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Global dairy leader Fonterra Co-operative Group says the company is moving ahead with plans to build dairies in China.

Leveraging dairy checkoff dollars with fast-food giants have resulted in billions of pounds of increased milk sales.

El cuidado de la vaca según los ojos de un auditor de bienestar animal

The U.S. has made the wrong products, used the wrong specifications, had weak or no customer relationships, and has been an inconsistent supplier.

It seems a rare act of civic sacrifice. In the name of deficit reduction, lawmakers from both parties in the United States are calling for the end of a longstanding agricultural subsidy that puts about $5 billion a year in the pockets of their farmer constituents. Even major farm groups are accepting the proposal, saying that with farmers poised to reap bumper profits, they must do their part.But in the same breath, the lawmakers and their farm lobby allies are seeking to send most of that money - under a new name - straight back to the same farmers, with most of the benefits going to large farms that grow commodity crops like corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton. In essence, lawmakers would replace one subsidy with a new one.’'We are very much aware of the budgetary constraints of the federal government,’' said Garry Niemeyer, an Illinois farmer who is president of the National Corn Growers Association. ''We want to do our part as corn growers to help resolve those issues, but we only want to do our proportional part. We don’t want to have everything taken out on us.’'

EUROPEAN Commission proposals for reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) include a plan to dedicate 30 per cent of direct farm payments to “green” measures. Controversially, it would only be paid to farmers who leave at least seven per cent of their land fallow - something the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and National Farmers Union (NFU) pledged to fight.

US Agriculture Department officials have faced criticism over recent forecasts that have roiled the grains market, saying that the explosive growth of the ethanol sector had upended traditional patterns. The robust growth of the ethanol sector in the last few years has altered the structure of the US corn market and is complicating the government’s efforts to gauge feed use, the US Agriculture Department said.

As Steve Jobs admirers flocked to Apple headquarters and his Silicon Valley home in the hours after his death, the signs of his influence could be seen everywhere: A farmer in Arkansas who uses his iPhone to monitor how much pesticide to apply to each crop and read market reports while standing in his fields.

The site also lays out what impact less than 100% compliance has on program effectiveness.

Follow the links to read extended versions of Dollars and Sense.