The discovery has the potential to reduce reliance on antibiotics and ultimately help combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance in both humans and animals, said Adrian Barragan, associate research professor and extension veterinarian at Penn State and co-lead author on the paper.

The findings are particularly significant for the organic dairy industry where antibiotic use is restricted, he added, and may also pave the way for future studies in humans on the use of sugar-based formulations for uterine infections such as endometritis.

“The disease is an infection of the uterus that occurs after calving and it’s one of the top diseases that affect dairy cattle in the United States,” said Erika Ganda, assistant professor of food animal microbiomes at Penn State and co-lead author on the study. “We treat cows with antibiotics only when necessary to ensure their welfare, following strict withdrawal periods to prevent residues in milk. Minimizing antibiotic use helps reduce the risk of resistant bacteria that can impact farm workers, families and communities. Antimicrobial resistance in human and veterinary medicine is a growing public health concern, so the main goal of this research was to test an antibiotic-free alternative option against the current gold standard for treating this prevalent disease.”

The study compared two treatments for a common uterine infection, called clinical metritis, that can lead to serious health problems for dairy cows. The condition is typically treated using systemic antibiotics, like ceftiofur, which are effective in treating the condition, but may contribute to the growing antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals.

“We have been searching for alternative therapies that can effectively treat metritis without relying on antibiotics,” Barragan said. “We asked two main questions when studying an alternative: Do the animals get cured with this treatment? And do treated animals have similar performance? Although the alternative treatment had the same clinical cure rate as the antibiotics, the answer wasn’t as clear cut as expected since performance between treatment groups differed based on disease severity.”

The study focused on using intrauterine dextrose, a sugar solution, as a possible alternative treatment. Dextrose has been extensively studied in animal and human clinical research for its ability to plasmolyze harmful bacteria, essentially the strong sugar solution pulls water out of the bacteria, causing them to dry out and die, Barragan explained. The approach had shown some promise in human wound healing, but previous studies in cattle yielded mixed results.

“We were hopeful that we would find positive results, but we were definitely not expecting to find that both treatments worked similarly for mild cases of metritis,” Barragan said. “That was a very exciting discovery.”

To investigate the effectiveness of dextrose, the researchers conducted a study on a dairy farm in central Pennsylvania. They enrolled 77 cows diagnosed with clinical metritis and randomly assigned them to one of two treatment groups: intrauterine dextrose or systemic ceftiofur. The researchers then monitored the cows’ recovery and analyzed their uterine microbial communities using advanced DNA sequencing to better understand the overall health of their microbiomes.

Although the sample size was not ideal for assessing clinical cure rate, Barragan said, the results suggested that both treatments had similar clinical cure rates, meaning dextrose could be just as effective as antibiotics in treating mild metritis cases.

Additionally, the analysis of the cows’ microbiomes revealed that dextrose does not significantly disrupt the bacterial balance of bacteria in the reproductive tract, unlike antibiotics, which can alter microbial communities and potentially impact the long-term health of the cow, Ganda explained.

Further research is needed to understand the full potential of dextrose as an alternative to antibiotic treatment, Barragan said, but one day that potential could even extend to treating humans.

“Our findings may be applicable for reproductive disease in human medicine,” he said. “In fact, we were inspired by medical literature and sugar-based wound treatments for people.”

The other Penn State authors on the paper are Jennine Lection, who earned a doctoral degree from Penn State and is currently an assistant professor at North Carolina State University; Emily Van Syoc, postdoctoral scholar; Asha Miles, former postdoctoral research associate who is currently a research geneticist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Julia Hamilton, undergraduate student; Marcela Martinez, research technologist; and Justin Silverman, assistant professor of statistics and of medicine and faculty fellow of the Institute for Computational and Data Science. Santiago Bas of the Germany-based feed company Phytobiotics Futterzusatzstoffe GmbH also contributed to the paper.

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hatch Appropriations, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the National Institutes of Health funded this research.

–Adrienne Berard
Penn State

The post New Treatment for Dairy Cows Could Help Fight Antibiotic Resistance, Study Finds appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

Other key findings in the report were:

• Of the 75.8 million hogs and pigs, 69.8 million were market hogs, while 6.00 million were kept for breeding.
• Between September and November 2024, 35.2 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, up 2% from the same time period one year earlier.
• From September through November 2024, U.S. hog and pig producers weaned an average of 11.92 pigs per litter.
• U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.93 million sows farrow between December 2024 and February 2025, and 2.95 million sows farrow between March 2025 and May 2025.
• Iowa hog producers accounted for the largest inventory among the states, at 24.6 million head. Minnesota had the second largest inventory at 9.50 million head. North Carolina was third with 8.20 million head.

To obtain an accurate measurement of the U.S. swine industry, NASS surveyed 6,046 operators across the nation during the first half of December. The data collected were received online through NASS’s Respondent Portal, by mail, telephone and through face-to-face interviews.

The Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report and all other NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov.

–USDA NASS

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I hope all of you will be able to look back on the year’s greatness. Put your pencil to paper as you consider all you learned from 2024; some very important lessons were sprinkled in there.

To give time for reflection and enjoyment this holiday season, we will not be sending out our daily emails the week between Christmas and New Year’s. The Morning Ag Clips’ daily email will resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

There will still be news articles published on our site, so make sure to stay up-to-date by going to morningagclips.com. Every day there will be something new, and there will be an editor watching for breaking ag news every day. But like you, we all need a break, and the only way to get it is to be extremely intentional about it, so we are!

Here’s to you, your family, and a prosperous and healthy New Year! We will see you in 2025!

With love,
Kate

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Presentation topics will cover a variety of forestry and wildlife issues, as well as specific management practices that can be implemented to improve or enhance the forest. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from foresters, wildlife biologists, university professors, and Extension specialists, as well as visit with non-profit and for-profit organizations exhibiting their products and services.

When? Wednesday, January 29, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Where? N.C. Cooperative Extension – Duplin County Center | 165 Agriculture Dr, Kenansville, NC 28349

Registration:

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Registration Fee:
$30 – On or before January 11, 2025
$40 – On or after January 12, 2025
Advance registration only, No onsite registration
To learn more about the event and to register: go.ncsu.edu/forestrysummit

Questions? Email Jameson Boone, jdboone3@ncsu.edu

Agenda:

8:30 – 9:00 – Registration and check-in

9:00 – 9:20 – Welcome talk – Dr. Robert Bardon-AssociateDean for Extension, College of Natural Resources, NC State University

9:20 – 9:50 – Keynote Speaker

9:50 – 10:00 – Break

10:00-10:30 – Forest acquisition; now what? – Dr. Kurt Smith, Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist, Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources, NC State University

10:30-11:00 – Management plans: Getting Started in Forestry – Colby Lambert, Area Specialized Agent, Cooperative Extension

11:00-11:30 – Guide to NRCS Cost-Share – Kellyam Valle Cancel, NRCS Supervisory Soil Conservationist

11:30 – 12:00 – Talk with Vendors

12:00 – 1:00 – Lunch (included)

1:00 – 1:45 – Current Forest Health Issues – Dr. Kelly Oten, Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist, Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources, NC State University

1:45 – 2:00 – Break

2:00 – 3:00 – Wildlife Topics

Chronic Wasting Disease Updates – Chris Kent, District Biologist, District 4, NCWRC

Developing Early Successional Habitat and Food Plots – Deanna Noble, Conservation Biologist, NCWRC

3:00 – 3:30 – Wrap-up

Exhibitors: If you are registering as an exhibitor, please fill out the short survey with your organization’s name and how many people are attending.

–Savannah Moore, N.C. State Extension

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While there is a long way to go, local recovery efforts have been the stuff of miracles, with people coming together to repair and restore homes and livelihoods, and in the case of our woodland farms, to save Christmas.

Christmas trees in North Carolina are a tremendous contributor to the economic sustainability of our western counties, where nearly all of the trees are grown. In fact, North Carolina is No. 2 in the nation in the farming of these festive holiday centerpieces. More than 3 million Christmas trees are harvested annually in the state, with many being shipped across the nation and internationally.

RELATED: Hope After Helene: Extension Promotes Resilience, Renewal for N.C. Apple Growers

“North Carolina Christmas tree farmers produce the most desirable trees on the market and this year is no exception. We will not know how the market for real trees fared until after Christmas, but I’m hearing that many choose-and-cut farmers sold all the trees they wanted to sell, especially the larger trees,” said Jamie Bookwalter, NC State Extension specialist in forestry and environmental resources.

In Avery County alone, Extension experts estimate $35 million in losses among the five highest producing farms, or between 175,000 and 200,000 trees. But it wasn’t the growers of mature trees that Helene hurt the most. Since the Fraser fir, the primary Christmas tree species in Western North Carolina, grows at a higher elevation, many fields are situated above the flood zones, where nursery and ornamental operations are located.

“Most of the damage we saw in Fraser fir farms was related to water damage, such as loss of infrastructure or landslides or the flooding of trees,” said Bookwalter. “Much like the general damage across the mountains, some farms were spared while other farms suffered a lot of damage.

“Although we’ve seen losses of mature trees in landslides, some of the highest level of damage was incurred by farmers that grow seedlings, which are often grown near streams because nurseries need good water sources,” she added.

Bookwalter reported an estimated 25% of Western North Carolina nurseries were impacted, with losses estimated at $125 million.

On top of the direct losses from Helene, farmers faced significant challenges to their ability to transport their trees to market with so many roads and bridges completely washed out.

Jerry Moody, director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Avery County Center, found himself working closely with the state Department of Transportation in the weeks following Helene. Moody knew which fields the Avery County growers were harvesting and was able to triage the road repairs needed to move equipment and tractor trailers.

“We had until Nov. 5 to get the roads and bridges ready to bring the trees out on tractor trailers,” Moody said. Extension experts, like Moody, also worked on getting the necessary permission and materials for growers to fix their own roads when necessary. “We were able to get the roads taken care of and we were able to get their [trees] out.”

While 2024 will likely be seen as a successful season for most Christmas tree growers, the coming of spring will begin to show what long-term effects the storm will have on North Carolina Christmas trees.

“We are somewhat worried about disease with future harvests,” Moody said, before going on to describe a fungus-like pathogen that causes disease in Fraser firs. Phytophthora spores are spread through water and cause trees to rot at the root. The telltale sign of phytophthora is the needles of the tree beginning to turn red from the bottom up.

Moody explained that since this year’s crop of trees was dormant at the time of the hurricane, they were already beginning to retain their needles and were offered a kind of protection against the immediate effects of the wind and water. Over the next few years it will become evident if Helene carried the disease to new fields. “Only time will tell how far it is going to spread,” he said.

Researchers with NC State Extension are already studying the soil conditions to see what challenges growers may need to mitigate and what amendments may need to be made in order to ensure successful harvests in the future. “Right now the land is stable, there is a low risk of future slides, but the soil has been stripped to the bedrock in places so our ability to replant is in question in some areas,” Moody said.

RELATED: After the Storm: Soil Strike Team Helps Farmers Assess Land

“The assessment of soil conditions, especially soils and land around rivers and streams, is still ongoing,” said Bookwalter. “Many farmers lost many square yards and even acres of riverfront farmland. This will take months and even years to completely address,” she added.

Regardless of the challenges that lay ahead, both Moody and Bookwalter believe the industry will continue to thrive. “Christmas tree farmers are a resilient bunch, and North Carolinians can support rural areas staying rural by purchasing real Christmas trees,” Bookwalter said.

So this year, while you sit back to admire the lights and ornaments on your North Carolina-grown Christmas tree, spare a thought for the farmer that nurtured that tree for the last 10 years, raise a glass and wish them well.

Wind, rain and washed out roads couldn’t stop them from saving Christmas, or in the words of Dr. Seuss, “[S]He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming, it came! Somehow or other… it came just the same.”

–Julie Hayworth-Perman, N.C. State University

The post North Carolina Christmas Trees Weathered the Storm appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

Reindeer are part of the cervid family that include deer, elk, moose and caribou. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides oversight of the movement of captive cervid into the state.

“Santa’s reindeer are magical and pose no health threat to our native deer,” said Martin. “We look forward to welcoming them to North Carolina during Santa’s trek around the world.”

–Heather Overton, NCDA&CS

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As awful as they are, there’s something the statistics can’t possibly measure — the sense of despair after the storm passed. Houses were flooded. Roads were destroyed. Cell service was down. Power was out. There were shortages of food, water and medicine, and no good way to get supplies in. The scope of the disaster was overwhelming.

“When we saw the floodwaters in places that we’ve never seen before, we knew it was going to be bad,” said David Davis, director of the NC State Extension center in Yancey County. “This was from county line to county line. We had catastrophic damage in every community. I’ve worked disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina. I’ve worked after tornadoes, and after hurricanes. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s just unimaginable.”

Davis is also Extension’s agriculture agent, and a farmer himself. His thoughts quickly turned to his friends and neighbors who were gravely impacted by the storm. Farmers had lost crops and livestock. They lost the means to feed their herds. They were in peril of losing their livelihoods.

“I had one fella that lost all of his hay,” Davis said. “He’d worked all summer long to grow that hay to feed his cows. And he lost it all. I said, ‘Okay, how are you doing?’ He said, ‘I think this is it. I’m done. I’m just going to have to sell all my cows and be out of business because I have nothing to feed them with this winter. I’m not going to watch them starve to death.’”

It was a familiar refrain. The loss of hay and fencing potentially meant the loss of livelihoods for cattle farmers throughout the county.

Davis began making phone calls as soon as cell service was restored. Extension centers across the state and partners in and beyond North Carolina were eager to help. Davis set up a couple of donation and distribution sites, including one at his family produce farm.

“When we started getting hay in, he was one of the first ones we got loads to,” Davis said. “We were just about able to replace every roll he lost. After the first load I said, ‘So what do you think?’ He said, ‘Well, this will get us through a couple of weeks.’ He came back and got another load and he said, ‘This will get us through another couple of weeks.’ When he started realizing he could get through winter, his whole demeanor changed. The light in his eyes changed.”

Helene cut a swath of destruction across Western North Carolina, devastating counties and communities. And across Western North Carolina, Extension personnel mobilized to help.

They set up and staffed sites that distributed water, food and medicine to vulnerable people. They helped coordinate airdrops of vital supplies. They worked with partners to coordinate donations and disbursement of hay, feed, fencing and other livestock supplies. They rounded up animals roaming free.

Related: Extension plays vital role in hurricane recovery

Davis and his team cannot offer quick and easy fixes after a disaster this immense. But they can offer hope.

“That’s what I want to do,” Davis said. “That’s why I’m here. That’s why my staff is here.”

As soon as they could get out after the storm, Extension staff in Yancey County began helping in any capacity they could. Davis became a grill master at the fire station in his community, which had become a shelter for people forced from their homes. When he had cell service he contacted Baptists on Mission and North Carolina-based Samaritan’s Purse to help coordinate their disaster response, which included shower and laundry units.

Agriculture technician Adam McCurry worked with search and recovery, delivered emergency supplies door to door, and with his wife, a nurse, helped set up a mobile medical clinic. Vivian Hollifield, an administrative support specialist, coordinated volunteers in her community.

“Feeding flood victims and first responders at the fire department wasn’t necessarily in the job description, but that was a need, and that’s how we could help them,” Davis said. “We all just asked that same question, how can we help? And that’s what we did. We were hauling generators, we were helping set up distribution sites, we were helping recover equipment and tools, distributing water and supplies. I was hauling hay to farmers, just square bales on my pickup, and checking on people. Our role changed pretty much every day for a little while.”

Davis is a frequent volunteer with the North Carolina Baptist Men. He has helped disaster victims across the country. This was different. He grew up in Yancey County. He farms and operates a produce stand with his dad. As Extension’s county director and agriculture and horticulture agent, he is in the community just about every day. These disaster victims were his neighbors.

“We lost people in this county,” he said. “Some of the people that were lost, they were customers of my dad’s produce stand. I grew up with them shopping at our produce store. My wife is a teacher. She lost a kid that was in her class last year. That’s tough. That’s a lot different. They’re not just names on a list. On the news they talk about this many dead or this many that lost their homes. Here, Mr. Silver down on the river and his daughter, Vanessa, lost their home. Vanessa went to school with my sister, and Mr. Silver has been a customer at our produce stand for years. I did a home visit back in the summer, looking at his bushes and giving him a recommendation.

“It is much, much more personal. It lights a fire under me to try to help.”

Davis wants to pass on the care and compassion his family received from an Extension agent after a disaster when he was a boy.

“We got flooded in August 1994,” he said. “We didn’t get to harvest a stick of tobacco that year. We had 3 or 4 acres of tomatoes. We didn’t get to pick a tomato. Most of our crops got washed away. I was probably 7 or 8. I had never seen my dad cry. He was crying. He looked at me and my sister, and told my mom, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to feed them this winter.’”

The N.C. Cooperative Extension agriculture agent back then was Claude Deaton. He arrived when Davis’s father was at his lowest ebb.

“Claude had this old gray Ford truck with a Cooperative Extension tag on the front,” Davis said. “I’ll never forget that truck pulling into the parking lot of the produce stand. My dad went to Claude and said, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do.’ Claude said, ‘Well, first thing we’re going to do is drain the oil out of your tractor. We’re going to clean the motor out and we’re going to get your tractor out of the field. We’re going to start getting the equipment out and we’re going to start cleaning your field. We’re going to get you ready to plant next year.’”

Having a plan, a place to start, made a tremendous difference. So did having someone who was there for the family at a time of great need.

Even as a young boy, Claude’s example gave Davis a future career path.

“I decided I wanted to go into Extension,” he said.

After providing glimmers of hope, one conservation and a few hay bales at a time, his focus is changing to long-term recovery.

“Our biggest challenge is how do we help farmers access enough resources to where they’re willing to stay in the business of farming,” he said. “That’s my focus. My goal is to take as much burden off farmers as I can to keep them farming. There’s very few pieces of farm ground in this county that weren’t impacted in some way. Some of it is minor, some of it’s debris. A lot of it is major. It’s soil loss or silt accumulation.”

Related: Extension promotes resilience, renewal for N.C. apple growers

Extension has a big role to play in the recovery. Davis will conduct soil tests and make planting recommendations. There is also an opportunity to put some exemplary practices in place.

“Before, it didn’t make sense for farmers to replant their fescue fields with novel endophyte. Now the fields are dead, so we have an opportunity to get some novel endophyte seed. A lot of them now realize how important it is to keep records. Some of the Extension outreach we were trying to do before, the storm has given us a platform to do it even better. It’s given our producers even more of a reason to come to us. That’s what we’re going to be doing here in Yancey County. We’re still asking that same question, how can I help, and how can I help so you’re better off in the future? We’re trying to turn our lemons into lemonade.”

Davis also sees a role for researchers from NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“We’re soil testing and a lot of these situations we’re seeing, we don’t have remedial recommendations for. It’s taken us reaching out to our specialists at the university,” he said. “There’s a lot of research that can go on right now in our county, in Mitchell County, Haywood County, Buncombe County, counties that were affected in their farm grounds. There’s water research that could be happening to fix this area.”

Related: NC State researchers evaluate flooded soil

While Davis is focused on helping farmers recover, his staff is and has been helping with other needs, including with children and families impacted by the storm. Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agent Niki Maness and 4-H program assistant Jazlyn Swain partnered with a local nonprofit to host a fun event for children. They and administrative assistant Pam Sharp handed out candy on the Burnsville town square at Halloween. They are working with agents throughout the region to provide Christmas gifts through the Angel Tree program.

“I see us having a big role helping kids with mental health, helping them cope,” Davis said. “The relationships we’ve built between our 4-H staff and kids and their families, and the opportunities that we have through our programs, that’s going to be a big part of recovery. Our schools still need support too, and we’re going to be partnering with them and offering in-school programs. We just want to be an open hand to the parents and the families. It’s not so much the actual activities we’re doing as much as just being there for people in our community.”

It can’t be fixed tomorrow, but Extension experts in Yancey County and throughout the region will continue to show they care. They will continue to give hope to people impacted by the storm throughout the region.

“That’s most of what we do,” Davis said. “I’m really proud to be a part of Extension. It’s good to be a part of an organization that is helping people in this way. It’s that way for all my staff. We know these people. These are people that we’ve done business with and talked to, the people we see down the road or in the grocery store. I believe every one of us is motivated a little bit more in the work we’re doing.”

–Simon Gonzalez, N.C. State University

The post Extension Works to Rebuild Lives, Renew Hope in Western N.C. appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) President and CEO Barbara O’Brien pointed to a collective effort of national and local teams that delivered results this year.

“The checkoff is working, and we have achieved a lot in building the next chapter of our history,” said O’Brien, who outlined “now, next and future” checkoff strategies at this year’s joint annual meeting. “This success was made possible by the dedication and hard work of everyone across the checkoff federation. This was a strong year of results as we continue to work with and through others to catalyze action against our trust- and sales-building priorities.”

Checkoff-led highlights from 2024 include:

Increasing Dairy Access in Schools

A partnership provided hot chocolate milk to students during a pilot with Chartwells K12, which serves more than 2 million meals daily at 700 school districts. National Dairy Council (NDC) and Chartwells launched the Hot Chocolate Milk program in 58 schools, which features hot chocolate milk – with toppings such as cinnamon and peppermint – served during breakfast and lunch.

Another school pilot offered lactose-free chocolate milk and increased consumption and reached students who weren’t drinking milk because of real or perceived lactose intolerance. NDC and American Dairy Association Mideast worked with Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) to offer the country’s first single-serve lactose-free chocolate milk program. When compared to the rest of the district, the pilot schools experienced a 16-percent increase in milk consumption. The pilot was so successful that CPS is offering lactose-free chocolate milk in all schools.

Partnerships Growing Sales

The checkoff’s longstanding strategy of working with and through powerful partners continues to deliver results. For example, the checkoff supported Domino’s with its launch of cheese-centric items, including the New York Style Pizza and five-cheese mac and cheese.

This strategy of working with pizza partners also continues to find success internationally, a key tactic to reach the 95% of the world’s population that lives outside of the United States. DMI’s partnership with Pizza Hut Japan led to the chain announcing a permanent 30% increase of cheese use on all pizzas.

Other partnership innovations included working with General Mills to create YoBark, a yogurt-based snack designed to give families a tasty option and expand yogurt’s presence in the snacking category.

Sharing The Science of Dairy

One emerging research area is dairy’s impact on the first 1,000 days of life – encompassing pregnancy through a child’s second birthday. This is a critical period for brain development, which is impacted by nutrition and dairy can significantly support cognitive development, thanks to nutrients including iodine and choline. Checkoff organizations nationally and locally teamed with MilkPEP to elevate awareness and understanding of dairy’s contributions with expecting mothers and parents seeking nutrition guidance.

NDC also showed its ability to convene thought leaders when it hosted more than 100 national and international health and wellness experts for a two-day scientific conference addressing the dairy matrix, the concept of exploring the unique nutrient, non-nutrient and molecular compositions of dairy foods. Among the meeting attendees were representatives and speakers from major health professional organizations leading universities and organizations.

Supporting Dairy’s Sustainability Legacy

 The checkoff is focused on deepening its knowledge and attracting the investment in research on practices and technologies that work from a mitigation standpoint, and tools and resources to support adoption. DMI is tracking more than $29 million in additional investment from partners for pilot projects and research that empower sustainability action. One example is the Greener Cattle Initiative, a collaboration which announced a second round $5 million funding for enteric methane mitigation research.

The checkoff launched the Dairy Conservation Navigator, a resource hub designed to provide farm advisors, stakeholders and conservation professionals with science-based information on sustainable practices and technologies. Checkoff scientists and others developed a list of 80-plus practices that have a positive environmental benefit.

Checkoff Sparking Innovation

 The checkoff showcased dairy innovation and its nutrition package to 70,000 people attending Natural Products Expo West, the leading trade show in the natural, organic and healthy products industry. DMI unveiled its www.InnovateWithDairy.com tool, which serves as a one-stop shop for anyone seeking information about dairy innovation.

DMI also kept its focus on future innovators with its New Product Competition. A University of Minnesota team took first with a creamy Norwegian-style, whey-based cheese spread.

More checkoff results, including financial reports, can be found at www.dairycheckoff.com.

About Dairy Management Inc.

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) is funded by America’s more than 26,000 dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. Created to help increase sales and demand for dairy products, DMI and its related organizations work to increase demand for dairy through research, education and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses. DMI manages National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association, and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

–Dairy Management Inc.

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Qualifications for each of the three awards being presented include:

Dairy Producer(s) of the Year: Presented to an active dairy producer whose primary source of income is derived from his or her dairy enterprise. This producer excels in efficient production and the breeding of quality dairy animals while incorporating progressive management practices. Award recipient’s community, government, marketing and World Dairy Expo involvement will also be considered.

Industry Person(s) of the Year: This award is presented in recognition of an individual’s excellence in research, development, education, marketing, manufacturing or other fields, which are a part of an industry or institution that provides goods or services to the dairy industry. A resident of the United States, this award recipient may be an active dairy producer whose primary achievements are industry focused.

International Person(s) of the Year: Living primarily outside of the United States, the individual who receives this award will be recognized for his or her contribution to international research, development, education, marketing, manufacturing or other fields, that are a part of an industry or institution that provides goods or services to the international dairy industry.

The nomination form is available at worlddairyexpo.com or by contacting the Expo office at 608-224-6455 or wde@wdexpo.com. The individuals selected to receive these prestigious awards will be recognized on Wednesday, October 1 during World Dairy Expo 2025 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis.

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo is the premier forum for the global dairy community to learn, share, create commerce and showcase competition. The annual event will return to Madison, Wis. September 30 – October 3, 2025, where dairy producers near and far can experience the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, a world-class dairy cattle show, attend seminars, meetings and presentations highlighting the latest and greatest in the industry and connect with other producers. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Spotify, or YouTube for more information.

–World Dairy Expo

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“North Carolinians never cease to amaze me with their ability to persevere through trying times and overcome great challenges,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Hurricane Helene was nothing short of devastating, but North Carolinians have responded, critical infrastructure has improved and communities are bouncing back. Given the progress made throughout Western North Carolina, we feel the time is right to lift the waiver on burn permits to ensure safe burning practices are applied.”

You can obtain a burn permit from any open authorized permitting agent or online at www.ncforestservice.gov/burnpermit.

When burning outdoors, recommended best practices include the following:

• Never burn on a dry, windy day.
• Never leave your fire unattended.
• Keep a water source, shovel, rake and a phone nearby.

For additional best practices and wildfire prevention tips, visit www.ncforestservice.gov/fire_control/fc_firesafetyoutdoors.htm.

–Philip Jackson, N.C. Forest Service

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