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The race to create a better, less controversial biofuel has spawned plenty of research into a variety of potential new sources - including switchgrass, cornstalks and algae. One goal behind the next generation of ethanol fuel is to end the debate over whether crops that could be used for food or animal feed are being converted into fuel. It’s a debate that’s dogged traditional ethanol, made from corn. A team of Wisconsin researchers say they may have found an abundant and eminently Dairyland ingredient for ethanol - cow manure from the state’s dairyfarms. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a coalition of state firms have been awarded $7 million for bioenergy research that would use a manure byproduct to produce ethanol at a dairyfarm in Manitowoc County.The funding was awarded by the U.S. Energy and Agriculture departments through their joint biomass research-and-development initiative.

National dairy leader says U.S. dairies are approaching a crisis comparable to or worse than 2009.

When Naked Cow Dairy sought to boost its production of artisanal cheese, owners Monique van der Stroom and Sabrina St. Martin found it required a $15,000 piece of equipment. That was too big a price tag to pay for the sisters, who had already made a big financial commitment in starting their business, the only dairy on Oahu. What are two female farmers to do?

The apparently isolated, random case is only the fourth-ever discovery of the disease in the U.S.

SALT LAKE CITY -- A Utah dairy operation will close its doors at the end of the month, marking the end of a local institution that has changed hands several times during the past decade as it struggled to stay in business.

‘The estimated health care cost attributable to low dairy product consumption is comparable with total spending on public health in Australia.’

ROBERT SIEGEL: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I’m Robert Siegel.AUDIE CORNISH: And I’m Audie Cornish. We begin this hour with the drought and how it could affect your grocery bill. Today, the U.S. Agriculture Department designated 76 more counties as disaster areas because of the drought and excessive heat. And it said that severe drought will likely affect prices for corn and other field crops, although it’s too soon to know how much prices will go up.We have two stories on drought and food. Our first comes from NPR’s Allison Keyes.

Dairy and beef producers can hear firsthand from other producers and veterinarians how they provide immediate immunity to their calves at birth.

Keep an eye on the crop – especially data from the August and September USDA reports--and consider that 2013 is poised to offer little reprieve.

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 18 requests for export assistance from Bongards Creamery, Dairy Farmers of America, Darigold and Foremost Farms for customers in Asia, Central America, North Africa and the Middle East.