You’ll find market trends, business success strategies, ideas for new foods and beverages, food safety programs and ideas for tapping the export market.

 Quality Chekd honored Umpqua Dairy Products Co.’s plant in Oregon with the sought-after Production Excellence Award. A veteran production crew and attention to detail yield high- quality Grade A products, ice cream and frozen yogurt. 

Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers, Reston, Va., named Brian Linneyits chief marketing officer. Linney will be responsible for marketing finished products from Maryland & Virginia’s three fluid processing plants and dairy ingredients from the co-op’s two manufacturing plants.

 While the popularity of Greek yogurt has been the biggest story in the dairy industry in the last few years, it is not the only dairy category showing growth, according to a survey of dairy processors. Other growing categories are cheese, new flavors of ice cream and milk, by-products (whey and protein concentrates), powdered milk, almond milk and coconut water. 

Oregon’s Umpqua Dairy promotes the quality and freshness of its locally sourced milk. The third-generation family business, which also makes cottage cheese, sour cream, ice cream and other dairy products, is expanding beyond the Pacific Northwest.

Darigold Inc., Seattle, disputed the assertion made by the Teamsters today that it walked out of federal mediation talks late Monday night. Darigold General Counsel and Senior Vice President Steven Rowe told Dairy Foods that some members of the dairy cooperative's team did leave the meeting but continued to participate by telephone after they arrived home. Rowe said the bargaining session lasted from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

 On the occasion of its silver anniversary, the CEO of Organic Valley writes that the co-op is “investing in the next generation of farmer and staff leadership, building our culture and growing our organic mission together.”