The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced the results of its second College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship competition. The nationwide program was developed in partnership with the American National CattleWomen, Inc. to help college students utilize social media tools to share agriculture's story. Students with an interest in agriculture were invited to join the CAO network in September 2010. Over the past seven months, 600 college students from more than 50 universities have participated in the competition. Members have earned points by posting blogs, photos and videos related to agriculture and by participating in “Aggie Homework” agriculture advocacy challenges via Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail.

Calibrate, a proprietary industry leading technology in dairy nutrition from Forage Genetics International, has added Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. to the network of labs running Calibrate rapid NIR starch tests. The addition of three Dairyland locations allows Calibrate technology to expand service reach and continue providing dairy producers and their nutritionists’ insights and recommendations to achieve a higher standard for nutrition consistency. All Dairyland laboratories are now equipped to conduct the rapid NIR test for rumen starch digestibility including the Arcadia and Stratford, Wisconsin, and St. Cloud, Minnesota, locations.

President Larry A. Tande presided at the spring Holstein Association USA, Inc. board of directors meeting held in Brattleboro, Vermont, March 24-25. The Business Plan portion of the meeting included updates on 2011 objectives. The board heard reports from the Audit, Nominating, Genetic Advancement, Legislative Affairs, and Show committees.

Western United Dairymen has secured $500,000 for water quality projects on dairies in California’s Central Valley. The funding is provided through the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP), part of the 2008 Farm Bill conservation title, and is administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) made cash payments of $4.8 million in equity retirements in April. These cash payments represent the retirement of the 2002 Equities. This is in addition to the $1.9 million in cash patronage from 2010 earnings paid to members earlier this year. Combined, MMPA has paid $6.7 million in addition to the monthly milk check to its dairy farmer members in the first four months of 2011.

Country music recording artist John Michael Montgomery started the 2011 Central Plains Dairy Expo with a bang on March 29. More than 2,600 people were estimated to have attended the three-day event in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with the vast majority being dairy producers. Other special events included a Prayer Breakfast, where Harvey and Lisa Van Ess, Van Ess Dairy, Sanborn, Iowa, and Mike Wells, president and CEO of Wells Dairy, LeMars, Iowa gave testimonials in faith. Story continues below photo slideshow.

Upgrade means fewer requirements for most Minnesota cattle producers; state remains committed to ensuring disease is eliminated from cattle and wildlife. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health today announced that the State of Minnesota will be submitting an application for statewide bovine Tuberculosis (TB)-Free status by the end of April. The request comes less than six years after the discovery of an infected beef herd in July 2005. The Board anticipates approval of the application in late summer or early fall of this year.

The leading national trade organizations representing dairy producers and processors today sent a letter to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, urging him to oppose legislation in the state senate that would allow the direct sale of raw milk to the public. In the letter from the dairy associations, which was also sent to State Senate Democratic Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) said that the food safety risks inherent in raw milk will increase the incidence of foodborne illness and reverse public heath improvements in New Jersey.

A recent Prospective Plantings report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows an increase in corn acres the National Corn Growers Association said. The report, based on a survey of actual farmer intentions in March, states farmers intend to plant 92.2 million corn acres in 2011. This is a 5 percent increase from 2010 and up 7 percent from 2009. If realized, it will be the second highest corn planting in the United States since 1944. This is just behind the 93.5 million acres planted in 2007.