Milk production peaked last week, cheese plants were busy and the dry products market showed mixed results, according to the USDA's Dairy Market News. Following is a summary of the report. 

Your vote will help determine the 2012 Dairy Foods Plant of the Year.

Nestlé is investing in new manufacturing lines at its condensed milk products factory in Pontecesures, Spain, increasing production by 50%. The company’s announcement follows two major financial commitments it has made to develop its manufacturing operations in Europe this year. Earlier this month Nestlé said it would invest CHF 300 million in a new Nespresso factory in Switzerland. In February it revealed plans to invest CHF 265 million in a new Nescafé Dolce Gusto factory in Germany.

Butter pricing is firming this week, cheese production nationally remains heavy, Northeast milk production is widely believed to have reached a plateau, and California milk output is mostly steady and remains at or near the seasonal peak, reports the USDA this week.

Hiland-Roberts Ice Cream Co., Potomac Farms Dairy Enterprises took the top Quality Chekd honors in dairy excellence, plant performance and marketing, respectively, at the 2012 QCS Leadership Conference.

The Gifford’s Ice Cream processing plant is tucked into a hillside on Hathaway Street in Skowhegan, Maine. This unassuming little band box of a building gives no hint that inside, production workers are creating super premium ice cream that is sold in company-owned and independently owned scoop shops and by retailers from Maine to Maryland.