News for Dairy Co-Ops

Dairy farmers and their advocates are calling for dairy to maintain its premier position in the next iteration of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans via an NMPF call to action as the guidelines’ Advisory Committee concludes its public meetings this month.

NMPF’s advocacy campaign, launched in September, creates an opportunity for members to have their voices heard by the committee. USDA and HHS are currently requesting public comments as part of their update of the guidelines through Oct. 7.

A Sept. 26 meeting of the committee showed encouraging signs for dairy, as members acknowledged the need for more dairy in American diets and noted its health benefits. Still, nothing is final until the federal government signs off. Dairy advocates can participate in the NMPF campaign here.  These comments will be directed to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee as it finalizes its report outlining the committee’s recommendations to USDA and HHS as the departments prepare to write the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The guidelines affect government policies in numerous ways, such as guiding which types of milk can be served in school meal programs and setting parameters for how nutrition programs are implemented and developed.

The guidelines are updated every half-decade.

NMPF assembled a technical committee made up of key stakeholders including dairy producers, veterinarians, and state and federal partners on Sept. 4-5 in Arlington, VA, to discuss the biggest hurdles and opportunities for the industry since H5N1 was found in dairy cows.

The workshop was funded in part through a USDA grant to bring together stakeholders for H5N1 discussions and recommendations. As the H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle continues to evolve, new challenges have emerged and the actions to date need to be evaluated and refined based on new information. This requires a coordinated approach to address animal health, public health, food safety and environmental concerns. NMPF has been a strong leader throughout this outbreak crisis and is uniquely positioned to bring stakeholders together.

Participants– including state veterinarians, dairy producers, researchers, state public health officials, laboratory experts from the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and representatives from the Food and Drug Administration, USDA National Preparedness and Incident Coordination, USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service– shared their unique perspectives and challenges.

The meeting included presentations on herd-level surveillance, diagnostics for surveillance, and the latest research on transmission. Dr. Mark Lyons, director of the USDA Ruminant Health Center, and Dr. Danelle Bickett-Weddle, owner of Preventalytics and the workshop facilitator, presented on current and future herd level surveillance. This presentation led to a group discussion and breakout sessions on surveillance goals and what it means to achieve disease elimination.

Participants also discussed research needs for disease transmission following a presentation from Dr. Lindsey Holstrom from USDA NPIC, and opportunities for testing following presentations on diagnostics from Dr. Suelee Robbe Austerman of USDA NVSL, Dr. Drew Magstadt of Iowa State University, Dr. Jason Lombard of Colorado State University, and Dr. Keith Paulson of the University of Wisconsin.

Finally, participants explored the communications needs for various audiences as the industry continues to navigate this disease.

The discussions from the September workshop, as well as earlier meetings and surveys of the technical working group, will be used to inform a series of reports outlining recommendations for the industry.

NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council called on the U.S. government to respond forcefully to the Colombian government’s Sept. 16 provisional decision to impose an additional 4.86% tariff on milk powder imports from the United States as part of its politically motivated Subsidies and Countervailing Measures investigation.

The decision alleges without any credible evidence that the United States has unduly subsidized milk powder exports, damaging Colombian dairy producers. Since the announcement of the subsidies and countervailing measures investigation in July, NMPF and USDEC have aligned efforts with their members and the U.S. government to respond to Colombia’s questionnaires, strongly rejecting the investigation’s allegations and arguing that:

• The benefits of the alleged subsidies to U.S. dairy producers identified by the Colombian Investigative Authority were calculated incorrectly. In multiple cases, benefits were assigned from programs that were no longer in force by 2023 or assigned in a manner contrary to World Trade Organization rules;
• The methodologies for both the transfer of the alleged subsidies to U.S. milk powder producers and the conversion factors from fluid milk to milk powder as proposed by the Investigative Authority were incorrect;
• Due to different physical characteristics and end uses, Colombia failed to demonstrate that milk powder imports originating in the United States are comparable to fluid milk produced in Colombia, a key similarity element required in countervailing duty cases; and
• There is no evidence that the domestic Colombian industry has suffered injury as a result of imports of milk powder originating in the United States.

NMPF and USDEC have pushed the U.S. government to immediately and forcefully respond to the unwarranted tariffs.

The tariffs, it’s important to note, are only preliminary. Colombia will consider whether to increase, decrease or eliminate them as the investigation moves forward. NMPF will continue to participate in the subsidies and countervailing duty investigation, including by participating in an Oct. 3 hearing on the case, and engage political allies as needed.

Please contact Jaime Castaneda at jcastaneda@nmpf.org with any questions about this investigation.

The Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) monthly margin rose by $1.40/cwt from the month before to $13.72/cwt, the highest since margin protection replaced the old price support program as the basic dairy safety net program in January 2015. The August all-milk price was $23.60/cwt, up $0.80/cwt from July, and the DMC feed cost formula dropped by $0.60/cwt of milk, driven mostly by a lower corn price.

Late September dairy and grain futures indicated that the DMC margin would average around $12.20/cwt for all of calendar year 2024.

NMPF’s annual meeting Oct. 21-22 in Phoenix is in its final planning as dairy leaders from across the nation prepare to address critical industry issues.

The event will feature discussions on topics that matter most to United Dairymen of Arizona farmer-owners and the broader dairy community. Attendees will gain valuable insights into key export markets, including the dairy products and ingredients that promise the greatest returns. NMPF economists will offer in-depth analysis of the current dairy economy, a forecast for 2025 and insights into factors that will influence milk supply, demand and pricing in the year ahead.

NMPF’s annual Young Cooperators (YC) Leadership and Development Program, which runs concurrently with the annual meeting, this year will both provide perspective on dairying in the southwest while providing a platform for YCs to engage in meaningful discussions on issues, with a focus on building skills for effective cooperative governance and navigating labor pressures.

The annual meeting is co-hosted with the United Dairy Industry Association and the National Dairy Board.

NMPF’s annual scholarship fundraising raffle is now live, running through this year’s Joint Annual Meeting and concluding Oct. 23 when winners are announced.

Prizes this year include a $1,000 travel voucher, American Express gift cards, Target gift cards, a Cabot Creamery Ultimate Gift Box, and more. The raffle can be accessed here. Annual Meeting attendees also will have the chance to support the program by participating in a silent auction.

The NMPF National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program supports Master’s and Ph.D. students conducting research important to dairy farmers. The scholarship program is largely funded through the raffle fundraiser and silent auction, making ticket purchases essential to its funding. Sustaining this program ensures that critical research benefiting dairy can continue.

Scholarship winners for 2024 selected by the NMPF Scholarship Committee included five graduate students conducting research in areas that will benefit dairy cooperatives and producers. Scholarships, announced to NMPF’s Board of Directors in June, were awarded to:

• Agustin Olivo, a doctoral candidate in Animal Science at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Olivo’s research focuses on evaluation and dissemination of system analysis tools and performance indicators to improve environmental outcomes of New York dairies.
• Ana Beatriz Montevecchio Bernardino, a doctoral candidate in Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Montevecchio Bernardino is studying the effect of a novel non-steroidal anti-inflammatory formulation on welfare of Holstein cows challenged with E. coli.
• Grant Fincham, a master’s of science candidate in Ruminant Nutrition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Fincham’s research looks at whole animal energy utilization and manure biogas production in feeding dried distillers grains with solubles to lactating dairy cattle.
• Lynn Olthof, a doctoral candidate in Animal Science-Dairy Management at Michigan State University. Olthof is studying the economic implications of dairy farm management decisions.
• Megan Lauber, a doctoral candidate in Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lauber is investigating an integrated approach to optimize sexed semen in dairy herds.

NMPF helped several dairy champions in both parties shine a spotlight on the Food and Drug Administration’s decades-long refusal to enforce dairy product standards of identity Sept. 10 when Jim Jones, the agency’s Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, appeared at a congressional hearing on FDA’s human foods program.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee hearing examined numerous bipartisan bills, including the NMPF-backed DAIRY PRIDE Act (H.R. 1462) to compel FDA to enforce dairy standards of identity in the interest of public health and truth in labeling. The bill is sponsored by Representatives John Joyce, R-PA, Ann Kuster, D-NH, Mike Simpson, R-ID, Joe Courtney, D-CT, Derrick Van Orden, R-WI, and Angie Craig, D-MN. Senators Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, Jim Risch, R-ID, Peter Welch, D-VT, and Susan Collins, R-ME, are leading the bill in the Senate.

In an exchange with Jones, Rep. Joyce, the bill’s lead House sponsor, said the agency’s 2023 draft guidance regarding the labeling of plant-based milk alternatives is woefully inadequate. That draft guidance suggested that plant-based product manufacturers disclose on their packaging the nutritional deficiencies of their products relative to real milk, but it made no attempt to discourage manufacturers from using the term ‘milk’ in the name of the product.

“The nutritional value of dairy products is superior to these imitators” and should not be sold in dairy cases, said Joyce. “Simply urging companies to spell out the nutritional deficiency will not solve the problem of consumer confusion, which stems from assumptions based on the use of the term ‘milk’. And ‘milk’, I am concluding with you today, comes from a lactating mammal, and the imitators – the fakes – are simply not milk.”

Backed by numerous public health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, NMPF has long argued that consumers do not fully understand the nutritional differences between real dairy and its plant-based imitators. Rep. Kuster put emphasis on this point, stating that “so many public health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have urged FDA to remove the term ‘milk’ from plant-based beverages.”

Finally, Rep. Kat Cammack, R-FL, a DAIRY PRIDE cosponsor, pressed Jones for a timeline on when FDA would make last year’s draft guidance final. FDA said after the hearing its expectation was that the guidance should be published by the end of 2025.

NMPF, in partnership with USDEC and the Consortium for Common Food Names, successfully secured an agreement approved by the Chilean government on Sept. 3 that safeguards U.S. cheese producers’ ability to use common food names such as “parmesan” Chilean market. The collaboration sets an important precedent that the U.S. has the resources and influence to counter the European Union’s aggressive, worldwide monopolization of common names.

NMPF’s engagement was initially prompted by the December 2023 signing of the EU-Chile trade agreement, which contained provisions that threatened U.S. cheese exports under the guise of protecting European geographical indications. NMPF, USDEC and CCFN worked closely with U.S. and Chilean government officials to find a workable solution that would protect U.S. cheese products, specifically parmesan. The organizations closely tracked the grandfathering process and supported members’ in submitting successful applications to establish prior user rights under that process; that later proved pivotal not only to securing firm commitments on access for those firms but also maintaining access for the wider set of U.S. cheese manufacturers. The organizations also met repeatedly with the U.S. government to evaluate specific workable approaches to preserving access for U.S. exporters and coordinated with industry counterparts in Chile.

These efforts helped lead to an exchange of letters between U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Chile’s Undersecretary of International Economic Relations Claudia Sanhueza on June 21 that confirmed that U.S. exporters would not face future restrictions around the use of 29 cheese and meat terms. Officials also agreed to an expanded interpretation of grandfathering provisions in the EU-Chile FTA that permits the continued use of parmesan by all U.S. exporters due to prior use of the term in Chile by at least one U.S. firm.

The agreement will take effect Jan. 15.

“This agreement is a milestone for U.S. dairy producers. It ensures that many of our products will maintain fair access to the Chilean market, supporting the growth and success of American dairy farmers on a global scale. Now, we need to build on that momentum by securing agreements with other trading partners to protect export opportunities for even more U.S. cheeses,” said Gregg Doud, NMPF President and CEO, in a statement after the agreement, calling on the U.S. government to build on the momentum and secure additional agreements with trading partners around the world.

NMPF and the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program will be hosting educational and outreach engagements this week at the World Dairy Expo, in Madison, WI.

Sessions will include farm transition planning, biosecurity, and Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) modernization.

Highlights include:

• The National Young Cooperators (YC) Program is hosting a panel discussion on lessons learned in dairy farm transition planning, beginning at 8:30 a.m. CT on Thursday, in Mendota Room 2. The panel will feature dairy farmers sharing their experiences with transitioning farm ownership and management.
• At 10:30 a.m. CT in the same room, the FARM Program will present a panel on H5N1 prevention strategies and best practices with animal health and biosecurity experts including NMPF’s Miquela Hanselman, along with Brent Wilson, a Michigan dairy farmer with firsthand experience managing an H5N1 outbreak. The panel will provide actionable strategies to help dairy farmers navigate the ongoing challenges posed by H5N1.
• At 1 p.m. CT, also in Mendota Room 2, NMPF will host a session on Federal Milk Marketing Order modernization. Panelists including NMPF Economic Policy Committee Chair Pete Kappelman and NMPF Chief Economist Peter Vitaliano will explore the immediate effects of potential updates and the long-term structural adjustments necessary to ensure the FMMO system continues to support a fair and competitive dairy marketplace.
• The National YC Program will also cohost with the Dairy Girl Network a panel discussion on Friday from 12:30 to 2 p.m. CT. As part of the Tanbark Talk series, this session will feature industry leaders who will explore the unique challenges and opportunities women face across the dairy supply chain, from local farms to international markets.
• The FARM Program’s booth, #4508, in the Exhibit Hall will be open throughout the week for discussions with farmers and allied industry higlighting recent updates for FARM program areas. Farmer resources including posters, manuals and prep guides will also be available.

NMPF staff are continuing to reach out and answer questions for current and potential Cooperatives Working Together members during before NMPF’s Board of Directors meets Oct. 21 to discuss the self-help program going into 2025.

Meanwhile, CWT member cooperatives secured 60 contracts in September, adding 6.2 million pounds of product to CWT-assisted sales in 2024. In milk equivalent, this is equal to 56.1 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. These products will go to customers in Asia, Oceania, Middle East-North Africa and South America and will be shipped from September 2024 through March 2025.

CWT provides a means to move domestic dairy products to overseas markets by helping to overcome U.S. dairy’s trade disadvantages. The amounts of dairy products and related milk volumes reflect current contracts for delivery, not completed export volumes. CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when export and delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.

NMPF Chief Science Officer Dr. Jamie Jonker spotlighted dairy’s global leadership in combating antimicrobial resistance at the United Nation General Assembly High Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance held Sept. 26.

In his capacity as chair of the International Dairy Federation’s Science Program Coordinating Committee, Jonker represented dairy globally at the UN meeting in New York. IDF released in conjunction with the meeting its 2024 special edition of the IDF Animal Health Report, featuring a dedicated focus on antimicrobial resistance.

“The articles contain actionable information for the global dairy sector to accelerate progress on AMR control,” Jonker said in an IDF release announcing the publications. The September UN in New York meeting built on a 2016 pronouncement about antimicrobial resistance and had followed up with a second political declaration to focus on tangible commitments for outcomes by 2030, including antimicrobial use in livestock.

NMPF has been advocating for the U.S. government partners to make political declaration commitments that reflect the important role of antimicrobials for animal health, welfare, and food safety outcomes. Jonker has served as a member of the Global Leaders Group since February 2023.

NMPF staff addressed topics ranging from equity in nutritional outcomes to the Federal Milk Marketing Order and building momentum for sustainability programs in events worldwide during September. Highlights included:

• NMPF Director of Regulatory Affairs Miquela Hanselman moderated a panel discussion on achieving health equity through diet and nutrition as part of the National Medical Association’s Professional Development Series on Sept. 11 at the American Public Health Association in Washington.
• Dr. Jamie Jonker, NMPF’s chief science officer, and Dr. Karen Jordan,a North Carolina dairy farmer and chairwoman of the NMPF Animal Health and Wellbeing Committee, spoke on dairy cattle health needs and priorities at the Animal Health Insititute’s USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics Triannual Meeting Sept. 18 in Ames, IA.
• Jonker represented the dairy sector perspectives on the H5N1 outbreak at the American Veterinary Medical Association Roundtable on H5N1 on Sept. 23-24 in Schaumberg, IL.
• NMPF Coordinator for Economic Policy & Global Analysis Allison Wilton met with members of the New Mexico Agriculture Leadership Program and gave an overview of NMPF and USDEC, highlighting NMPF’s efforts in modernizing FMMOs. NMPF Senior Director of Economic Research & Analysis Stephen Cain spoke with SMI’s Board of Directors Sept. 24.
• FARM Program Senior Director of Animal Care Beverly Hampton Phifer presented at the American Association of Bovine Practitioners annual conference, “Challenging the Norm” Sept. 12-14 in Columbus, OH. Hampton Phifer was joined Thursday, Sept. 12 by Dr. Richard Doak, Dr. Judy Kull and Dr. Valarie Smith for FARM’s session on “Preparing your Clients for FARM Animal Care Version 5”.
• Nicole Ayache, NMPF chief sustainability officer, participated in this year’s Women in Agribusiness Summit Sept. 24-26 in Denver, CO. Ayache presented on U.S. dairy’s sustainability work, highlighting FARM Environmental Stewardship, during the “Building Momentum for Precompetitive Sustainability Programs” session on Sept. 25.
• Shawna Morris, NMPF executive vice president for trade policy and global affairs, joined a roundtable event and series of Wisconsin dairy farm and processor visits with U.S. chief agricultural negotiator Doug McKalip and NMPF members Sept. 23-24 to discuss U.S. government efforts to protect common food names in key export markets.
• Jaime Castaneda, executive vice president for policy development and strategy, travelled to Italy Sept. 23-25 to meet with the leadership of the Parmigiano Reggiano consortium to discuss viable solutions that protects both legitimate geographical indications and common names like “parmesan.” Castaneda also spoke at the First International Conference on Buffalo Mozzarella and Milk Products in Naples on shared challenges on dairy labeling.