DeLaval hosted a group of dairy producers for three days during last week's World Dairy Expo. On Tuesday, October 8, attendees spent the day touring four dairy operations, each with a different milking equipment setup.

Americans talk skinny but eat fat. No matter that First Lady Michelle Obama has been on a crusade for a year and a half to slim down the country. Never mind that some restaurants have started listing calories on their menus. Forget even that we keep saying we want to eat healthy. When Americans eat out, we order burgers and fries anyway. "If I wanted something healthy, I would not even stop in at McDonald's," says Jonathan Ryfiak, 24, a New York trapeze instructor who watches his diet at home but orders comfort foods like chicken nuggets and fries when he hits a fast-food joint.

Last week, the three long-pending free trade agreements with Panama, Columbia, and South Korea were sent to Congress for a vote. Expectations are that from this point, the agreements will quickly receive an affirmative vote and finally become law. While all three of these deals are important for agricultural trade in general, for the beef and pork industries in particular, the big prize has clearly been South Korea.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is suing Jerome Cheese Company for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act. In the civil complaint, filed in Boise's U.S. District Court last week, The EPA contends that the Davisco Foods International-owned Jerome Cheese Company in southern Idaho dumped waste water containing pollutants into an irrigation system that eventually flows into the Snake River.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved Minnesota’s application for statewide bovine Tuberculosis (TB) Free status, effective October 4, 2011. The approval comes six years after the discovery of an infected beef herd in July 2005. In recent years, status downgrades have been the cause of increased testing and movement requirements for Minnesota cattle, both in-state and out. With U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval, the status upgrade will bring relief to most Minnesota cattle producers.

Animal Welfare Approved announces the opening of the first Animal Welfare Approved Restaurant, Grazin', in Hudson, New York. Grazin' is the first restaurant in the U.S. using only Animal Welfare Approved meat, eggs and dairy products. Restaurants can only earn the distinction of being an "Animal Welfare Approved Restaurant" if all meat, dairy and egg products are from Animal Welfare Approved farms.

President Barack Obama has submitted to Congress three pending free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. The dairy industry, including DFA, has urged for the passage of these FTAs for several years. The U.S. dairy sector is expected to see significant gains from each of these agreements, particularly the FTA with South Korea.

Driven largely by drought, the price of feed and changing consumer habits, production of meat products – especially beef – is expected to drop next year, according to a new report by Rabobank International.

The Grand Champion Holstein, Eastside Lewisdale Gold Missy, paraded across the colored shavings to win Supreme Champion honors at the 2011 World Dairy Expo. Missy is owned by Morsan, Van Ruinen Dairy, M Butz and G Andreasen. The cow is sired by Braedale Goldwyn. Supreme Champion Cow is awarded the Gregory Blaska Memorial Trophy. The Supreme Champion receives a $1,500 Cash Award from BouMatic, a royal blanket courtesy of Agpro, Inc., Paris, Texas and a director’s chair sponsored by Royal Brand Embroidery, Ellsworth, Wisconsin.