The National Milk Producers Federation urges Congress to create a federal labeling standard for foods produced with biotechnology. A comment period on organic livestock management rules is extended. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on ‘waters of the U.S.’ is seen as a win for landowners. This and other U.S. dairy policy news can be found here.

A U.S. district court judge approved a $50 million settlement agreement in a 7-year-old Northeast dairy antitrust lawsuit, spawning two new potential lawsuits related to the case. Feeding Pennsylvania and industry partners Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program and Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association are combining to provide milk for eight local food banks. A 100-foot larger-than-life Olympic logo on an Arizona dairy farm celebrates the winning combination of the U.S. Olympic team and milk. This and other U.S. region-by-region dairy news can be found here.

Three co-ops explore major joint cheese plant in Michigan, and Dairy Farmers of America will expand an existing plant. Grass-fed milk standards are open for review. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants less sodium in cheese. This and other U.S. dairy industry news can be found here.

There’s good news for a change. The fluid milk sales slide may be ending. USDA’s outlook raises prices for the last half of 2016. California’s July Class 1 milk prices are up. This and other U.S. dairy economic news can be found here.

USDA’s June World Ag Supply & Demand Estimates (WASDE) report raised 2016 and 2017 U.S. milk production and marketing estimates, but also saw reason to brighten the 2016 price outlook.

From gowns to guests and everything in between, planning a wedding is no simple task. Add in factors like arranging a planting and a harvest, working around the schedules of guests and groomsmen who need to be home for morning and evening milkings, and the struggles of planning a ceremony or reception outdoors on the farm when the weather could turn at any moment, there is no doubt that incorporating the farm into that special day will take time, energy and many helping hands.

Skilled people and frequent, open communication can be what it takes to turn an on-farm apprenticeship into something great. Nadia Alber, co-director of the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy & Livestock Farmers, said a regular meeting time, such as over the lunch hour, is very important. “Communication is key,” she said.

Historically, when I make a career change, dairy farmer milk prices go up. You can look it up. When I moved from one Wisconsin weekly agricultural newspaper to another in 1989, the U.S. average milk price increased about $1.30 per hundredweight from 1988.

Proud to Dairy blogger Jessica Folkema recounts the story of how she met the love of her life and came to live happily ever after with her “Dairy Man.” Ours was not love at first sight.

For food companies, managing food system issues requires strategic thinking while navigating a complex communications and regulatory landscape. As we spend our days researching food system issues and building strategic recommendations for our clients, one point has become crystal clear: