The National Milk Producers Federation endorsed a new Senate bill that would allow dairy farmers to utilize a federal visa program to bring foreign dairy workers to the U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) have introduced the H-2A Improvement Act, which will authorize foreign dairy workers, sheep herders, and goat herders to remain in the U.S. for an initial period of three years, and gives the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services the authority to approve a worker for an additional three-year period.

A potentially burdensome new recordkeeping requirement facing farmers, ranchers and other small business owners was repealed last week when President Obama signed legislation H.R. 4, which ends the “1099 requirement” included in the federal health-reform package.

A University of California – Davis research team has been awarded $2.6 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to carry out research aimed at reducing the incidence of bovine respiratory disease, or pneumonia, which is the leading cause of death in beef and dairy cattle.

For 39 years, Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) has sponsored scholarships for MMPA members, their children and employees enrolled in the Agricultural Technology Dairy Management program at Michigan State University (MSU). The scholarships are based on academics, involvement in the dairy industry and letters of recommendation.

Carey Smith, president and CEO of Big Ass Fans, has been named Inc.’s Economy Hero. The competition, hosted by Inc. and its partner SAP, was created to highlight companies and their respective CEOs that are helping the country get out of the recession by providing jobs, innovative work, and new business models.

As a reminder, the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) Reproduction Award Program nominations are due May 2, and must be completed online. The awards honor dairy producers and their operations for accomplishing reproductive efficiency with well-implemented management procedures.

The Pfizer Animal Genetics laboratory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, recently received the Illumina CSPro certification for GoldenGate Bovine 3K Beadchip. The Illumina CSPro certification for the GoldenGate platform is the second certification Pfizer Animal Genetics has received from Illumina in 2011.

The leaders of the International Dairy Foods Association's (IDFA) three constituent organizations voted to support IDFA’s dairy policy reform recommendations and to oppose the National Milk Producers Federation’s dairy policy package. The directors of the Milk Industry Foundation, the National Cheese Institute and the International Ice Cream Association met this weekend to review current policy reform proposals and approved the IDFA’s policy recommendations that would reform the Federal Milk Marketing Orders and provide a better safety net for dairy farmers.

Missouri Farmers Care, a coalition of leading Missouri agriculture advocacy groups, applauded the Missouri General Assembly’s successful efforts to pass SB 113, which strengthens the enforcement of Missouri’s animal welfare laws and preserves the voter intent of the recently passed Proposition B.