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U.S. Dairy Celebrates Market Access Advances in Southeast Asia

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council praised today’s announcement of new trade agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia and new trade agreement frameworks with Thailand and Vietnam, strengthening U.S. dairy’s position in Southeast Asia’s high-growth market.

“With these new agreements, the administration has delivered big wins for America’s dairy farmers,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF. “Agreements like those struck with Malaysia and Cambodia will ensure we have fair access to Southeast Asia’s fast-growing markets. That’s essential so that our farmers and cooperatives can keep doing what they do best – producing top-quality milk and dairy products for families here at home and around the world. We look forward to working closely with the administration as they turn the new frameworks with Vietnam and Thailand into strong deals as well.”

“These agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia open new doors for U.S. dairy exports in two dynamic markets and the frameworks with Vietnam and Thailand offer the promise of more to come,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “By removing tariffs, addressing nontariff trade barriers and cutting red tape, the agreements will make it easier for U.S. suppliers to deliver the high-quality dairy ingredients and foods that Southeast Asia’s growing consumers demand. USDEC appreciates the great work of the U.S. negotiating team in securing these important results.”

The agreement with Malaysia will deliver meaningful gains for U.S. dairy exporters including the elimination of virtually all remaining dairy tariffs, state of the art protections for common cheese names, assurances regarding dairy certification, recognition of the U.S. dairy safety system, streamlining of facility registration requirements, and reinforcement of the vital importance of basing regulations on sound science.

The agreement with Cambodia delivers similar results extending to also include a full elimination of all tariffs on U.S. dairy exports and a prohibition on the establishment or maintenance of a facility listing requirement for U.S. dairy products.

The trade framework agreements with Thailand and Vietnam provide outlines of the provisions with each to come, both offering the promise of similarly strong outcomes on tariffs and nontariff barriers impacting dairy exporters.

Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand are already among the top twenty export destinations for U.S. dairy products, account for $118 million, $127 million and $87 million respectively in sales last year. The new deal comes as the EU advances negotiations on free trade agreements this year with Malaysia and Thailand while Vietnam entered the sixth year of its FTA with the EU this year. All three also have long-standing deals with New Zealand and Australia. In light of this, the U.S. agreements are particularly important to maintaining U.S. competitiveness in this key region. While U.S. dairy exports to Cambodia totaled only $3 million last year, it too offers potential for further growth.

Enter to Win! Ayache Explains National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program, Raffle

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF’s Nicole Ayache explains to Dairy Radio Now listeners how the National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program supports graduate students enrolled in Master’s or Ph.D. programs who are actively pursuing dairy-related fields of research that directly benefit milk marketing cooperatives and the U.S. dairy industry at large. The scholarship is currently hosting a fundraising raffle to raise money for next year’s applicants. Use this link to enter the raffle by Nov. 12: https://go.rallyup.com/nmpf-raffle-2025/.

MMPA Captures Win in NMPF’s Annual Communications Contest

Posted on by Jessi-Ryah Cordova

Dairy Farmers of America’s Windemuller Wins Farmer Communicator of the Year

Michigan Milk Producers Association received the honor of Cooperative Communicator of the Year in the National Milk Producers Federation’s annual cooperative communications contest, winning five categories and a ‘Best of Show’ award in the Writing category. Dairy Farmers of America’s farmer-member Paul Windemuller received NMPF’s Farmer Communicator of the Year award.

MMPA also took six second place finishes and three third place finishes in the competition, which recognizes the top communications efforts among NMPF’s member cooperatives. The Best of Show: Writing award was given for its informational feature, “The Low Down on FMMOs.”

“The feature did a great job of simplifying a very complex topic by taking the time to explain to readers what FMMOs are, along with other basic principles,” the competition reviewer wrote. “The piece explained the importance of why this issue matters from multiple audience perspectives. It was a very well-written feature on such a prevalent issue in the industry.”

Windemuller was recognized 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 Paul’s clips, 3 Types of Tech on the Farm, has more than 445,000 views and 300+ comments on his dairy’s Instagram account.

Paul also hosts his own podcast, AgCulture, sharing anecdotal experiences, insights and innovations in the agricultural space. With nearly 100 episodes, Paul has hosted many notable guests from the United States and worldwide, covering topics including risk management strategies, social media, farm succession planning, the future of organic farming, and more.

“As a hardworking dairy farmer with six children, we don’t know how Paul finds the time to also be such a strong advocate for dairy,” his nomination notes. “His efforts are much appreciated across the industry. He is respected by his peers, and on a path to continue informing the agriculture industry and beyond.”

Paul, along with 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.

The “Best of Show” award is selected from the first-place entries in the contest’s main areas: publication, writing, graphics and special projects. In addition to MMPA’s recognition in the writing category, Dairy Farmers of America 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.”

Winners were announced at today’s meeting of NMPF member cooperative communicators. All the winners will also be recognized at NMPF’s annual meeting, Nov. 10-11 in Arlington, TX. A full list of the winners of the NMPF communications contest, which received 102 entries from 11 member cooperatives, can be found here.

Dairy’s Future Bright, IDFA, NMPF Chairmen Say

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Dairy’s future is bright, and it’s brightest when the industry is united toward common goals, the chairmen of the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation said.  

“$11 billion or so in projects are happening or about to happen that will significantly grow the industry capacity throughout the country,” said Daragh Maccabee, CEO of Idaho Milk Products and Chairman of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) in the podcast released today. “That means the processor community is stepping up, and we all know that the dairy producer community will do its part as dairy farmers always, always do. And aligned with that investment also comes furthering innovation capabilities or further investment in innovation capabilities so that the U.S. can continue to lead the way in delivering value for milk in increasingly sophisticated ways.” 

The discussion covers the unique qualities of the U.S. dairy industry, including its scale, efficiency, and sustainability. Maccabee and Mooney, who serves as chairman of the National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Farmers of America, the largest U.S. dairy co-op, with the strength of cooperatives and industry organizations are also highlighted as keys to industry progress. However, dairy faces challenges around labor shortages and trade uncertainty, they said. 

“We need new laws that help farmers continue to have the labor that we need on the farms to produce the milk. And without that, that’s the biggest critical issue that I see as what could affect future dairy production in this country, is just making sure the cows get taken care of and the cows get milked under the labor standards that we have today,” Mooney said. 

Still, the industry’s overall outlook remains something to cheer about, said Mooney, who soon will be stepping down as NMPF’s chairman. Reflecting on nearly two decades of leadership in that role, Mooney said it’s been an honor to be part of a profession that improves people’s lives.  

“This industry is going to be bright for the future of farming. It’s going to be bright for the producers,” he said. “And not only that, what makes me feel good at the end of the day is on our individual farms.” 

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’s Bjerga shares latest shutdown updates

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF Executive Vice President, Communications & Industry Relations Alan Bjerga tells Dairy Radio Now listeners about the latest updates with the government shutdown and how it affects dairy farmers across the country.

Are You Dumber Than A European? A Quiz

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

This month’s Dairy Defined features an interactive quiz that’s a fun way to explore the difference between how plant-based beverages are labeled in the United States versus the European Union.

Plant-based peddlers in the United States have long insisted that they need to use dairy terms on their beverage products – in clear violation of FDA standards of identity – because if they don’t, consumers might not understand what they’re consuming. Au contraire, we argue. Using dairy terms for plant-based beverages is verboten in the European Union, yet somehow, those consumers comprenden that those beverages are for, you know, drinking and stuff like that.

So take the quiz and prove for yourself – are you dumber than a European? Can you figure out what plant-based beverage is, even without dairy terms? Take a chance! And disprove another lie. Let’s give it go and click the button below to start the quiz.

 

Take the Quiz

 

 

Staff Promotions Recognize Expanded Work

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF announced two promotions within its economics team, taking effect as dairy faces market uncertainty amid trade challenges and cloudy economic forecasts.

Stephen Cain, who began at NMPF in 2020, is now Vice President of Economic Policy and Market Analysis, recognizing both his growing job responsibilities and his increasing position as a public representative of NMPF in industry conferences and other events.

Allison Wilton was promoted to Market Analyst, highlighting her continued growth and strong analytical contributions to NMPF. Wilton joined NMPF in 2022. Both Cain and Wilton also are active in NMPF’s NEXT program, blazing a new path in dairy trade globally.

NMPF Staff Deliver Outlooks, Trade Messages

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF staff reached out across dairy and agriculture audiences in September and during the August congressional recess with appearances in local and national meetings, discussing dairy’s economic outlook and the importance of free trade.

NMPF’s Jaime Castaneda, executive vice president for policy development and strategy, provided agricultural trade leaders and government officials a snapshot of opportunities and challenges for U.S. dairy exports in an unprecedented trade environment as a panelist at this year’s Midwest Agricultural Export Summit on Aug.13.

Hosted by South Dakota Trade in Sioux Falls, the event convened producers, policymakers and trade professionals in a forum to equip farmers and ranchers with the tools necessary to compete and grow in international markets. Castaneda joined a panel, “Breaking Down Barriers: Agriculture Industry Perspectives,” to discuss existing barriers to dairy trade and the Trump Administration’s newly announced trade frameworks.

Meanwhile, economics team staff addressed market outlooks domestically and internationally.

Will Loux, head of the joint economics team for NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council, traveled Sep. 8-12 to Sydney, Australia to explore the potential for NEXT and U.S. dairy products in that market.

NMPF Market Analyst Allison Wilton gave a market outlook to the American Association of Bovine Practitioners in Omaha at its annual conference on Sep. 11. Later in the month she gave a similar presentation to Darigold staff in Seattle.

Stephen Cain, Vice President of Economic Policy and Market Analysis, in September presented at the U.S. Dairy Ingredient Supply Seminar in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and to Bangkok, Thailand for the U.S. Dairy Supply & Innovation Seminar.

NEXT-Assisted Export Sales Near 24 Million Pounds as September Winds Down

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NEXT member cooperatives secured 60 contracts in September, with one week still outstanding for the month; full-month data will be available later this week. These contracts added 23.9 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 September 2025 through May 2026.

Exporting dairy products is critical to the viability of dairy farmers and their cooperatives across the country. Whether or not a cooperative is actively engaged in exporting, moving products into world markets is essential. NEXT provides a 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.

NMPF Strengthens Relationships in Taiwan

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF explored opportunities to connect U.S. dairy supplies with key Taiwanese importers during a Sept. 29-Oct. 1 USDA Foreign Agriculture Service-led trade mission to Taipei, Taiwan.

Alongside a local representative of Dairy Farmers of America, NMPF’s Jaime Castaneda and Tony Rice met with Taiwanese government officials, including the Ministries of Agriculture and Health and Welfare, and dairy industry stakeholders to promote U.S. dairy products and discuss ways for the U.S. dairy industry to expand its presence within Taiwan’s growing agricultural market.

Taiwan is the United States’ eighth largest agricultural export market, importing in 2024 just under $4 billion worth of agricultural goods from United States, including $108 million of U.S. dairy exports.

NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council also in Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Dairy Association of Taiwan on Sept. 30, affirming a shared commitment to building demand for dairy in Taiwan, supporting a Taiwanese government school milk program and efforts to protect the right to use common names like “parmesan.”

Building on this trade mission to Taipei, as well as NMPF’s April 2025 delegation visit to Taiwan, the MOU seeks to strengthen business and government relations to the mutual benefit of the dairy sectors in Taiwan and the United States.