Milk production continues to be impacted by weather conditions across wide areas of the United States; cheese plants are worried about milk supplies; and nonfat dry milk prices are moving higher across all regions in a firm market, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
 

To mark the construction of t a 350,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility, New York governor Cuomo and the top executives from Thomas Müller  Group and PepsiCo  signied a ceremonial steel beam in front of state and local government and community dignitaries, representatives of local and national dairy organizations, and members of local community organizations and groups.
 

Organic dairy advertising volume set a number of records; ice cream and cream cheese manufacturing account for the strongest demand on national cream supplies; and cheese production was reported slower as reduced volumes of milk were available for manufacturing, according to the USDA's Dairy Market News.

A California dairy processor has installed a hybrid solar-powered co-generation system that heats water and generates electricity. Clover Stornetta selected a solar cogeneration solution from Cogenra that delivers hot water and renewable electricity with a payback period of less than five years. This hybrid technology combines photovoltaic (PV) and solar hot water (SHW) generation in one product.

The Dairy Business Association and the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association say they appreciate Rep. Reid Ribble's support of Wisconsin's dairy industry through his vote in favor of the Goodlatte/Scott amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill. As Wisconsin's only member on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, Congressman Ribble worked to find a compromise to eliminate a so-called 'dairy stabilization plan,' a complex government intervention in commercial transactions intended to control the supply of milk from farms. Congressman Ribble supported reducing milk price volatility without restricting milk supply, said Laurie Fischer, Executive Director of DBA. 

Cloverland has been awarded a Level 3 Certification from the Safety Quality Foods Institute (SQF) -- the highest possible qualification, which testifies to appropriate protection being in place from standard hygiene issues all the way up to, and including, terrorist attacks.

Visalia,Calif.-based California Dairies Inc. said Eric Erba has been appointed senior vice president and chief strategy officer.

Here's a recap of dairy processing news published recently on dairyfoods.com. The website is updated frequently with news about new dairy foods and beverages, dairy processing equipment and dairy processors.

Westby Co-op Creamery's Kondrup elected president of the Wisconsin Dairy Products Associaiton.
 

In this week's dairy processing news, the weighted average advertised price for 48- 64-ounce ice cream containers rose 7%. Current butter demand is good in many areas of the country. Domestic retail demand for cheese is still generally considered to be good, but export demand is slowing. And heat, humidity and record-setting temperatures are significantly impacting cow comfort and milk output, reports this week's Dairy Market News from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.