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).

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.

Officer John Bradley of the Brookline Police Department in the Boston area is the subject of a recent viral Internet photo.

During the citywide lockdown following the Boston Marathon bombing, Bradley was photographed bringing milk to a family.

In the late hours of Wednesday, May 15, after spending all day in a markup session, the House Agriculture Committee approved a $940 billion farm bill in a 36-10 vote. Nearly 100 amendments were thrown out during the session, many relating to food stamps. The dairy program was the only signifant debate related to farm subsidies.

The USDA has awarded $19.5 million to support research, education and Extension activities associated with climate solutions in agriculture aimed at the impacts of climate variability and change on dairy and beef cattle.

Dave Johnson, president of the membership organization GrassWorks, recently sent letters to every Wisconsin legislator, calling on them to restore $400,000 per year in funding for grazing specialists and networks. He urges graziers to ask their state senator and assembly representative to back legislation to place funding for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) in the upcoming biennial budget.