U.S. dairy exports in the first half of 2017 were the most in three years, according to a monthly summary from Alan Levitt, vice president of communications and market analysis at the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC). Sales were led by record volumes of nonfat dry milk/skim milk powder and whey products, as well a 24-percent year-over-year gain in cheese exports.

Editor's note: The CEO Corner contains editors' compilations of business news from top publications, which they have tailored for the dairy industry. It’s fair time, but that doesn’t mean you need to pay for a ride to get your stomach to do some remarkable acrobatics. You’re already a farmer braving a volatile milk market because dairying is what you love to do.

One key to the future success of milk sales for America’s dairy farmers is the future of America’s youth – the millions of students who attend schools 180-some days a year. The dairy promotion checkoff is very active in increasing access to great dairy products in schools, helping those kids become lifelong dairy consumers.

Combined with the 24.9 million pounds of cheese and butter sold with CWT export assistance in the first quarter of 2017, CWT members will be sending the milkfat equivalent of more than 450 million pounds of milk into key overseas markets.

Highlights: President Trump has thrown his support behind a Senate bill to limit legal immigration. A proposed contract for ICE to lease jail space in Idaho’s Magic Valley raises area dairy fears. Find a summary of these and other immigration news here.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and its insurance affiliate, the American Farm Bureau Insurance Services (AFBIS), are preparing a final proposal to create a new dairy income insurance policy. To get producer input, AFBF/AFBSIS is conducting an on-line survey, seeking dairy farmer opinions on the proposed revenue protection insurance products.

The Dairy Business Association (DBA) of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Aug. 1, charging the agency with overreaching its legal authority on key regulations impacting the dairy industry.

Digest Highlights: ‘Dream Act’ seeks to protect young immigrants. Negotiators asked to defend cheese names in NAFTA. Health and taste have biggest impact on consumer choices for milk. FDA urged to act on imitation dairy labels. A Pew report reviews antibiotic alternatives. Find a summary of these and other news here.

The USDA’s monthly Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) calculations showed a slight improvement in June. Milk and feed futures prices point to continued improvement through the remainder of the year.

The first-in-the-nation indoor feed mixing center on a dairy to feature a drive-over commodity delivery bridge was on display in July at TLK Dairy in Mountain Home, Idaho.