Author: Rachel Ravencraft

USTR Report Underlines Landmark Wins for Common Name Protections

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council and Consortium for Common Food Names welcomed today’s release of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) 2026 Special 301 Report, which details the significant progress made over the past year in securing commitments from U.S. trade partners to protect the free use of generic food and beverage terms.

The annual report documenting the most pressing intellectual property issues facing U.S. exporters this year spotlights the administration’s successful efforts to protect American producers’ use of common names such as “parmesan” and “feta” against the European Union’s protectionist geographical indication (GI) policies. NMPF, USDEC and CCFN have been proud to coordinate with the administration on combatting policies that restrict the use of widely recognized food and beverage terms to only specific European producers and effectively cut U.S. producers out of certain key markets.

“For too long, the EU has weaponized GI policy to crowd out American producers from markets they have served for decades,” Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC, said. “This past year’s reciprocal trade agreements are a sea change, and we welcome USTR’s leadership and persistence in addressing this issue. We encourage the administration to build on this impressive foundation in every remaining negotiation to ensure U.S. exporters are never again shut out of export markets by the EU’s GI misuse.”

“EU GI schemes create a two-tiered system that benefits European dairy producers and stamps out competition,” Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF, said. “NMPF deeply appreciates USTR’s leadership in addressing the GI restrictions detailed in the Special 301 report as a priority trade barrier. We look forward to continuing this great work with USTR.”

“The EU’s approach to geographical indications is simply a dressed-up trade barrier. It is entirely unacceptable,” Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN, said. “Too many trading partners have been coerced into imposing barriers on products using common food names. We greatly appreciate the administration’s leadership in reversing this trend, and we urge USTR to build on their great work securing important protections for common names in nine Agreements on Reciprocal Trade signed to date and protect common names in every market.”

CCFN submitted comments to the agency in January, which broke down the many markets where U.S. dairy producers’ common name rights are being threatened, including “asiago,” “provolone” and “gruyere,” and participated in the Special 301 public hearing USTR held in February. NMPF and USDEC filed supporting comments, expressing gratitude for the administration’s action.

All three organizations will continue to work closely with USTR and U.S. government partners to monitor implementation of the reciprocal trade agreements and to ensure that U.S. trade partners fully meet their commitments to maintaining open and predictable access for U.S. dairy and other common name products.

NMPF Applauds House Farm Bill Passage, Urges Senate to Take Action

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

From NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud:

“NMPF commends lawmakers who today stood up for farmers by passing legislation that’s critically important for dairy producers.

“The House-passed 2026 Farm Bill supports the farm safety net, preserves existing conservation programs that include opportunities for dairy and livestock producers, bolsters trade promotion programs while protecting common food names, recognizes the important role of dairy in nutrition, and supports animal health programs. All of these are important priorities to dairy farmers and the broader industry, and we appreciate the leadership shown by House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson and other dairy champions to get this legislation through the House.

“We look forward to the Senate taking up the farm bill without delay. At a time where farmers face unprecedented challenges, Congress needs to provide the stability of a five-year, comprehensive farm bill. We will work with leaders in both chambers, from both parties, to get a farm bill signed into law.”

Dairy Leads Through Stewardship, FARM’s Ayache Says

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Stewardship is a deeply engrained value among dairy farmers that’s also good for economic success, NMPF’s Nicole Ayache says in the latest Dairy Defined Podcast.

Ayache, who leads the National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) Programs’ Environmental Stewardship initiative, notes how sound management of resources and a focus on efficiency has boosted dairy productivity and bottom lines, even as it reflects the dedication of the farmers themselves to serving consumers.

“A lot of stewardship is about efficiency” – but it’s also more than that, Ayache said. “Anyone who chats with farmers know that because you can hear every time you talk to them about their farm and their choices, you can hear their passion for the animals and the land and their care and the nutrition they provide to our country and the world.”

NMPF Statement on the DAIRY PRIDE Act

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

From NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud: 

“FDA’s continued failure to enforce its own rules on the proper labeling of plant-based alternative products is a public health problem, plain and simple. Milk and dairy products supply 13 essential nutrients, including three that continue to be identified as nutrients of public health concern: calcium, potassium, and vitamin D. But plant-based imitation products that are not nutritionally equivalent to real milk and do not deliver dairy’s unique nutrient package for too long have been allowed to imply to consumers that they are just like the real thing, creating a public health problem that FDA commissioners have acknowledged over the past decade.

“The DAIRY PRIDE Act directs FDA to enforce dairy standards of identity, which were developed to promote honesty and protect consumers. Through the standards of identity, dairy terms, including “milk”, “cheese” and “yogurt,” have come to carry distinct meaning in the minds of consumers, with built-in expectations for nutritional values. By not enforcing these standards, FDA has allowed plant-based imitators to prey on consumers’ expectations while delivering nutritionally inferior products.

“It’s high time FDA makes it easier for consumers to navigate the choices they face in the grocery aisles; the DAIRY PRIDE Act is an important step in the right direction. Dairy farmers and their cooperatives thank Reps. John Joyce and Josh Riley for their bipartisan leadership in finding solutions through this critical legislation.”

 

Note: Last night, Reps. John Joyce, R-PA, and Josh Riley, D-NY, reintroduced the bipartisan DAIRY PRIDE Act in the House of Representatives. The legislation would deem food products that are making inaccurate claims about milk content “misbranded” and require FDA to issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of mislabeled imitation dairy products within 90 days.

 

Cottage Cheese and a Boom Built to Last

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

If you’re looking for an indication that dairy’s recent gains in the consumer marketplace are meant to last, cottage cheese would be a good place to start.

Flashback to… 2023, a time not so long ago. “Barbiecore” ruled a pink-hued fashion scene. “Quiet luxury” was in. A new drug called Ozempic seemed to hold promise. Pundits were gearing up for the Trump-Biden presidential rematch… and America fell in love again with cottage cheese.

Inspired by TikTok trends and embraced by Generation Z, cottage cheese was a meme for the cultural moment, spurring increased sales after decades of decline. But was that all it was destined to be? When the influencers moved on, would cottage cheese inevitably fade back into the dowdy, food-for-your-grandparents doldrums to which it had seemingly been consigned in the past?

Nope.

With two more years of data in, cottage cheese clearly isn’t a food fad that was tried and discarded. Sales that had bottomed out in 2022 at 534.6 million pints rose by 9.4 percent the next year — certainly a buzzworthy jump. But in 2024, volume rose another 12.5 percent. And in 2025, cottage cheese sales volumes jumped another 14.3 percent, to 746.6 million.

That, friends of dairy, is what is called a lasting trend. And an accelerating one, at that. So how high could it go?

USDA per-capita consumption numbers tell a similar story. That data, which ends in 2024 but goes back to 1975, adds another layer of intrigue. As in the retail sales data, per-capita consumption bottoms out in 2022, at 1.91 pounds per American, per year. The next two years increase, with 2024 at 2.37 pounds. That’s what someone would expect, given the retail numbers.

But here’s the interesting part. Dairy consumption overall is its highest since the 1950s. Butter’s at its highest since the 1960s. Cottage cheese is at its highest since… 2009. 2009? The year that Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the VMAs? The year vampires ruled entertainment? The year Barack Obama became the first black president? That’s not so long ago. And thus not as impressive, you might think.

That’s exactly the point. This trend has room to grow. In 1976, as America celebrated its Bicentennial (and “Disco Lady” topped the pop charts — OK, now we’re getting old), per-capita cottage cheese consumption was 4.63 pounds, nearly twice what it was in 2024.

That’s a lot of room to roam. And America’s turning 250 this year.

So when people look back nostalgically at 2026 (because someone will, someday, somehow), perhaps they won’t think of it as an era of cottage cheese — because they’ll be eating a lot more of it than we did at the time. But we will be the ones who were there for the revival, when a nutritious, nutrient-dense snack was just beginning its comeback.

All the signs are there. Dairy just has to maintain the momentum. And the message. (A helpful hint: Please post this column on social media, where the comeback purportedly began.)

U.S. Dairy Statement on USTR National Trade Estimate Report

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council and the Consortium for Common Food Names commended USTR for spotlighting persistent trade barriers facing U.S. dairy exporters in the 2026 National Trade Estimate report:

“Nearly one in every six pounds of milk produced in America is shipped to a customer overseas,” Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF, said. “When foreign markets are closed off by bogus restrictions, the pain is felt directly on farms across this country. The administration’s work through reciprocal trade negotiations to knock down these barriers is exactly the kind of advocacy American dairy farmers need, and we are grateful to see it reflected in this report.”

“The inclusion of dairy trade barriers in this report and the administration’s concrete action to address them through reciprocal trade negotiations sends a clear signal that the United States is serious about opening markets for American dairy exporters,” Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC, said. “Every unnecessary certification requirement dismantled, every unjustified facility registration eliminated, and every market access commitment secured through these agreements is a win for U.S. dairy. We thank the administration for confronting the barriers directly and we look forward to building on that progress.”

“The EU’s common name confiscation campaign is one of the most cynical trade tactics in the world today, and we are grateful that this administration has made confronting it a priority,” Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN, said. “By documenting the EU’s geographical indications agenda prominently in the NTE Report and pushing back against it in reciprocal trade negotiations, USTR is standing up for American producers of cheeses, wines, meats, and beers. We strongly encourage the administration to keep up the great work.”

FARM Program Breaks Down Biosecurity Planning

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Dairy FARM Program equipped farmers with the knowledge and resources to prepare for potential outbreaks during its session, “Where to Start: Building an Enhanced Biosecurity Plan” presented March 18 at the Central Plains Dairy Expo in Sioux Falls, SD.

FARM Biosecurity lead Miquela Hanselman, in partnership with Preventalytics owner Dr. Danelle Bickett-Weddle, instructed producers on how to identify risks specific to their herd.

FARM Biosecurity can help producers take the first steps towards developing an enhanced biosecurity plan:

  • Step one: Address movement risks, such as animals, supply deliveries and personnel.
  • Step two: Complete a self-assessment that includes questions regarding animal health and disease monitoring, animal movements and contacts, vehicles and equipment, personnel and establishing a line of separation. This delineates a point of entry on farms and can help control on-farm movements. Each of these areas corresponds to the enhanced biosecurity plan.
  • Step three: Create a daily biosecurity plan specific to your operation and gather essential information such as Premises IDs and emergency contacts for the farm.

FARM also connected with the broader dairy community throughout the week, sharing free resources and talking to consumers about the great work that happens on dairy farms daily.

The FARM Program remains at the forefront of on-farm social responsibility initiatives, advancing U.S. dairy’s mission of continuous improvement through industry outreach and education.

March-to-Date NEXT-Assisted Export Sales Surpass 30 Million Pounds

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NEXT member cooperatives secured 77 contracts in March with one week still outstanding for the month due to publication timing. These contracts added 30.4 million pounds of product in NEXT-assisted sales in 2026. These products will go to customers in Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, Middle East-North Africa, Eurasia, South America, Central America and the Caribbean and will be shipped from March through October.

Exporting dairy products is critical to the viability of dairy farmers and their cooperatives across the country. Whether or not a cooperative is actively engaged in exporting, moving products into world markets is essential. NEXT provides a means to move domestic dairy products to overseas markets by helping to overcome U.S. dairy’s trade disadvantages.

The referenced amounts of dairy products reflect current contracts for delivery, not completed export volumes. NEXT will pay export assistance to bidders only when export and delivery of product is verified by submission of required documentation.

 

Getting Word Out Helps Boost DMC Numbers

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

After signup rates were lagging previous years for the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, a full-court communications press from NMPF helped push enrollment levels above year-ago levels, with an even higher percentage of dairy farmers participating as a proportion of U.S. dairy operations.

Participation in USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage program rose to 13,349 this year, up from 12,989 in 2025. Currently, 57 percent of dairy farms are enrolled, compared to 53 percent the previous year.

The gain came after a comprehensive NMPF effort to get the word out, which included staff appearances on RFD-TV, distributed news articles via the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, social media, NMPF’s CEO’s Corner column and President’s Report from Gregg Doud, member alerts and news releases.

This growth highlights that farmers continue to recognize the importance of this safety net and benefit from its support. Congress improved DMC as part of farm-support provisions in last year’s budget reconciliation bill, with an updated production history and an increase in the amount of milk covered under the program.

As that effort was under way, the February margin under USDA’s Margin Coverage Program was generating another month of payments, with a reported margin for the month of $8.46/cwt, up $0.65/cwt from the month before. Farmers who elected coverage at the maximum $9.50/cwt level received a payment of $1.04/cwt for the month.

An $0.80/cwt increase in the all-milk price from January drove the higher margin, which was tempered by $0.15/cwt gain in the February DMC feed cost formula, due primarily to a higher soybean meal price.

The DMC Decision Tool on the USDA website projected at the end of March that February’s payment might be the year’s last, other than a possible small one for March. USDA expected margins to average $10.61/cwt for the year.

NMPF Opens Doors for Dairy in Ecuador Trade Deal

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF’s sustained engagement with the U.S. government continues to pay off for American dairy farmers, with a new U.S.-Ecuador reciprocal trade agreement, signed March 13, representing the latest in a string of hard-fought market access wins.

The new deal would improve export opportunities for U.S. dairy products in a market long plagued by restrictive tariffs and nontariff trade barriers and would deliver on several dairy priorities. It would:

  • Eliminate tariffs on a range of U.S. dairy products;
  • Overhaul Ecuador’s burdensome import licensing system; and
  • Recognize U.S. regulatory oversight, including dropping facility listing requirements and accepting certificates from American regulatory authorities.

For cheese producers specifically, the deal protects 40 common cheese names including “parmesan,” blocking foreign competitors from monopolizing terms that U.S. producers depend on.

“With an unprecedented investment in U.S. dairy manufacturing capacity, deals like this are vital to making it easier for international buyers to source the great products our dairy companies are making,” NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said.

The Ecuador deal is the tenth agreement secured by the Administration that includes new market access for U.S. dairy products. NMPF and USDEC remain committed to working with USTR to support implementation and build on this momentum.

U.S. Dairy Highlights USMCA Review Priorities

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF’s Tony Rice joined a March 17 briefing hosted by the Congressional Agriculture Trade Caucus to emphasize the importance of the North American market for dairy producers and underscore the need to use the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) review process to resolve longstanding trade barriers that limit American dairy-farmer access to key North American markets.

“The USMCA Joint Review presents an opportunity for the United States to strengthen the agreement and ensure Mexico and Canada live up to their commitments,” Rice said. “Preserving tariff-free access to Mexico is paramount, while measures to address Canada’s failure to comply with its dairy obligations and Mexico’s delayed implementation of its common name provisions are necessary for U.S. dairy producers receive the full benefit of the agreement.”

Canada has continued to manipulate its tariff-rate quota administration in ways that effectively shut out U.S. dairy, while also circumventing its USMCA disciplines on dairy protein exports. These violations undermine the market access that USMCA was designed to deliver.

Mexico, meanwhile, also as implementation gaps that require attention during the review even as it remains a positive trading partner. Specifically, Mexico still needs to incorporate certain USMCA common name commitments, which protect the ability of American producers to market their products like “feta,” into its regulatory structures and take clearer steps to ensure that new restrictions are not imposed on U.S. cheese exports.

NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council have been raising these concerns with members of Congress and the Administration throughout the lead-up to renewal, and the Agriculture Trade Caucus has become an important venue for that work. The bipartisan caucus, which NMPF and USDEC helped launch in January 2024, regularly convenes briefings on challenges facing agricultural exporters and Congress’ role in leveling the playing field.

NMPF and USDEC will continue to push to strengthen the agreement and ensure that the promises made to U.S. dairy farmers are kept as the three countries meet to discuss the future of the trade pact on July 1.