BARABOO, Wis.-Foremost Farms USA, and Stacyville Cooperative Creamery, Stacyville, Iowa, have agreed to the merger, whereby Foremost Farms will assume the equity investments of Stacyville members.

For the 6,294 food- and beverage-related companies that exhibited at the world's largest food fair-ANUGA-in Cologne, Germany, from October 8 to 12, the fair was an opportunity to establish contacts and conduct business with companies from every corner of the world.

A group of California artisan, farmstead and specialty cheese producers have formed the California Artisan Cheese Guild.

A federal administrative judge says USDA has been making HP Hood pay too much for milk used in its Carb Countdown, and the agency plans to pay back about $2 million to the company.

The 2006 Dairy Forum is set for January 15-18 at the La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, Calif., near Palm Springs. Registration is still available.

Dairy industry representatives increasingly view the next round of WTO talks as critical for the U.S. dairy industry, as it seeks to open global markets to more dairy products. U.S. negotiators attending this month's Doha Round in Hong Kong are pushing for lower tariffs and fewer subsidies, but in the past have run into stiff opposition, especially in Europe.

Dairy owner, and Illinois gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis has been accused of hiring a subcontractor who paid janitorial workers $3.50 an hour to clean Oberweis ice cream and dairy stores.

Leprino Foods hopes to expand its facility here by 90,000 sq ft, but it has told local officials it might instead look to build a new facility out west if it doesn't get tax incentives for the expansion.

Congress recently approved the agricultural appropriations bill, and within it is a provision that will help restore a portion of the original USDA National Organic Program's rules, that was altered by a federal court decision.

Two men who have had a major influence on the dairy industry will not be as intimately involved with it in 2006.