Author: Theresa Sweeney

New U.S.–Indonesia Agreement Secures Access to Critical Dairy Market

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) celebrated today’s signing of a new U.S.–Indonesia trade agreement that would provide key market access expansions and protections for American dairy products.

Following years of USDEC, NMPF and CCFN advocacy, the deal will eliminate tariffs on all U.S. dairy exports; recognize U.S. regulatory oversight, including by listing all U.S. dairy facilities and accepting dairy certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities; and commit to protecting 40 common cheese names like “parmesan.” U.S. dairy exporters have long faced challenges with Indonesia’s excessively slow and burdensome facility registration process, making the issue’s resolution critical.

“This important agreement enhances the strong and growing relationship we’ve developed with Indonesia’s government and dairy industry,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “Through sustained engagement, we’ve laid a solid foundation for partnership. This deal reinforces that progress and positions U.S. dairy to expand its capacity to serve as a reliable partner in supporting Indonesia’s dairy sector and nutrition goals.”

The agreement builds on the U.S.–Indonesia Dairy Partnership, launched in 2024 to deepen cooperation across multiple fronts. As part of this collaboration, USDEC partnered with Indonesian institutions to support the government’s Free and Nutritious School Meals initiative, which includes the goal of providing school milk to students.

USDEC and NMPF also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) last May to expand dairy trade and strengthen commercial ties. USDEC also signed a MOU with the Indonesian Food and Beverage Industry Association (GAPMMI) last October. A USDEC-GAPMMI roundtable led by USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg was held earlier this month to deepen that connection.

“Indonesia is the fourth-most populous country in the world and, it’s a critical market for U.S. dairy farmers,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF. “Thank you to Ambassador Greer and the USTR team for securing expanded access that will directly translate into stronger demand for U.S. dairy products.”

“The common names protections included in this agreement are especially important for America’s farmers and exporters,” said Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN. “Ensuring U.S. producers can continue to market and sell products like ‘parmesan’ and ‘feta’ in Indonesia without unfair restrictions helps preserve export opportunities and supports the livelihoods of farmers and manufacturers across the United States.”

Indonesia is currently the eighth-largest export market for U.S. dairy products. U.S. dairy exports to Indonesia in 2025 totaled $222 million, including strong demand for milk powders, whey products, cheese and other dairy ingredients. The agreement is the ninth trade deal secured to date by the Administration that includes new market access for U.S. dairy products, including an agreement signed with Taiwan last week. USDEC, NMPF and CCFN will continue to work with the U.S. and Indonesian governments to swiftly and fully implement the agreement’s provisions.

U.S. Dairy Welcomes U.S.-Argentina Trade Agreement

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) celebrated the signing of a U.S.–Argentina Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment late yesterday that includes tariff and nontariff barrier concessions for U.S. dairy exports.

Argentina commits in the trade deal to eliminate tariffs that currently range up to 28 percent on select dairy products, including milk powders, dairy proteins, lactose, and other dairy ingredients. The agreement also establishes a 1,000 metric ton quota for certain U.S. cheeses. In addition to tariff reductions, Argentina agrees to prevent several nontariff barriers, including refraining from imposing processing facility registration requirements on U.S. dairy exports and providing explicit protections for 39 common cheese names like “parmesan”.

“The commitments secured in the U.S.-Argentina reciprocal trade deal bring new, real opportunities for our dairy exports to South America,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “USDEC appreciates USTR’s hard work in securing agreements that lower tariffs and meaningfully address nontariff barriers, particularly those to protect common cheese names. We look forward to building our market presence in Argentina as the agreement is implemented.”

“Trade deals like this one bring dairy farmers promise for the future,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF. “Dairy farms operate 365 days a year, and the U.S. negotiating team is keeping pace to secure new market access. NMPF will continue to work with the Administration as all the reciprocal trade agreements are translated into real results on the ground for our farmers.”

“Argentina’s commitment to protect 39 common cheese names and 10 generic meat terms could not have come at a more important time,” said Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN. “As the European Union is advancing toward implementation of its trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc of countries, our ability to use common names is increasingly at risk. We cannot thank Ambassador Greer and the USTR negotiating team enough for the foresight and leadership in protecting U.S. exporters’ rights.”

The trade deal follows reciprocal trade agreements that the United States signed recently with El Salvador and Guatemala last week that included commitments to prevent barriers to U.S. dairy exports. USDEC and NMPF will continue to work with the U.S. government as the reciprocal trade negotiations progress to identify and address impediments to dairy trade and grow U.S. export opportunities.

NMPF Dairy Experts Testify on Milk Solids Before ITC; Staff Present on Economy, AI

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF’s Jaime Castaneda and Will Loux testified on July 28 before the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) as part of the agency’s ongoing Section 332 investigation into the United States’ nonfat milk solids competitiveness relative to other global suppliers, highlighting another busy month for NMPF staff in outreach and policy influence.

Testimony by Castaneda, NMPF’s executive vice president for Policy Development and Strategy, and Loux, who heads NMPF’s Joint Economics Team with the U.S. Dairy Export Council, complemented nearly 60 pages of comments filed July 16 that focused on Canada and other global suppliers’ persistent efforts to offload structural surpluses of nonfat milk solids onto the global market at artificially low prices.

NMPF and USDEC requested that the U.S. government address Canada’s attempts to circumvent its dairy obligations in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Despite Canada’s USMCA commitment to reform distortionary pricing schemes, limit the offloading of low-priced dairy proteins and expand its market access for U.S. dairy exporters, it has failed to follow through in meaningful ways on all three fronts undercutting U.S. dairy producers both at home and abroad — a point drawn out in the two testimonies. In response, USTR requested that the USITC conduct this investigation.

The USITC’s findings, due next March, will inform the U.S. government’s strategy heading into the upcoming USMCA review between Canada, Mexico and the United States.

NMPF and USDEC also highlighted other global suppliers that benefit from a combination of direct subsidies and state trading enterprises that distort global trade, including product originating from India, Turkey and the European Union.

The Loux and Castaneda presentations were among several spotlighting dairy’s leadership in July. NMPF Senior Director for Economic Research & Analysis Stephen Cain gave a tariff and trade outlook to industry professional on June 26 at the HighGround Global Dairy Outlook Conference in Chicago. Cain also presented a global dairy outlook to the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association Dairy Symposium in Lake Geneva on July 15 and gave a market outlook to WI Farm Bureau and the Dairy Farmers of WI in Madison later in the month.

Meanwhile, NMPF Executive Vice President for Communications & Industry Relations Alan Bjerga presented on Artificial Intelligence and the challenges of communicating dairy’s messages in an evolving information environment at the Agricultural Media Summit in Rogers, AR, on July 29.

June DMC Margin Rises $0.70/cwt

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The June margin for the Dairy Margin Coverage Program was $11.10/cwt in June, an increase of $0.70/cwt from May. The June all-milk price was unchanged from May at $21.30/cwt, while the June DMC feed cost formula dropped by $0.70/cwt for the month, as the prices of all three formula feed components decreased, particularly that for premium alfalfa hay.

The forecasts maintained by DMC Decision Tool on the USDA website at the end of July showed the DMC margin topping out $13.20/cwt in November and averaging $12.11/cwt for the year.

Agriculture Organizations Stand Against EPA Assessment

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF and other major agriculture organizations are standing against a draft risk assessment the EPA created as part of the agency’s effort to protect communities from PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). The assessment models human exposure to the “forever chemicals” PFOA or PFOS from the application of sewage sludge, or biosolids, to farmland. The agriculture organizations object to the models used in the draft risk assessment, stating the models operate on extreme assumptions which don’t account for the reality of agriculture.

The organizations will collectively submit comments to EPA by Aug. 14 explaining 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.

Though it is important to continue to increase our understanding of PFAS and how it moves through our ecosystem, EPA’s misguided approach in this model paints an inaccurate picture that does a disservice to everyone.

NMPF will continue to advise EPA about realistic representation of on-farm practices.

FARM Fosters Connections at Evaluator Conference

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

New World Screwworm, the lingering effects of the H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle, and Food and Mouth Disease in Europe all gained attention as the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program hosted its annual FARM Evaluator Conference, July 14-16 in Green Bay, WI, where evaluators compared notes and discussed best practices to encourage continuous improvement in the industry leading animal-care initiative.

The conference, attended by more than 100 evaluators and staff, kicked off with a panel of previous FARM Excellence Award winners, sharing on-farm successes using the FARM Program pillars. 2023 Evaluator of the Year winner and Associated Milk Producer, Inc. (AMPI) evaluator Jim Kauffman, who has conducted evaluations for AMPI since 2011, also shared tips and best practices when working with farmers to collect documentation and to identify improvement opportunities between evaluations.

Attendees also heard from subject matter experts on the latest science supporting industry best practices, ranging from topics such as vaccinations, conservation tools and animal enrichment activities.

Day two included an update from a panelist of animal health experts on emerging diseases affecting dairy cattle.

Dr. Burke Healy with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service discussed recent cases of New World Screwworm near the southern border, Dr. Darlene Konkle provided an update on the response to H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle and Dr. Elizabeth Parker discussed the recent Foot and Mouth Outbreak in Europe and what we can learn from it. Evaluators also shared personal experiences undergoing the FARM Biosecurity training and using the FARM database to store biosecurity plans for producers.

The annual conference began in 2016 to connect evaluators, industry allies and on-farm experts to share current science and best management practices related to FARM Program pillars.

Evaluators are individuals trained and certified to conduct second-party Animal Care, Environmental Stewardship, and Workforce Development evaluations on behalf of FARM cooperative and processor participants. Evaluators work with dairy producers to identify strengths and outline areas for improvement in all program areas.

The FARM Program is grateful for the many sponsors that made this year’s event possible. To learn more about this year’s conference and sponsors, visit the FARM webpage.

NMPF Flags Bad FDA Labeling Rules to HHS

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF filed comments July 11 opposing FDA’s proposed Front-of-Pack labeling rule as well as two proposed plant-based labeling guidance documents published in response to a Department of Health and Human Services request for information.

In its comments to HHS, NMPF states that FDA’s Front-of-Pack nutrition labeling scheme is a highly flawed, unlawful approach to educating consumers about food nutritional profiles. The proposed rule violates the First Amendment’s prohibition on certain compelled commercial speech by focusing solely on saturated fat, sugar and sodium while ignoring the fact that dairy is a good or excellent source of 13 essential nutrients, NMPF states. The First Amendment requires compelled commercial speech to be factual, uncontroversial and related to a substantial government interest. NMPF has repeatedly pointed out to FDA that the proposed Front-of-Pack nutrition labeling fails to meet these legal requirements and therefore the proposed rule must be revoked.

“The proposed Nutrition Info box compels food manufacturers to carry a subjective, government-endorsed message that elevates three nutrients above all others, despite disagreement among nutrition experts and evolving science showing the importance of the complete food, especially in dairy products,” NMPF said in its comments. “We believe that compelling this messaging violates the commercial speech protections under the First Amendment.”

In its separate comments to HHS on plant-based guidance, NMPF calls attention to two proposed documents: “Labeling of Plant-based Milk Alternatives (PBMA) and Voluntary Nutrient Statements” published in the Federal Register Feb. 23, 2023, and “Labeling of Plant-Based Alternatives to Animal-Derived Foods: Draft Guidance for Industry” published in the Federal Register last Jan. 7.

Eliminating these plant-based labeling guidance documents directly aligns with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s mission of “making sure that providers and caretakers can focus on preventing and treating chronic diseases,” NMPF said in its comments. NMPF pointed to ample evidence that mislabeling has led to confusion among consumers regarding the nutritional deficiencies of plant-based alternatives.

“These documents mislead consumers, distort public understanding of healthful eating, and are both unlawfully promulgated and otherwise unlawful on numerous grounds,” NMPF said.

HHS is considering these comments as part of its broader deregulatory initiative.

July NEXT-Assisted Export Sales Reach Nearly 38 Million Pounds

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NEXT member cooperatives secured 223 contracts in the program’s first month, totaling 37.7 million pounds of product in NEXT-assisted sales in 2025. These products will go to customers in Asia, Oceania, Middle East-North Africa, Central America, the Caribbean and South America and will be shipped from July through December 2025.

NEXT (NMPF Export and Trade) gained final approval from NMPF’s Board of Directors at its June meeting. It succeeds the previous Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) program, expanding its service to dairy producers and testing innovative new ways to build U.S. dairy’s global market share. NEXT provides an effective 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.

FDA Proposal Eliminates 18 Dairy Standards; NMPF Seeks input

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The Food and Drug Administration proposed July 16 to revoke 18 standards of identity (SOIs) for dairy products, concluding that these standards are no longer necessary to promote honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers. NMPF finds several of the changes problematic and is seeking member input on what to do next.

FDA in its action said it wants to get rid of three categories within the standards of identity rules: Products no longer on the market, foods covered by different regulations, and combination foods. NMPF believes FDA’s analysis is wrong in some cases about products they claim are not in the marketplace.

“If these products are still being made and FDA takes them off the Standards of Identity list, then those foods can be made any way anyone wants and they will be able to be called that food. That’s going to wind up with consumers getting things with no idea of what they’re getting,” Senior Vice President of Regulatory & Environmental Affairs Clay Detlefsen said.

NMPF is asking its members to notify Detlefsen at cdetlefsen@nmpf.org whether their co-op still produces any of the products on FDA’s list and if losing the Standard of Identity will negatively affect their business. Based on that feedback, NMPF will determine whether to request a formal administrative hearing in addition to its written comments submitted by the Sept. 15 deadline for the proposed rule.