The upcoming Missouri Dairy Grazing Conference will take place in Springfield, Missouri, October 23-25. Progressive Dairyman asked several presenters at the conference to share insight into their topics.

Corn prices were on a rocket with ethanol boosters for several years, but that’s in the past now, said Dan Basse, AgResource Company, in remarks to cattle feeders last month in Omaha and in Garden City, Kansas.

Leading dairy-related companies came together at the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN) Supporter Conference, held Sept. 16-18 in Oxford, UK. IFCN provided the latest global information on milk production and overall sector developments.

This weekend, the Huffington Post posted a blog entitled “Why Generation Y Yuppies are Unhappy.” It’s a pretty ridiculous title for a blog, but the article is well-written, thought-provoking and spot-on. The blog discusses how millennials – the generation born between the late 1970s and the mid-1990s which is also called Generation Y – are generally discontented with life. The author coined a new term for a certain segment of the millennial group: Gen Y Protagonists and Special Yuppies, or GYPSYs. A GYPSY is a unique brand of yuppie, one who thinks they are the main character of a very special story.

Raising heifers is a major cost to dairy operations. By bucking traditional methods and focusing on size instead of age, producers may see better returns. In a recent Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) webinar, Dr. Robert Corbett of Dairy Health Consultation offered six areas to focus on when it comes to boosting a heifer reproduction program.

Alltech earned a one-star innovation award for its Mycotoxin Management Program, 37+, from INNOV’SPACE, a distinction program that awards new product and service innovations in agriculture. These distinctions are recognized during SPACE, the second largest international agriculture tradeshow in the world, attracting more than 110,000 spectators from 110 countries to Rennes, France, in its 27th edition Sept. 10-13.

With less than 1.5 percent of our nation’s population directly involved in production agriculture, consumers are craving knowledge and explanations about where and how their food is produced. However, just the thought of opening your farm gate and inviting non-farm groups to tour the operation can make many farmers shake in their work boots. Center for Dairy Excellence intern Sara Kitchen shares a new resource designed to help farm families bridge the gap. PD Click here for the full column from Kitchen. See Kitchen's latest article for Progressive Dairyman about World Dairy Expo youth exhibitors here.

As extraordinary dairy cattle genetics and cutting-edge technology are on display at World Dairy Expo, dairy industry professionals will have the opportunity to network with the many sectors of the industry.