Author: Rachel Ravencraft

U.S. Dairy Industry Celebrates Julie Callahan Nomination for Chief Agricultural Negotiator

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) commended President Trump’s nomination of Dr. Julie Callahan to serve as Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

“The role of Chief Agricultural Negotiator is critical to ensuring that American dairy farmers have a voice in trade negotiations,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF and a former USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator. “Dr. Callahan is the right choice. Her expertise and leadership in agricultural trade policy is second to none. Dairy farmers and the entire U.S. dairy industry look forward to working with her to open new export markets and hold our trading partners accountable. We ask that the Senate move swiftly to advance her confirmation process.”

Callahan currently serves as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy where she leads on expanding and preserving market access opportunities for U.S. farmers and food manufacturers. Her impressive tenure in agricultural trade policy spans across a variety of leadership roles with USTR and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in addition to early career experience with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and the American Chemical Society.

“Dr. Callahan’s nomination today is a win for U.S. agriculture,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “The U.S. dairy industry depends on a proactive trade policy agenda to grow. Dr. Callahan brings deep trade policy expertise and an unmatched record of advocating for U.S. farmers and food manufacturers to a role vital to ensuring agriculture has a seat at the negotiating table. We look forward to working with her to drive back trade barriers and build markets for American dairy producers. USDEC calls on the Senate to quickly confirm her as our next Chief Agricultural Negotiator.”

“For far too long, the European Union has misused its geographical indications rules to monopolize common food names like ‘parmesan’ and block fair competition from U.S. producers,” said Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN. “In her current role, Dr. Callahan has been leading the charge in preserving market access for U.S. common name producers in the face of these harmful EU policies. Her leadership will be instrumental in working to ensure that the European Union stops taking advantage of American farmers. We are excited for the opportunity to further work with her on this important mission and urge an expeditious confirmation process in the Senate.”

EPA’s PFAS Assessment is Well-Meaning but Wrong

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Clay Detlefsen, Senior Vice President, Regulatory & Environmental Affairs

As part of its effort to protect communities from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the Environmental Protection Agency has created a draft risk assessment modeling human exposure to the “forever chemicals” PFOA or PFOS from the application of sewage sludge, or biosolids, to farmland. This risk assessment does not model risks for the general public, only very specific populations living on or near sites affected by PFAS from biosolids.

EPA’s goal of the risk assessment is to inform future actions by federal and state agencies as well as steps that wastewater systems, farmers and other stakeholders can take to protect people from PFAS exposure, while also ensuring American industry keeps feeding and fueling the nation. And that’s a worthwhile goal. However, the models used in the draft risk assessment operate on extreme assumptions which don’t account for the reality of agriculture.

One part of EPA’s assessment models the PFAS exposure risk to dairy farmers. In this model, a dairy farm family lives on an 80-acre farm next to a 13-acre lake, where sewage sludge containing one part per billion of PFAS has been applied to the pasture every year for 40 years where the cows are raised. Everyone in the family drinks 32 oz of milk directly from the bulk tank each day, and they also eat eggs and meat from animals on the farm, fish from the nearby lake, and fruits and vegetables grown on the farm. The farm family has lived on the land for the past 10 years.

Sound familiar? Of course not. There’s not a single dairy farm in the country that produces every piece of food a family eats. Furthermore, there are not that many dairies in the United States that pasture raise their cows, and even fewer that apply sewage sludge from municipal wastewater systems to their pastures every year for 40 years. This model also does not account for existing best management practices for the land application of biosolids that farmers often incorporate into their practices.

EPA’s draft risk assessment is yet another example of the agency forcing a square peg in a round hole when it comes to PFAS on dairies. It is important to continue to increase our understanding of PFAS and how it moves through our ecosystem, as well as the potential health effects of PFAS exposure. But EPA’s misguided approach in this model paints an inaccurate picture that does a disservice to everyone.

The National Milk Producers Federation, together with other major agriculture organizations, will be submitting comments to EPA in the coming weeks that explain the shortcomings of the agency’s draft risk assessment on PFOA and PFOS in sewage sludge and why this model should not be used to inform new regulations. There is no clear solution to this issue right now, but NMPF will continue to advise EPA about realistic representation of on-farm practices.

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on July 17, 2025.

“Beautiful” Bill’s Passage Paves Way for Whole Milk

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

A massive tax and spending bill is now law — but with half a year left, Congress now can turn its attention to getting whole milk back in schools, NMPF’s Paul Bleiberg said in a Dairy Defined podcast.

“One item I’ll single out first that we’re hopeful to get done really in the next couple months here is the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act,” Bleiberg, NMPF’s executive vice president for government relations, said in a podcast released today. “We had a great voice vote, bipartisan voice vote out of the Senate Agriculture Committee just over a month ago, so we’re hoping that we can get that through the Senate and then through the House, and begin that work of getting whole milk and 2% milk back into schools and getting kids better access to the nutrient-dense dairy options that really give them the benefits they need and that they enjoy.”

Bleiberg also discussed efforts toward agricultural labor reform, the farm bill provisions included in current law and NMPF’s policy priorities for the rest of the year. Joining Bleiberg in the podcast is Maria Brockamp, NMPF’s new manager of government relations.

To learn more about NMPF’s policy efforts with our new bill tracker. For more of the Dairy Defined podcast, visit Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music and search under the podcast name Dairy Defined.

Dairy farmers poised for bill’s successes

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Paul Bleiberg, Executive Vice President, Government Relations

The nation’s Capitol is ground zero for numerous political debates, but none have been more all-encompassing this year than the budget reconciliation package House and Senate Republicans are crafting to enact President Trump’s policy agenda. Both chambers have been hard at work over the past few months to advance the package, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” to the president’s desk. Despite a tennis match of the fine-print details that is not yet settled, the pending bill includes many provisions that spell good news for America’s dairy farmers and their cooperatives.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) has been working diligently to support and maintain these successes which will benefit dairies across the country once they come to fruition. After the previous congress extended the 2018 Farm Bill, the congressional agriculture committees got creative and worked to include key farm-related resources in this budget package. In addition, as had long been expected, the tax-writing committees are renewing and improving key policies first enacted in 2017.

Thanks to the work of the Agriculture Committee Chairmen Glen “GT” Thompson, R-PA, and John Boozman, R-AR, the bill includes multiple provisions to strengthen dairy and farm policy. NMPF is poised to secure a long-term reauthorization of the Dairy Margin Coverage program with an updated production history calculation as well as critical resources for USDA to conduct mandatory dairy manufacturing cost surveys every two years to better inform future milk pricing deliberations.

The pending bill includes new investments for dairy priorities including conservation, trade, and animal health. It ensures increased long-term funding for popular, oversubscribed conservation programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The package also provides new trade promotion funding based on current programs that return well over $20 in export revenue for every dollar invested in the programs. Finally, it boosts funding for animal health programs that help to prevent, control, and eradicate animal diseases, such as last year’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle.

On the tax side of the ledger, House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-MO, and Senate Finance Chairman Mike Crapo, R-ID, have worked to provide farmers and cooperatives with greater certainty. As family-owned businesses who unite to form co-ops, dairy farms are uniquely situated within the American business landscape. NMPF is pleased that the bill makes permanent the Section 199A tax deduction, enabling dairy farmer-owned cooperatives to continue either passing the deduction back to their farmer owners or reinvesting it in their cooperatives. The bill also includes an expectation for the Treasury Secretary to establish distinct emission rates for specific manure feedstocks, including dairy manure, so that energy projects fueled with dairy-derived renewable natural gas can generate greater revenue for the dairy farmer.

NMPF has been proud to work alongside the many voices in Congress and the agriculture community who have worked tirelessly to support America’s farmers and their cooperatives within the reconciliation bill. But these wins are not yet fully cemented into law, so dairy remains committed to sharing the stories of farm families as an essential component of guiding these policy successes across the finish line.

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on July 7, 2025.

We Call Out the Crock for What It Isn’t

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Crock /kräk/ (noun). 1. An earthenware pot or jar. 2. (North American, informal) Something considered to be complete nonsense.

Yup. And there they go again.

Country Crock, which for generations has had the unfortunate challenge of being in the margarine business, is continuing its tradition of trying to make consumers think they make butter, this time through peddling a product called “dairy-free salted butter.” That may have consumer appeal in some areas, and it’s easy to see why a product would want to draw on the popular consumer benefits of butter. But unfortunately (again) for them, there’s a big problem: Under congressional legislation and FDA standards, the product they’re claiming to make can’t actually exist.

Once more, with feeling. Dairy products are animal products, and “this product as labeled implies it is butter made without cow’s milk — which is unlawful, according to Congress’s definition of butter in 1906,” says a letter from the American Butter Institute, which is managed and staffed by NMPF, sent to FDA late last month.

“Because the Country Crock product’s principal display panel prominently bears the term ‘Butter,’ includes an image of a traditional red barn associated with dairy farms and employs an image of butter, there can be no mistake about the marketer’s intent to identify itself as butter, which is preferred by consumers, rather than what it is, a plant-based spread similar to margarine.”

Exactly.

It’s easy to understand why Country Crock keeps wanting to call its products butter. Butter demand continues to surge. On a rolling 12-month average, U.S consumer butter sales in May were 4.3 percent higher than a year earlier. They’re up 25 percent from a decade earlier.

Country Crock’s latest illegal nomenclature recalls the launch of its “plant-based butter” in 2019. That’s also a misnomer, given that statute specifies that butter can’t be plant-based. The name for such a product is “margarine,” “spread,” etc. But again, what can you expect from a company whose identity is based, from the use of the verb “churn” (verb: “To agitate or turn (milk or cream) in a machine in order to produce butter.”) to its self-proclaimed “creamy, buttery” taste, from associating itself with dairy?

Probably not much. But we can expect more from our government, which for decades has ignored willful attempts to mislead consumers from plant-based imposters.

We have high hopes, that in the name of consumer transparency and support for foods that are whole, natural and honest about what they are, that FDA finally may act in favor of accurate labeling and enforce the law this time, after decades of little positive action. In the meantime, we’ll celebrate butter’s continued success — and call out the crocks for what they are.

In Washington, Change is a Challenge

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

As the initial flurry of activity in the new administration and Congress moves into the heat of summer in Washington, the challenges and fault lines that come with addressing major issues including labor, trade and taxes are becoming increasingly clear.  

This should come as a surprise to no one.  

To put it plainly, change is difficult. Movement on issues that have seen decades of gridlock and tinkering along the edges because of a lack of political will are especially hard. This isn’t a secret, and the turbulence agriculture policy is seeing is likely to continue for some time. While that’s occurring, it will be important for everyone in dairy and agriculture to remain focused on advancing our industry and ensuring that we embrace the current environment for its opportunities while remaining vigilant among its threats.  

Take labor, for example. The balance between the administration’s goals of ensuring border security and deporting people who are not legally residing in the United States with ensuring the economic health of rural communities by maintaining an adequate workforce for farms is clearly recognized by the president and by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. We are grateful for the president’s sympathy for farmers and the secretary’s work on their behalf — still, but more importantly, his continued willingness to tackle complex policy topics that have languished for decades. 

That’s why we agree with Jim Boyle, the vice-chairman of NMPF member co-op the United Dairymen of Arizona who we recently profiled in our Farmer Focus feature series. “The president is right about securing the border, but any enforcement action needs to go hand-in-hand with a labor reform package,” he said.  

We continue to work for either a change to the current H2-A farmworker visa that will accommodate dairy’s year-round nature or, in the absence of that, a new guestworker program that meets dairy’s needs. In the meantime, dairy farmers who are meeting requirements for worker documentation shouldn’t be living with worries about immigration raids on their farms. It isn’t good to have open borders and criminals crossing over it. But it’s also not good for dairy farmers, or rural communities, to be deprived of hard-working, law-abiding labor that’s paid well and willing to do work native-born Americans have always been less willing to do, caring for animals around the clock and ensuring a steady supply of nutritious dairy products for Americans and the world.  

Similarly, efforts to dramatically reset trade relationships worldwide are inevitably meeting challenges. But for all the concern over tariffs, it’s also important to remember that, through April, the value of U.S. dairy exports in 2025 is actually higher than it was the previous year. While no one is claiming that everything is roses on the trade front, it’s critical to remember that U.S. dairy continues to compete successfully and build relationships with global partners amid the day-to-day noise of headlines.  

And finally, policy advancements are happening domestically. The Senate is poised to pass its own version of The Big, Beautiful Bill that the House approved in May. The differences between the two chambers are significant, and negotiations over details may take maddeningly long. But with major tax increases looming in 2026 if Congress doesn’t get its work done in time, the incentives to complete a package are overwhelming. And both versions contain significant wins for dairy farmers, from the extension of the Dairy Margin Coverage Program through 2031 to making permanent the Section 199(A) tax deduction that helps cooperatives stay competitive.  

Rome wasn’t built in a day, decades of unfair trade policies won’t evaporate overnight, and farm-labor issues that haven’t been taken seriously since the last major legislation in 1986 won’t be solved in one growing season. But dairy will survive, and can thrive, as these critical questions gain serious attention and a genuine desire for answers. We are in for a hot summer and a challenging fall. But we can, and will, come out ahead.  

Gregg Doud

President & CEO, NMPF

 

FARM Program Offers HR and Safety Support

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Sage Saffran, Manager, Sustainability Initiatives

Dairy owners and managers are often looking for ways to attract and retain employees. That’s why the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Workforce Development Program offers resources to support farms in recruiting, training and managing workers. The program equips dairy owners and managers with tools to enhance safe and thriving work environments.

Developed in consultation with professional and academic experts, farmers, and cooperative and processor staff, the program highlights best practices in human resources (HR) and safety. To support implementation, the program offers a wide variety of fillable templates, fact sheets, self-assessments and manuals.

The fillable templates cover topics from job applications to performance reviews, training logs and more. All templates are available to download for free in English and Spanish. Dairy owners and managers are encouraged to tailor the templates to their specific needs. State legal fact sheets, which are updated annually, summarize applicable state laws and regulations for dairy farms in plain language. FARM WFD offers reference manuals for both HR and safety topics, in addition to a fully customizable employee handbook.

Retaining labor is critically important, and prioritizing efforts to implement best practices in HR and safety can help with that. “FARM Workforce Development gave us an opportunity to review our existing safety and training protocols and identify areas we could strengthen,” Newmont Farm owner Will Gladstone said in a FARM Impact story. “It’s been helpful for both managers and employees to have written documentation of safety procedures and employee resources.” Gladstone shared his experience as a FARM WFD participant in FARM’s Impact Story feature, which aims to highlight farmers’ experiences with the program.

Additionally, FARM WFD uses an on-farm second-party evaluation tool to help farms learn about HR and safety management best practices, identify which practices will be most useful to implement on their farm, and track improvement over time.

The program area launched Version 2 in July 2024, updating the evaluation tool used to voluntarily assess and encourage adoption of HR and safety best practices on-farm. In Version 2, the evaluation was restructured to better group questions of similar themes and contains seven additional questions to further strengthen the tool surrounding communication and performance management. 475 Version 2 evaluations were completed in 2024 through 13 participating cooperatives and processors.

The FARM WFD program continues to update its suite of resources, including annual updates of its state legal fact sheets.

To learn more about FARM WFD, visit nationaldairyfarm.com.

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on June 30, 2025.

Federal Regulations Evolving Fast

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The regulatory climate in Washington is shifting in unprecedented ways, requiring quick responses and an eye for opportunities, NMPF regulation experts said in a Dairy Defined podcast released today.

The pace of evolution is “Intense, insane,” said Clay Detlefsen, NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Regulatory and Environmental Affairs. “It changes daily. It’s full of unknowns, and it’s moving forward at an absolutely crazy pace. We don’t know what to expect tomorrow or the next day or the day after that, but things are indeed happening.”

Joining Detlefsen to discuss what dairy farmers, processors and consumers should anticipate, from milk labeling to MAHA, are Dr. Jamie Jonker, NMPF’s Chief Science Officer, and Director of Regulatory Affairs Miquela Hanselman.

To hear more Dairy Defined podcasts, you can find and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music under the podcast name “Dairy Defined.”

Preparing the next generation

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Theresa Sweeney-Murphy, Senior Director, Communications & Outreach

This year marks a major milestone for the National Milk Producers Federation’s (NMPF) National Young Cooperators (YC) Program as it celebrates its 75th anniversary. Young dairy farmer leaders from across the country are gathered this week in Washington, D.C. to engage with lawmakers, advocate for key dairy issues and continue building the next generation of cooperative leadership.

The multi-day program is a hallmark event for NMPF, providing young cooperators with in-depth insights into current policy issues from subject matter experts. Attendees also receive training in relationship-building with lawmakers, message development and effective communication strategies — skills they then have the opportunity to apply during meetings with members of Congress and their staffs on Capitol Hill.

Drawing from their own experiences, young cooperators will highlight the effects of policy action — and inaction — on their farms during meetings with policymakers. A key priority this year is pushing for agricultural labor reform that provides dairy farmers with access to a stable, legal workforce. They will also advocate for the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, underscoring the nutritional benefits of whole milk for children, and champion efforts to expand reliable export markets for U.S. dairy products.

Now celebrating the 75th year, the YC Program remains firmly rooted in the cooperative values that bring the dairy community together. Since 1950, it has helped shape the next generation of leaders by offering year-round leadership training and educational opportunities for young farmers looking to step into greater roles — on their farms, in their cooperatives, and throughout the industry.

This week’s event reinforces the critical role the YC Program plays in dairy farmer advocacy. As challenges grow more complex, having well-prepared, informed young leaders at the table is more important than ever. Their voices bring real-world insight to policy discussions, ensuring that dairy farmers’ needs are heard and understood by policymakers. Their involvement is essential to shaping sound policies and securing a strong future for the industry.

Beyond this week’s Dairy Policy and Legislative Forum in Washington, the YC Program has more in-person events planned for 2025. Educational sessions will be held October 2 and 3 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., followed by the annual Leadership and Development Program, taking place November 9 to 12 in Arlington, Texas.

The National YC Program is open to dairy farmers under the age of 45 who own or work on a farm that’s part of an NMPF member cooperative. To stay informed about upcoming events and opportunities, click here and check the National YC Program box. You can also reach out to your cooperative to learn more about getting involved.

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on June 9, 2025.

Lab-Based Dairy is So Boring

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

It’s strange to admit, but as more and more consumers react negatively to the lack of nutrition and marketing honesty in plant-based and lab-based beverages, news of their falling sales, struggling stock prices and consumer skepticism has become almost … boring.  

But being boring is one thing. Being Bored is another level entirely. Let’s explain. 

Two years ago, when “lab-based” milk seemed to be promising some more of the same mislabeling craziness that plant-based dairy imposters have been foisting on consumers for decades, an over-hyped beverage called “Bored Cow” entered the marketplace.  

Promising “animal-free dairy milk,” (which, per FDA standards of identity, is impossible), Bored Cow played the same trick as other purported lab-based milk imitators — it fermented one dairy protein (out of hundreds of milk’s total chemical components), added a bunch of other stuff to it, and decided to market it as milk, complete with spurious sustainability claims and promises to “fix our food system,” etc.  

NMPF complained to the FDA, and, as has been customary with FDA for the past several decades when it comes to dairy terms, very little happened. But another place where little seems to be happening is … Bored Cow’s sales. Once the hype died down, did Bored Cow just … wander away? 

A look at the company website, tryboredcow.com, returns a message saying “Sorry, this store is unavailable.” Same thing happens to the website of one of its two corporate parents, the venture-capital-established Tomorrow Farms. Bored Cow’s Instagram page was last updated last August.  

Perfect Day, the other entity from which Bored Cow was spawned, at least still has an active web presence. The company is active enough, in fact, to get sued by the Organic Consumers Association for peddling Bored Cow as milk when it’s actually, as alleged in the lawsuit, about 87% fungus, among other things. (You can see why they’d prefer to associate with dairy, with limited fungus demand among American beverage consumers.) According to an article detailing the suit, Bored Cow has become a bit of a distraction for Perfect Day, which in 2023 pivoted to building business-to-business relationships with large consumer products companies and didn’t want to focus on brands. 

Multiple requests for comment from Perfect Day were not returned. Bored Cow doesn’t seem to have any contact information.  

To be sure, Bored Cow still seems to exist. Target and Walmart are selling it, and UberEats says it can deliver you some in an hour if you’d like. But if this is the lab-based revolution, it’s a bit underwhelming. Sales of real milk are up, dairy investment is booming, and the return to milk (and the turning away from alternatives) is genuine. Proving yet again that reports of the death of dairy a few years ago were greatly exaggerated. Now it seems like it’s the one-time wave of the future that’s on life support.  

An interesting thought. But it’s also one that’s become so obvious that’s it’s getting a little … you know.   

NMPF Applauds Senate Committee for Advancing Whole Milk Bill

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation applauded the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry for supporting by voice vote the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, a vital piece of legislation for increasing student milk consumption and nutrition access. 

The bill’s markup today is a critical step in passing this bipartisan legislation, which has already been approved at the House committee level.   

“The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act is about making informed, science-backed decisions that prioritize the health and future of our children,” NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said. “We’re grateful that this common-sense legislation has received such strong support from both sides of the aisle. We commend Senators Marshall and Welch for authoring this bill in the Senate and advocating passionately for its passage, as well as Chairman Boozman and Ranking Member Klobuchar for their bipartisan leadership in moving the bill through committee. Passing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act will allow more schoolkids to access essential nutrients in their diets, and that’s something everyone can get behind.”  

This bill, if signed into law, would provide schools with the option of serving whole and 2% milk. Whole and 2% milk are the most consumed varieties at home, more satiating than lower fat varieties and offer the same 13 essential nutrients including protein, calcium and vitamin D.  Currently, school meal rules in effect since 2012 only allow 1% and fat-free milk options.  

The bill is sponsored by Sens. Roger Marshall, R-KS, Peter Welch, D-VT, Dave McCormick, R-PA, and John Fetterman, D-PA. In addition, Chairman John Boozman, R-AR and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, both strongly supported the bill as did many other committee members from both parties.  

The House of Representatives is considering similar legislation led by House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson, R-PA, and Rep. Kim Schrier, D-WA. The House bill was approved by the House Education & the Workforce Committee with bipartisan support Feb. 12, and it now awaits floor action. The full House passed a similar bill in 2023, but that year’s session expired before Senate approval.  

With today’s successful committee vote, the next step is floor action in both the House and the Senate. NMPF has a call to action on its website urging dairy advocates to speak up on the bill.