The Lord commanded the children of Israel to remember that they were bondmen in the land of Egypt. But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing. —Deuteronomy 24:18

It could happen. Movies have shown us how. Whether from the radiation of a NASA Venus probe, the mutation of prions from Mad Cow Disease or – as postulated by Harvard psychiatrist Steven Schlozman – a virus leading to the condition known as Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome, the threat of the infectious brain-eating undead looms over us all.

The news out of Africa was not good. Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Three of his colleagues were killed as well. The event is developing as I write, but let me share with you a perspective. The diplomatic corps is but a fraction of the size of the U.S. military. Their efforts are diplomacy and development, whereas our military personnel work in the defense of our country and its interests. The diplomatic corps are generally foreign service officers, spending most of their time overseas.

The nation’s 100 largest agricultural cooperatives had record sales and income in 2011, according to the USDA's annual list. The 100 largest ag co-ops reported revenue of $148 billion in 2011, an increase of almost 30 percent over 2010, when revenue totaled $113 billion. The previous top 100 co-op record was $130 billion for sales in 2008. The top ten agricultural cooperatives include four dairy cooperatives:

A century-old creamery in eastern Idaho is closing, ending a run stretching back to before World War I. The Rexburg Standard-Journal reports the Nelson-Ricks Creamery Co. closes its Rexburg facility on Oct. 13. Although Idaho's milk industry is the nation's third-biggest, managers of the creamery based in Salt Lake City said the future of the 16-employee Idaho operation was too dim to keep the doors open.

California dairy farmers continue their efforts to convince the California Department of Food and Agriculture to bring milk prices into better alignment with the prices being paid for milk throughout the country. Those who organized a mid-September rally in Sacramento to put pressure on the CDFA have continued to strategize on next steps. Click here to view Progressive Dairyman's previous coverage of the movement.

A group of scientists in Sweden found that lactoferricin4-14 (Lfcin4-14), a milk protein with known health effects, significantly reduces the growth rate of colon cancer cells over time. In a new study, investigators report that treatment with Lfcin4-14 reduced DNA damage in colon cancer cells exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. Their results are published in the October issue of the Journal of Dairy Science.

Kima Simonson Deer Park, Washington Member National Dairy Promotion and Research Board