Eight people recently sickened by a strain of E. coli reported consuming raw milk from a farm in Armstrong, but samples taken from the Howard County farm all tested negative for the bacteria.

The three shows of The All American will be held Nov. 3-5, 2012, in conjunction with the North American International Livestock Exposition, in Louisville, Ky.

Dairy digester mixes manure with waste from local food processors to produce power.

WASHINGTON - Dairyfarmer Dave Buck feeds his calves at 6:30 in the morning and 6:30 in the evening. He wants them to grow healthy on his land in Goodhue, Minn., so they produce as much milk as possible.Now, Buck and thousands of other Minnesota dairyfarmers and dairy food processors may have to choose between getting the most milk from cows or participating in a voluntary government system that ties insurance protection to accepting occasional production limits."A quota system is basically what it is,” Buck said. “It isn’t as good for Minnesota if we want to grow our industry."The goal of the proposed program is to protect farmers against losses and to eliminate big price swings, like the ones that drove a significant number of dairyfarmers out of business in 2009. Whether that’s a good idea has fractured agriculture communities across the country, including Minnesota, the nation’s seventh-largest dairy state.

At issue is the market stabilization program, which would require producers who voluntarily sign up to cut production during times of low margins.