Emerald Isle

May 18, 2012

 This past week my classmates and I actually traveled to Ireland to experience the country we had been studying and researching for the semester.  I think I can speak for the group when I say it was one of the best trips we had ever experienced.  It's not hard to feel extremely fortunate when you get to see a beautiful country with a lot of great people.  On numerous occasions I heard "we are so lucky" and "I can't believe we are here"--so, thank you to everyone that helped us get there.

When I got home, the questions I got from everyone were the same--"what was your favorite part?"  I knew it was coming, but I still didn't have a good answer because I loved all of it.  Instead, I like to think of my experiences to remember why I want to go back:  the folklore and culture, the beautiful landscape, and the people.

The first night we spent in Dublin we had dinner at the Brazen Head Pub.  The food was delicious, but it was also our first real taste of Ireland's culture.  Our storyteller gave us a look at Ireland's history from the perspective of classic Irish folklore.  As in many cultures, folklore was used to explain what otherwise couldn't be explained.  If you respect the fairies, good things will come your way.  That night, as well as our time at Bunratty Castle, we were introduced to some songs and instrumentation common to everyone in Ireland.  Having performed and studied various genres of music in the past, I would have to say that what I heard in Ireland is my favorite.  The pure joy and fun that they are able to express in their music immediately makes you feel like you have become a part of their livelihoods.  

 Musicians at the Brazen Head Pub

Medieval Performers

The landscapes found in Ireland were some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.  We spent the week traveling all over the country and it felt like we were seeing something different everyday.  From day to day, we saw the rolling hills patch-worked with fields in various shades of green and then the mountainous areas near the coast.  Of course, there were sheep and cows everywhere.  The Cliffs of Moher and the Dingle Peninsula were my favorite places to see during the trip.  If it wasn't so windy and you could guarantee good weather like we experienced, they would be the most relaxing places on earth.

 Boyne River Valley

 Cliffs of Moher

Dingle Peninsula

The people of Ireland are well-worth visiting, too.  It was refreshing to go into a pub and have people genuinely want to know how you are doing.  We may not be comfortable talking to strangers here, but they are.  The whole pub experience is nothing like anything I have experienced here--they just know how to have a good time and make people feel welcome.

Dairy Research

April 23, 2012

Research is a big part of helping agriculturalists produce as efficiently as possible.  With growing populations, it is becoming necessary for farmers to be as efficient as possible to keep up with rising demands and changing economies.  Universities and research facilities all over the world are working to formulate feed rations and conditions to maximize production and health of production plants and animals. The results are then passed on to the agriculturalists to be incorporated into their practices.

For example, Penn State has an excellent dairy research facility--most notably in dairy nutrition research.  This research is used to help better understand the functions of a cow's unique digestive system to maximize absorption of nutrients.  Have you heard of cows contributing to greenhouse gas emission with their methane gas release? Penn State is researching this, too! One of my favorite labs in my animal science class was to the PSU research facility because I was given the opportunity to reach my arm into a live cow's stomach.  Rumen fistulas is a research technique implanted in a cow's side that safely and painlessly allows access to the cow's rumen (stomach compartment).  With this access they can observe and test the feed in different stages as it passes through the cow's system.

Rumen Fistula in a grazing cow

 Research is a huge part in the progress of the dairy industry, so I was curious to see if Ireland was making any progress in dairy research.  It turns out that Teagasc, Ireland's Agriculture and Food Development Authority, has research farms all over Ireland to take advantage of different conditions and soil types.

Research Farms
Farm Name	Research Focus	Location	Farm Area (ha)	Cows (variable)
Ballydague	Crossbreed Evaluation	Co. Cork	93	167
Ballyhaise	Regional Milk Production	Co. Cavan	47	97
Curtins	Farm Systems	Co. Cork	48	140
Kilworth	Environmental Research	Co. Cork	93	100
Moorepark	Component Research	Co. Cork	100	300
Solohead	Nutrient Use Efficiency	Co. Tipperary	52	95
Johnstown Castle	Winter Milk	Co. Wexford	30	80

The Johnstown herd, for example, conducts research in maximizing the herd efficiency of nutrition systems, pasture management strategies, and fertility performance of autumn-calving herds since many herds in Ireland are seasonal producers.  Because many herds in Ireland still graze their cattle, I was really interested to see that they are doing research in replenishing and managing their grass systems while also improving their production.  At the Ballyhaise farm, their goal is to maximize profitability per hectare for sustainable pasture-based dairy systems.

Cows grazing at the Moorepark research farm

Citations:

Teagasc: Agriculture and Food Development Authority. (2012). Retrieved April 23, 2012, from Moorepark Research Farms: http://www.agresearch.teagasc.ie/moorepark/researchfarms.asp

Organic Production

April 19, 2012

Organic production of agricultural products has become popular in recent years because consumers have developed a desire to consume foods that they can feel are more naturally produced.  In the United States there are movements to create a more sustainable environment and producing food organically helps contribute to this goal.  Currently, USDA standards dictate that a dairy product produced in the United States can be certified as organic if the animal itself consumed organically produced feed and was not given any antibiotics or hormones.  A lot of farms in the U.S. are converting to an organic production because they can get higher prices for their product.  Demand is fairly high even with a higher production cost, so some dairy farmers are taking advantage of the new market that is interested in organic products.

Recently an agreement was made between the US and EU countries regarding the trade of organic products between the countries involved.  Under this agreement, they will allow organic certified products to be imported/exported with a legal organic certification.  This means that an organic product imported from an EU country would be considered an organic product here, too.  They came to this agreement, effective June 1, 2012, because they felt that their standards for organic certification were similar enough that they could be viewed equally in the consumer's eyes.

 The EU's Organic Certified Symbol

There are a few requirements that will need to be considered, however, because their are a few discrepancies in their certification process.  For example, crops produced using antibiotics in the U.S. cannot be exported to the EU.  Conversely, the U.S. will not accept agricultural products derived from animals treated with antibiotics or aquatic animals from the EU.

For more information regarding the regulations of both certifying entities, please refer to their websites:

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOPTradeEuropeanUnion

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/home_en

"The EU actively promotes the growth of the organic sector with a wide variety of policies designed to increase the amount of land farmed organically, including government standards and certification, conversion and support payments for organic farmers, targets for land under organic management, and policies supporting research, education, and marketing. The U.S. largely takes a free-market approach: its policies aim to facilitate market development through national standards and certification and federally funded grants that support research, education, and marketing for organic agriculture. "

This was quoted from the article entitled, EU and U.S. Organic Markets Face Strong Demand Under Different Policies.  I included it because I think it is interesting how different mindsets came to a very similar solution.  Do you think one mindset over the other will help make a more successful conversion to an organic market?

Citations:

EU, U.S. sign organic trade agreement. (2012). Retrieved April 19, 2012, from National Dairy Herd Information Association: http://dairybusiness.com/seo/headline.php?title=eu-u-s-sign-organic-trade-agreement&date=2012-02-15&table=headlines

Organic Farming. (2012). Retrieved april 19, 2012, from Good for nature, good for you: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/home_en

United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service. (2012). Retrieved April 19, 2012, from National Organic Program: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOPTradeEuropeanUnion

EU and U.S. Organic Markets Face Strong Demand Under Different Policies. (2006). Retrieved April 19, 2012, from Amber Waves: The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources and Rural America: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/February06/Features/feature1.htm

Milk Marketing

April 9, 2012

Milk marketing functions to help the producer market its product to its consumers without benefiting one farmer over another.  This is important because milk is a commodity and efforts by the individual won't have a significant effect on the market.  These programs help to advertise the nutritional benefits of including dairy in the diet.  It also helps to contribute to the trust in consumers that their dairy products are safe and nutritious and being produced with the utmost care for the animals and the environment.  While many people's habits aren't likely to be changed from the efforts of a milk marketing board, they take some of the hardship away from the farmer.  They are able to communicate and educate consumers so the producers can get their message to the public without losing focus of the farm tasks.

Milk marketing boards spend a lot of their effort teaching consumers how to best utilize their products, but they also spend a lot of time and money on educating youth.  They create programs to help children understand nutrition and from where their food comes.  Their ultimate goal is to help bridge the gap between farmer and consumer in hopes that they will be able to understand and help meet the needs of the other.

I researched Ireland's comparable milk marketing groups and found that they function very similarly to ones that I am familiar with.  One in particular, The National Dairy Council serves nearly identical functions as those in the United States.  One minute on their website and I immediately noticed links to recipes and educational materials, as well as, links to information from health professionals.

Please take a minute to explore The National Dairy Council's website and a Mid-Atlantic Region dairy marketer:
 http://dairyspot.com/
http://www.ndc.ie/

I think these programs are really beneficial, and that's why I would like to spend time in my future career helping producers communicate better with their consumers.

Citations:

The National Dairy Council. (2012).  Retrieved April 9, 2012, from http://www.ndc.ie/

The Mid-Atlantic Spot for Dairy. (2011).  Retrieved April 9, 2012, from www.dairyspot.com

Raw Milk

April 5, 2012

The question of food safety has been a huge part of production agriculture since its beginning.  In EU countries, it is no different and in some cases it may even be stricter than similar regulations in the United States. Raw milk is a huge issue that many people question whether dairy operations should have the right to sell their milk raw.  

Raw milk is the form of the milk straight from the farm that hasn't undergone pasteurization.   This is why people question the safety.  Pasteurization is a process that heats and then cools the milk rapidly to kill any harmful bacteria in the milk.  It ensures that salmonella and other harmful pathogens cannot be passed from the milk to the drinker and it increases the shelf life of the product.  Unfortunately, the process also kills bacteria that could be potentially beneficial to the drinker and it slightly modifies the taste.

The EU recently allowed the sale of raw milk in its member nations, but Ireland's government is questioning whether they want to allow it themselves.  They plan to ban any sale or purchase of raw milk in Ireland.  That's okay for the farmers who drink their milk straight from the bulk tank, but for specialized raw milk cheese producers alternatives will need to be made.

Currently, there is a campaign to help keep the sale of raw milk legal in Ireland.  From my experience in Pennsylvania, raw milk is legal to sell if the seller has a special license and follows specialized regulations.

Personally, I agree with the campaign to keep raw milk sales legal in Ireland.  I grew up drinking milk in its best form--straight from the cow.  My friends always contributed my excellent health to drinking raw milk and sometimes I have to agree.  I much prefer the taste of raw milk and consumers should have a choice.  If they know the potential risks, they should be able to make the purchase.

Citations:
Raw Milk Ireland. (2011).  Retrieved April 5, 2012, from http://rawmilkireland.com/

Modern Irish Dairy Products

March 28, 2012

Perhaps the most important part of any industry is the product being produced.  In the dairy industry, milk is being used in an overwhelming number of food products in our lives because it is so nutritionally valuable.  Ireland has actually become one of the world's leading producers of infant nutritional products and accounts for 15% of the global supply of infant formula and 80% of all of their dairy production is exported (most being in the form of butter). Outside of their everyday dairy needs, Kerrygold and Bailey's are two huge dairy production facilities.  Unlike the United States, Irish milk can be traced to a much smaller number of processing locations.  Where in the U.S. we have many different brands and local companies for milk processing, Ireland has a select few that were chosen during the Co-operative consolidation.

Kerrygold is the premier brand of Irish butter boasting of being able to turn the luscious green of Ireland's landscape into the golden richness of their fine butter.  According to their website, the Irish Dairy Industry is involved in 80 markets across the world and all Irish butter carries their seal.  They have recently developed several lines of butters and cheeses--some of which can be found in markets in the United States.

Bailey's Irish Cream also plays a significant role in the Dairy Industry of Ireland.  Since 1983 they have helped sponsor the Bailey's Champion Cow Competition in celebration of their cream supply.

Approximately 250 million liters of milk per year are needed to make Baileys which equates to the annual output of about 40,000 dairy cows.  Baileys is sold in 170 markets today and is the world's No 1 selling liqueur brand.

To enter cows must first have produced 500kgs of butterfat and protein in a 305 day lactation (except for the heifer in milk awards). A 10% extra weighting is being given to the protein portion of the entry standard.  Entrants are required to complete an entry form which this year should include a recent, full body picture of their cow in electronic format.  This is the competition in search of the prestigious "finest dairy cow in Ireland"

Citations:

Kerrygold. (2012).  Retrieved March 28, 2012, from, http://www.kerrygold.com/

Baileys Irish Champion at Virginia Agricultural Show Society. (2007).  Retrieved March 23, 2012, from, http://www.ihfa.ie/page.aspx?page_id=71

Modern Dairies

March 21, 2012

A lot has changed in the dairy industry from the mid-20th century--and these changes have been occurring everywhere.  In a matter of a century, we have developed from self-sustaining families with a single dairy cow to specializing dairy farms with some farms taking care of herds of 100 or more cows.  Milking by hand quickly developed into milking machines of various types that can now be replaced with robotic milkers.  The trend in the United States has been pointing toward fewer dairies producing greater amounts of product.  This means better production techniques/genetics for the expanding dairy farms.  My family's dairy farm recently made an expansion to a larger size in 2006 with a new barn and milking parlor.

There are many factors that contribute to new technologies actually benefiting a farmer rather than sinking them into irreversible debt. The state of the economy, milk prices and the amount of renovations necessary all dictate how much a farmer can invest in his farm.  For example, robotic milkers are one of the latest technologies for dairy farms because they milk the cow and maintain a lot of the records so the farmer can be more proactive about other aspects of the cows health and spend more time with other farm activities.  In the county in Pennsylvania where I am from, there are six robotic milking units currently in use.  In Ireland, there are a total of four farms with robotic milking systems. This could be because they are financially unable to make that step or because they are a dairying system that predominantly relies on grazing.

 The link (below) is a video made by the The National Dairy Council of an interview about new technologies in Irish dairying.  The Murphy's farm is a four-generation, 53 acre dairy farm and they milk a 40 cow herd.

http://www.ndc.ie/about/tv.asp?movie=5

Today, Ireland’s dairy industry has regained its position in the forefront of world dairy

processors. With a turnover of €3.4 billion, €2.5 billion of which derives from exports,

and 7,000 direct employees, dairy processing is one of Ireland’s key exporting industries

again and one of our biggest employers. Furthermore, it supports 19,000 dairy farmers

and accounts for 30% of Ireland’s agricultural output.

Citations:

O’Callaghan, Eddie. (2011).  Minimising labour in milking.  Agriculture and Food Development Authority.  Retrieved March 21, 2012, from, http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/nlmc2000/paper1.asp

History of Dairying in Ireland. Irish Dairy Board. (2012).  Retrieved March 21, 2012, from, http://www.idb.ie/section/HistoryofDairyinginIreland

The National Dairy Council. (2012).  Retrieved April 9, 2012, from http://www.ndc.ie/

Co-operative Production

March 14, 2012

A large part of the dairy industry in the United States is the functioning cooperatives that individual dairy farmers work with.  Dairy herds are larger than they ever were before and it makes more sense to ship milk to a cooperative that can turn the milk into a good that can be sold to the public.  Some farmers have found that producing an "on-farm good," like cheese, helps them remain more financially stable.  Most, however, ship their milk to a particular processing plant that utilizes the liquid in various products and then sells them on a larger marketplace.  

I found, when I was researching dairy production in the 20th century, that Ireland has a similar system that was developed for similar reasons.  The need to develop a product for market and have the product shipped to a wider audience made it necessary for producers to group together.  Butter was a major export in Ireland, and the technologies used to produce butter the best were expensive.  Creameries found that it was more efficient for them to share a common separator to produce their butter.

Even into the 1950's, the Irish dairy industry was very underdeveloped.  At this point, most of the milk production was used to produce butter directly on the farms.   The farms were only able to provide a minimal supply of milk during only two months of the year and were getting less than two old pence per pint.  In the Fennor Co-operative Dairy Society in 1951, for example, there were 320 farms averaging seven cows per farm .  Only five of these farms had milking machines. 

Between 1954 and 1965, the overall number of farms decreased, but the farm productivity increased and 80 farms had milk machines.  By this point, an appointment of experts set out to examine the future of the dairy industry in Ireland in preparation of Ireland's entry into the European Community.  They found that there were too many small and inefficient creameries and recommended forming larger units.

The above images show what it was like milking a cow by hand.  Knowing what it is like to milk a cow with a milking machine, it would be pretty difficult to go back to milking like this.

Citations:

Breathnach, Proinnsias.  The evolution of the spatial structure of the Irish dairy processing industry.  Retrieved March 14, 2012, from http://www.ucd.ie/gsi/pdf/33-2/dairy.pdf

 http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/looking-at-places/leitrim/farming-in-leitrim/womens-work/

 

March 1, 2012

Dairy Diets

I grew up in a family that loves to cook.  We have had recipes passed down through the generations and from an early age I was taught how to make good food with recipes passed down through the generations.  Living on a farm, we always used the freshest ingredients because we always had a nearly endless supply of milk--unless the milkman picked it up after my brothers had a milk chugging contest.  Naturally, I was interested to find out how the Irish ate.  Often, when you think about early Ireland, you think of potatoes, potatoes, potatoes...but what about all of those cows?

Milk was really important and was consumed similarly to how we use it now; drunk fresh, eaten as curds, or made into cheeses and butter.  The curds were called whitemeats and were an important source of protein in their diets.  The whey that was leftover from this process was called "green milk" and was given to slaves and workers.

As I was researching, I was pretty surprised and found it really interesting how clever and resourceful they were.  Without a lot of the basic scientific knowledge that we have now, they figured out how they could preserve their foods.  Butter, for example, was allowed to go rancid and was then stored in barrels in bogs.  Cheese, the most common method of preserving dairy was very common.  They knew that the use of rennet from the stomachs of milk fed animals would produce the cheese, so they cut off a small piece of the bag in the stomach and boiled it in water to produce the rennet.

5,000 year old 

Bog Butter

One use of milk that is still popular today used Irish Moss (seaweed).  Milk would be boiled with the seaweed and allowed to thicken then mixed with honey and eaten after the meal as a sweet course with season fruits.  Considering that one of its main ingredients is seaweed, I'm not sure it is something that I would enjoy very much.  But, nonetheless, I found a recipe for it.

You will start off by washing the Irish moss drink in your sink. Wash thoroughly to remove all the sand and any other unwanted things that may be attached to the seaweed. Bring the water to a boil on the stove and add the washed seaweed to it. Add the gum Arabic, isinglass and linseed to the pot as well.

Let the pot stay on the stove until everything dissolves into the water except for the seaweed. This should take about an hour’s time. Next strain the liquid into another clean container while taking out the Irish moss trash from it. Now you will add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and taste the drink to see if it has the desired flavor. Add what you think is lacking to get the Irish moss drink to taste as you like it. The Irish moss drink is served chilled so you should keep it in the refrigerator for at least four hours before serving.

Citations:

Linnane, J. (2000). A History of Irish Cuisine. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from Before and after the potato: http://www.ravensgard.org/prdunham/irishfood.html

Bog Butter find from Co. Offaly. (2011, April 28). Retrieved March 1, 2012, from Irish Archaeology: http://irisharchaeology.ie/2011/04/bog-butter/

Recipe for Irish Moss Drink. (2010, March 29). Retrieved March 1, 2012, from Country facts: The world at your fingertips: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/ireland/recipe-for-irish-moss-drink/1993

February 22, 2012

I am writing this blog to explore the Irish dairy industry, both past, present, and future. 

I grew up on a dairy farm in Central Pennsylvania, so the dairy industry has always held a special place in my heart.  As a student at Penn State, I have been given the opportunity to travel abroad to Ireland as a part of my studies and I wanted to learn more about how their dairy industry is different or similar to what I grew up with.

Ireland has a much longer history than the United States, so I decided the best place to start researching was the beginning.

Ireland is home to the earliest known remains of dairying in Europe.  Preserved under 5m of peat bog, the Ceide Fields in the west of Ireland dates dairy farming as early as 5,700 years ago.  Here, they found an area of ten square kilometers of dairy farmland that was organized and separated by dry stone walls into dairy farmland.

Ceide Fields

Until this point, most of Europe was lactose intolerant beyond infancy and had no reason to consume dairy products.  The theory is that these early dairy farmers were the first to have the mutated lactose gene appear that allowed them to digest milk proteins.

With these changes, family units were more stable and population growth wasn't hindered by unpredictable food supplies.  From here, the Irish were able to move toward political organization and taxes in the form of food were collected from each family.  In fact, a year's tuition for a boy going into the priesthood consisted of a dairy cow, a sack of malt, a sack of corn, and a calf.  

Dairy cattle were important leverage tools during this time because milk and their products were staple foods.  According to Brehon Laws, a divorced woman was entitled to one sixth of the produce of the churn after her husband left her.  Most importantly, cattle were used as internal warfare.  A successful cattle raid lowered the status of the owner of whose cows were taken, but because of their importance the result was immediate submission.  

A page from Brehon law tract

I'm not sure if the legends folklore mimicked the importance of dairy, but they also described dairy's role in history. In a version of the epic "Cattle raid at Cooley", for example, Queen Maeve of Connaught was mortally wounded by a skim milk cheese flung from the sling of her nephew.  Another legend tells of an attempt made to kill Saint Patrick with poisoned cheese.

Citations:

Irish Dairy Board. (2011). Retrieved February 22, 2012, from History of Dairying in Ireland: http://www.idb.ie/section/HistoryofDairyinginIreland

Irish History Timeline. (2011). Retrieved February 22, 2012, from Early Ireland: 8000 BC-fourth century AD: http://www.irishhistorylinks.net/Irish_History_Timeline.html#Early_Ireland

Linnane, J. (2000). A History of Irish Cuisine. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from Before and after the potato: http://www.ravensgard.org/prdunham/irishfood.html