The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has announced they will be holding a hearing on June 30/July 1 to consider changes to the minimum price formulas for Class 4a (butter/nfdm) and Class 4b (cheese/whey) milk. In this article, we’ll focus on the changes being proposed to the Class 4b formula, with specific attention paid to the way our Class 4b formula accounts for the value of the whey stream generated as part of the cheese-making process.

Here are some of the new products or updates to previous products that have been announced as of June 23, 2011. Return to this section of the Progressive Dairyman website periodically to find out what new products will be impacting the dairy industry.

Updated June 23, 2011 Instead of hauling one or two bales at a time with his tractor, David Anderson used his brain to save time.

The University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture Program 2011 Beef Tour is set for Aug. 27 in Andrew County. The tour features four cattle operations in the Savannah area. The first stop, at 12:30 p.m., will be at Saunders Cattle on County Road 203.

A new report from the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense at Texas A&M University identifies several major priorities for developing the next generation of disease screening tools for livestock, milk and other products.

Though herds are smaller, the profit-margin potential is greater for those venturing into the grass-fed beef business, according to experts.

In collaboration with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), AgriLabs is offering an award to two veterinarians – one beef and one dairy – to encourage and fund recent graduates in their post-graduate continuing education efforts. Named as a tribute to Bruce Wren, D.V.M., each award will provide $5,000 for professional-development training so these practitioners may better serve their producer-clients. Completed applications are due July 15, and the presentations will be made at the annual AABP Awards Banquet.

Adam Yankowsky, Strategic Business Unit Manager at AgriLabs, announced today that the company has signed an exclusive sales and marketing agreement with SmartVet, makers of the VetCap® Delivery System and AIMC (Advanced Insecticide Management) insecticide GelCaps.