Visit the seminar center at World Ag Expo on Feb. 14 to see these forage seminars. 10 to 10:30 a.m. Hay Situation and Outlook in Western States New records were established in the hay and dairy industries in California and other Western states in 2011 – some positive and some not-so-positive for hay growers.Record-high alfalfa and other-hay prices and strong profitability were great news for hay growers.

The following seven products were chosen by a committee of industry professionals and dairymen as the newest, most innovative dairy products and will be showcased during World Ag Expo Feb. 14-16 in Tulare, California. Progressive Dairyman asked each of the product inventors or sponsoring companies to discuss how their products fill an industry need. Photos in this section are courtesy of World Ag Expo or the company marketing the product.

Mildewed feed given to cows caused the high levels of a cancer-causing toxin found in milk from China's biggest dairy company and a smaller one, according to a government safety agency investigating the troubled dairy industry's latest scandal. An expert review identified the mildewed feed as the cause of the excessive levels of aflatoxin in milk from industry giant Mengniu Dairy Group and the Fujian Changfu Dairy Industry Group, the quality supervision and inspection agency said in a statement posted on its website.

Twice a week, Gabriel Cellerini waits on the sidewalk while his bus driver goes through the ritual. Gia Engel runs antiseptic wipes over every surface the 4-year-old might touch as he enters the bus: the door handle, the hand rail, the front, back and sides of his seat. Of the preschoolers who attend the Early Childhood Special Education class at the Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District headquarters, Gabriel is the first one on Engel's route. To further minimize contamination, she makes sure he sits in the same seat each day.

Saudi Arabia's largest dairy company said recently it is buying Argentine farm operator Fondomonte S.A. for $83 million to secure access to a supply of animal feed. The acquisition will give Riyadh-based Almarai Co. control of roughly 30,000 acres of farmland in the South American nation just ahead of tough new limits likely to be imposed by Argentina's government on foreign ownership of productive land. Almarai said the deal is in line with the desert kingdom's policy of "securing supplies and conserving local resources."

While fresh demographic information on U.S. farmers won't be available until after the next agricultural census is done next year, there are signs more people in their 20s and 30s are going into farming: Enrollment in university agriculture programs has increased, as has interest in farmer-training programs. For example, Utah State University officials say its agricultural school is outpacing other departments in student growth. The Logan Herald Journal reports (http://bit.ly/tBUi4W) that over the past three years, the College of Agriculture has seen the highest percentage increase in the number of enrolled students.

Missouri cropland is so dry from last summer's extreme heat and lack of rainfall that University of Missouri researchers said the state would need 13 feet of snow this winter to make up for it. That's probably not going to happen, though, and The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/rHcs1g) reported Sunday that the lack of moisture could soon have an impact on consumers.

Identifying and working to resolve bottlenecks is key to a dairy’s reproductive program. The Reproductive Drill-Down Tool, created by Penn State Extension educators, was recently released to address this concern. Rebecca White of the Penn State Extension Dairy Team explains how this tool works and what it can do for dairy producers. Q: What is the web address? www.das.psu.edu/research-extension/dairy/pa-tool/identifying-bottlenecks-to-higher-dairy/

The Federal Trade Commission says it is taking another look at guidelines designed to limit the marketing of unhealthy foods to kids after Congress delayed the effort. The voluntary guidelines proposed by the government earlier this year set maximum levels of fat, sugars and sodium and ask food companies not to market foods that go beyond those levels to children ages 2 through 17. That could limit colorful cartoon characters on cereal packages, television ads and product websites.