Author: Theresa Sweeney

State Dairy Advocates Strategize at NMPF Summit

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Representatives from nearly 20 state dairy organizations met for the 2025 Dairy Association Stakeholder Summit at NMPF’s offices in Arlington, VA. to discuss mutual issues of interest and devise ways to better coordinate with one another and with NMPF on May 7.

This annual summit NMPF organizes brings together leaders from state-level dairy advocacy groups to strategize for a better dairy community future. Issues discussed this year included farm bill policy, labor availability and immigration, trade challenges, nutrition policy, environmental regulations, and the dairy economic outlook.

Dairy farmers may have common goals and policy priorities, but each state has its own legislative and regulatory climate. The Stakeholder Summit allows state representatives to report on what their producers are experiencing, giving NMPF the tools and understanding to better advocate for policy solutions that work for all farmers.

At the same time, federal program implementation nationwide may vary widely by state. For example, the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) safety net rules are standardized nationwide, but each state has its own Farm Service Agency offices to run the program.

The Stakeholder Summit enables producers to give voice to these issues, positioning NMPF to work with agencies like the USDA to address any inconsistencies in implementing federal programs, DMC, or otherwise.

In addition to the summit, NMPF staff helped coordinate Capitol Hill visits for farmers who participated in the summit.

House-Passed Budget Reconciliation Package Advances NMPF Priorities

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

House Republicans took key steps in May that advanced dairy policy priorities including several key farm bill items, approving President Donald Trump’s budget plan using the reconciliation process.

The full House voted to pass the large fiscal package on May 22 by a vote of 215-214. Reconciliation allows Congress to enact tax and mandatory spending legislation via a simple majority in both the House and Senate, bypassing the filibuster process in the Senate that makes it more difficult for partisan legislation to pass.

The House Agriculture Committee’s portion of the bill, passed by the committee on May 14, included multiple NMPF-backed priorities that would boost the agricultural economy and provide farmers certainty.

Relevant provisions included:

  • Extending the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program through 2031; updating DMC’s production history for participating dairies to be based on the highest production year of 2021, 2022, or 2023; and extending the ability for producers to receive a 25% premium discount for locking in five years of coverage;
  • Providing mandatory funding for USDA to conduct mandatory plant cost studies every two years to provide better data to inform future make allowance conversations;
  • Folding the remaining Inflation Reduction Act conservation dollars into the farm bill baseline, resulting in increased long-term funding for popular, oversubscribed programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program;
  • Doubling funding for critical dairy trade promotion programs that return well over $20 in export revenue for every one dollar invested in the programs; and
  • Increasing funding for animal health programs that help to prevent, control, and eradicate animal diseases, such as the outbreak of H5N1 in dairy cattle.

The House Ways and Means Committee also adopted the tax portion of the bill on May 14. The tax package includes critical NMPF-backed language to make the Section 199A tax deduction permanent, which will allow dairy cooperatives to continue either passing the deduction back to their farmer owners or reinvesting it in their cooperatives.

“Whether it’s risk management or tax issues, the stakes are enormous for Congress to get the policy right in this legislation,” said NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud. “House committees have done good work this week to start major elements of this bill on the right track for dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own.”

The budget reconciliation process now moves forward to the U.S. Senate, where NMPF will push to preserve the agricultural resources and tax policy gains included in the House bill. The Senate is likely to continue the process on the bill when Congress reconvenes in June.

Whole Milk Bill Poised for Senate Committee Vote

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act is poised for more progress later today, with the Senate Agriculture Committee drafting its own version of the legislation, following the House of Representatives in moving forward critical legislation for dairy farmers.

The legislation sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Roger Marshall, R-KS, and Sen. Peter Welch, D-VT, has been a top NMPF priority for more than half a decade. It overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives in 2023 but stalled in the Senate. Senate progress boosts the prospects for the legislation to become law, Welch said earlier this month in a Dairy Defined podcast.

“This is one of those things where, if we get it on the floor, and get the cooperation of leadership, we get the votes,” he said. “This is one of those areas of rare bipartisanship that we have right now.”

School meals rules in effect since 2012 only allow 1% and fat-free milk options, to reduce calorie intake and combat childhood obesity. But that deprives children of the benefits of the whole milk that’s more commonly served at home, which includes essential nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, all of which are crucial for the development of strong bones, teeth, and muscles.

Once the Senate approves the legislation as expected, both the House and Senate versions will be ready for floor votes in their respective chambers, after which lawmakers will reconcile the two versions for a final vote. NMPF has a call to action on its website, urging dairy advocates to speak up on the bill.

NMPF and USDEC Efforts Achieve Streamlined Process for U.S. Dairy Exports to Costa Rica

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

In a key win for U.S. dairy exporters’ ability to help meet Costa Rican dairy demand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service (SENASA) have agreed to put in place a streamlined procedure for registering U.S. dairy facilities to export to Costa Rica. The new process replaces a much more cumbersome dairy facility questionnaire and lengthy registration process which Costa Rica has long maintained. The announcement was detailed in a May 23 report published by USDA.

“We are proud of supporting the great work of the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Trade Representative’s Office to painstakingly reach an understanding with Costa Rica to facilitate the export of high-quality U.S. dairy products,” said U.S. Dairy Export Council president and CEO Krysta Harden. “This important step recognizes the strength of the U.S. dairy regulatory system and deepens bilateral engagement under the CAFTA-DR at a key time for U.S.-Costa Rica trade relations.”

Dairy demand in Costa Rica is growing due to its strong economy and expanding middle class. With all dairy tariffs having reached zero this year under the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), opportunities are ripe for U.S. dairy exporters to expand sales that complement Costa Rican dairy production.  The new streamlined process for U.S. dairy facilities to register to sell products to Costa Rica brightens those prospects further.

“Costa Rica is an excellent trading partner, due in major part to the successful U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement. This breakthrough between USDA and Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service further cements that relationship and builds on the zero-tariff trading conditions for dairy exporters that began this year,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.

The USDA-SENASA announcement marks the successful outcome of years of effort by USDEC’s Market Access & Regulatory Affairs team and the USDEC/NMPF Trade Policy team, together with the U.S. government, to simplify Costa Rica’s facility registration process for U.S. dairy exporters. After extensive collaboration with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and SENASA – including a 2024 SENASA visit to evaluate how U.S. authorities oversee dairy establishments and how U.S. facilities comply – SENASA completed its review in May 2025 and approved the first U.S. dairy facility under the new, simplified process.

U.S.–Mexico Dairy Summit Yields Renewed Commitment to Growth and Collaboration

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The U.S. and Mexican dairy sectors renewed a partnership and unveiled a work plan today to enhance industry collaboration at their seventh annual summit convened this week in Madison, Wisconsin. The industry representatives reaffirming their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral collaboration and supporting the long-term success of the North American dairy industry.

Led by the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) on the U.S. side, and by the Confederación Nacional de Organizaciones Ganaderas (CNOG), Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Leche (AMLAC), Cámara Nacional de Industriales de la Leche (CANILEC), and Consejo Nacional Agropecuario (CNA) from Mexico, the summit culminated in the signing of a renewed commitment and a shared work plan designed to foster mutual growth and resilience.

The joint plan identifies key areas for cooperation, including:

  • Promoting science-based trade policies that facilitate fair and transparent dairy trade across borders,
  • Enhancing animal health coordination, with a focus on proactive risk mitigation and information sharing,
  • Defending dairy’s reputation and promoting its nutritional benefits across both countries and in global markets,
  • Supporting sustainability and innovation efforts within the sector.

“Challenges like trade instability and animal health threats aren’t localized. They extend beyond borders, which is why working together is essential,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “Mexico continues to be a crucial ally for the U.S. dairy industry. These meetings not only reinforce our partnership but also help us prepare for a stronger, more resilient future.”

Recognizing the increasingly interconnected nature of the global dairy industry, the U.S. and Mexican representatives underscored the importance of continuing to work together to address shared challenges—from trade uncertainty and supply chain disruptions to animal health threats like H5N1 and New World screwworm and evolving consumer expectations.

“The U.S. and Mexico dairy sectors share a common goal: to expand market opportunities and protect consumer confidence in dairy,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF. “Today’s renewed agreement deepens our partnership as we address the shared challenges our industries face.”

U.S. Dairy Welcomes Framework to Expand Exports to UK

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

“The United States and the United Kingdom are long overdue to strike a deal on trade. This agreement on a solid framework for negotiations over the coming months is an important step in the right direction,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “The UK is the world’s largest cheese importer from global markets. The United States has invested  $10 billion in U.S. dairy processing capacity in a four-year window. It’s vitally important that our exporters have a level playing field.”

The European Union has duty-free, quota-free access to the UK dairy market and benefits from geographical indications that prohibit fair competition in the UK market in common cheese categories. The UK in 2023 also implemented Free Trade Agreements with New Zealand and Australia which eliminate all UK dairy tariffs over the course of five years. The EU, New Zealand and Canada also all benefit from most of their dairy products being deemed by the UK to be “low risk” and thus can enter the UK market without the need for product certification.

“Yesterday’s announcement of a U.S.-UK agreement on a negotiating framework for trade must be a first step in the work that’s needed to open market opportunities for U.S. dairy products to the UK, which imported $5 billion from the world last year,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. “The UK already has open trade with the world’s largest dairy exporter—the EU—and it will have fully open trade with two of the other largest exporters—New Zealand and Australia—in just 3 years. Duty-free, quota-free, certificate-free trade is what U.S. dairy exporters need to have a level playing field in this key market.”

FDA Reaffirms Milk Safety, Supported by NMPF

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF reacted to consumer concern over late-April reports of FDA’s temporary suspension of its milk quality proficiency testing program by working with FDA to release an agency statement clarifying what the proficiency testing program is.

“The milk proficiency testing program is a periodic review of the testing capacities of laboratories in FDA’s network, and is not used to directly test milk or other dairy products,” an FDA spokesperson said, referring to its Grade “A” milk proficiency testing (PT) program in a statement shared with NMPF. “The temporary suspension to the Proficiency Testing program does not impact routine testing of milk destined for pasteurization, or milk and dairy testing in illness investigations. The FDA continues to have confidence in the safety of the commercial, pasteurized milk supply.”

The program is a minor step in the multi-faceted process of ensuring milk safety; however, amplification of its importance on social media created a potential threat to milk’s reputation, prompting both work with FDA as well as NMPF’s own statement reaffirming milk’s safety and the many quality and safety checks conducted on every batch of milk as it moves from farms to retail stores across the country.

“The U.S. milk supply is safe,” NMPF said in its own statement April 25. “All routine quality and safety checks on farms, during milk transport, and at processing plants are being conducted as they always have been, in coordination with both state and federal partners.

“NMPF has full confidence in the state, federal, and industry partnerships that work together to implement the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, which has kept the U.S. milk supply safe for more than 100 years.”

This public reminder of the steps involved in ensuring safe, quality milk comes right on the heels of the 39th National Conference of Interstate Milk Shipments, a collaborative effort between industry, states and federal partners to update and implement the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance. NMPF is working on additional milk safety resources to share throughout the year.

FARM Opens Registration for Annual Evaluator Conference

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program is hosting its annual FARM Evaluator Conference July 14-16 at the Oneida Casino & Hotel in Green Bay, WI.

The two-day conference is filled with industry speakers, program area deep dives and provides networking opportunities for FARM Program evaluators.

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

Please reach out to dairyfarm@nmpf.org for questions about the event or for information about sponsorship opportunities.

NMPF Highlights U.S. Dairy’s Role in Global Nutrition; Hain, Jordan Discuss HPAI

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Trade Policy Director Tony Rice presented at an April 23 briefing on Capitol Hill to speak about the U.S. dairy industry’s commitment to combatting malnutrition around the world, highlighting a busy month for NMPF outreach across the dairy community.

Hosted by the Alliance to End Hunger, the briefing covered the current state of global hunger and the importance of stable U.S. funding support for critical intervention products such as ready-to-use therapeutic foods, a proven, lifesaving treatment for children suffering from acute malnutrition made from milk powder, peanuts, soybean oil/soy protein, sugar and vitamins.

NMPF and USDEC have strongly advocated Congress and USDA to expand funding for critical food assistance programs, including ready-to-eat foods. Rice was joined by representatives from Helen Keller International, Edesia Nutrition and the Eleanor Crook Foundation.

Elsewhere, NMPF Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Meggan Hain and Dr. Karen Jordan, head of the FARM Program’s animal care committee, participated in the National Institute of Animal Agriculture (NIAA) Annual Meeting in Kansas City on April 7-8. Dr. Hain participated in NIAA’s Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders while Dr. Jordan presented on the dairy industry’s response to HPAI as part of an exercise to look at effective disease response across species.

Also, FARM’s Sage Saffran moderated the ‘Unpacking Carbon Footprints: A Value Chain Approach to Advancing Dairy Sustainability’ panel on April 16 at the 2025 Cheese Con in Madison, WI.

Will Loux, the head the NMPF/USDEC Joint Economics Team, spoke to the International Dairy Federation Standing Committee on Dairy Policies and Economics on carbon markets, the impact of H5N1, and an outlook for dairy markets virtually on April 14. And NMPF economist Monica Ganley spoke on the State of the Industry to the Oregon Dairy Industry on behalf of the S/R Oregon Dairy Council in Salem on April 15.

DMC Margin Loses $1.57/cwt in March, Mostly on Lower Milk Price

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The monthly Dairy Margin Program margin fell $1.57/cwt to $11.55/cwt in March as the U.S. average all-milk price fell $1.60/cwt to $22/cwt, more than outstripping a small decline in feed costs.

The DMC Decision Tool on the USDA Farm Service Agency website has long projected the monthly margin would reach a bottom for 2025 this spring, but the March downward move outpaced its projections. On the last day of April, the Tool showed the correct milk, corn and soybean meal prices for March, but anticipated a much lower premium alfalfa hay price and showed a projected March margin of $12.29/cwt.  At that time, it also projected the margin would reach a 2025 low of $11.05/cwt in June before rising again.

NMPF Capitalizes on U.S. Tariff Leverage to Advance Dairy

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) held strategic meetings throughout April to improve access to key foreign markets as the Trump Administration attempts to negotiate new terms with U.S. trading partners following its April 2 reciprocal tariff plan announcement.

  • Taiwan: Executive Vice President for Policy Development & Strategy Jaime Castaneda and Trade Policy Director Tony Rice, together with the California Milk Advisory Board, traveled to Taiwan from March 31 to April 3 for meetings on dairy market access. The group met with Taiwanese trade and agricultural ministry officials, importers, the U.S. and Taiwanese chambers of commerce, among others, to highlight Taiwan’s dairy tariff disparity between the United States and New Zealand and seek prioritization of tariff relief through the newly commenced U.S.-Taiwan trade negotiations.
  • Japan: Castaneda hosted Yoichi Watanabe, Vice Minister of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on April 14 to discuss U.S. dairy trade priorities in the context of U.S.-Japan negotiations. American dairy exporters secured expanded access for certain products under the U.S.-Japan Phase One Agreement signed in 2019, but NMPF is seeking further tariff elimination and quota expansion for a range of dairy products in the new set of negotiations.
  • Indonesia: Executive Vice President for Trade Policy & Global Affairs Shawna Morris shared U.S. dairy priorities in an April 24 meeting with a member of the Indonesian Parliament and the Senior Vice President of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce. She also joined NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud, USDEC President and CEO Krysta Harden and additional USDEC staff in a subsequent meeting with additional Indonesian Chamber of Commerce delegation members on May 2. The conversations focused on NMPF’s goals for tariff reductions and resolving long-standing challenges associated with Indonesia’s dairy facility listing requirements. During that May 2 meeting NMPF and USDEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce which commits the organizations to work collaboratively to enhance U.S.-Indonesia trade relationships, including through the use of U.S. dairy products to meet Indonesia’s growing dairy needs.

Castaneda and Morris continue to communicate U.S. dairy trade priorities with the administration as cleared confidential advisors to ensure tariff and nontariff barriers to dairy trade are prioritized in the ongoing negotiations.