Kansas' top agriculture official called Tuesday for the repeal of state laws restricting corporations' involvement in agriculture, a move that would reverse a policy enacted more than 80 years ago. Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman said the state's anti-corporate farming laws hinder the growth of agriculture and recruitment of new agribusinesses to Kansas. Also, in a letter to Rodman earlier this month, Attorney General Derek Schmidt questioned the constitutionality of at least one provision of state law.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has denied petitions for rehearing in the case of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, et al. v. EPA, which challenges the EPA's decision to allow commercial sales of 15 percent ethanol (E15). The Grocery Manufacturers challenged the approval contending the E15 will cause harm to motor vehicle engines.

According to a new study published in Practical Neurology, countries in which people drink the most milk, per capita, also win the most Nobel Prizes, per capita. For example, Swedish citizens have won 31.855 prizes for every 10 million people. They also consume about 350 kilograms of milk each, on average, over the course of a year. At the other end of the spectrum is China, a country that has won 0.060 Nobels per 10 million people and where the average person drinks less than 50 kilograms of milk per year.

Golden Guernsey, the 83-year-old dairy processor that closed abruptly in southeastern Wisconsin and left area schools scrambling for milk, has filed for bankruptcy. Days after closing its plant in Waukesha, Wisconsin, OpenGate Capital – which is based in California – reported filing for bankruptcy protection.

Andrew Novakovic, an expert on the Farm Bill and professor of agricultural economics at Cornell University, said Congress’ failure to produce a new long-term Farm Bill in its “fiscal cliff” compromise provides predictability to 2013, but not beyond.

The USDA has announced a final rule establishing general regulations for improving the traceability of U.S. livestock moving interstate. Under the final rule, unless specifically exempted, livestock moved interstate would have to be officially identified and accompanied by an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection or other documentation, such as owner-shipper statements or brand certificates. After considering the public comments received, the final rule has several differences from the proposed rule issued in August 2011.

Agricultural production is among the most dangerous occupations and accounts for a large percentage of worker fatalities and injuries. Researchers have identified dairy farming as having the second-highest risk for injuries among all U.S. agricultural sectors. Over the past three decades, the dairy industry has changed to more efficiently produce dairy products to meet higher demands. Herd sizes continue to increase, forcing farms to employ more workers.

The 2013 Florida Ruminant Nutrition Sympsoium will be held February 5-6 in Gainesville, Florida. Progressive Dairyman recently reached out to several presenters and asked them to provide a sneak peek of their upcoming presentations. Michael Ballou, Texas Tech University Topic: Enhancing calf immunity through nutrition Q. Why is this topic important?