A marketing cooperative is owned by farmers and helps them market their milk. Many cooperatives also own and operating processing plants, while others serve as bargaining agents on behalf of the member-owners. Cooperatives give individual farmers better access to retail markets and more leverage within the food chain.
NMPF is a farm-commodity policy organization representing a majority of U.S. dairy-marketing cooperatives. Its members market more than two-thirds of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the principal voice on national issues for these cooperatives and their members.