Author: Theresa Sweeney

NMPF Thanks USDA for $165.5 Million in Dairy Purchases

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) praised USDA and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for the announcement of $165.5 million in Section 32 dairy purchases. The purchases will help strengthen demand during a difficult stretch for milk prices while putting nutritious dairy foods in the hands of families served by federal nutrition assistance programs.

“We appreciate Secretary Rollins and USDA for recognizing the pressures dairy farmers are facing and responding with meaningful action,” NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud said. “These purchases will help move product and get wholesome dairy foods to Americans who need them.”

This latest round adds to the $148 million in Section 32 dairy purchases USDA announced in February. Established under the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935, Section 32 authorizes USDA to buy surplus domestic farm products for food banks and other federal nutrition assistance programs.

Under the program, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service notifies industry and stakeholders of new opportunities by issuing Purchase Program Announcements throughout the year. Following today’s announcement, USDA will invite offers from approved USDA vendors and award purchase contracts.

Lanco Pennland Wins Top Prize at NMPF Dairy Product Contest

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

A Reserve Extreme Irish Cheddar from Lanco Pennland took the top prize in NMPF’s annual dairy product competition. Land O’Lakes, Inc. and California Dairies, Inc. received Reserve Chairman’s award recognitions for their Sharp Cheddar and Danish 85% Salted butter. The winners were celebrated at the Joint Annual Meeting cheese reception last night, where more than 700 attendees sampled the winning products.

The judges lauded the balanced flavors of the Irish cheddar, which pairs a “bold, tongue-tingling lactic bite with a lush, sweet-butter flavor base” when they awarded its top prize to Lanco Pennland for its cheese produced by Team Pennland of Hancock, MD. The Irish cheddar was also named best cheddar and led a sweep of the Extra Sharp Cheddar class. The Land O’Lakes Sharp Cheddar was produced in Kiel, WI, by the Kiel Cheese Team, and the California Dairies Inc. butter was made in Visalia, CA.

The annual dairy product contest offers NMPF members an opportunity to showcase their top-quality products. Fourteen NMPF cooperative members submitted 217 entries and 2,700 pounds of dairy products for this year’s contest.

Contest judges included Allison Reynolds from USDA, Luis Jimenez-Maroto from the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, Tim Meyers from the College of DuPage and Gina Mode from the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research.

In other awards, the best Italian went to Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. for its Heat Treated Gorgonzola produced in Mindoro, WI, by Team Mindoro. Prairie Farms also took best cottage cheese for its Regular (4%) small curd cottage cheese, produced in Carbondale, IL. The best butter went to California Dairies Inc. for its Danish 85% Salted butter. The best yogurt went to Agri-Mark, Inc. for its 10% Plain Greek Yogurt, made in Cabot, VT, by Cabot Creamery.

A full list of winners is here.

Products not used in judging will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

NMPF Board Votes to Support Risk Management Enhancements; Changes to Nonfat Dry Milk Standard of Identity

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Milk Producers Federation Board of Directors has endorsed a package of proposed improvements to Dairy Margin Coverage and Dairy Revenue Protection, the risk management programs dairy farmers rely on most to protect their operations against market volatility. The Board also voted to support updating the federal standard of identity for nonfat dry milk to allow protein standardization, bringing the U.S. standard in line with the international Codex Alimentarius standard.

High Desert Milk, Inc. was approved as NMPF’s newest cooperative member. Based in Burley, Idaho, High Desert Milk processes 4.5 million pounds of milk a day into butter, cream cheese, nonfat dry milk, skim milk powder, buttermilk powder and milk protein concentrate.

New board members approved by the NMPF delegates include:

  • Kevin Stockwell, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.
  • Derik Robinson, High Desert Milk, Inc.
  • Josh Zonneveld, Land O’Lakes
  • Kevin Satterwhite, Maola Local Dairies
  • David Silva, Northwest Dairy Association
  • Jim Boyle, United Dairymen of Arizona

Satterwhite was also elected to NMPF’s Executive Committee, along with Dennis Rodenbaugh of Dairy Farmers of America.

Vermont dairy farmer Paul Doton of Agri-Mark, Inc., and Neil Hoff, a Texas dairyman and member-owner of Dairy Farmers of America, were awarded Honorary Directors for Life, recognizing their longtime service to the dairy industry.

The NMPF, National Dairy Board and United Dairy Industry Association Joint Annual Meeting kicked off today, featuring leadership remarks from NMPF Chairman Brian Rexing and President & CEO Gregg Doud. An expert panel on the future of dairy exports and a midterm election analysis from David Wasserman of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walters will also take center stage.

The meeting of 750 farmers and industry professionals will continue through Wednesday and include breakout sessions on industry topics ranging from the FARM Program to agricultural labor reform.

The annual meeting is also held in conjunction with NMPF’s Young Cooperators Leadership and Development Program, as well as NMPF’s annual Dairy Product Contest. This year, 14 member cooperatives entered 2,400 pounds of cheese, yogurt, butter and other dairy products. Winners will be announced later today.

U.S. Dairy Companies, Cooperatives, and Farmer Organizations Urge Congress to Reject S. 5026

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF, IDFA members and a coalition of dairy farmer organizations warn that a broad “ultra-processed” definition and warning labels would confuse consumers about nutritious dairy foods

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) joined by 76 dairy companies, cooperatives and state and regional producer organizations representing the full spectrum of the U.S. dairy industry, today urged congressional leaders to reject S. 5026, the Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act of 2026, warning that the legislation could confuse consumers about the health and nutritional benefits of dairy foods and negatively affect dairy farmers, manufacturers and businesses throughout the dairy supply chain.

S.5026 would establish a broad definition of “ultra-processed foods” and require front-of-package warning labels on products captured by that definition indicating their consumption may be linked to childhood obesity and diabetes. Under the legislation, those warning labels could appear on a wide range of nutrient-dense dairy foods, including whole milk, cheese, most yogurts and other cultured dairy products.

In a letter sent today to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the dairy industry expressed shared support for efforts to improve the health of Americans and reduce chronic diet-related disease, while cautioning that nutrition policy must be grounded in sound science and provide clear, consistent information to consumers.

“Nutrition policy should help Americans make better-informed choices, not create confusion by placing sweeping warning labels on foods that are an important part of healthy dietary patterns,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA. “S. 5026 relies on overly broad definitions of ‘ultra-processed foods’ and ‘nutrients of concern’ that fail to account for the nutritional value of individual foods or their role in the overall diet. Congress should reject this approach and ensure federal nutrition policy remains grounded in sound science and provides consumers with clear, meaningful information.”

“Whole milk, cheese and yogurt are staples of a healthy diet, not foods that should carry a warning label,” said Gregg Doud, President and CEO of NMPF. “Dairy farmers work hard every day to put nutrient-dense food on America’s tables. S. 5026 gets the science wrong, lumping wholesome dairy foods in with products that have nothing in common with them nutritionally. That’s not informing consumers, it’s misleading them about foods nutrition experts say Americans need more of, not less. Congress should reject this bill and work toward nutrition policy that actually reflects the evidence.”

Dairy foods provide 13 essential vitamins and minerals and remain a core food group in the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Yet most Americans do not consume enough dairy to meet recommended intake levels, including a significant majority of school-aged children.

The signatories to the letter span the U.S. dairy supply chain, including dairy cooperatives, processors and state and regional producer organizations. The U.S. dairy industry supports more than three million American jobs, contributes $779 billion to the U.S. economy and sustains communities across rural America.

“The dairy industry is united in opposition to S. 5026,” the organizations wrote. “We respectfully urge congressional leaders to carefully consider the negative consequences this legislation could have for American consumers, dairy farmers and businesses, and the rural communities where dairy foods are produced and manufactured.”

Read the full dairy industry letter here.

World Dairy Expo Features NMPF Sessions

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF will host four sessions at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI, Oct. 1-2.

The National Young Cooperators Program will host a program on Oct. 1 from 9-10 a.m. in Mendota 4 of the Exhibit Hall with “Optimizing Milk to Meet Market Demand,” moderated by economist Corey Geiger of CoBank. As cooperatives and processors place growing value on butterfat, protein and other solids, a panel of experts will explore how producers can align genetics, nutrition and management to boost components and profitability.

The FARM Program follows with two mini-sessions, 10:30-11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., covering FARM Environmental Stewardship updates and the latest on New World screwworm.

NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud and Trey Forsyth, Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs, will lead “Election Preview: How Shifts in Washington Could Reshape Ag Policy” from 2-3 p.m. The session will examine key November races and how a changing Congress could reshape dairy policy and advocacy strategy.

On Friday, Oct. 2, from 9:30-11 a.m., the National Young Cooperators Program will cohost this year’s Tanbark Talk, “U.S. Dairy on the World Stage: Growing Markets and Opportunity,” moderated by Laura Daniels of the Dairy Girl Network at the Arena Building’s Tanbark Stage. The panel will discuss growing export demand, product development for international markets and how trade growth supports domestic milk prices and farm profitability. In honor of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, the session will also spotlight women’s contributions across the dairy supply chain.

Attendees can also find the FARM Program throughout the week in the Exhibit Hall at Booth #EH4013.

Alua Joins NMPF as Associate Member

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF welcomes ALULA as its newest associate member.

Operating under Transylvania Vocational Services (TVS) and an AbilityOne federal contractor for more than two decades, ALULA, which is based in Brevard, NC,  combines purpose-powered programs with food manufacturing to uplift people, businesses, and communities. ALULA’s Mountain Maid brand is the exclusive supplier of Instant Nonfat Dry Milk (INDM) to food banks nationwide, helping provide nutritious, shelf-stable dairy to communities across the country while supporting domestic commodity procurement and manufacturing jobs.

ALULA also partners with USDA and the State Department on SuperCereal Plus, a fortified cereal supporting malnourished children ages 6–24 months globally and produces pancake mixes and other baking mixes for U.S. troops.

NMPF looks forward to ALULA’s involvement in advancing shared priorities around dairy nutrition, food security, and market access.

Scholarship Raffle Open; Annual Meeting to Feature Fundraising Auction

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF’s online scholarship fundraising raffle is live now until it announces winners Oct. 21. Prizes this year include American Express gift cards, Target gift cards, a Cabot Creamery Gift Box and more. Participants can access the raffle here.

More prizes will be available through the live and silent auctions at annual meeting. The live auction will start at 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 20 during the annual meeting luncheon. An accompanying silent auction will be available for bidding at the scholarship booth and during the cheese reception. Auction prizes include two tickets to a Buffalo Bills at New York Jets game, a holiday cookie box, a pie subscription, a cheese fortune-telling session, and more.

The NMPF National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program supports master’s and doctoral students conducting research important to dairy farmers. The scholarship program is largely funded through the raffle fundraiser, making ticket purchases essential to its funding. Sustaining this program means ensuring that critical research benefiting the entire dairy community can continue.

To learn about this year’s recipients, visit the program’s website.

Dairy Leaders Prepare for Joint Annual Meeting

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Nearly 900 dairy leaders from the National Milk Producers Federation, National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, and United Dairy Industry Association are expected to gather in Florida next month for the Joint Annual Meeting. Themed “U.S. Dairy: Committed. Resilient. Ready,” the event kicks off with NMPF Young Cooperators programming on Oct. 18 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.

Governance business anchors the front end of the week. The NMPF Board of Directors and Delegates convene Oct. 19 to discuss policy priorities, including agriculture labor reform, dairy nutrition and Federal Milk Marketing Orders. NMPF will also elect its 2027 Board of Directors, Officers and Executive Committee. After a full day of business, attendees will gather at the “Welcome to Florida Reception.”

Joint programming begins Tuesday, Oct. 20 with leadership remarks from DMI’s Marilyn Hershey and Barb O’Brien, followed by NMPF’s Brian Rexing and Gregg Doud. Two rounds of breakout sessions follow, with NMPF-led tracks on agricultural labor and the FARM Program, running alongside DMI’s innovation and reputation breakouts and a sponsored session by Elanco.

Afternoon programming includes two panel discussions – “The Future of Dairy Exports” and “Margins, Markets & Milk Prices: The Year Ahead.” The day wraps up with the Cheese Reception, highlighting 3,000 pounds of cheese from NMPF member cooperatives.

The last day of programming brings keynote speaker David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report to break down the competitive races most likely to determine control of Congress – examining shifting district demographics, candidate recruitment and the national political environment. The event concludes with a panel discussion among leadership from dairy’s policy and promotion organizations.

The full agenda, sponsorship opportunities, and link to register are available here.

NMPF Advances Dairy Priorities in Taiwan

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF trade policy staff traveled to Taiwan Aug. 24-28 as part of an industry delegation that included leadership from the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the California Milk Advisory Board to build upon the gains secured in the U.S.-Taiwan Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and support a new school milk initiative.

NMPF worked to secure a series of market opening opportunities in the February trade deal with Taiwan that still needs implementation, including the complete elimination of tariffs on U.S. dairy products that currently range as high as 15%. The agreement also includes commitments aimed at preventing nontariff barriers to U.S. dairy trade and explicit protections for the continued use of common cheese names such as “feta” and “parmesan.”

NMPF met with Taiwanese legislators and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, in addition to dairy importers, to underscore the importance of ensuring those commitments were fully reflected as Taiwan moves toward implementing the agreement.

The visiting organizations also committed to working with the Dairy Association of Taiwan to support the Taiwanese government’s new initiative to integrate milk into school meal programs and expand dairy’s role in child nutrition. The commitment built on the organizations’ existing engagement in Taiwan and their shared interest in strengthening dairy consumption, nutrition education and opportunities for U.S. dairy.

FARM Bridges Best Practices, On-Farm Solutions

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program focused its evaluator network on industry insights, knowledge-sharing and on-farm preparedness at its 2026 Evaluator Conference, held Aug. 18-19 in Boise, ID.

CoBank’s lead dairy economist, Corey Geiger, set the tone on day one with an outlook on the state of the dairy industry. Geiger provided a comprehensive overview of the current trends and future opportunities of the U.S. dairy industry, including production, consumption, exports, genetics, and market dynamics.
Attendees also heard from subject matter experts on the latest science supporting industry research such as the Ruminant Farm System (RuFaS) model, in addition to using artificial intelligence to support animal welfare monitoring.

Day Two included a panel session, “Managing Customer Expectations,” with Kayla Rink, manager of dairy science and farm practices at Dairy Farmers of America, Kevin Fath, manager of farm relations and procurement for Lactalis USA and Mike Machado, senior manager of milk procurement, farm practices & dairy sustainability for Glanbia Nutritionals. The panel was moderated by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s Chase DeCoite. Speakers discussed how evaluators can use the FARM Program to navigate customer relations and expectations for their organizations. Attendees also trained in how to encourage producers to foster relationships with their workforce to promote dairy stockmanship.

Began in 2016, the conference connects program evaluators with industry 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 collaborate with dairy producers to identify strengths and outline areas for improvement in all program areas.

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

Dairy Pushes Against EU Regulation Overreach

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF and USDEC filed comments with the European Union on Aug. 13, urging it to ensure that its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive does not impose new burdens on how U.S. dairy farmers and companies operate. The organizations submitted the comments in response to an EU call for public input as it develops its implementation guidance materials for the directive.

The directive, first published in the EU Official Journal in July 2024 and most recently updated last December, requires companies operating in the European Union to undertake steps to monitor and address risks related to environmental and labor practices throughout their supply chain. As drafted, this could result in companies pushing requests for data, audits and other due diligence demands onto upstream dairy suppliers. An overly aggressive approach to implementation could mean additional demands on individual dairy farmers, even when those farmers do not directly supply an EU buyer or when their milk is used for products sold outside Europe.

NMPF and USDEC argued in its comments that the European Union should not be able to impose its sustainability standards on U.S. farms operating under U.S. law and called for the requirements to be limited to direct suppliers while exempting small and medium-sized businesses such as farms from these types of invasive information requests.

“It is entirely inappropriate for the EU to seek to effectively dictate global environmental and labor sustainability parameters, regardless of where the production is taking place and the relevant laws within that jurisdiction. We believe that the EU should make further revisions to the CSDDD in order to address these concerns and focus the scope of its regulatory measures on production practices occurring within its own border,” the comments said.

“For the purposes of satisfying EU CSDDD requirements, any data requests by in-scope EU companies should be limited to companies that are directly supplying them and should omit small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs),” NMPF and USDEC continued.

The groups also urged the European Union to recognize the United States as a lower-risk jurisdiction, rely primarily on official government records when assessing risks and use compliance with U.S. law as the appropriate benchmark for U.S. operations. Collectively, these measures would reduce the risk of EU companies requiring extensive data from U.S. processors and farmers.

NMPF also is pressing the U.S. government to address these concerns in ongoing trade negotiations with the European Union and is supporting the Stop EU Overreach Act, introduced in July by Reps. Craig Goldman, R-TX, Jodey Arrington, R-TX, and Greg Steube, R-FL.

The legislation would direct the U.S. Trade Representative to initiate a Section 301 investigation into EU sustainability measures with extraterritorial reach, including the due diligence directive, and consider appropriate use of trade tools to ensure U.S. dairy farmers are not forced to comply with overreaching EU policies. USTR comments submitted to the European Union on the directive reflected many NMPF arguments.

U.S. Combats New World Screwworm

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

As U.S. New World screwworm cases rise, NMPF is working closely with USDA on New World screwworm monitoring and prevention efforts, including a discussion on cleaning, disinfection, and dairy animal movements.

NMPF is updating its New World screwworm fact sheets to reflect new information from USDA as it becomes available.

Three new domestic cases of New World screwworm in August brought the total confirmed U.S. infestations to 47. No cases have been reported in wildlife, and no New World screwworm flies have been detected in U.S. fly traps.

With no additional New World screwworm cases detected since the initial June 7 detection, USDA APHIS has approved the release of New Mexico’s only NWS infested zone, lifting movement restrictions and allowing normal intrastate and interstate movement of livestock and pets to resume.

In Texas, state animal health officials are also beginning to scale back restrictions in designated areas, including portions of Gillespie, Kerr, Kimble, La Salle, and Webb counties, removing NWS inspection and movement certificate requirements as surveillance data support a reduced risk of infestation. While these actions reflect progress in containment and eradication efforts, movement restrictions remain in other designated NWS infested zones in Texas.

Mexican officials confirmed a new case of New World screwworm along the border in Juarez, just days before the port in Douglas, AZ, begin a phased reopening to Mexican livestock on Aug. 24. USDA announced on Aug. 10 that the new domestic sterile fly production facility under construction in Edinberg, TX is now set to open in spring of 2027, seven months ahead of schedule.

FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) on Aug. 7 for an additional product to prevent New World screwworm. CLiK Extra (dicyclanil topical suspension) wound spray is not authorized as a treatment option for an active infestation. The drug is not authorized for use in female dairy cattle producing milk for human consumption. Treated calves and calves born to treated cows must not be processed for veal.