Golden Guernsey, the Wisconsin dairy plant that closed unexpectedly in January, may re-open this summer. The plant was purchased during a bankruptcy auction by Lifeway Foods Inc. of Morton Grove, Illinois, for $7.4 million. The only other bidder was Superior Dairy LLC from Canton, Ohio.

Construction of the $85 million dry milk processing plant in Fallon, Nevada, is more than halfway complete, according to Northern Nevada Business Weekly. It was originally planned to open this summer but winter weather and other complications delayed the project by 6 months.

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) resumed farm payments, which had been temporarily suspended due to sequestration, on May 8. This includes payments for the Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC), 2011 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE) and the Noninsured Crop Assistance Program (NAP).

Heather Hunt
Archbold, Ohio
Dairy Business Development Specialist
Agri-Nutrition Consulting

Sarah E. Peterson Stout
BioTracking LLC
Moscow, Idaho    
Marketing and Sales Specialist

New crop cottonseed supplies available to dairies are expected to remain tight as U.S. farmers swap cotton acres for corn and soybeans across many parts of the Cotton Belt. U.S. cotton production will likely drop 19 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates Report released May 10, 2013.

Accelerated Genetics has announced John Schenk as the new vice president of operations. Schenk will oversee operations of the farm and barn, semen laboratory and semen warehouse at both Accelerated Genetics’ production facility in Westby, Wisconsin, and at the Nebraska Bull Service facility near McCook, Nebraska.