Central Plains plants oppose milk limits

Some Central Plains cheese and milk plants are among the more 30 dairy food manufacturers nationwide who have sent letters over the past week to members of the House and Senate calling on them to oppose government-imposed limits on milk supply. Instead, they urge legislators to adopt the Dairy Freedom Act. Read more.

MN cow wins Red & White show

Grand Champion of the 2013 Midwest Spring Red & White Show was 4-year-old  Jerland Tal Giovanna-Red, owned by Stransky & Dykshorn, Owatonna, Minn. More results.

S.D. dairyman: They stole my sunflowers

“They stole my sunflowers,” says a South Dakota dairy farmer who is hoping a ruling in his favor opens the door for a criminal case against a grain buyer. Read more.

Iowan has No. 1 Holstein bull

Darin Meyer, Caledonia, Iowa, was recently informed that his bull, De Su Observer, was named the No. 1 Holstein bull in the world.  Read more.

Nebraska dairy earns award

Prairieland Dairy, Firth, Neb., received one of four U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards. Read more.

Helping lobby for immigration

S.D. Farm Bureau is looking to help the dairy industry by lobbying for more legal access for immigrant workers. Read more.

MN Milk eyes insurance

Minnesota Milk Producers Association wants a six month window between the sign up deadline and the beginning of coverage in any margin insurance in the farm bill. The gap would prevent abuse of the program, MPPA says. Read more.

SDSU dairy camp deadline

The 10th annual SDSU Jackrabbit Dairy camp will be held June 20-22. Registration deadline is June 1. Read more.

Iowan charged for threatening to kill inspector

A LaMotte, Iowa, dairyman was charged with second degree harassment after he allegedly threatened to kill a state dairy inspector. Read more.

MN FFA Star did dairy research

Ali Clark, Murdock, Minn., researched bedding materials to reduce somatic cell count on their dairy and earned a Star in Agri-Science award in the process.  Read more.

Farm Bill meeting

Dairy producers are invited to a meeting on Wednesday, May 22, to hear Marin Bozic, University of Minnesota dairy economist, provide insight on current federal dairy legislation. The session will be held from 1-3 p.m. at the Alfred Dairy Science Hall on Medary Avenue on the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings.  The session is sponsored by the South Dakota Dairy Producers. Bozic has been part of the team evaluating the impact of the Dairy Security Act and the Goodlatte-Scott amendment proposals currently under review in Congress. His remarks are intended to help dairy producers determine how to weigh in with their Congressional representatives.

Trivia Answer

Randy Shelstad, Shelstad Dairy, Ortonville, Minn., replied correctly that $12,000 was raised for food banks through the Midwest Dairy Association’s “Be Our Guest” program at the 2013 Central Plains Dairy Expo. About $7,500 was raised from consumers, who in return received passes to the concert. Another $4,500 was contributed by an anonymous donor to match last year’s total.

Trivia question

Before the invention of the milking machine in 1894, how many cows could a person milk by hand in an hour?