It’s hard to believe that another December is here. The year seems to go much faster from January to December. For many, it feels like National Dairy Month in June was just days ago. However, time continues to roll on!
For the last Improver page of 2024, Dairy One wants to look back on another great year. Sure there have been bumps along the way, but there are many new services and opportunities that the cooperative is excited about as it reflects upon the year.
Marking 75 Years of Business
The beginning of this year marked 75 years of business for Dairy One. Throughout 2024, Dairy One celebrated this achievement with both customers and employees. At the Ithaca, NY location, Dairy One welcomed many different visitors during the year including university students, visiting partners, and prospective clients. The Board of Directors hosted numerous meetings in the offices and visited employees in the labs and out on farms. Employees had the opportunity to attend different trainings during the year and joined together for meals to visit with one another.
For Dairy One’s customers, the numerous teams within Dairy One worked to provide the best service for each person’s needs. Whether that was installing Wi-Fi boosters on a farm or collecting a milk sample, each employee aimed to make an impact. While Dairy One started as a milk sample cooperative, 2024 showcased how much the company’s offerings have expanded in 75 years. Now, customers can have their forage or soil tested, work on updating farm software, or receive support in building a CAFO plan. And the company continues to build new offerings and partnerships to match the needs of its customers.
Adding New Opportunities
At the Dairy One Forage Laboratory, the team has been working on new testing capabilities. The lab now has a dedicated digestibility area and continues to work with university researchers, industry constituents, and other testing labs on studying rumen digestible starch in cows. The Forage Lab has also been working with multiple zoos and aquariums through the Zooquarius subsidiary. Team members also attended a few conferences during the year to meet with individuals from these industries.
The Integrated Farming Solutions team recently partnered with iYOTAH to offer a new software solution for dairy farms. This platform pulls data from all software programs being used on a farm and places report data in one location. For instance, herd managers will be able to see information from their herd, feed, and breeding programs on one dashboard to quickly answer a farm owner’s questions.
During a conference in January, Agricultural Consulting Services announced a partnership with MyFarms. The two teams have been working throughout 2024 to build a software dashboard where crop managers can easily access all data associated with their fields. From how much fertilizer was applied to the yield rate, this technology will help simplify the way fields are managed. While still in development, many people are excited about this new technology.
Celebrating 20 Years of Equi-Analytical
A subsidiary of Dairy One, Equi-Analytical, focuses on providing feed and forage analysis to horses. The equine industry is quite large in the Northeast US and beyond. Many customers have used Equi-Analytical to help format a diet for their horses, including specialty needs.
To mark 20 years of business in 2024, Equi-Analytical participated in many podcasts and webinars. The team launched an official partnership with Feed Central in Australia to help customers on that continent. Additionally, the team co-hosted a feed educational webinar with FeedXL, a nutritional calculation software company. In November, Equi-Analytical attended Equine Affaire in Massachusetts where the team met many new customers.
This year, Equi-Analytical began working with Agricultural Consulting Services (ACS) to provide additional support to people based in New York State and Vermont. ACS Field Technicians now carry hay probes as part of their toolsets and can visit locations to core hay bales for sample testing. Additionally, ACS has been working with large horse stables and venues that require CAFO plans. Both groups have benefited from this partnership. Looking into 2025, Equi-Analytical will continue to support the equine industry by providing clear and accurate analysis for their forage needs.
Looking Ahead to 2025
It’s not always easy to predict what will happen next. But 2025 for Dairy One looks to be another year of providing the best service possible to its customers. We work to make data accessible to individuals so that they can better manage their operations. From dairy farms to even zoos, Dairy One is committed to supporting all of its customers.
For more information about any of Dairy One’s services, email [email protected].