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Dear Sir/Madame Hereby we like to present you the 3d issue of GDNews in 2008. We hope you are enjoying yourself by reading this issue.We would like to inform you about developments in the dairy industry worldwide. Till now we receive positive reactions on this way of communication. But we like to have ideas from you for improving the GDNews and coming to real news issues. So don’t hesitate to give your comments to Dora Lakner or me. It is still not possible to mention a date for our scheduled congress for 2009. At the moment we have good contacts with Nutreco and Dutch embassy, but as you know whole China is in the ban of Olympic Games. We have asked two students to prepare the congress and doing a study about possibilities in China for dairy. But getting visa is not easy. It seems Olympic Games do have priority. But we do our best. Contacts with Australian Dairy Conference ( president is our Terry Hehir) are strong at the moment. Matt Reid, chairman of 2008’ ADC conference in Launceston, last moth visited Europe and we found time to spend a couple of fruit full days together. Matt also took part on the EDF Congress. The following chairman, Jamie Snell will visit Europe next month and we do meet each other in the Netherlands.In June I visited the IFCN Dairy Conference in Kiel (Germany) IFCN is a network of dairy advisors/scientists from over 80 countries . This was a fruitful congress and with the director Torsten Hemme we are on speaking term for developing a ind of partnership between IFCN and GDF. On the 24. of July we do have our next meeting and we like to define clear products in advantage for both groups. Please if you have ideas and remarks for improving the network GDF, don’t hesitate and mail or phone us. Also we like to come in contact with new members, suitable for our network. Your President and assistant-manager. President:
Bram Prins Jan Altinkstraat 18 NL-9791DM – Ten Boeremail
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tel.+31.655 873 309 Assistant –manager: Dora Lakner
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tel. ++31/ 317-482540 |
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 In my country it is summer now and differences are huge at the moment. In a small country like the Netherlands we do have on a distance of 15 km differences in rainfall of over 200 %. At my place we do have a shortage now of 200 mm rainfall, so it is dry. We are very happy having rainfall since yesterday.
Grass is not the biggest problems on heavy clay soil we do have, but maize is asking for water. But in general we like this weather much better as heavy rainfall and damages are much lower with drought as with wet circumstances. Last month the congress of European Dairy Farmers was 12 km away from my place in Groningen. The theme was “New Reality in Dairying” There were good papers about new developments in Europe and the not so positive Dutch situation. Dutch farmers are working with, maybe, the highest percentage of loans in the world. This is to my opinion not necessary negative, but you need to have a good business plan with so called black scenario’s. And most of Dutch farmers don’t have it and are looking more to the state of the bank account. Especial in 2007 a lot of investments are done, based on the high milk price of 2007. The costs are increased also in 2007, such as interest, feed, energy and others. In average the revenues in the dairy industry are increased in exact the same amounts of the costs. So if you did have a loss in 2006 your loss is increased in the same percentage , but if you had profits… .The conclusions of the EDF Congress where in my view not really new. When I started as a farmer, my father did tell me the same. The differences are, that farming is becoming more complex and so the necessity of having good management support is essential.
For our farm we do have now since 1.1.2008 a complete new budgeting system for all our activities. We do have monthly budgets and after 10 days in the new month we do have the results of the month before. We are extreme happy with this budget system.
The year 2007 was a disaster for our farm, because of all the changes on our farm. We built new facilities for the cows under bad circumstances. We had no space for all our cows , so we decide to sell 50 cows. A lot of rainfall in summer 2007 and at the same time difficult circumstances for making quality silage. After installing we had to buy an amount of 60 heifers. So milk production per cow decreased heavy. You will find it back in our figures in the added folder of our farm . These figures are based on the bad year 2007.
The EDF delegates did visit our new farm and there for a folder was produced, which is add on this GDNews. In this folder you can get an impression of the farm.
Nowadays we are success full with this new way of farming. Especial the combination of robot milking with automatic feeding is appreciated very well by our cows. So (financial) results are improved tremendous in one year time. So investments are profitable. To tell you our way of working is taking to much of this issue of this GDNews. Next time I will add on the presentation of our farm via Power Point For the rest you have to see it.This for now as outlook of your President. Next time I like to write more about my expectations of the food and milk prices. And also to give my opinion about possible hedge funds in the dairy industry. Your President Bram Prins |
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Global Dairy Farmers
Welcome to the website of Global Dairy Farmers, a worldwide platform for exchange of innovations, trends, outlooks and strategies between dairy farmers from all parts of the world. Read more
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Themes
Newsflash
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Welcome to the website of Global Dairy Farmers, a worldwide platform for exchange of innovations, trends, outlooks and strategies between dairy farmers from all parts of the world. Read more |
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