News for Dairy Co-Ops

U.S. Senate passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act opens a path to congressional passage this month, with NMPF leading an advocacy campaign to ensure prompt House of Representatives approval of legislation that will benefit children’s nutrition.

The Senate unanimously passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act on Nov. 20, leaving only House passage and a presidential signature before improved access to dairy nutrition in schools becomes law. The bill provides schools with the option of serving whole and 2% milk in addition to the 1%, fat-free, and flavored options currently offered.

Whole and 2% milk are the most consumed varieties at home, offering the same 13 essential nutrients including protein, calcium and vitamin D with a taste kids often prefer.

“Restoring schools’ option to offer whole and reduced-fat milk will mean more schoolkids will get the essential nutrients they need,” NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said in a statement after Senate passage. “This commonsense legislation will help American children get back on solid nutritional footing. We’re grateful that both sides of the aisle can come together and agree on the importance of making informed, science-backed decisions that prioritize the health and future of our children.”

Following the Senate’s action, NMPF last week launched a final advocacy campaign to get whole milk over the finish line and into schools. Dairy farmers and advocates wishing to urge their House members to bring the legislation to a floor vote can visit NMPF’s advocacy page and enter their message. NMPF is staying active on social media and in news outlets, pushing to get the bill on the House calendar.

USDA removed whole and 2% milk from school meals programs beginning in 2012 as part of an effort to slow obesity in American kids, a move based on science and nutrition advice that is now outdated. Research over the past decade has found that milk at all fat levels has a neutral or positive effect on health outcomes, ranging from obesity and diabetes to heart disease.

A bill similar to this year’s overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives in 2023 but stalled in the Senate. House Committee on Agriculture Chairman GT Thompson, R-PA, has led the charge in the House on this issue for years, with Rep. Kim Schrier, D-WA, as coauthor, and this bill is expected to pass with strong bipartisan support once again.

The Senate legislation was co-sponsored by Sens. Roger Marshall, R-KS, Peter Welch, D-VT, Dave McCormick, R-PA, and John Fetterman, D-PA. Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-AR, and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, led the committee in approving the bill by voice vote in June.

NMPF chose Brian Rexing, an Indiana dairy farmer and a member of the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative, as it NMPF’s 15th chairman Nov. 10 at the organization’s Joint Annual Meeting.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your chairman,” said Rexing in his first remarks after NMPF’s board of governors approved his nomination.

“I may be stepping into this role, but it isn’t about me,” he said. “It’s about who we represent, and the future we’re building together.”

Rexing and his wife, Ranell, operate New Generation Dairy, near Owensville, IN, milking 1,200 cows and farming 3,500 acres of corn, beans, wheat, and alfalfa. Brian is a fourth-generation farmer. Brian and Ranell have four children. He is the Vice President of Evansville Young Dairymen and received the Indiana Dairy Producer of the Year award 2010. In 2021, Brian purchased a meat processing plant with a retail store. Brian is a member of DFA’s Executive Committee.

Rexing succeeds Randy Mooney, who has served as NMPF’s chairman for the past 17 years. Mooney, who also serves as chairman for Dairy Farmers of America, will remain on NMPF’s Executive Committee, which also was elected Nov. 10.

“It is one of the great honors of my life to work alongside so many dedicated farmer-leaders who care deeply about the future of dairy,” said Mooney. “I’m proud to pass the baton to Brian Rexing — a leader who carries forward the spirit of dedication, vision, and integrity that defines NMPF and our entire industry.”

NMPF’s Officers and Executive Committee will consist of:

• Chairman Brian Rexing — Dairy Farmers of America
• 1st Vice Chairman Cricket Jacquier — Agri-Mark, Inc.
• 2nd Vice Chairman Simon Vander Woude — California Dairies, Inc.
• Secretary Craig Caballero — United Dairymen of Arizona
• Treasurer Pete Kappelman — Land O’Lakes
• Sheryl Meshke — AMPI
• Rob Vandenheuvel — California Dairies, Inc.
• Melvin Medeiros — Dairy Farmers of America
• Randy Mooney — Dairy Farmers of America
• Joel Eigenbrood — Foremost Farms
• Brian Hemann — Lone Star Milk Producers
• Jon Cowell — Maola Local Dairies
• Doug Chapin — Michigan Milk Producers Association
• Frank Doll — Prairie Farms
• Jacob Larson — Southeast Milk, Inc.

Also at the meeting, NMPF’s board of directors approved the organization’s policy positions and elected new members. New board members approved by NMPF delegates, a broader group than the board, include:

• Amy Humphreys — Northwest Dairy Association
• Kurt Williams — Lanco Pennland
• Stephen Mancebo — Land O’Lakes
• Brian Hemann — Lone Star Milk Producers
• Will Dyt — California Dairies, Inc.

The members awarded Honorary Directors for Life recognition to former NMPF board members Jim Werkhoven of the Northwest Dairy Association and Joey Fernandes of Land O’Lakes.

NMPF, the National Dairy Board and the United Dairy Industry Association co-host the meeting. The meeting of roughly 750 farmers also featured breakout sessions on industry topics ranging from an economic outlook and the role of Artificial Intelligence in communications to dairy labor challenges.

U.S. dairy farmers are thriving in the marketplace even as labor shortages and a volatile policy environment remain challenges, dairy industry leaders stressed at NMPF’s annual meeting.

U.S. dairy is well-positioned for growth, NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud said in remarks Nov. 11.

“I love where we are in this industry right now, today, folks,” he said, noting $11 billion in new dairy-plant investment currently underway nationwide. “Yes, there’s going to be uncertainty. My goodness, there’s uncertainty. But we’re in expansion mode. And I love it.”

Dairy producers in the past year have grappled with workforce instability and a shifting trade environment even as consumer demand has remained strong and the nutrition and policy communities increasing recognize the benefits of dairy. But the firm foundation built for dairy over the past several years bodes well for the industry’s future, said outgoing NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney, who used his remarks to reflect on 17 years leading NMPF’s Board of Directors.

“We’ve built a stronger foundation for dairy farmers across the country by ensuring that each and every day, farmers, no matter the size of their operation are where they call home, have the tools, the support, and the representation they need to succeed on their operation for generations to come,” he said. “We’ve moved the industry forward on major policy fronts, and together, we’ve made collective voice stronger in Washington.”

Featured panelists at the meeting’s general session included Doud, who appeared with fellow dairy CEOs Barb O’Brien of Dairy Management Inc. and Krysta Harden of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. A session on revenue opportunities for dairy farmers featuring Katie Cook, Vice President, Farm Animal Sustainability, Elanco Animal Health; Mark Purdy, Director of Product and Portfolio Management, Meristem; and Joel Ysselstein, General Manager, Meadowvale Dairy, also highlighted the event.

The meeting ran Nov. 9-12.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins touted the Trump administration’s milk action plan to support American dairy farmers at NMPF’s annual meeting.

“I want to be very clear. We will never stop fighting for those of you in the dairy industry and across rural America we have reached that golden age for our producers,” said Rollins, a Texas native who keynoted the Joint Annual Meeting hosted by NMPF, the United Dairy Board and the United Dairy Industry Association. “Dairy farmers have delivered for America for 250 years, and now it’s time for us to deliver for you.”

In her remarks, Rollins outlined USDA’s dairy priorities, outlining the administration’s four-point approach to support the industry, including:

• Incentivizing dairy consumption through changes to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, expected in December or early January;
• Working to drive down input costs;
• Facilitating investments in American milk processing; and
• Expanding markets to help milk producers prosper.

Rollins also noted the importance of farm-labor issues, pledging to seek federal changes to rules and regulations in coordination with the departments of Labor and Homeland Security while noting that broader changes will require congressional action. “We are acutely aware of the unique labor needs of the dairy industry,” she said.

Rollins became the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture earlier this year after serving as the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the America First Policy Institute. During President Trump’s first administration, she was the Director of the Domestic Policy Council and Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives in the White House. She also previously served as Director of the Office of American Innovation. In these roles, she developed and managed the domestic policy agenda of the Trump administration.

NEXT held its inaugural meeting last month to establish expectations, provide an in-depth report on program operations and identify steps to keep the program nimble and responsive to market conditions as the program itself saw another successful period of boosting U.S. dairy exports.

NEXT member cooperatives secured 107 contracts in November, adding 15.4 million pounds of product in NEXT-assisted sales in 2025. These products will go to customers in Asia, Oceania, Middle East-North Africa and South America and will be shipped from November through February.

The sales mark another month of progress for NEXT, which has seen strong results out of the starting gate in the second half of the year.

NEXT (NMPF Export & Trade), which provides a means to move domestic dairy products to overseas markets by helping to overcome U.S. dairy’s trade disadvantages, was launched at NMPF’s June board meeting. November’s Joint Annual Meeting provided an opportunity for NEXT members to meet on their own on Nov. 9.

Meanwhile, the NMPF board at its meeting approved a Strategic Advisory Group for NEXT, to shape the program by providing direction on programmatic initiatives and enhancements. Members of the group consist of representatives from participating cooperatives as well as two non-voting advisory positions. Michigan farmer and chair of Michigan Milk Producers Association, Doug Chapin, will serve as the NEXT Strategic Advisory Group chair with NMPF’s Will Loux serving as the program’s first executive director.

The advisory group will reconvene in January, as participants look to build upon the program’s initial success. Anyone interested in participating in NEXT should contact Will Loux at wloux@nmpf.org.

A Habanero Ghost Jack from Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery took the top prize in NMPF’s annual cheese and dairy products competition, while Lanco Pennland took the overall Reserve Chairman’s award with its Sweet Cheddar, victories celebrated at the Joint Annual Meeting cheese reception Nov. 12.

Judges noted the high quality of the jack cheese combined with the delicate balance of flavor with the habanero and ghost peppers in giving its top award to Ellsworth for its cheese produced by Team Menomonie of Menomonie, WI. The Sweet Cheddar, produced in Hancock, MD by the team of “Kylie and Ben,” was one of several awards won by Lanco Pennland, which as a new member participated in its first NMPF cheese contest this year.

The annual dairy product contest, commonly called “the cheese contest,” offers NMPF members an opportunity to showcase the top-quality products. Butter was added to the contest in 2024, and yogurt in 2022. Fourteen NMPF cooperative members submitted 240 entries and more than 3,000 pounds of dairy products for this year’s contest.

Contest judges included Allison Reynolds from USDA, Timothy Meyers, College of DuPage, Gina Mode, Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Luis A. Jimenez-Maroto, also with the Center for Dairy Research.

The top prizes, the Chairman’s Award and the Reserve Chairman’s, are decided by judges’ consensus.

In other awards, the best Italian also went to Lanco Pennland for its provolone. The best cottage cheese was awarded to Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. for its Regular, small curd cottage cheese produced in Carbondale, IL by their Carbondale team. The best butter went to Agri-Mark, Inc. for its Salted 83 butterfat Euro Style Butter made in West Springfield, MA and best yogurt went to Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. for its vanilla yogurt made in Wichita, KS by its Wichita Culture Team.

A full list of winners is here.

Integrity, ingenuity and the pursuit of excellence earned three farms and one program evaluator this year’s National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program’s Excellence Awards, which were announced Nov. 11 at the Joint Annual Meeting.

The awards recognize participants who uphold program values by demonstrating U.S. dairy farmers are committed to producing high quality, wholesome milk.

The 2025 FARM Excellence Award recipients are:

• Animal Care & Antibiotic Stewardship — Bar E Dairy (Land O’Lakes, Inc.)
• Environmental Stewardship — Five Star Dairy Farm LLC (Associated Milk Producers Inc.)
• Workforce Development — Glezen Farms, LLC (Maola Local Dairies)
• Evaluator of the Year — Lisa Ford (Cayuga Marketing)

“These winners exemplify FARM’s mission of continuous improvement through action, integrity and resilience,” Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Meggan Hain said. “It’s our honor to highlight the good deeds of the dairy industry, not only to assure customers, but also to reward farmers for their continued contributions and dedication.”

FARM created the awards in 2021 to celebrate farms dedicated to continuous improvement in each of the FARM Program pillars and to recognize a FARM Program evaluator for their exceptional care and attention to the farms they evaluate. The awards are judged by FARM Farmer Advisory Council members and other subject matter experts.

Farms and evaluators may be nominated by fellow dairy farmers and evaluators, members of their communities, extension, cooperative or processor staff, veterinarians, or other industry professionals.

About the winners:

• Bar E Dairy is located in Kingsburg, CA, and is a member of Land O’Lakes, Inc. Bar E Dairy received the 2025 FARM Excellence Award in Animal Care & Antibiotic Stewardship for its commitment to exceptional animal welfare and judicious use of antibiotics through on-farm technology and innovation.
• Five Star Dairy Farm LLC is located in Alma, WI, and is a member of Associated Milk Producers Inc. Five Star Dairy earned the 2025 FARM Excellence Award in Environmental Stewardship for its use of conservation practices to promote and maintain the land, water and wildlife in its community.
• Glezen Farms, LLC is located in Lisle, NY, and is a member of Maola Local Dairies. Glezen Farms secured the 2025 FARM Excellence Award in Workforce Development for its dedication to fostering a safe, informed and responsible workforce through training and resource investment.
• Lisa Ford is based in Auburn, NY, and is a FARM Program evaluator for Cayuga Marketing. Lisa took home the 2025 FARM Evaluator Excellence Award for her devotion to serving Cayuga members through education, leadership and advocacy.

More than 70 young dairy farmers and co-op coordinators representing 12 NMPF member cooperatives met for leadership training during the National Young Cooperators (YC) Program’s annual Leadership and Development Program, held in conjunction with the Joint Annual Meeting.

The professional development event held Nov. 9-11 focused on what it means to serve on a board of directors, with speaker sessions detailing cooperative governance fundamentals, CEO insights on cooperative success, financial fundamentals, ways to manage group conflict, as well as a hands-on workshop about strategic leadership and fostering healthy practices that support long-term business success. The Young Cooperators also got a rundown of the dairy industry in Texas and went on a group tour of the Fort Worth Stockyards, complete with a cattle drive of Texas Longhorns.

YC chairpersons Tim and Megan Schrupp of Eden Valley, MN, helped lead the programming. “Engaging with fellow young dairymen and women through the National YC Program, we have observed the determination, talent, and sense of community that defines this new generation of dairy leaders,” Megan said.

“Continued investment from groups such as NMPF, focusing on leadership, innovation, and collaboration, means that the future of dairy farming rests in capable hands, ensuring our industry will continue to nourish and connect communities for generations to come,” Tim added.

The National YC Program has provided training and leadership development opportunities to beginning dairy farmers for more than 70 years, and aims to provide producers with the education, tools and resources they need to improve their leadership skills, profitability and resilience through year-round virtual and in-person programming.

NMPF runs the program, which is funded by its members with support from Farm Credit, Ever.Ag, Monument Advocacy, Medgene and Agri-Services Agency. The YCs invite employees and owners of dairy farms that are members of an NMPF member cooperative and under the age of 45, as well as co-op staff, to participate.

NMPF built on its longstanding ties with Mexico during a USDA agricultural trade mission from Nov. 3–6, where Jaime Castaneda, executive vice president for policy development and strategy, and Shawna Morris, executive vice president for trade policy and global affairs, represented the organization as part of the U.S. delegation of agribusinesses and organizations led by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

NMPF met with Mexican Undersecretary of Foreign Trade Luis Rosendo Gutierrez and leadership from the Mexican intellectual property office. The delegation also engaged Mexican producer and processor organizations and several major dairy importers.

Castaneda and Morris reinforced to Mexican government officials the importance of preserving and strengthening the mutually beneficial dairy trade relationship between the United States and Mexico. As part of that discussion, NMPF pressed Mexican officials to ensure full implementation of U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) provisions related to the protections of common cheese terms and prior users of generic names. U.S. exporters’ rights to use certain terms are at risk as the European Union advances toward implementation of its updated trade deal with Mexico, which includes various restrictions on the use of common food names.

NMPF will continue to work with the U.S. and Mexican governments to ensure the important bilateral trade relationship is preserved and outstanding issues like the right to use common names are resolved in the USMCA 2026 Joint Review process.

NMPF submitted final joint written comments with the U.S. Dairy Export Council on Nov. 17 to the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) as part of the agency’s Section 332 investigation into the United States’ global nonfat milk solids competitiveness.

The organizations in their comments highlight how Canada continues to distort global nonfat milk solids markets through its new Class 4a pricing system that enables the production of low-priced dairy proteins destined for export. Clear production shifts following USMCA’s implementation indicate a deliberate attempt by Canada to circumvent the trade deal’s export disciplines established for dairy proteins, consequently undercutting U.S. producers at home and abroad. As the United States begins the mandated USMCA 2026 Joint Review, the USITC report will be a significant resource in ensuring that the agreement works as U.S. negotiators intended.

The submission also underscores the long-term competitive imbalance created by the European Union’s historic subsidies for casein and caseinate production, noting that more than four decades of financial support allowed European processors to build a dominant global position that persists today. Although the subsidy scheme ended in 2013, its legacy remains evident in the scale, infrastructure, and export strength of EU manufacturers, particularly in Ireland, France, and the Netherlands. NMPF’s filing urges the USITC to recognize the cumulative effect of these foreign policies on U.S. dairy competitiveness and to reflect these realities in its final report.

The filing complemented an earlier submission on July 16 and joint NMPF and U.S. Dairy Export Council testimony by Jaime Castaneda and William Loux at a July 28 hearing. The investigation follows persistent NMPF advocacy for the U.S. government to address Canadian attempts to evade their USMCA dairy commitments in a manner that disadvantages U.S. producers.

The National Milk Producers Federation is offering a 10–12-week summer internship in the Washington D.C. metro area. This internship offers students the unique opportunity to better understand the intersection of U.S. dairy industry policy, regulatory affairs, and trade.

Interns will have the opportunity to learn from NMPF’s expert staff, covering areas including government relations, regulatory affairs, trade, communications, membership services and the National Dairy FARM Program. More information and the application can be found here. Applications close Dec. 31.