Illinois farm groups are joining forces with law enforcement to improve security related to agriculture. They have created the "Agro-Security Working Group" and will educate farmers on preventing crime and terrorism.

The Nebraska Legislature's Agriculture Committee is set to debate the creation of a panel to study whether schools are effectively teaching children about agriculture and where their food comes from. Sen. Kate Sullivan of Cedar Rapids introduced a bill that would create an Agriculture Literacy Task Force to study whether agriculture plays an adequate role in school curriculums across the state.

A coalition of business groups will propose Kansas start a new program to help some illegal immigrants remain in the state so they can hold down jobs in agriculture and other industries with labor shortages, coalition representatives disclosed recently. The proposal is likely to stir controversy in the Legislature and divide the Republican majority, some of whose members have argued Kansas needs to crack down on illegal immigration.

Solid market growth over the last five years has milk – and the products derived from it – making an unprecedented leap in value. With the substantial increase in the value of dairy, researchers at the Rabobank International Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) group find many along the supply chain wondering who is profiting from the bullish dairy market. The Rabobank International Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) group’s “Show Me the Money!” report notes many of the profits flowing through the dairy supply chain in recent years have been absorbed by input costs for farmers or capitalized into the value of farmland.

Merck Animal Health announced it has signed an agreement with the Department of Medical Microbiology of the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University to embark on the development of innovative vaccination strategies against bacterial udder infections (mastitis) in dairy cattle.

Do you want to speak out for agriculture but aren’t sure where to start? Have you ever wanted to respond to a news article that didn’t quite get the facts right about modern agriculture? Do you seek ways to keep your farm secure from “undercover” activists?

The Got Manure? Enhancing Environmental and Economic Sustainability Conference and Tradeshow will be held March 28-29 in Liverpool, New York. Dairy producers and their advisers, agribusiness professionals, project developers, dairy scientists, agricultural and environmental engineers, farm managers, financial advisers and lenders, agricultural economists, extension educators, policymakers, regulatory agencies and utility companies are all invited to attend this two-day national event to learn about anaerobic digestion and other viable manure handling, treatment and management systems.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) recently praised the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s updated school meal standards that continue to stress the nutritional benefits of low-fat and fat-free milk and dairy products. A final version of those standards was released Wednesday by the USDA following more than a year of public comment and review. NMPF submitted comments to USDA last April focusing on the nutrient package of milk and dairy foods, which will continue to be a core component of school meals, with fluid milk being offered at all meals.

The Supreme Court has blocked a California law that would require euthanizing downed livestock at federally inspected slaughterhouses to keep the meat out of the nation's food system. The high court ruled that the state's 2009 state law was blocked from going into effect by federal law administered by the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service.