Author: Theresa Sweeney

NMPF Advances Member Interests on Bulk-Tank Cleaning at NCIMS

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF helped deliver favorable outcomes for nine proposals it submitted on behalf of its members, including a standard for bulk-tank cleaning that’s better aligned with milk-truck standards, at the 39th National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments, which met April 11-16 in Minneapolis.

The conference deliberated on numerous important issues facing FDA’s National Grade “A” Milk Program and the Grade “A” Milk Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO).

NMPF’s proposal was accepted to update the rules for cleaning on-farm bulk tanks, allowing them to be cleaned once in every 24-hour period, similar to milk hauling trucks, instead of being cleaned every time the on-farm tank is emptied. This proposed rule will save time and money for many dairy farmers who have multiple milk shipments a day and may have a positive environmental impact from less frequent chemical washes.

Delegates representing 49 states and Puerto Rico attended the conference, along with representatives from FDA and industry organizations including NMPF.  Leaders from NMPF and its member cooperatives are heavily involved in NCIMS, with many serving on the NCIMS Executive Board or on committees between conferences.

Brad Suhling (Prairie Farms) was elected to the open industry from the Central Region for the NCIMS Board. Shurling previously served on the Single Service Committee, and that vacancy will be filled by Charlie Mack (Prairie Farms).

Amanda Rife (Land O’ Lakes) was elected the open industry from the Eastern Region for the NCIMS Board and will serve as chair for Council I; Dave Kedzierski (United Dairymen of Arizona) will serve as the chair for Council II; Damon Miller (Dairy Farmers of America) will continue his term as the chair for Council III; and Clay Detlefsen will continue to serve in the NMPF staff representative seat.

Finally, by unanimous vote, Antone Mickelson (Darigold/Northwest Dairy Association) will continue as vice chair of NCIMS Executive Board.

NMPF will host the NCIMS executive board at its Arlington, VA office in October for a meeting in which FDA will concur or non-concur with all of the proposals passed at the conference.

NMPF Advocates on Tax Package with Farm and Border Spending in Mix

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

House and Senate Republicans in April adopted a budget blueprint to instruct congressional committees to begin working on legislation to renew the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and include spending provisions, with dairy-related items an NMPF focus.

Republicans are writing this bill using the budget reconciliation process, which allows Congress to enact tax and mandatory spending legislation on a simple majority vote in the House and Senate. The Senate passed the budget resolution on April 5, and the House followed suit on April 10.

NMPF is prioritizing renewal of the Section 199A tax deduction as part of the process. Dairy cooperatives can claim the deduction based on their domestic manufacturing and pass the benefit back to their farmer owners. NMPF secured 51 dairy stakeholder signers on a March 24 letter led by the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives urging congressional leaders to make Section 199A permanent, and the provision was the main topic of April’s CEO’s Corner.

Outside of tax policy, Congress is likely to use this bill to adjust mandatory spending. The House and Senate Agriculture Committees may boost the farm commodity safety net, which would take one issue off the table for the pending farm bill. The Agriculture Committees are also likely to reduce overall spending from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a change that Democrats would oppose. NMPF is in close contact with the committees as they develop their portion of the larger bill.

Republicans also are expected to increase border security-related funding, which could create an opportunity later this year for legislation that would finally address dairy’s agricultural workforce needs. Multiple members of Congress are drafting bills to address ag labor priorities, including allowing dairy farmers and other year-round employers to access the H-2A ag visa program.

NMPF will once again lead efforts in the dairy industry, in partnership with other agricultural stakeholders, to build the momentum and support for advancing much-needed ag workforce legislation.

U.S. and Indonesia Sign Landmark Dairy Agreement to Boost Nutrition, Trade and Industry Collaboration

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and KADIN, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today in a milestone step to deepen cooperation between U.S. and Indonesian dairy industries.

The MOU outlines a framework for collaboration to support enhanced dairy trade, strengthen commercial cooperation and bolster public nutrition through promoting greater consumption of dairy products, particularly in public programs. Key areas of collaboration include the greater integration of dairy into Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals program, regulatory procedures including on dairy facility registration, data sharing on market trends, information exchange on best practices and technical expertise areas regarding dairy production, and joint public communication efforts to raise awareness of the benefits of dairy nutrition. The agreement also emphasizes support for school milk programs as a catalyst for child health and educational success.

“This agreement marks an exciting next chapter in U.S.–Indonesia cooperation on trade and dairy,” said Krysta Harden, USDEC president and CEO. “It builds on strong momentum from the U.S.-Indonesia Dairy Partnership Program that USDEC launched in January with U.S. and Indonesian partners in the agriculture and university sectors. It also charts a pathway for U.S. dairy suppliers to more fully complement local Indonesian milk supplies in meeting the country’s evolving nutritional needs during a critical time for U.S.-Indonesia trade relations.”

With its focus on areas of mutual collaboration and support for U.S. dairy exports to Indonesia, this agreement complements ongoing trade negotiations between Indonesia and the United States regarding fostering more reciprocal trade flows.

“The United States and Indonesia share a mission of promoting dairy as a valuable source of nutrition,” said Gregg Doud, NMPF president and CEO. “The agreement signed today commits our industries to join efforts to grow the Indonesian market and support producers in both countries.”

The MOU builds on a deepening relationship between the U.S. and Indonesian dairy industries, initially prompted by Harden’s participation as the featured industry guest on a 2023 National Association of State Department of Agriculture trade mission to Indonesia. Indonesia is the seventh -largest export market for U.S. dairy products, purchasing $245 million in 2024. With Indonesian President Prabowo’s launch of a new national school meals program that includes school milk, dairy demand in Indonesia is poised to expand significantly.

Over the past year, USDEC has led the creation of the U.S.-Indonesia Dairy Partnership Program, which held its first farmer education and training session in January in Indonesia. In collaboration with the New Mexico and Wisconsin Agriculture Departments, New Mexico State University, and Indonesian university and dairy company partners, the project is focused on the dissemination of technical educational materials designed to empower small-scale dairy producers in Indonesia to improve the quality and quantity of milk they produce. As those practices are adopted, U.S. dairy supplies play a vital complementary role to meet Indonesia’s growing dairy needs.

NMPF, USDEC Call for Targeted Tariffs, Trade Negotiations

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Dairy leaders called for a targeted approach to tariffs and an emphasis on positive negotiations with most trading partners as the Trump Administration moved ahead with a plan for stepped-up tariffs worldwide on Tuesday.  

“Tariffs can be a useful tool for negotiating fairer terms of trade,” said NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud in a joint statement with U.S. Dairy Export Council President & CEO Krysta Harden released earlier today. “We are glad to see the administration focusing on long-time barriers to trade that the European Union and India have imposed on our exports. The administration has rightly noted both countries’ penchants for restricting sales of American products. 

“In fact, 20% reciprocal tariffs are a bargain for the EU considering the highly restrictive tariff and nontariff barriers the EU imposes on our dairy exporters,” Doud continued. “If Europe retaliates against the United States, we encourage the administration to respond strongly by raising tariffs on European cheeses and butter. We also appreciate the President’s recognition of the sizable barriers facing U.S. dairy exports into the Canadian market. 

“Through productive negotiations, this administration can help achieve a level playing field for U.S. dairy producers by tackling the numerous tariff and nontariff trade barriers that bog down our exports,” Doud said. “As the administration moves forward with negotiations on these tariffs, we encourage prioritizing getting back to fully open trade with U.S. FTA partners, targeting actors who have long put up entrenched barriers to American exports, and swiftly negotiating constructive outcomes with those we know are working for a long-term, fruitful relationship with American farmers.” 

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will impose a baseline 10 percent additional tariff on imports from all countries later this  week, with a higher additional tariff taking effect next week on dozens of other countries the United States believes have the most unfair trade relationships with the U.S. 

The new duties include a 34 percent tariff on China, 26 percent on India, 26 percent on South Korea, 24 percent on Japan and 20 percent on the European Union. Canada and Mexico, the two largest U.S. dairy trade partners, are currently exempted from the latest round of tariffs because both countries’ non-USMCA-compliant products already are subject to 25 percent tariffs that Trump imposed, then largely suspended, last month. 

Targeted Use of Tariffs and Robust Negotiations Essential to Successful Results

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Leaders from the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) released the following statements today in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements.

“Tariffs can be a useful tool for negotiating fairer terms of trade. To that end, we are glad to see the administration focusing on long-time barriers to trade that the European Union and India have imposed on our exports. The administration has rightly noted both countries’ penchants for restricting sales of American products,” said Gregg Doud, President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “In fact, 20% reciprocal tariffs are a bargain for the EU considering the highly restrictive tariff and nontariff barriers the EU imposes on our dairy exporters. If Europe retaliates against the United States, we encourage the Administration to respond strongly by raising tariffs on European cheeses and butter. We also appreciate the President’s recognition of the sizable barriers facing U.S. dairy exports into the Canadian market.

Through productive negotiations, this administration can help achieve a level playing field for U.S. dairy producers by tackling the numerous tariff and nontariff trade barriers that bog down our exports. As the administration moves forward with negotiations on these tariffs, we encourage prioritizing getting back to fully open trade with U.S. FTA partners, targeting actors who have long put up entrenched barriers to American exports, and swiftly negotiating constructive outcomes with those we know are working for a long-term fruitful relationship with American farmers.”

“President Trump’s commitment to addressing certain unfair and harmful trade policies that American dairy farmers and manufacturers have long faced in the global marketplace can yield positive results if the tariffs announced today are used as leverage to remedy the various trade barriers facing our exporters,” said Krysta Harden, President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. “A firm hand and decisive approach to driving changes is most needed with the European Union and India to correct their distortive trade policies and mistreatment of American agriculture including both imbalanced tariff barriers and nontariff choke-points such as the misuse of Geographical Indications to block sales of our cheeses.

The strong majority of our trading partner relationships are positive ones; this includes many of the countries that will see higher tariffs imposed on them. We encourage the administration to work swiftly with these constructive partners to negotiate new trading terms that expand opportunities for U.S. exports and secure the elimination of both tariff and non-tariff barriers.”

 

DMC Margin Loses $0.73/cwt in March, on Lower Milk Price and Higher Feed Cost

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The Dairy Margin Coverage margin fell $0.73/cwt to $13.12/cwt for March as milk prices fell and feed costs rose.

The U.S. average all-milk price lost $0.50/cwt in February, falling to $23.60/cwt, while higher feed costs covered the rest of the margin loss. The DMC Decision Tool on the USDA Farm Service Agency website at the end of March projected the monthly margin would average $12.51/cwt during 2025, with a low of $11.10/cwt in May. Such a performance would result in no DMC payouts for farmers this year.

FARM Biosecurity Remains Leader on H5N1; First In-Person Training Approaches

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program is preparing for its first in-person FARM Enhanced Biosecurity training, with H5N1 in dairy cattle still a significant concern one year after it was first identified.

The Program has released five new guides and one-pagers in the past year that give farmers necessary tools to protect their farms. The two-day in person training, set for April 30-May 1, will provide FARM program evaluators with the opportunity to learn how to help farmers develop an enhanced biosecurity plan.

The training also provides a networking opportunity with other dairy professionals and a chance to hear from a Virginia dairy producer about the process and lessons learned from implementing a FARM Biosecurity–Enhanced plan.

This training is supported by a cooperative agreement with USDA National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Plan (NADPRP). The agreement supports expanding the resources available through the FARM Biosecurity program, such as additions to the current online module and a second in-person training set for 2026 in Washington.

For questions, please contact Miquela Hanselman, mhanselman@nmpf.org.

New Maritime Fees Would Undermine U.S. Dairy, NMPF Argues

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF and USDEC filed joint comments on March 24 to USTR urging the administration to reconsider proposed fees on Chinese-owned or built vessels under the agency’s Section 301 investigation into China’s maritime and shipbuilding practices. NMPF warned that fees ranging up to $1.5 million per port call would significantly increase shipping costs, undermining U.S. dairy export competitiveness abroad, even as it supported efforts to bolster the U.S. commercial fleet.

Nearly 40% of U.S. dairy exports rely on ocean freight. Higher fees risk lost market access, supply chain disruptions and economic harm to dairy farmers and exporters, NMPF and USDEC argued in their comments. NMPF joined two March 24 letters—one from a broad industry coalition and a second from agricultural organizations— call for alternative approaches that support U.S. strategic goals without disproportionately harming American exporters.

NMPF Strengthens Latin American Ties Amid Trade Uncertainty

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Amid tense and uncertain trade relations between the United States and Mexico, NMPF Executive Vice President Jaime Castaneda reinforced U.S. dairy’s commitment to its Mexican partners at the Pan American Dairy Federation’s (FEPALE) Board of Directors meeting.

Castaneda highlighted new and continuing opportunities for NMPF and FEPALE to promote dairy consumption and boost trade between the two neighboring countries at the meeting, held the week of March 3. Castaneda also met with key Mexican farm representatives, processors and importers to discuss the looming threat of tariffs and other challenges facing the U.S. and Mexican dairy industries. Castaneda met with Ricardo Villavicencio, president of CANILEC (the Mexican association of processors and importers), and Sergio Soltero, secretary of the National Confederation of Livestock Organizations, to emphasize Mexico’s value as a trade partner to the U.S. dairy industry.

Building on these efforts, NMPF and USDEC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Guatemalan Dairy Development Association (ASODEL) on March 20 in Guatemala City. The agreement aims to boost dairy trade, promote consumption and address trade barriers across the Americas—underscoring NMPF’s broader strategy to strengthen regional ties and support open, fair dairy markets.

NMPF-Led Common Names Bill Reintroduced in Congress

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF, USDEC and the Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) welcomed the April 1 reintroduction of the bipartisan SAFETY (Safeguarding American Value-added Exports) Act that would protect the rights of U.S. dairy producers to use common food names like “parmesan” and “feta” in global markets.

Shaped and championed by NMPF, USDEC and CCFN, the legislation, first introduced in May 2023, would amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 by:

  • Establishing a list of names at risk and explicitly defining “common names” as a term ordinarily used for marketing a food product, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
  • Defining foreign restrictions of those common names as an unfair trade practice; and
  • Directing USDA to “coordinate with the U.S. Trade Representative to proactively defend the right to use common names for agricultural commodities or food products in their markets” through various negotiating tools.

The bill is sponsored by Sens. John Thune, R-SD, Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, Roger Marshall, R-KS, and Tina Smith, D-MN, in the Senate and Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-SD, Jim Costa, D-CA, Michelle Fischbach, R-MN, and Jimmy Panetta, D-CA, in the House. It marks a renewed effort to counter the European Union’s attempts to monopolize generic names in markets around the world by misusing geographical indications rules, effectively blocking access for American cheese exporters.

“Losing the right to use common names has direct, on-the-ground consequences for U.S. dairy farmers,” said Gregg Doud, President and CEO of NMPF. “The Safeguarding American Value-added Exports Act is an important milestone to making that a reality.”

FDA Traceability Delay Creates NMPF Advocacy Opportunity

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF welcomed the Food and Drug Administration’s recent 30-month compliance date extension for its final Food Traceability Rule, which creates additional opportunities to push for changes.

NMPF has long opposed the Food Traceability Rule as it is currently written while supporting sensible food traceability measures, and last year made great strides working with the International Dairy Foods Association toward getting FDA to consider exempting Grade “A” cottage cheese from the Food Traceability List.

NMPF plans to use the extra time to work with FDA and the Partnership for Food Traceability, a nonprofit partnership dedicated to this issue which NMPF joined last year, to find better solutions to food traceability.

The final rule establishes additional traceability recordkeeping requirements beyond what is already required in existing regulations for people who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods on the Food Traceability List. It applies to domestic and foreign entities producing food for U.S. consumption and was issued in 2022 in accordance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.