Digest Highlights • Milk marketings through California and Federal Milk Marketing Orders highly concentrated • July Class I base gets a small nudge • Spring flush slows cow slaughter pace • Dairy Business Innovation Act proposed • GAIN report: China dairy

The House version of the 2018 Farm Bill (the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018) was narrowly approved by the full House, 213-211, largely along party lines, on June 21. Dairy provisions were untouched from an earlier version of the farm bill voted down in the House in April.

Great opportunities are few and far between, and how they are utilized can make all the difference in the world. When Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) began building a processing plant for powdered milk in Fallon, Nevada, in 2014, dairy farmers saw opportunities abound.

Education is the key to healthy and vibrant dairy communities. The dairy community is controlling its own destiny and addressing its ongoing needs through the Professional Dairy Producers Foundation (PDPF) competitive grant program. PDPF funds educational programs and initiatives that are consistent with its strategic vision of a professional, proactive and prepared dairy community.

College is out for summer and many students are embarking upon new internships. Whether this is the first internship or the second or third, there are many ways to maximize the experience.

At Michael and Peter McMahon’s E-Z Acres in Homer, New York, herd growth has always occurred alongside an intensive focus on environmental stewardship, cow comfort and community outreach. The brothers, who purchased the farm from their parents in the mid-1980s, have grown their family’s original eight cows and 150 acres into the 2,500-acre farm, milking 800 head of registered Holsteins in a closed herd.

The Klussendorf Memorial Association is pleased to announce the Wolfe family of Ovaltop Holsteins in Richfield Springs, New York, has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Robert “Whitey” McKown Master Breeder Award.

Celebrating Dairy Month in June and Ice Cream Month in July, dairy farmers open their farms to thousands of visitors for tours, breakfasts on the farms and other large events. These are great opportunities to share what we do and our love for dairy. Hosting large events like these do come at a cost. A cost of time, labor shortages, space, weather and the fear of bringing so many people to your place can be overwhelming for many. But what if we scaled back all the big productions?

A three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court ruling that Arla Foods can no longer continue its advertising campaign implying its cheeses are safer than their competitors’ because its milk is sourced from cows not supplemented with recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), according to Courthouse News Service.