Heat stress causes losses in several areas on dairy farms across the country during the summer months – in addition to milk production losses. In order to help producers mitigate the negative effects of heat stress on dairy cattle, the Dairy Heat Stress Road Show program was created well in advance of 2012’s summer months. The road show took place in four locations throughout the southern U.S. and one location in Puerto Rico, making its debut last December in Florida. The remaining three stops of the road show took place in early April, with the last stop taking place in Tulare, California, on April 6.

What is involved in getting a nutritious, quality food product to your dinner table? More than the average consumer realizes. Earlier this week, members of PennAg Industries Association and the National Federation of Independent Business met in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, at the Manbeck Farm as part of the recently launched program “Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations." This is a national effort focused on protecting small businesses and American jobs from the negative impacts of regulations recently proposed by the Obama Administration.

The room looked like church on Christmas with extra chairs set up in the aisles and a group congregated outside the door in hopes of catching the presentation. The topic was “Housing and Management Practices Fit for a Healthy Calf.” This well-attended session was one of four workshops to kick-off the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) Business Conference March 13-14 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Lely, a leading manufacturer in robotic milking systems, celebrated the expansion of their company by opening the doors to their first North American facility in Pella, Iowa, March 28-30. The event featured a broad range of activities for producers and media including guest speakers Alexander van der Lely, CEO of Lely Group; Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad; Mary Andringa, CEO of the Vermeer Corporation; and Peter Longebeeke, president of Lely USA. Click here or on the image at right to see the "In Focus" image from the May 1, 2012 issue of Progressive Dairyman magazine.

Gracious dairy farm hosts and warm, sunny weather welcomed 128 students to southern Virginia for the 11th annual Dairy Challenge. The 2012 contest, which was hosted by Virginia Tech and North Carolina State University, attracted dairy students from 32 colleges across the U.S. and Canada.

The keystone of programs offered by the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania is offering opportunities for Pennsylvania producers to learn from other producers – to hear their experiences, visit their operations and network within the industry. And what better place to visit and learn than sunny California?

About 30 producers and industry professionals traveled to Pennsylvania April 10-12 as part of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin's (PDPW) bus tour. The tour showcased operations in Lancaster and Franklin counties, two of Pennsylvania's largest milk producing areas.

Nearly 1,400 people from 26 states and five countries gathered in Madison, Wisconsin, March 13-14 for the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) Business Conference. Attendees could choose from 14 different specialty sessions during the two-day educational event, while the keynote speakers focused on three core areas – China, credit and consumer choice.

Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Speakers at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s (NIAA) Annual Conference in Denver, March 27-28, identified the opportunities in the challenges faced by those in animal agriculture and stressed the importance of feeding the world despite the challenges ahead. “We can, and will, feed the world,” stated economist Terry Barr, PhD, senior director of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division.

This article was #6 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2012. to jump to the article. It was published in the April 10, 2012 Extra. Click here for the full list of the Top 25. South Dakota State University graduate student Kevin Herrick recently had the opportunity to tour China. His article explored the differences in the Chinese dairy industry from the U.S. as well as the challenges Chinese dairy farmers face.