Last month the House Budget Committee passed its budget reconciliation package without including a renewal of the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program.

The program expired September 30, but was brought back into discussion by several dairy state congressional members in October.

Saputo's U.S. Cheese Division has introduced new truck graphics on its fleet of semi-trailer trucks with full-color images of its cheese products.

The sponsors of Worldwide Food Expo 2005 say that this year's event has been a great success, hosting more than 25,000 attendees from 100 countries around the globe.

Lifeway Foods Inc., the Illinois-based makers of kefir, saw third quarter sales jump 26% to $5.2 million from $4.1 million for the same period a year ago. Earnings increased to $.07 per share for the quarter, from $.06 per share for the same three-month period in 2004.

Wisconsin-based Marathon Cheese, Co. has plans to build a $27 million packaging plant on a 40-acre site in southwestern Idaho.

CLOVIS, N.M.-Southwest Cheese Co. received its first delivery of milk in October and has begun test production on one of the lines of its enormous new plant.

Brewmaster and beer/food author Garrett Oliver, of the Brooklyn Brewery recently conducted a series of tastings that he calls "The Cheese Wars-Beer vs. Wine With Cheese."

CONCORD, N.H.-Stonyfield Farm has developed such a need for organic milk it wants to pay state inspectors to travel to New Zealand dairy farms so it can import milk products to boost its organic yogurt production.

A series of new "got milk?" ads continues the departure from the milk-deprivation approach of past campaigns and instead skewers the recent baseball steroids scandal, depicting milk as a performance enhancer.

Groupe Danone stayed in the news last month, even without further speculation about takeover bids.