The American Jersey Cattle Association has announced that for the first time in history, it has recorded 100,000 animals in a single year. The previous record for Jersey registrations – 96,174 set in 2011 – was broken early in the day on Dec. 26, attesting to rapid expansion of the Jersey population across the U.S. “This is a milestone for not only the association and its members, but also for the Jersey breed worldwide,” said Neal Smith, the association's executive secretary and CEO.

A new campaign focuses on the hard-working dairy farm families and the nutritious products they produce. Named “Dedicated to Dairy,” the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association Inc. campaign includes multi-media efforts featuring regional dairy families and their stories. Who better to tell the story regarding the dairy industry, its impact on local communities and the vital role this industry plays in providing consumers with a quality product than the dairymen themselves?

Alan Clark Verona, Wisconsin Executive Director Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium

Heather Weeks Carlisle, Pennsylvania Extension Educator – Dairy Profitability Penn State Extension

Paul Martin Petaluma, California Deputy Director, Permit Assistance California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)

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.