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Cooperatives Gather to Strengthen Dairy’s Future Leaders

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF brought together staff working with young dairy farmers from member cooperatives May 19–20 for a discussion focused on strengthening support for dairy’s next generation of leaders.

The meeting, hosted by Foremost Farms USA in Middleton, WI, drew 17 representatives from nine member cooperatives, along with industry partners including the American Jersey Cattle Association, Professional Dairy Producers, Dairy Girl Network and Dairy Management Inc.

Participants exchanged ideas and shared best practices on topics ranging from increasing young farmer engagement in cooperative activities to identifying and securing sponsorship support. Attendees also heard from Courtney Berner of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, who discussed strategies cooperatives can use to create smoother leadership transitions and better support emerging leaders within the dairy industry.

Congressional Fly-in, AI on Agenda as NMPF Board Gathers

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

A workshop on Artificial Intelligence and a legislative fly-in open to both Young Cooperators and NMPF board members is set to highlight the organization’s June board meeting next week in Arlington, VA.

The packed agenda includes the following:

  • Committee meetings, including the Immigration Task Force, Political Action Committee, Economic Policy Committee and Scholarship Committee
  • Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden and Ambassador Julie Callahan providing perspective on the agriculture economy and trade landscape
  • A bipartisan PAC fundraising breakfast featuring Tony Wied, R-WI, and Josh Riley, D-NY
  • An update from Dairy Management Inc., featuring CEO Barb O’Brien and NMPF Board Member Charles Krause.

Workshops and discussions, including a discussion of Artificial Intelligence and its future in dairy, begin on June 8 and continue after the formal meeting June 9-10 concludes, as NMPF’s Animal Health and Wellbeing Committee meets. Also, in conjunction with the board meeting is the NMPF Young Cooperators annual fly-in, which this year has been coordinated with the board meeting schedule to allow for fuller board participation. Conversations will center around an ag labor solution for dairy, keeping flavored milk in schools, supporting the DAIRY PRIDE Act, and advancing a farm bill to the president’s desk.

FARM ES Integrates RuFaS Model Updates

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Environmental Stewardship Program on May 19 released revisions to its Version 3 evaluation tool, integrating the latest scientific updates from the Ruminant Farm Systems (RuFaS) model that powers FARM ES Version 3.

Key reasons for this update:

  • Cropping practices: If a farm enters optional details about their cropping, those practices will now be reflected in total footprint. Feed production emissions will be broken down into purchased and homegrown production emissions for those farms that choose to enter cropping info.
  • RuFaS made important improvements in the manure methodology (for example, better responsiveness to temperature, better manure methane modeling for youngstock, ability to specify solids management after solid liquid separation, etc.).
  • The RuFaS team can better support FARM ES when questions or issues arise because FARM ES will be using the most up-to-date model version.
  • The RuFaS scientific documentation will reflect the model version that FARM ES uses, simplifying the efforts by cooperatives, processors, customers, and consultants to understand how FARM ES quantifies emissions.
  • Adjustments to the FARM ES report now will better enable GHG Protocol LSRS aligned reporting.

Updating the platform upholds FARM Environmental Stewardship’s commitment to offer the best available scientific methods that work for farms of all sizes, geographies and production styles.

FARM Environmental Stewardship provides a platform built by and for the U.S. dairy community, powered by peer-reviewed, credible science. U.S. dairy farmers actively shape the program, unifying industry response to supply chain interests and helping to streamline sustainability measurement into one program.

FARM ES showcases the great conservation work dairy farmers have done for generations and increasingly serves as a gateway for farmers to access supply chain incentive projects and other mechanisms that directly support their stewardship efforts.

NMPF Advances Dairy in Final Nutrition Rules

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

USDA announced May 8 two final rules for nutrition policy: “Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs” and “Updated Staple Food Stocking Standards for Retailers in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.” Both contain advances for dairy farmers and their cooperatives in line with NMPF efforts.

NMPF applauded USDA’s final rule that clarifies Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act implementation. The rule, which takes effect June 8, allows schools to offer whole and 2% milk in all federally funded meal programs for the first time since 2012.

As USDA developed the rule, NMPF advocated for schools to be able to offer whole and 2% milk not just at lunch, but also at breakfast and through other programs, including the Special Milk Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The updated rule makes it clear that schools can now offer whole, 2%, 1% or skim unflavored and flavored milk options in all meal programs.

USDA the same day released updated staple food stocking standards for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program retailers.

The updated SNAP restocking rule continues to recognize dairy as a staple food category, and now also counts flavored milk, sour cream and shredded cheese as separate food varieties. The rule also limits plant-based alternatives, allowing only three to count toward the dairy stocking requirement. These updates reflect many recommendations NMPF made in comments submitted in November.

USDA removed butter from the staple foods list and reclassified as an accessory food to be consistent with how other cooking fats are classified. Consumers can still use SNAP benefits to purchase butter at the store, but retailers will no longer be required to stock butter to qualify as a SNAP retailer. Retailers still must carry seven food varieties from the dairy category to meet SNAP standards.

NMPF, FARM Prime Producers for Screwworm

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

More than 1,200 cases of New World screwworm were reported in Mexico during the month of May, with the latest confirmed case approximately 31 miles from the U.S.–Mexico border. Experts believe that a U.S. outbreak may be imminent, making it a top priority for NMPF and the National Dairy FARM Program that it administers.

The nature of the threat, which creates severe wounds that can lead to death in cattle, makes producer surveillance a key strategy to preventing and treating cases. The Food and Drug Administration has a growing list of medications which have either emergency use approval or conditional approval for the treatment and prevention of New World screwworm.

Currently, medications have been approved for use in lactating dairy cattle. FDA issued on May 19 an emergency use authorization (EUA) for doramectin injection, Dectomax-CA1, for use in lactating and dry dairy cows, as well as replacement heifers aged 20 months or older. The drug had previously received conditional approval for use in female dairy cattle younger than 20 months. The EUA expands the injection’s indications, offering more tools to help producers prepare for a potential outbreak.

Meanwhile, the FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) Antibiotic Stewardship Program released its , which contains information on the current list of approved and authorized drugs for New World screwworm. Producers can use this resource to guide on-farm decisions that protect their herds while promoting judicious use of antimicrobials.

USDA has developed a five-pronged plan that focuses on early detection, treatment and containment, control of animal movement and investment in new treatment and control technologies. NMPF has actively participated in listening sessions to coordinate with federal and state partners on best practices to stop the spread. NMPF also submitted comments in favor of a USDA registration application for NovoFly April 22.

Producers who suspect they may have an animal infested with New World screwworm should contact their local veterinarian to file a report, collect samples for testing and to provide treatment recommendations. USDA has created an informational website that provides current information and updates on confirmed cases.

Farmers can expect movement requirements in affected areas, including inspection and/or treatment, to limit the spread once the screwworm has entered the United States. Farmers should work with their veterinarians and consult with state animal health officials on movement requirements.

Legislative priorities on crowded agenda

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Trey Forsyth, Vice President, Government & Regulatory Affairs

As Congress heads into a compressed summer work period before the August recess and the ramp-up to fall midterm elections, dairy leaders are closely tracking a full slate of legislative activity that will shape the industry’s outlook for years to come. From farm bill negotiations to labor reform and federal funding decisions, the weeks ahead are expected to be pivotal.

At the top of the list is continued progress on the farm bill. The House has already advanced its version, incorporating several priorities long championed by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). This includes authorizing long-term dairy product processing cost surveys, bolstering voluntary, producer-led conservation efforts, directing the U.S. government to protect common cheese names like “Parmesan” and “Feta” in trade negotiations, strengthening export promotion funding, expanding access to renewable energy programs for farmer-owned cooperatives, and broadening dairy product eligibility in nutrition incentive programs.

Attention now turns to the Senate, where Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ariz.) has indicated that bill text is expected to be released in June, with a possible committee markup in the coming weeks. That timeline aligns with industry hopes for maintaining farm bill momentum, though significant policy and budgetary differences remain to be resolved. Ensuring key dairy provisions continue to advance will be central to discussions as the Senate weighs its approach.

Agriculture workforce reform also appears to be on the horizon. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) has signaled that he is nearing introduction of legislation aimed at addressing agriculture’s labor challenges. While details are still emerging, NMPF is hopeful the bill will include key wins for dairy, such as the long-sought need for non-seasonal agriculture industries to have access to the H-2A program. Any forward movement on agriculture labor reform would mark a meaningful step for producers who continue to face workforce shortages and labor uncertainty.

Meanwhile, appropriators are advancing Fiscal Year 2027 funding bills through Congress, including measures that will determine funding levels for key dairy priorities across USDA programs related to nutrition, conservation, and research. While spending constraints remain, these bills offer another avenue to reinforce priorities even as broader farm bill negotiations continue.

All of this is unfolding against a broader legislative backdrop dominated by efforts from Republicans to move a reconciliation package that funds immigration enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Discussions of a third reconciliation package intensify the crowded agenda lawmakers face in the months ahead, intensifying pressure to resolve agricultural priorities within a limited window.

NMPF is actively engaged across all these fronts, working to ensure that dairy’s voice is heard. That effort will be on full display during the National Young Cooperators Dairy Policy and Legislative Forum, set for June 8 to 10 in Washington, D.C., where the next generation of dairy leaders will meet directly with policymakers to advocate for the industry.

With multiple legislative tracks converging, this summer represents a critical moment to secure meaningful policy wins for dairy producers nationwide.

 

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on June 1, 2026.

AI Conversation Critical for Dairy’s Future

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

I was first introduced to the possibilities of computer-generated data during high school in the 1980s. I later thought it was cutting edge to turn in my grad school homework on a 3 ½”, 1.44mb disc in the early 1990s. That felt like dizzying technological progress then. That’s nothing compared to now.

From easy-to-fake videos to massive energy sucking data centers on rural land, AI is changing everything from web searches to queries of massive databases to predicting your next purchase. AI technology has quickly permeated all aspects of our lives and is now learning more quickly than we know how to adapt.

Dairy farmers, cooperatives, and the broader industry can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. AI’s economic effects are simply too great, and its consequences too profound. Dairy economics are unforgiving, consumer expectations are accelerating, and labor — well, every producer knows that story. If we want a resilient, profitable dairy sector for the next generation, mastery and incorporation of AI isn’t optional. It’s essential.

Let’s start with the most basic reality: Margins in dairy remain tight, and volatility isn’t going anywhere. Feed costs spike, milk prices swing, and global markets move on a tweet or a weather event. Dairy farmers have always been among the most data‑savvy business owners in agriculture, but the sheer volume of information available today — from ration formulation and heat stress to milk yields and cattle health — has far outpaced what a human can digest alone.

That’s where AI earns its keep. We’re talking about tools that don’t just record data but interpret it, learn from it, and predict outcomes before a problem shows up in the bulk tank. It isn’t about replacing the producer’s judgment; it’s about equipping the farmer with massive amounts of data that can be used to calibrate a level of precision that can predict, and allow you to correct, a problem before it occurs.

Cow‑level precision aided by AI may be the biggest potential productivity leap dairy has seen since the rotary parlor. Cows respond to predictable routines, clean stalls, and precisely formulated rations. Modern sensors can track rumination, movement, temperature, and feed intake, building a behavioral fingerprint for every cow. AI systems can pick up early signs of ketosis, mastitis, lameness, or feed disruption days sooner than traditional observation. Now imagine using AI to integrate the weather forecast with a feed ration, optimizing nutrition before the sun comes up. (Actually, we’re already doing this.) That means healthier cows, lower feed costs and vet bills, and higher milk production. In a business where each additional pound of milk matters, such innovations aren’t a luxury — they’re a lifeline, and a competitive advantage for farmers who use AI effectively.

But perhaps the biggest long‑term value of AI in dairy isn’t inside the barn. Without question, the efficiencies AI creates in the dairy supply chain and logistics will be revolutionary and will certainly bring changes. But imagine a world that’s able to seamlessly connect producers to consumers in the marketplace, domestically and overseas. For instance, consumers, major dairy buyers and foreign trading partners increasingly want transparency: how the cow was treated, what it was fed, how the milk was produced, what a dairy’s environmental footprint looks like, etc.

This is the sort of information that seal deals, both with foreign buyers in an export market and with parents shopping at a grocery store. Dairy farmers with AI‑driven monitoring and recordkeeping can document sustainability and animal‑care metrics with a level of detail that wasn’t possible before — a potential advantage when selling to transparency-minded customers.

We already know that impressive performance on carbon intensity, water use, and soil health are competitive advantages. We’ll also soon be able to use AI to predict which investments will garner the best farm-level returns, if we have the right data sets.

None of this means AI is a silver bullet. Major questions and concerns remain on how this technology can be harnessed for the broadest benefit, where the energy to power it will come from, how thriving farms and AI data centers can best coexist, and what safeguards on data privacy and security are needed, with this last point being a serious and complex problem that requires viable, legally enforceable solutions. It’s also important to remember that, like everything else, AI isn’t always right — without human guidance, significant errors can occur, and in the end, the dairy farmer needs to stay in the driver’s seat.

But for dairy, the potential benefits are too great to shy away from the challenges, and we need the industry’s best minds focused on solutions, to get a sense of where AI is going and how dairy can benefit from that path.

That’s why next week, at NMPF’s Board of Directors meeting in Arlington, VA, we’re adding an AI workshop and presentations to our agenda. As the leading U.S. dairy-farmer organization, we want to use our power to convene the industry on a precompetitive basis to wrestle with the questions and challenges we all have in common, to seek common solutions that help all of us thrive, and work through the challenges widespread AI adoption are rapidly placing before us. We’re excited to see what our members come up with, and we’re looking forward to being a repository of knowledge of this critical, fast-changing topic.

The dairies that thrive in the next decade will be the ones that blend human intuition with the predictive power of AI.  We can treat AI as an outsider’s gadget, or as a threat with risks that don’t justify the rewards, or we can embrace it as the next evolution of the same ingenuity that has always defined American agriculture. At NMPF, we are firmly in the camp of AI embrace, knowing that there will be bumps on the road, kinks to work out, and challenging questions to answer along the way, because along with policy leadership, we also help our members seek innovative solutions that benefit the entire industry. Dairy has never been afraid of hard work or new tools. AI is simply the next one we will use to succeed.

Gregg Doud

President & CEO, NMPF

 

U.S. Dairy Cites New USITC Report in Call for Action on Canadian Dairy Trade Practices

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council today reiterated their call for the U.S. Trade Representative to use the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) joint review process to address Canada’s distortionary nonfat milk solids export practices. Their statement follows yesterday’s release of the U.S. International Trade Commission’s (USITC) Section 332 report, Nonfat Milk Solids: Competitive Conditions for the United States and Major Foreign Suppliers.

The report confirms what NMPF and USDEC have long documented: that Canadian milk production quotas that “aim to match domestic supply and demand for butterfat lead to a level of raw milk production that results in a domestic structural surplus of [nonfat milk solids] components.” The report goes on to note that the Canadian government-administered milk pricing system “unlinks its relatively high farmgate price of milk from the price that [nonfat milk solids] processors pay for milk components in Canada using regulated ‘price discrimination.’”

The Canadian structural surplus and pricing system outlined in the report served as a basis for NMPF and USDEC to work with the first Trump administration to secure commitments during the USMCA negotiations for Canada to limit its artificially low-priced skim milk powder and milk protein concentrate exports. The deal established an annual threshold over which these nonfat milk solids exports are subject to a surcharge to ensure U.S. producers are not being undercut in the U.S. or international markets.

While the report acknowledges that Canada has to date limited its exports of products formally classified as nonfat milk solids, it also cites a marked increase in Canadian exports of products categorized under tariff codes for “blended dairy products” and “protein isolates,” that fall outside of the USMCA-disciplined tariff categorization. The report estimates that from 2013 to 2015 exports under the “protein isolate” tariff code were just 76 metric tons. Post USMCA implementation, the volume of protein isolates has grown dramatically to over 32,000 metric tons from 2022 to 2024. While the tariff code is not exclusive to dairy proteins, USITC estimates that most of the exports were dairy based.

USITC notes that the dairy products are entering the United States from new and expanded processing plants in British Columbia and Manitoba. The report cites that “[i]n addition to access to cost-competitive sources of [nonfat milk solids] components, these facilities received grants and loans from national and provincial governments.”

In testimony before the USITC as part of the investigation in July 2025, NMPF and USDEC’s Jaime Castaneda and William Loux called out the detrimental effects of Canada’s cumulative pricing and trade practices on U.S. dairy farmers and processors. Castaneda said, “it is absurd that Canadian dairy producers receive one of the highest farmgate milk prices in the world by a wide margin, yet their nonfat milk solids end up on the global market at prices below our cost of production.” Loux added, “Canada’s actions distort markets and undermine fair competition … This information is critical to bring substantive results for U.S. dairy producers and processors, including during the upcoming USMCA review process.”

The testimony complemented comprehensive comments submitted by NMPF and USDEC as part of the investigation and coordination among members to demonstrate the breadth of the issue. The organizations will continue to work with USTR to leverage the report and ensure Canadian attempts to circumvent their dairy protein export commitments are comprehensively addressed in the ongoing USMCA joint review process.

Milk Variety Makes Healthy Kids

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The greater the variety of milk in schools, including whole, lower-fat and flavored varieties, the greater the benefits to students, dairy farmers are telling lawmakers as they meet them on Capitol Hill.

“I think it’s awesome that students and kids have a choice. Giving them more choices just gets more milk out there for them, and the benefits that it has, and the flavor that it has that kids enjoy,” said Lauren Schwartzbeck, a schoolteacher and dairy farmer who farms near Union Bridge, MD, and a member of Maola Local Dairies, in the latest episode of the Dairy Defined podcast, released today. “I think by giving them those choices and by providing that product to them, that can only do great things, not only just for our dairy industry, but for these kids as well.”

Schwartzbeck was joined by Prairie Farms Chairman and NMPF Executive Committee Member Frank Doll, whose dairy is near Greenville, IL, on the podcast. The two farmers discuss the benefits of adding whole milk to school meal menus as well as the value of flavored milks, which are a popular source of student nutrition. Doll also talks about some of dairy’s priorities as farmers descend on Washington next month for its annual fly-in.

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.”

Celebrating flavored milk amid whole milk wins

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Miquela Hanselman, MPH, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs

This year has seen great wins for 2% and whole milk — the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which allows schools to offer milk of any fat level for student meals, was signed into law Jan. 14, and USDA recently released a final rule to implement the new law through national nutrition programs. Through years of advocacy, the National Milk Producers Federation was also able to regain support for dairy products of all fat levels in the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

While the spotlight has been on whole milk in 2026, it’s important not to relegate a longtime fan favorite: flavored milk.

Flavored milk, such as chocolate and strawberry, contains the same 13 essential nutrients vital for growth and development as unflavored white milk. Children who drink flavored milk consume more milk overall and have higher intakes of vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and other nutrients. Studies show consumption of flavored milk is associated with better overall diet quality without any adverse impact on weight.

Roughly 7% of fluid milk sales in the United States is school milk, and about two-thirds of that is flavored milk. Studies have shown that food waste in schools is reduced when flavored milk is offered in schools, and kids have consistently given flavored milk higher ratings versus unflavored milk.

While flavored milk is an excellent source of nutrients, it can sometimes draw criticism because it contains added sugar. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans take a more aggressive stance on limiting added sugars than in previous years, stating that each meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars. This could potentially affect the dairy products served in school meals, such as flavored milk and yogurt.

But flavored milk contributes just 4% of added sugars in the diets of children ages 2 to 18. And dairy processors have voluntarily worked for more than a decade to reduce added sugars in flavored milk in schools by 50%. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, 37 fluid milk processors made the Healthy School Milk Commitment, agreeing to provide flavored milk cartons with no more than 10 grams of added sugar per 8-oz. serving. Now, flavored school milk on average has only 7 to 8 grams of added sugar per serving, lower than ever before.

Flavored milk is a popular and tasty option for people of all ages, especially children. Though added sugars may sound concerning, the American Academy of Pediatrics has said “a beverage such as flavored milk provides a good example of the balance needed to limit added sugars and yet promote nutrient-rich foods.”

The dairy industry has made great strides providing the same great tasting flavored milk products with less sugar than before, and that’s something worth celebrating.

 

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on May 21, 2026.