Not even six months after Novus International, Inc. fully launched its C.O.W.S. program, industry interest and acceptance of the service targeting cow comfort have exceeded expectations. Novus looks at the industry’s response as a signal that dairy producers are concerned about cow comfort on their farms and are looking for means of improvement. “C.O.W.S. is an exclusive program that has been tested and proven to work,” says Stephanie Gable, global marketing manager with Novus. “When cows are comfortable and healthy, they will perform better. We are confident C.O.W.S. helps our dairy customers – and the industry as a whole – achieve even greater levels of efficiency and productivity that will enhance overall sustainability.”

Managing for success is the theme of the Dairy Middle Managers Conference offered Nov. 8 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, by the Penn State Extension Dairy Team. The conference is designed specifically for dairy middle managers. “Middle managers are critical to the success of dairies. They put dairy owners’ decisions into practice and deal with the day-to-day challenges of managing people and cows,” explains Conference Coordinator Dr. Lisa Holden, associate professor of Penn State Dairy and Animal Science. “The Middle Manager’s Conference was created to help middle managers develop the management and leadership skills they need to make positive changes in their operation while keeping front-line employees happy and productive,” she adds.

Growers of high quality forage will be rewarded with cash prizes in the 2012 World Ag Expo Forage Challenge, presented by Mycogen Seeds. The competition challenges farmers and ranchers in 11 western states to enter their best alfalfa hay, standard corn silage or brown midrib (BMR) corn silage to honor those who produce the highest-quality forages in the West. Dec. 13 update: The deadline to enter has been extended to Dec. 19.

Barbara Wadsworth has been named a recipient of the Advanced Comfort Technology, Inc. Dairy Systems Management Fellowship in the Animal and Food Sciences Department at the University of Kentucky. This one-of-a-kind program combines leading university research with practical experience in the field. Wadsworth will develop extensive on-farm research projects to study dual chamber cow waterbeds (DCC Waterbeds) in collaboration with the University of Kentucky Department of Animal and Food Sciences under Dr. Jeffrey Bewley, assistant extension professor.

Pfizer Animal Health and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Foundation announced that 23 veterinary medicine students received financial support through the 2011 AABP Foundation – Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Fund. This year, the AABP Foundation and Pfizer Animal Health presented 23 students from across the nation with a $5,000 scholarship at the AABP Annual Conference held Sept. 21 to 24 in St. Louis, Missouri. Travel and lodging costs also were provided to the scholarship recipients to attend the AABP Annual Conference. In the last three years, the AABP Foundation – Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Fund has awarded $315,000 in scholarships to 63 veterinary students.

The Center for Dairy Excellence Board of Directors is seeking nominations for the 2011 Pacesetter Award. The award was developed by the Pennsylvania Dairy Stakeholders to promote and encourage a progressive dairy industry in Pennsylvania. The award became part of the Center for Dairy Excellence's programs in 2011, with the integration of the stakeholders and the center.

Hagens Berman, on behalf of several dairy consumers, including Compassion Over Killing (COK) members, recently filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of consumers alleging that various dairy companies and trade groups, including the National Milk Producers Federation, Dairy Farmers of America, Land O'Lakes, Inc. and Agri-Mark, Inc. combined to form Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) in order to fix the price of milk in the United States.

A national group that has promoted agricultural training for nearly a century is seeing a boom in membership among young people interested in agricultural careers. Indiana and other states are seeing a rise in membership in FFA, formerly known as Future Farmers of America. More than 17,000 new students joined the FFA organization nationwide in the past year, an all-time high for the 83-year-old group, The Republic reported (http://bit.ly/pfZXEF).

DAIReXNET is hosting a webinar titled “Human Resource Management: Being a Boss or Building Relationships.” The webinar is free to the public and is geared toward bringing pertinent information to extension educators, allied industry professionals, veterinarians and dairy producers across the U.S. The air quality webinar will be held Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. EDT. Dr. Bob Milligan, Cornell University Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management professor emeritus and senior consultant at Dairy Strategies, LLC, will introduce you to the current thinking in human resource management. Current research substantiates that great leaders and supervisors focus on relationship building, communication, clarity and feedback rather than command and control.

Enjoy a day filled with agricultural activities and free entertainment for the whole family! The International Agri-Center will host its first Ag-Fest event on Saturday, Oct. 15, in Tulare, California. The event will include a 5K run, food demonstrations and a performance by 2011 America's Got Talent musician, Ryan Andreas.