Author: Rachel Ravencraft
NMPF Praises Senate Passage of Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act
The National Milk Producers Federation celebrated today’s latest step toward better nutrition for children, as the Senate passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act by unanimous consent.
The Senate’s unanimous support for the legislation means that only House passage and a presidential signature remain before improved access to dairy nutrition in schools becomes law. This bill would provide schools with the option of serving whole and 2% milk in addition to the 1%, fat-free, and flavored options currently offered.
Whole and 2% milk are the most consumed varieties at home, offering the same 13 essential nutrients including protein, calcium and vitamin D with a taste kids often prefer.
“Restoring schools’ option to offer whole and reduced-fat milk will mean more schoolkids will get the essential nutrients they need,” NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said. “This commonsense legislation will help American children get back on solid nutritional footing. We’re grateful that both sides of the aisle can come together and agree on the importance of making informed, science-backed decisions that prioritize the health and future of our children.”
The Senate measure is sponsored by Senators Roger Marshall, R-KS, Peter Welch, D-VT, Dave McCormick, R-PA, and John Fetterman, D-PA. Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-AR, and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, led the committee in approving the bill by voice vote in June.
“We thank Senators Marshall and Welch for their passionate advocacy for getting this bill over the finish line in committee and on the floor. Their leadership made this win possible,” Doud said.
Whole and 2% milk were removed from school meals programs beginning in 2012 as part of an effort to slow obesity in American kids that was based on science and nutrition advice that is now outdated. Research over the past decade has found that milk at all fat levels has a neutral or positive effect on health outcomes, ranging from obesity and diabetes to heart disease.
With Senate approval, the next step is House passage. A similar bill overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives in 2023 but stalled in the Senate. House Committee on Agriculture Chairman GT Thompson, R-PA, has led the charge in the House on this issue for years, with Rep. Kim Schrier, D-WA, as coauthor, and this bill is expected to pass with strong bipartisan support once again.
Dairy will always lead through unity
By Randy Mooney, NMPF Chairman 2008-2025
Editor’s note: This is an edited transcript of the author’s remarks at the National Milk Producers Federation’s annual meeting Nov. 11 in Arlington, Texas.
I’ve been part of National Milk for more than two decades, and I’m in awe with how this industry has grown and evolved while never losing sight of who we serve: the dairy farmers. As many of you know, this is my last annual meeting as chairman. And while I’ll continue to serve on the board, this moment marks a meaningful transition.
I’m proud to pass the baton to Brian Rexing, a leader who carries forward the spirit of dedication, vision, and integrity that defines national milk in our entire industry. I’ve known Brian for a long time, and he always gets the job done.
Progress doesn’t happen overnight, and I’ve seen firsthand the grit and work it takes to move something forward. It all happens when people come together. We roll up our sleeves and stand shoulder to shoulder, stay rooted in shared values, and keep the course. We’ve done just that, working as one as we’ve built something we should be very, very proud of.
We’ve built stronger foundations for dairy farmers across the country by ensuring that each and every day, farmers, no matter the size of their operation or where they call home, have the tools, the support, and the representation they need to succeed on their operation for generations to come. We’ve moved the industry forward on major policy fronts and together, we’ve made our collective voice stronger in Washington.
We’ve improved coordination across the industry, and we continue investing in programs that secure markets for U.S. milk and dairy products, capturing bipartisan wins along the way. We’ve created and continued to evolve the FARM program. Together, we’ve developed and adopted a program that our customers and our consumers recognize, a program that nearly 100% of farmers in the country belong to. We’ve developed risk management tools starting out in 2009 that have evolved into DMC and DRP, which recognizes different sizes of farms. Now, those aren’t perfect, but they are risk management tools that we didn’t have in the past.
On taxes, we’ve worked to make certain that our co-ops and our farmers benefited from the tax breaks in the One Big Beautiful Bill. This includes Section 199 and estate tax issues that allow us to pass the farm on to the next generation. We’ve advocated in farm bills for policies that strengthen farms, families, and growing children. On nutrition, we’ve worked on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, expanding healthy fluid milk incentive programs, child nutrition acts, and school meals. And by defending dairy’s name against plant-based beverages, we’ve driven home the message of dairy’s nutritional superiority. We took three years updating the Federal Milk Marketing Order program into a system that reflects today’s market’s realities.
On trade policy, we’ve worked on bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations and dairy export incentive programs. We’re currently working with the administration on tariffs and trade policies. We fought to protect dairy’s rightful place in the American diet through the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, reminding policy makers that 90% of the people in this country don’t get enough dairy. On our workforce — our labor — we’ve tackled one of agriculture’s most persistent challenges: advocating for the H-2A reform recommendations through the Ag Labor Working Group and working to ensure dairy has access to a reliable year-round workforce.
At National Milk, that’s the number one issue to solve right now. I applaud the administration for securing the border, but we also need immigration reform so we can have ag labor on our farms. We need to be specific about what we want. So, you’re going to see National Milk setting up a task force of some of the leaders in this room to figure that out. Then, we’re going to have to be nimble. As it goes through Congress, things change. We’re going to have to be able to change and adapt and to make sure that we fit into whatever legislation that gets passed.
And we remain resilient throughout all of this, because that’s the dairy community. We show up for each other. We work to make sure funds are available to help dairy farmers who have been devastated by natural disasters. And one thing stands clear. When we work together, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish. When we work as one, when we speak with one voice, when we lead with unity and purpose, there’s almost nothing that we can’t do.
The challenges ahead are real, from labor to climate pressures, to market volatility and changing consumer expectations, but our momentum is real as well. We have strong leadership in place. We have dedicated farmer leaders who are ready to step up, and we have a legacy of resilience, innovation, and integrity to build upon.
To the farmers in the room, thank you. You are the heart of this organization. You’re the ones who’ve shown what’s possible when we lead with unity and purpose, when resiliency is alive and at the core of who we are as the dairy farmers. You’ve made me proud to serve on your behalf in this position, and I’m deeply optimistic about what’s to come. Thank you very much.
This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Nov. 20, 2025.
The Guard Changes at NMPF
NMPF elected Indiana dairy farmer Brian Rexing as its 15th chairman at its annual meeting last week, succeeding Randy Mooney of Rogersville, MO, who had served in the position for the past 17 years.
This week’s Dairy Defined Podcast is taken from their remarks at the meeting in Arlington, TX, with Mooney reflecting on his tenure and dairy’s future and Rexing outlining his hope for the years to come.
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.”
NMPF Annual Meeting Spotlights Farmer Progress
U.S. dairy farmers are thriving in the marketplace even as labor shortages and a volatile policy environment remain challenges, dairy industry leaders stressed at NMPF’s annual meeting.
U.S. dairy is well-positioned for growth, NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud said in remarks at the meeting held jointly by NMPF, the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and the United Dairy Industry Association, which concluded today.
“I love where we are in this industry right now, today, folks,” he said, noting $11 billion in new dairy-plant investment currently underway nationwide. “Yes, there’s going to be uncertainty. My goodness, there’s uncertainty. But we’re in expansion mode. And I love it.”
Dairy producers in the past year have grappled with workforce instability and a shifting trade environment even as consumer demand has remained strong and the benefits of dairy are increasingly recognized in the nutrition and policy communities. But the firm foundation built for dairy over the past several years bodes well for the industry’s future, said outgoing NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney, who used his remarks to reflect on 17 years leading NMPF’s Board of Directors.
“We’ve built a stronger foundation for dairy farmers across the country by ensuring that each and every day, farmers, no matter the size of their operation are where they call home, have the tools, the support, and the representation they need to succeed on their operation for generations to come,” he said. “We’ve moved the industry forward on major policy fronts, and together, we’ve made collective voice stronger in Washington.”
NMPF’s Board of Directors selected Brian Rexing, an Indiana dairy farmer and a member of the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative, as NMPF’s next chairman on Monday. Also highlighting the meeting was USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, who addressed the meeting Tuesday.
Featured panelists at the meeting’s general session included Doud, who appeared with fellow dairy CEOs Barb O’Brien of Dairy Management Inc. and Krysta Harden of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. A session on revenue opportunities for dairy farmers featuring Katie Cook, Vice President, Farm Animal Sustainability, Elanco Animal Health; Mark Purdy, Director of Product and Portfolio Management, Meristem; and Joel Ysselstein, General Manager, Meadowvale Dairy, also highlighted the event.
The meeting, which ran Nov. 9-12, included discussions of dairy workforce challenges, how the MAHA movement is shaping consumer taste and how AI is upending agriculture.
The annual meeting is held in conjunction with NMPF’s Young Cooperators annual meeting for younger dairy leaders, as well as NMPF’s annual cheese and dairy products competition. In the contest, the top prize was taken by Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery for its Habanero Ghost Jack, while Lanco Pennland took the overall Reserve Chairman’s award with its Sweet Cheddar. A full list of winners is here.
Trust Defines Dairy Despite Divisions
Success in a splintered world often comes down to one thing: trust. Farmers are fortunate to have it, and we are proud to keep building it.
Despite misinformation, despite self-interested attempts to separate Americans from the farmers who serve them the safest, most nutritious food in the world on a daily basis, consumer confidence in farmers outstrips other aspects of the U.S. food system. According to the Ketchum Appetite for Change consumer research study, a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults done in July 2025, 79% of Americans trust farmers to “do the right thing” in serving the public, easily the most trust in any single link of the food chain.
That’s more than grocery stores. That’s more than food companies. That’s more than the MAHA movement. It’s a testament to public appreciated for the hard work farmers do every day as the bedrock of nutrition — and in turn, it’s a responsibility farmers take seriously.
This week, the most important gathering of U.S. dairy farmers seeking better public policy for agriculture is taking place in Dallas. The National Milk Producers Federation is honored to serve those who do the right thing for American consumers and looks forward to the change to enhance its leadership in Washington and across the country.
And dairy farmers are proud to be a premier source of nourishment for Americans, and for the world, continuing to earn that trust that’s essential to our splintered-world success.
Kinler Shares Expo Highlights, Previews Annual Meeting
NMPF Senior Director of Board, State and Member Relations Casey Kinler shares with Dairy Radio Now listeners highlights from NMPF’s sessions at World Dairy Expo in October and teases what’s to come at the 2025 Joint Annual Meeting Nov. 10-12 in Arlington, TX.
Dairy leaders: Honor tradition, create tomorrow
By Megan and Tim Schrupp, 2025 Chairs for the National Young Cooperators Program
Across America, a new generation of dairy farmers are stepping into leadership roles, bringing innovation, passion, and a fresh perspective to the industry. Driven by a deep devotion to the dairy industry, these emerging leaders are redefining traditional farming with cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices, and are capitalizing on opportunities that foster connection, communication and collaboration within their communities — showing that the next generation of dairy farmers is ready to carry the tradition forward with energy and innovation. Their commitment not only strengthens the agricultural backbone, but also inspires a renewed confidence in rural America.
Supporting them in this endeavor is the National Young Cooperators (YC) Program. Established in 1950 and managed by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the YC Program has dedicated 75 years to training and leadership development for beginning dairy farmers, helping them become effective managers and influential leaders while enhancing the resilience and sustainability of their farms. The program offers a comprehensive suite of educational resources, tools, and support through both in-person and virtual events. It also builds a vibrant national network of peers, allowing young dairy farmers to share experiences, address challenges, and collaborate on solutions. Through this connected community, farmers receive valuable support and guidance as they grow in their roles and contribute to the future of the dairy industry.
This past year, we have been fortunate to have served as the chairpersons of the Advisory Board for the YC Program. Our dairy, NexGen Dairy, is a fourth-generation dairy farm and member-owner of First District Association in central Minnesota. Through our involvement in the YC Program, we have witnessed firsthand the bright future of the dairy industry, meeting numerous young dairy farmers from across the country.
While change and challenges are constant, we feel more than ever that our generation is faced with the requirement for an ever-expanding skill set that goes beyond traditional dairy practices. However, young farmers are rising to the challenge and are not only mastering cow and forage management, genetics, and business operations, but also excelling in employee leadership, advanced technology, and market economics. Many young dairy farmers also actively engage in understanding milk pricing, sustainability, and regulatory changes, ensuring their farms thrive in a competitive environment. They are embracing collaboration and ongoing learning, building strong networks with peers and industry leaders, and creating a supportive community that empowers them to succeed and shape the future of dairy farming with resilience and optimism.
Engaging with fellow young dairymen and women through the YC Program, we have observed the determination, talent, and sense of community that defines this new generation of dairy leaders. Witnessing other dairy farmers’ commitment to innovation, sustainability, and regulatory affairs has highlighted for us the promising path forward for our industry as a whole. We, as young farmers, are not only honoring the traditions that built American dairy, but also boldly reimagining its future. With continued investment from groups such as NMPF, focusing on leadership, innovation, and collaboration, the future of dairy farming rests in capable hands — ensuring our industry will continue to nourish and connect communities for generations to come.
This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Nov. 6, 2025.
Regulatory Register — Fall 2025
NMPF Summer Internship Now Accepting Applications
The National Milk Producers Federation is offering a 10–12-week summer internship in the Washington D.C. metro area. This internship offers students the unique opportunity to better understand the intersection of U.S. dairy industry policy, regulatory affairs, and trade. Interns will have the opportunity to learn from NMPF’s expert staff, covering areas including government relations, regulatory affairs, trade, communications, membership services and the National Dairy FARM Program. More information and the application can be found here. Applications close Dec. 31.
Marks-Yant Joins Economics Team
NMPF economics department, co-managed with the U.S. Dairy Export Council, in October welcomed its newest staffer Katriel Marks-Yant.
Marks-Yant will serve as the team’s Director of Economic Affairs, leading domestic market analysis.
Prior to joining NMPF, Marks-Yant was an International Economist with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. She has also worked with NMPF member cooperative Land O’Lakes in international development and government relations functions.
Marks-Yant holds a master’s degree in international economics and international development from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and studied Agricultural Economics at Purdue.
Originally from Carmel, IN, she maintains close ties with her family’s farms in the Midwest.
Michigan Milk, Windemuller Awarded in Annual Communications Contest
NMPF named Michigan Milk Producers Association Cooperative Communicator of the Year in its annual cooperative communications contest Oct. 15, while Dairy Farmers of America member Paul Windemuller received NMPF’s Farmer Communicator of the Year award.
MMPA won five categories and a ‘Best of Show’ award in the Writing category, while also taking six second place finishes and three third place finishes in the competition, which recognizes the top communications efforts among NMPF’s member cooperatives.
NMPF recognized Windemuller for his active presence in social media and other platforms, serving as a catalyst for consumer curiosity by sharing real-life stories from the farm. Windemuller is an active member for DFA, participating in both its Young Cooperator program and Emerging Leaders program. He also serves as a DFA content creator, enabling farmers to create authentic social media content that highlights the good story of dairy farming. One of Windemuller’s clips, 3 Types of Tech on the Farm, has more than 445,000 views and 300+ comments on his dairy’s Instagram account.
Windemuller also hosts his own podcast, AgCulture, sharing anecdotal experiences, insights and innovations in the agricultural space. He and his wife, Brittany, are first-generation dairy farmers who own and operate Dream Winds Dairy in Coopersville, MI, where they milk approximately 260 cows with a robotic milking system.
NMPF selects the “Best of Show” award from the first-place entries in the contest’s primary areas: publication, writing, graphics and special projects. In addition to MMPA’s recognition in the writing category for its informational feature, “The Low Down on FMMOs,” DFA won the publications category for its “Life on the Farm” special report and in graphics for its smartphone photo, “Caught in the Glow”; Associated Milk Producers Inc. won the special projects category with its Dinner Bell Creamery promotional video, “Meet Our Farmers: The Siewert Family.”
NMPF will also recognize winners at NMPF’s annual meeting next week. A full list of the winners of the NMPF communications contest, which received 102 entries from 11 member cooperatives, can be found here.
