Deerfield, Ill.-based Stagnito Communications Inc., an Ascend Media Company, has acquired the Food Safety Summit from Eaton Hall Exhibitions, Florham Park, N.J. More details can be found immediately at www.stagnito.com and www.foodsafetysummit.com, and next month in Dairy Field.

With the retirement Gary Hanman, the board of directors of Dairy Farmers of America Inc. (DFA) has named Rick Smith as president and chief executive officer of the Kansas City, Mo.-based farmer-owned dairy cooperative. Smith, who served as DFA’s president and chief operating officer, assumed the lead role on January 1 and has since created a senior management team. More details are at www.dfamilk.com.

Hilmar, Calif.-based Hilmar Cheese Co. has announced plans to expand its operations into Texas with a new facility in Dalhart, located in the Panhandle region of the state. The company chose Dalhart over competing cities for various reasons, including Texas’ positive business climate, reliable regulatory environment and an up-and-coming local dairy industry in the greater Amarillo area, says Hilmar chief executive John Jeter, adding, “Another critical factor was the incentives provide by the state of Texas, the city of Amarillo and the Dalhart community.” Hilmar plans to invest more than $190 million and is projected to employ nearly 2,000 employees over the next decade. For more information, visit www.hilmarcheese.com.

Foremost Farms USA, Baraboo, Wis., and Stacyville Cooperative Creamery, Stacyville, Iowa, have merged. Cooperative membership agreed to the merger, whereby Foremost will assume the equity investments of Stacyville members.

Massachusetts-based planning, engineering and construction firm Food Tech Structures has been chosen to design and build a 13,000 square-foot specialty cheese plant at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. Pineland Farms, a 4,000-plus-acre working farm, business campus and educational/recreational venue, is planning to construct the new cheese plant on its campus in order to utilize a portion of its annual milk production for value-added farmstead cheese products.

In a letter sent in December to President George W. Bush, 46 dairy industry leaders encouraged the White House to continue to press for meaningful reform of agricultural subsidies within the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round. The 46 executives lead major U.S. cheese, milk, cultured product and ice cream companies, and industry suppliers. Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is a long-standing proponent of liberalizing global trade in order to grow overseas markets for U.S. dairy exports. For more information and Doha updates, visit www.idfa.org.

Effective December 21, 2005, a USDA interim rule implemented legislative provisions to prohibit direct or indirect restrictions on the sale or marketing of fluid milk on school premises or at school-sponsored events, at any time or in any place, in schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. This rule is intended to ensure that there are no policies or procedures in place that restrict the sale or marketing of fluid milk.

Originally planned for New Orleans, the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association’s (IDDBA) 42nd annual seminar and expo, Dairy-Deli-Bake 2006, will be held in Orlando, Fla., at the Orlando Convention Center, June 11 to 13. The theme for this year’s show is “The Show of Shows”: The Greatest Food Expo on Earth.” Organizers opted to relocate the show in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. For more information, visit www.iddba.org.