A clearer picture of corn's biochemical responses to insect and fungal attacks is emerging, thanks to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies in Gainesville, Florida. On one front, researchers identified defensive compounds, known as zealexins and kauralexins, which rapidly accumulate at fungal infection sites, impeding the microbes' continued spread. On another front, the researchers discovered a new protein signal in corn, called ZmPep1, which alerts the plant to fungal intruders and helps mobilize a timely counterattack.

Bio-Vet, Inc., has signed an agreement to become the first company to locate in the Barneveld Business Park. Bio-Vet, founded in 1991, researches, manufactures and markets direct fed microbial and nutritional products for dairy and beef cattle, horses, sheep and goats.

A top federal antitrust regulator for meat companies is stepping down.

We’re staying busy here at Progressive Dairyman. The magazine continues to grow, and we attribute that success to your loyal readership. I often view a deadline to deliver our magazine to the printer every three weeks like I did a project deadline in grade school. This magazine is the result of our reporting over the past three weeks and often many of the articles have been in the works for much longer.

Click here to download a pdf of the latest export watch, provided by U.S. Dairy Export Council. PD

Whenever I see a squad car in the distance, my first reaction is usually to tap my brakes. Mainly, it’s because I’m speeding, but also because it’s a force of habit. And as much as I dread getting pulled over, I’m actually a pretty big fan of police officers. Just like the majority of the people who respect and obey the laws of the land, I have no reason to fear or avoid the police. Their job is to enforce our laws and protect the people within their jurisdiction. But what happens when they don’t or can’t?

Profit margins for dairy producers have improved significantly over the past quarter since our last update in October, due primarily to an increase in the value of milk. While feed costs did come down over the last couple months due to lackluster demand, a recent sharp advance in price has been noted in both soybean meal and, especially, corn due to weather concerns in South America. From a historical standpoint, margins are stronger in nearby periods through the first half of 2012, but above average throughout the entire year. While not overly profitable, it is still possible for a dairyman to protect a positive margin throughout the entire year with flexible strategies that would allow for improvement over time.