Monsanto Company and the Regents of the University of California announced today that they have signed an agreement which mutually resolves issues between them regarding possible infringement and validity of patent rights relating to the production of bovine somatotropin. Monsanto sells bovine somatotropin under the brand name POSILAC; it is used to enhance milk production and serves as an important tool to help dairy producers improve the efficiency of their operations.

Source: Monsanto Company/ News Release, Feb. 27, 2006
Source URL: http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/layout/media/06/02-27-06.asp

More people across the U.S. are saying, “Cheese, please!” with a twist—they’re asking for more specialty cheeses made by an increasing number of artisanal cheese makers. It’s the teleme, French and Tuscan herbed curd, Camembert, chevre in olive oil, and dill and garlic goat roule consumers are looking for, along with the traditional cheddar.

These artisanal cheese makers are a long way, baby, from cheese-in-a-can.

Source: Baltimore Sun/ Clarke Canfield, Feb. 26, 2006
Source URL: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-chic-cheese,0,7934909.story

They’ve swept the cobwebs out of the corners and are set to reopen the doors of a former dairy processing plant in Adrian, Mich. The plant was purchased by Dairy Farmers of America Inc. from a food processing company that stopped operations in October and will be handle up to 60,000 gallons of milk per day.

Half the laid off workers have been rehired and started last week to get the plant back in shape.

Source: Lenawee Connection/ Daily Telegram/ Dennis Pelham, Feb. 24, 2006
Source URL: http://www.lenconnect.com/articles/2006/02/24/news/news01.txt

Hydromer, Inc. has enforced its patents in a patent infringement suit with Veterinary Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("VPI") and others, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, pertaining to its patented T-HEXX(R) Cow Teat Dip technology. The suit was settled with VPI by a stipulated Judgment ordered by the Court on February 24, 2006 in which VPI admitted that the patents are valid and infringed and agreed to be enjoined from further infringement of Hydromer's patents.

Source: Business Wire/ Hydromer Inc./ News Release, Feb. 27, 2006
Source URL: http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060227005691&newsLang=en

Arizona lawmakers are smoothing the way for a constitutional amendment that would ban new laws regulating agriculture.

Sen. Jake Flake, R, is sponsoring the bill. He said worries about special interest groups or even local government tries at putting a lid on agriculture spurred him to push the bill. If the measure passes, state voters would have their say at the ballot box in November.

Source: KVOA/ Associated Press, Feb. 26, 2006
Source URL: http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4555150&nav=HMO6HMaY

A Vermont dairy cooperative lost more than $4 million last year after a cheese plant shut down and failed to pay off its milk suppliers. More than one-third of Vermont’s 1,200 dairy farms are members of St. Albans Cooperative Creamery, the state’s largest farm business.

When Lucille Farms failed in October, the cooperative lost $7.8 million and ended up costing the creamery a net loss of $4.4 million, said co-op General Manager Leon Berthiaume. The mozzarella plant bought 15 percent of the cooperative’s milk.

Source: Burlington Free Press/ Candace Page, Feb. 26, 2006
Source URL: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060226/NEWS02/602260310/1007

Agriculture proponents are fighting those who would attempt to regulate their industry by sponsoring and backing legislation designed to protect livestock producers. A bill before the Oklahoma Legislature would declare that animal waste, including manure and carcasses, is not a hazardous waste.

The bill has the backing of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Source: KOTV/ Associated Press, Feb. 25, 2006
Source URL: http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=99567

There appears to be continuing misunderstanding of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) motives, methods and procedures used to arrive at production forecasts for US corn and soybean crops. This was vividly illustrated by comments from producers, commodity analysts and farm market advisory services following the release of the August 2003 forecasts. For example, we received the following e-mail inquiry from a farmer after the release of these forecasts:

"I have a question concerning the August and the September crop production reports. A friend told me that the numbers that came out in the August report, which were lower than many predicted, were utilizing a weather forecast for a hotter and drier 30 day outlook, as of August 1 (the forecast would have been for the month of August). He said that the USDA was trying to use a new system, which would take into account the weather forecast, along with the usual crop conditions and yield checks. I was under the assumption that the August crop report took field surveys as of August 1, and then assumed average weather for the rest of the growing season. If my friend was correct, then this could potentially mean that the dropping crop conditions have already been factored in, and that the September report may only have a slight revision downward."

Source: Farmdoc/ University of Illinois/ Darrel L. Good and Scott H. Irwin, February 2006
Source URL: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/agmas/reports/06_01/AgMAS06_01.html

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of E. coli or LPS on the function of bovine endometrial cells, and whether purified populations of epithelial and stromal cells express the molecules involved in LPS recognition. In addition, because the female sex hormones estradiol and progesterone modify the risk of uterine infection, their effect on the LPS response was investigated.

In conclusion, epithelial and stromal cells detect and respond to bacteria, which modulate their endocrine function.

Source: Expression and function of Toll-like receptor 4 in the endometrial cells of the uterus. Endocrinology 147 (1): 562-570, 2006. Herath, S.; Fischer, D.P.; Werling, D.; Williams, E.J.; et al.

The objective of this study was to investigate circadian variations of blood and milk lead toxicokinetics in dairy cows in summer.

No circadian rhythms were detected in blood parameters or in the ratio AUC(milk)/AUC(blood).

Source: Daily rhythms in blood and milk lead toxicokinetics following intravenous administration of lead acetate to dairy cows in summer. International Journal of Biometeorology 50 (3): 133-138, 2006. Valtorta, S.E.; Scaglione, M.C.; Acosta, P.; Coronel, J.E.; et al.