Organizers have spent the past several months planning the first annual Gunnison Valley Dairy Days. They are inviting the public to "come have an 'udderly' amazing time in small town Gunnison, Utah." Dairy Days will take place May 31 through June 2 on the Gunnison Valley High School football fields. Events include an antique tractor show, petting zoo, cow milking games, softball and archery tournament, concert, dance and fireworks. Youth are invited to participate in a dairy cattle judging contest. A dairy ambassador – Miss Gunnison Valley Dairy Days – will be crowned and receive a $650 scholarship.

Corn prices are moderating for both the current crop year and for 2012/13. The corn price is projected to be $5.95 to $6.25 a bushel in 2011/12, a decline from April’s projected price and to slip to $4.20 to $5.00 a bushel next year. Higher corn plantings and higher expected yield could lead to a record-high corn supply in 2012/13 despite tight carryin stocks. The recent Crop Progress report showed a crop well ahead of average development for this time of year.

Indiana's Fair Oaks Farms will complete its switch this summer from fossil fuels to a renewable fuel made from cow manure, reported The Times of Northwest Indiana. A cleaning system is being shipped from New Zealand to be installed at Fair Oaks Farms' anaerobic digester to to scrub out the carbon dioxide. (The digester already produces enough energy to power a 1 megawatt generator for the dairies.) Click here to read Progressive Dairyman's previous article about Fair Oaks Farms' plans for biomethane.

About 2.7 billion low-income consumers in developing countries are the dairy industry’s next big growth opportunity, according to Tetra Pak research. Click here to view Tetra Pak's Dairy Index, which tracks facts and trends in the global dairy industry. The food processing and packaging company said the opportunity arises from an expected increase in prosperity, purchasing power and desire for packaged liquid dairy products (LDP).

The Annual Summer Meltdown Celebration, sponsored by Accelerated Genetics' Young Producer Program, is set for Saturday, June 9 at Knigge Farms in Omro, Wisconsin. Click here to watch a video invitation to the event.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, will sell its soybean products by seed count per unit, rather than by weight. The change begins this fall for varieties sold throughout Canada and the U.S. for the 2013 planting season. The number of soybean seeds sold per unit by Pioneer will be 140,000.

Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow said Wednesday that the farm bill will come to the floor next month after the Senate finishes a measure on equal pay for women. Click here to read the Farm Bill update from the current issue of Progressive Dairyman.

Alex Geiser Hilbert, Wisconsin Dairy Specialist Vita Plus