Colten Green Modesto, California Reproductive Specialist Genex Cooperative, Inc.

Western United Dairymen's annual convention will be held March 16-18 at the Marriott in Visalia, California. The three-day gathering will feature experts in environmental, legislative and regulatory issues of interest to the California dairy industry.

FFA chapters in seven states began efforts to make new and stronger connections with their local farmers and earn their share of more than $225,000 in incentives provided by Monsanto. The 2011 FFA Chapter Challenge encourages members of FFA chapters in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Georgia and Alabama to reach out to their community’s farmers, learn about their operations, engage them and bond them with FFA. Confirmation of each participating chapter’s connection with local farmers must be registered by farmers online or by calling the National FFA Organization at (800) 293-2387.

Alternative scenarios for international agricultural supply and demand in the future, and country-specific insights will be examined during the Global Ag Economic Forum, the kick-off session for the third annual Ag Innovation Showcase, May 23-24, at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, the largest independent plant science research institute in the world.

On Feb. 28, the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium recorded the state’s millionth Radio Frequency Identification Number (RFID), a milestone in Wisconsin animal identification. RFID, also known as electronic ID, is an ear tag that has a unique number, which can be read both visibly and electronically.

DAIReXNET and the National Association of County Agricultural Agents is hosting a webinar titled “How Low Can We Go: Nitrogen In Dairy Rations.” The webinar is free to the public and is geared toward bringing pertinent information to extension educators, allied industry professionals, veterinarians and dairy producers across the U.S.

Join the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association (DCHA) on Thursday, March 10, or Friday, March 11, as Mike Apley, DVM, PhD, Kansas State University, one of the world's foremost experts on antibiotic use in cattle, talks about the realities of residues in bob veal calves and the issues related to resistance to antibiotics that may develop due to our use in calves.

Western United Dairymen member Richard Michel, Waterford, California, has been elected chairman of the California Milk Advisory Board, which promotes products under the “Real California” label. Michel, a third-generation dairyman, milks 1,200 Holsteins and is a member of the California Dairies Inc. processing cooperative.

As harsh winter weather gripped much of the nation recently lifestyle celebrity and media personality Martha Stewart posted a message on Twitter voicing concern about the plight of farm animals. The tweet presented an opportunity for the agriculture community to communicate with a diverse audience about why most livestock and poultry farmers today choose to raise animals indoors. Encouraging farmers to use such a forum to connect with a population that has little understanding of today’s food system is the goal of a new web-based resource from the Center for Food Integrity (CFI). It’s called the Farmer Resource Center and it offers a variety of tools and advice to farmers and others in the food system interested in engaging with peers and the media on food related topics.

The Teagues of North Carolina, the Mahaffys of Oregon and the Beidlers of Vermont are the top three winners of the Stonyfield Organic Farmers Grant-a-Wish Program, which will fund a total of six innovative organic farming projects in the U.S. Consumers voted online for the winners after watching short videos about each one. All recipients are farmer-owners of Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, the organic farmers’ cooperative that has supplied Stonyfield with organic milk for more than 15 years.