Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement on June 23 regarding the G-20 Action Plan to address food security and food price volatility: "The consensus reached today by the G-20 Agricultural Ministers marks an historic union of resolve in combating the pressing challenges of hunger and food price volatility confronting our world with greater regularity.

DeLaval International announced the next commercial installation of the DeLaval AMR will be in Germany. “This is yet another significant step for DeLaval as we enter the German market with the AMR. This system is a revolution in high capacity milking and what farmers with herds of 300-800 cows have been waiting for,” said DeLaval Vice President Business Area Capital Goods Andrew Turner.

In celebration of “A Decade of Difference,” Cause Matters Corp. recently launched 10X Connect, as a challenge to food and agriculture organizations to leverage their community around the food plate.

ABS Global, Inc. is celebrating 70 years in business this year. Throughout the years, ABS has shared a strong legacy within the dairy and beef industries. Founded in 1941 by J.R. “Rock” Prentice as American Breeders Service, ABS has influenced the entire artificial insemination industry through its business, philosophy, dedicated staff and technical innovation. Just 12 years after its foundation, ABS was the first to utilize liquid nitrogen technology to freeze bovine semen and has been on the cutting edge of technology and meeting the world’s production demands ever since.

International Protein Sires, also known as IPS, celebrates 20 years as an international bovine genetics corporation. When Ron Sersland bought the fledgling company from founders Marlowe Nelson and Alvin Piper the proven sire lineup and market base provided excellent opportunities for growth. Through Sersland’s aggressive business strategy, IPS has experienced rapid development. This expansion came as the result of a superior proven sire lineup along with worldwide marketing through a vast network of independent distributors.

The North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC) board of directors elected two new board members: David Prentice, DVM, Elanco Animal Health, Elgin, Iowa, and Christie Stanley, PhD, Land O'Lakes Purina Feed, Amarillo, Texas.

Growth of Diamond V, the global leader in fermentation technology for livestock and aqua, continues with the construction of a new worldwide headquarters and expansion of its second, recently constructed, manufacturing plant.

ABS Global held its 2011 Spring Tour June 6-9 in scenic Idaho. The tour drew more than 60 participants worldwide, including individuals from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Mexico, and the U.S. On the tour, participants were able to view progeny as well as outstanding results of ABS programs including Reproductive Management System (RMS), Genetic Management System (GMS), and the ABS Cornerstone progeny test program.

Schaefer Ventilation announces the successful installation and commissioning its patent-pending FlipFan dairy cooling system at Patrick Dugan’s Du Brook Dairy, Sean Dugan’s Sidewinder Dairy and Casey Dugan’s Desperado Dairy in June 2011. It was also installed at Bill Rezzonico’s Blackwater Dairy, and Bill Boyle’s McClintock Dairy.