Dairy Diary: January business update
What’s NEW in the dairy farming world? We report on a partnership to expand the precision minerals business, a fund to reward farmers for reducing emissions, as well as an update on dairy events and awards. Read an update on these developments and more on the latest dairy sector news…
Schothorst Feed Research chooses Ruminix Software to build its own system (the E-dairy model)
Animal nutrition software solutions provider, A-Systems, has announced that Schothorst Feed Research has chosen Ruminix software to implement their E-dairy rationing model. This collaboration aims to make Schothorst Feed Research’s advanced expertise in dairy nutrition more accessible to feed producers worldwide, enabling data-driven decisions for optimal dairy production. Schothorst Feed Research’s proprietary rationing model predicts milk yield based on specific feed inputs, allowing producers to optimise both nutrition and production efficiency.
Adisseo’s new MetaSmart production facility expected in H2 2025
From 28-30 January, Adisseo welcomed 26 key customers from across Europe and the Middle East & Africa for an event in Burgos to showcase the company’s new plant dedicated to producing HMBi, the active ingredient in MetaSmart, a source of methionine for ruminants. Recent studies have shown that Amino Acid balancing rations using MetaSmart as the supplementary methionine product of choice increases milk by over 1kg per day, milk protein by 0.14% units and milk fat by 0.2% units.
Animine & Feedworks USA partner to expand the precision minerals business
Animine, an independent supplier of precision minerals, has announced its collaboration with Feedworks USA in the US market. Established in 2005, Feedworks USA distributes specialty feed ingredients designed to enhance the health and performance of both monogastric and ruminant animals. Animine’s portfolio consists of products tailored to improve the health and nutrition of pigs, poultry and dairy cows.
£1m fund to reward farmers for reducing emissions
An innovative programme to enable supply chains to reward farmers for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is now open to farmers. Developed by Soil Association Exchange, the new Exchange Market will operate as an insetting fund without any sales of carbon credits. Instead, it will pool funds from a range of companies with shared supply chains to pay farmers to reduce emissions. Farmers participating in the scheme can earn £60 per tonne of CO2e reduced annually, with half of payments provided upfront to help fund their transitions.
Dairy brands gather at IFE 2025
IFE, part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, will return to ExCeL London from 17-19 March with a focus on innovation and quality and will include a dedicated cheese & dairy Pavilion. Some topics covered across the three days of the show include how vertical farming might shape the future of food, how the UK can navigate changes to its border strategy, and the ongoing need for the National Food Strategy. Some of the dairy suppliers taking part in IFE 2025 are Jersey Dairy (a farmer-owned cooperative producing fresh & UHT milk, ice cream, butter, cream, and Soft Ice Cream Mixes), Isle of Man Creamery (an award-winning cooperative of dairy farmers, producing high-quality cheese from grass-fed herds grazing on the Isle of Man), Glastry Farm Ice Cream (a fully integrated business, producing ice cream from their own pedigree herd of Holstein and Jersey cows), Dairy Valley/ Happy Halwai (a family-run business that has grown into a global brand). Blackmore Vale Dairy (a specialist dairy manufacturer).
New AI-powered analysis on show at Dairy-Tech
In a series of presentations at Dairy-Tech 2025, DeLaval discussed its new digitally-powered performance portal, DeLaval Plus, which includes applications such as behaviour analysis and how artificial intelligence is now available to farms choosing to operate with DeLaval’s VMS milking robots. The system uses data sensors to record individual cow behaviour, analyses each cow’s data using artificial intelligence, and helps dairy producers identify sick cows and cows in heat.
Santiago de Chile becomes the first South American city to host the IDF World Dairy Summit
Santiago will make history as the first South American city to host the International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit from 20-23 October 2025. The 3 pillars of the event are sustainable food systems, new technologies and artificial intelligence in dairy production, and dairy products as a pillar of development. Promoted by the International Dairy Federation and organised by Chile’s Consorcio Lechero, this event is supported by Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Federation of Milk Producers (FEDELECHE).
Alltech Wisconsin announces dairy farm Most Valuable Employee Award winner
Alltech Wisconsin presented the 2024 Most Valuable Employee Award to Hector Lobato of Schilling Farms in Darlington, Wisconsin, for his hard work and dedication at Schilling Farms over the past 18 years. Nominations for the award are made by a farm manager, dairy owner, farm consultant or nutritionist based on qualities such as work ethic, perseverance, honesty and integrity. The other finalists honored during the Alltech Dairy Summit included Monte Guenther of Hil-Ray Farms in Minnesota City, Minnesota, and Fernando Maceda of Wayside Dairy in Greenleaf, Wisconsin.
World Dairy Expo accepting nominations for 2025 Recognition Awards
Nominations for the 2025 World Dairy Expo Recognition Awards are being accepted through 15 February via the nomination form. The Expo honors dairy industry leaders in 3 different categories: Dairy Producer of the Year, Industry Person of the Year, and International Person of the Year. Organisations, academic staff, producers and others involved in the dairy industry are encouraged to nominate individuals to recognise their outstanding work and dedication to the dairy industry.
Holstein UK announces winner of 2024 President’s Medal Award
Holstein UK presented the President’s Medal Award to Jamie Pottow at the Semex International Dairy Conference in Glasgow on 13 January. Jamie, who is a member of the South & Wiltshire Holstein Young Breeders (HYB) Club, has been recognised for the outstanding contribution he has made to the breed, his Club and the wider HYB community. His prize consists of an engraved medal and a trip to The Royal Winter Fair in Toronto this November.
Alltech welcomes Leticia Souza to US dairy on-farm support team
Alltech has announced that Leticia Souza has joined the US team as an on-farm support dairy specialist. As part of the Alltech Dairy On-Farm Support team, Souza will spend time in the field and focus on bilingual training, coaching, and retention strategies with dairy employees, serving dairy producers, nutritionists and veterinarians in the Northeast and Southeast US. In 2023, Souza earned a master’s degree in veterinary medicine after which she worked as a research technologist, conducting both laboratory and field research. Her work primarily focused on studying mastitis and antimicrobial stewardship in dairy cattle, as well as managing and analysing data for research projects and training undergraduate students.
