Bovance has chosen Brent Sexton from Rockwell City, Iowa, as the winner of the first Bovance Scholarship Contest. Sexton, along with 15 other applicants, chose one of five topics about cloning and genetic preservation to write an essay.

A new dairy farmer will be all ears at a pasture walk scheduled for Wednesday, April 27 at the John Berlage farm near Ridgeway, Iowa. Berlage started milking in February of 2010 and is currently milking 16 cows in a small parlor with freestalls. The closed herd of registered Holsteins goes back to his initial 4-H project. He started grazing last year with limited success but has made improvements with information learned at various pasture walks. Berlage is eager for suggestions and ideas from the pasture walk attendees.

Supporters of the Cal Poly Dairy in conjunction with the Tulare Sales Yard have teamed up to kick off the 2nd Annual Cull Cow Fundraiser. This fundraiser has been fueled by the passion of Cal Poly alumni and supporters to improve the Cal Poly Dairy Farm and maintain it's financial stability. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly toward purchase of current and long-term forage needs for the Cal Poly Dairy.

Registration is now open for the 9th Annual Dairy Business Association Dairy Classic Golf Outing taking place on Thursday, June 23 at Fox Hills Resort in Mishicot, Wisconsin. One of Wisconsin's finest 36-hole golf facilities, Fox Hills Resort offers championship golf at its best.

Several dairies were recognized at the recent Nebraska Dairy Convention. Distinguished Dairyman – Warren and Merry Snodgrass. They operate O & W Dairy, milking 500 cows and farming 2,100 acres. The family began milking cows in 1966, and since then has achieved numerous production and quality awards. They frequently host tours, and both Warren and Merry have played an active role in community and dairy activities.

Employees at Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.’s (DFA) plant in Zumbrota, Minnesota, were recently recognized by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for excellence in wastewater operations during 2010. Honorees were recognized at the 74th annual Wastewater Operations Conference on March 24.

The annual 2011 Ag Machinery Conference (AMC), a three-day agriculture engineering and education conference, will be held May 2, 3 and 4 at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in downtown Waterloo, Iowa. New for 2011, the Ag Machinery Conference will hold its opening ceremony at the Cedar Valley TechWorks on the Monday, May 2. The evening’s events will kick off with comments by 2011 AMC chairman Jim Evans of John Deere, and the mayor of the city of Waterloo, followed by a tour of the National Ag-Based Lubricants Center.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued a final exemption clarifying that dairy farms don’t have to treat milk the same as petroleum products under the Spill, Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulation. NMPF has been working with Congress and the EPA for two years to win the exemption for dairy farmers, so that their bulk milk storage equipment doesn’t get regulated under the SPCC rules, since milk storage is already regulated as part of the current Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO).

Click here to download a pdf of the latest "Checkoff Watch" information, provided by Dairy Managment Inc. This update provides information about the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and a recent summit held by Milk Promotion Services of Indiana. PD

Now that Neogen has completed its Picture It & Pitch It! program, the rest is up to you. Neogen’s Picture It & Pitch It! program ran through March 31, and offered rebates for the purchase of one of Neogen’s calf pullers – Dr. Frank’s, Calf-Eze or Ratchet Style Puller. The program offered an additional cash prize to the person who submitted the photo that depicts the most creative method used to discard an old puller – as determined by a vote of you, the people.