Negotiations between the U.S. and the European Union over costly export and import regulations are worrying dairy farmers and cheese producers in the Northeast. The sticking point is trademark protection of the names of many popular cheeses, including Gouda, cheddar, ricotta and provolone.

Bel Brands USA, the maker of Mini Babybel and The Laughing Cow cheese, has hired its first production employees for a new facility in Brookings, South Dakota. Production at the 170,000-square-feet plant is scheduled to start in July and product testing could begin as early as March.

Plant breeders hunting for genes to combat new diseases or adapt to changes in climate can plumb the vast diversity of crops and their wild relatives using envelopes of seed banked in cold storage, but cattle breeders are limited to herds here and now. A new $500,000 USDA grant is funding research on a new, stem cell-based system that could capture global herd diversity in a subzero vault.

USDA scientists are using proteins called interferons to combat foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). These proteins kill or stop viruses from growing and reproducing.

Flavor Faceoff content was #12 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on progressivedairy.com in 2013. Flavor Faceoff ran in June and July of 2013. Editor’s note: For the third year running, our annual Flavor Faceoff contest was among the most well-read online content. Read on for a summary about the 2013 Flavor Faceoff winner, Carl Chaney and Chaney’s Dairy Barn with Mint Julep, provided by Kara Keeton. Keeton also captured the photos for the Chaney’s collage photo prize.

As India's dairy industry becomes more and more exposed to the world market, global prices for milk and the raw milk prices paid to Indian farmers are getting closer, opening up the possibility of significant imports.

We asked our team of editors to select their picks for the best content from Progressive Dairyman over the past year. Of those lists, we compiled a Top 10. Read on for a summary of each article and commentary from an editor. or scroll down for each editor's individual top 10 picks.

Rich Rogers Executive Director, Information Services
 Lebanon, New Hampshire Holstein Association USA, Genetic Services

Worksaver Inc. introduces spears designed for John Deere H480 loader with Global Series II tool carrier. Two models are available.