Click here or on the image at right to download a PDF of the "Progressive Event" image from the November 21, 2013 issue of Progressive Dairyman magazine.

Through checkoff, the nation’sdairy farmers and importers have the collective power to innovate, change and grow sales and trust. That was the message Tom Gallagher, CEO of Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) that manages the dairy checkoff program, gave to nearly 1,000 farmer and industry representatives at the joint annual meeting of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, National Milk Producers Federation and United Dairy Industry Association in Phoenix.

Hundreds of guests packed the Boise Centre on Nov. 6-7 for United Dairymen of Idaho’s annual meeting. Featuring Idaho’s dairy producers and processors, vendors, guest speakers and awards, the event drew attendees from multiple states. The meeting kicked off with the United Dairymen of Idaho’s (UDI) new CEO Karianne Fallow who shared some initial thoughts about the future of UDI, detailed in a strategy presentation later in the day, and unveiled a new logo for the brand.

William H. Miner Agricultural Institute hosted a successful dairy challenge that drew 119 students from 12 northeast colleges and two Canadian universities to Plattsburgh, New York. The Oct. 31-Nov. 2 event marked the 11th annual Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge, an innovative, three-day educational competition designed to prepare students for careers in the dairy industry. Working in mixed-university teams of five students, contestants assessed aspects of a working dairy, including facilities, nutrition, financials, reproduction, animal health and more.

On the recent Innovation Dairy Tour, GEA Farm Technologies showed just how cutting-edge the technology available to today’s producers is. Dairy producers from across the country witnessed a range of high-tech equipment ranging from tools for calf management to the latest in parlor equipment.

Dairy producers from 12 states recently attended the two-day 2013 Innovation Dairy Tour in western Michigan, hosted by GEA Farm Technologies, to see industry-leading technologies in action on five innovative dairies. Some of the things they saw included an automatic teat dipping system, a robotic milking system and several other new industry innovations. Producers "learned first-hand how to improve parlor efficiency, milk quality and overall herd performance," said President and CEO Matt Daley.

The 2013 World Dairy Expo welcomed more than 70,000 people to Madison, Wisconsin. The Progressive Dairyman team was one of more than 840 companies that exhibited at the show. On the shavings, the Holstein Grand Champion Bonaccueil Maya Goldwyn, exhibited by Ty-D Holsteins, Drolet & Fils, Ferne Jacobs, A.&R. Boulet Inc. of Cap-Sante, Quebec, Canada, took home the Supreme Champion title.