Dylan sits at the table across from his manager, normally calm and collected. Today he is a little nervous. This is his first formal performance review, one in which he was required to rate his own performance against pre-established criteria. Now sitting across from his manager, it’s time to hear how his boss thought he measured up. Dylan received mostly great reviews from his manager, one area he felt he needed to work on, but overall a solid grade.

A new report on the global dairy industry looks at issues of supply, demand and price in key markets around the world. In the report, published by Rabobank’s Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory team, the bank says that China, faced with a local supply-side crisis, is buying huge quantities of dairy from the internationally traded market – and squeezing out many other buyers. As a result, international dairy prices remained exceptionally strong through Q3, following their peak in April.

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) recently broke ground on an ingredient processing facility in Cass City, Michigan. The $40 million plant will serve a region where milk production is steadily outpacing local plant capacity.

Health care costs are at the center of a controversy between Darigold and the Teamsters Local 117, while after a recent negotiations meeting both sides are claiming the opposite of what the other says.

A recent research project conducted through Select Sires’ Program for Fertility Advancement (PFA) found that a new enhancement to thegenderSELECTed semen process has made a significant improvement in conception rates observed in the field.

The highly coveted Bovine Practitioner of the Year award from the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) was recently given to Dr. Tom Latta of Spearman, Texas, at the 2013 AABP Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Come Oct. 11, Gustafson’s Dairy Farm will cease operations and close its Green Cove Springs, Florida, processing plant. The reason: consumer tastes have changed, according to a report by Teresa Stepzinski in the St. Augustine Record.

Dairy and beef cattle operations looking for help training employees can benefit from PeopleFirst (PF) Human Capital Solutions from Zoetis. The learning management portal is available online to give producers the tools and curriculum they need to properly train and manage employees, the company says, ensuring a safe, more effective and productive business long term.

New Jersey-based PortaScience Inc. (PSI) recently was awarded a grant from Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation (FFPI) to commercialize a milk quality test for small farms in Africa.

The American Bankers Association Center for Agricultural and Rural Banking will present Wisconsin banker Samuel J. Miller with its annual Bruning Award, honored for his leadership and dedication to providing credit and financial guidance to farmers, ranchers and businesses in rural America.