Click here to download a pdf of the latest checkoff watch provided by Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. PD

• Kris and Carla Wardin of St. Johns, Michigan, were elected to chair the 2013 National Milk Producers Federation Young Cooperator (YC) Advisory Council. NMPF’s board of directors seated two new members: Donald De Jong from Dalhart, Texas, and Larry Webster from Buffalo, New York. • World Dairy Expo has announced the official judges for the 2013 dairy cattle show:

Click here to download the latest export watch, provided by the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC). PD

While all farm types have hazards, dairy farms have added hazards to which workers are exposed every day – livestock, machinery, wet surfaces, hazardous cleaning chemicals, confined spaces, and more. These all add up to the reason the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have begun taking a closer look at dairy farms. While most industries are accustomed to OSHA rules and audits, it is rather new and unfamiliar to agriculture. University of Minnesota Extension in cooperation with the Center for Dairy Farm Safety (University of Wisconsin – River Falls) is offering a series of two-day short courses around Minnesota.

The bankruptcy of New York City milk distributor Beyer Farms threatens to kick off a domino effect that could also topple Elmhurst Dairy, the only milk-processing plant left in New York City, according to executives. Elmhurst Vice President and General Manager Jay Valentine told The Post that Beyer’s collapse slashed 20 percent of his company’s revenue overnight.

On Dec. 17, Chobani celebrated the grand opening of its second domestic manufacturing facility. Located in Twin Falls, Idaho, Chobani invested $450 million to build this one-million-square-foot operation in less than 11 months. More than 2,000 men and women put in over 1.7 million man hours to build the state-of-the-art facility. Click here to view photos of the grand opening from Progressive Dairyman's InFocus section.

The board of directors of California Dairies, Inc. (CDI), the largest dairy processing cooperative in California, has announced the acquisition of certain assets of Security Milk Producers Association (SMPA), a California milk marketing cooperative, and the addition of SMPA members to the CDI membership effective Jan. 1, 2013. The SMPA and CDI board of directors determined that the member-owners of both cooperatives would be better served by promoting efficiencies gained by combining their memberships.