. The application of manure on soils for crop production is a common practice; however, concerns arise as manure is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus and can impact water quality and crop performance, as well as contribute to soil contaminants such as the presence of antibiotics and E. coli pathogens. Therefore, any new manure management strategy that can help improve soil quality, crop production, water quality and soil health would be a beneficial tool for producers and the environment.

Biochar is a product that can be created through a process called pyrolysis, the heating of a substance in the absence of oxygen, and can be used as a soil amendment to improve soil quality, soil nutrients, plant growth, contaminant

removal (i.e. antibiotics), and water retention and quality.

Since November 2021, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Tarleton State University have been investigating a novel calcium hydroxide-coated biochar (Ca-BC from hereon) developed and created by Dr. Eunsung Kan, an associate professor for Texas A&M AgriLife....

Collaboration is the key to success and dairy organizations have been collaborating for years to move the dairy industry forward. Dairy MAX recently hosted evaluators with the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program at AT&T Stadium for insight into Dairy MAX's nutrition partnership with the Dallas Cowboys and the school nutrition program, Fuel Up to Play 60.

With more consumers growing concerned about where their food comes from and its safety, the National Dairy FARM Program works to actively earn the trust of everyone who makes dairy a part of their diet. By setting high standards for animal care, workplace settings, and environmental and antibiotic stewardship, FARM helps ensure the entire industry's success by demonstrating that U.S. dairy farmers are committed to producing the highest quality milk. Created in 2009, the

program focuses on five key areas – animal care, environmental stewardship, antibiotic stewardship, workforce development, and biosecurity. Through the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the dairy community has aligned behind FARM as the industry-wide social responsibility program. Open to all farms, milk processors and cooperatives, program evaluators are trained and certified to conduct evaluations on behalf of FARM participants. ...