Tag: dairy exports

NMPF Strengthens Partnerships in Latin America

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF and USDEC led a delegation of U.S. dairy industry leaders to Guanajuato, Mexico for the eighth annual U.S.-Mexico Dairy Binational event July 29-30, building on a longstanding partnership to mutually grow demand and address shared issues with the United States’ largest dairy trading partner. Producers from Dairy Farmers of America and Land O’Lakes joined the event.

Coming on the heels of the third round of USMCA negotiations with Mexico, the two industries reaffirmed their commitment to collectively growing the U.S. and Mexican dairy markets, limiting trade barriers and promoting the image of dairy. Participants also included a new commitment to collaboratively support the next generation of dairy farmers.

Further south, NMPF and USDEC signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Livestock Producers of the Highlands and Eastern Region (AGSO), a major agricultural cooperative based in Ecuador, on July 13 in Quito. The agreement deepens ties between the U.S. and Ecuadorian dairy sectors and commits the parties to cooperate on knowledge-sharing, dairy consumption promotion, productivity improvements, and coordinated engagement in international forums like Codex and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. The MOU includes a shared commitment to defend common food names such as “parmesan” and oppose foreign efforts to restrict their use.

The agreement is the latest step in NMPF’s sustained push across Latin America, building on momentum from the U.S.-Ecuador Agreement on Reciprocal Trade which will lower dairy tariffs and address nontariff barriers to trade. As global pressure mounts on common names and market access, NMPF continues cultivating regional relationships to strengthen U.S. dairy’s footprint and defend shared industry interests across Latin America.

July NEXT-Assisted Export Sales Surpass 15.8 Million Pounds

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NEXT member cooperatives secured 65 contracts in July, adding 15.8 million pounds of product in NEXT-assisted sales in 2026. These products will go to customers in Asia, North America, Middle East-North Africa, Oceania, the Caribbean, South America and Central America and will be shipped from July 2026 through January 2027.

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.

 

Whole Milk x 5 = The Importance of Trade

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Fact: Getting whole milk back in school meals this fall is a big deal.

Thanks to the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and demand from parents across the country, the most popular variety of milk in the United States is back on lunch trays, benefiting the next generation of milk drinkers.

The return of whole and 2% varieties also will absorb a lot of U.S. butterfat, a boon for dairy producers who have struggled with a supply imbalance. A reasonable estimate of how much whole milk will be consumed by American schoolkids shows additional demand that would be equivalent to nearly 24 million pounds of milkfat — for perspective, that’s enough to make that’s almost 120 million sticks of butter — in additional market need. That boosts dairy demand and improves prices for farmers.

But amid the excitement of bringing whole and 2% milk to schools in the United States, another slower moving, but in some ways even bigger, story is worth a comparison, in part because it’s become so taken for granted that it doesn’t grab attention the same way as whole milk on a lunch plate: Just how much rising exports increasingly support dairy prosperity.

Back to those 120 million butter sticks. That’s the potential demand contribution from whole milk in schools. But in 2026, the amount of milkfat sent overseas rose by more than 160 million pounds from 2025. That’s about 800 million sticks of butter. And trade volumes keep growing, as the United States increases market share and rising global incomes increase demand for the high quality, nutritious, great tasting products that U.S. dairy farmers and their cooperatives supply.

So as summer vacation starts to wind down and kids look forward to better school nutrition this fall, remember there’s another good story beyond the classroom.

American milk producers advance by boosting demand at home, building a (literally) stronger future through a healthier population that relies on and appreciates dairy. But dairy’s future also lies in sales overseas, with an entire world of rising demand. Be thankful that American kids can get whole milk in schools. And also be thrilled that kids worldwide are benefiting just as much from all-American dairy.

Who will win the long game in protein markets?

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Will Loux, Senior Vice President, Global Economic Affairs

Protein claims are seemingly everywhere in the United States — from milk protein-based cereal to gimmicky cocktails. Rock-solid science showing dairy protein’s unique benefits and innovative products capturing consumer attention are enabling U.S. protein manufacturers to win a share in the marketplace. In fact, more new products featuring whey protein are launching today than ever before, despite record high prices.

Yet as ubiquitous and seemingly insatiable as demand for protein is in the U.S., I would argue the most optimistic long-term argument for milk and whey proteins is the untapped demand abroad, where per-capita protein consumption remains far below the U.S.

In many markets, protein-rich products are just now breaking out from beyond the sports nutrition category and into the mainstream, accelerated by U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) helping integrate dairy proteins into local cuisines. This work has helped keep international demand for milk and whey proteins resilient, even as prices have soared. Global whey protein concentrate 80 (WPC80)+ trade fell just 2% over the past 12 months, despite export values rising by more than 37% during that time.

Rather than lack of demand, the main challenge to global trade over the past year has been the lack of exportable supply, particularly out of the United States, where exports of WPC80+ have declined by 21% through April. Fundamentally, even as U.S. WPC80 and whey protein isolate (WPI) production have grown, there hasn’t been enough supply to go around — a scenario which has historically meant the domestic customer is prioritized.

However, a domestic-centric strategy is not without risks. Even as the U.S. retains its position as the largest exporter of high-protein whey products, other origins are actively investing to compete in the market. Arla, FrieslandCampina, Tirlán, and plenty of others have all completed or announced additional whey protein concentrate capacity within the past year. Putting numbers behind this threat, in April, U.S. WPC80+ exports declined by 20% year-over-year, while shipments from competitor origins, namely the EU, New Zealand, the U.K., Australia, Canada, and Turkey, all rose, completely negating the retreat from the U.S.

This challenge is only going to become more acute over time. While the U.S. remains the most likely milkshed to grow significantly in the coming years, three-quarters of the liquid whey processed in the country is already being used in WPC80 and WPI. Meaning, there is a limit to sourcing additional whey solids without additional new cheese capacity. By contrast, the EU has a much larger stockpile of sweet whey — over 1 million metric tons — that will continue to transition toward higher concentrations in time.

Thus, as optimistic as we all remain on dairy protein, the U.S. cannot be complacent in global markets, particularly as domestic demand is unlikely to continue at this pace indefinitely. That does not mean U.S. manufacturers need to be in every country or try to fill every overseas order, but focusing on key growth markets and maintaining close ties to strategic partners is likely to pay dividends in the long run. Otherwise, those customers are likely to look for alternatives — whether in Europe, Oceania, or outside of dairy.

 

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on July 16, 2026.

June NEXT-Assisted Export Sales Surpass 34.6 Million Pounds

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NEXT member cooperatives secured 74 contracts in June, adding 34.6 million pounds of product in NEXT-assisted sales in 2026. These products will go to customers in Asia, North America, Middle East-North Africa, Oceania, South America and Central America and will be shipped during the period running from last month through next February. 

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 and USDEC Statement on the First USMCA Joint Review

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

From NMPF and USDEC Executive Vice President Shawna Morris:

“As the United States, Mexico, and Canada launch the first Joint Review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), we commend the ongoing efforts to resolve outstanding issues and work toward a renewal of this vital agreement. Getting USMCA right matters enormously to our industry, which ships more than 40 percent of all U.S. dairy exports by value to Mexico and Canada.

“Mexico is our most important trading partner, and our dairy industries are deeply integrated. It is critical that a renewed USMCA fully protect the free trade of common name products, particularly against any EU-imposed geographical indication restrictions. Protecting the ability of both U.S. and Mexican producers to use common names is essential to preserving the integrated market we’ve built together.

“On the Canada side, USMCA was designed to deliver two key reforms: targeted new tariff-rate quotas and real disciplines on Canada’s ability to distort global dairy markets through unlimited exports of artificially underpriced dairy proteins. Canada has flagrantly disregarded both commitments, underscoring exactly why this Review is such an important tool. A renewed agreement must fix what isn’t working.

“We strongly support the U.S. government’s efforts to address these challenges and urge focused, intensive work by our trading partners to resolve them. A stronger, durable, renewed USMCA is key to the long-term prosperity of dairy producers and exporters across North America.”

May NEXT-Assisted Export Sales Total 21.4 Million Pounds

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NEXT member cooperatives secured 93 contracts in May, adding 21.4 million pounds of product in NEXT-assisted sales in 2026. These products will go to customers in Asia, North America, Middle East-North Africa, South America and Central America and will be shipped from May through December.

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.

April NEXT-Assisted Export Sales Total 16 Million Pounds

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NEXT member cooperatives secured 58 contracts in April, adding 16 million pounds of product in NEXT-assisted sales in 2026. These products will go to customers in Asia, North America, Oceania, Middle East-North Africa, South America, Central America and the Caribbean and will be shipped from April through November 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.

USTR Report Underlines Landmark Wins for Common Name Protections

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council and Consortium for Common Food Names welcomed today’s release of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) 2026 Special 301 Report, which details the significant progress made over the past year in securing commitments from U.S. trade partners to protect the free use of generic food and beverage terms.

The annual report documenting the most pressing intellectual property issues facing U.S. exporters this year spotlights the administration’s successful efforts to protect American producers’ use of common names such as “parmesan” and “feta” against the European Union’s protectionist geographical indication (GI) policies. NMPF, USDEC and CCFN have been proud to coordinate with the administration on combatting policies that restrict the use of widely recognized food and beverage terms to only specific European producers and effectively cut U.S. producers out of certain key markets.

“For too long, the EU has weaponized GI policy to crowd out American producers from markets they have served for decades,” Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC, said. “This past year’s reciprocal trade agreements are a sea change, and we welcome USTR’s leadership and persistence in addressing this issue. We encourage the administration to build on this impressive foundation in every remaining negotiation to ensure U.S. exporters are never again shut out of export markets by the EU’s GI misuse.”

“EU GI schemes create a two-tiered system that benefits European dairy producers and stamps out competition,” Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF, said. “NMPF deeply appreciates USTR’s leadership in addressing the GI restrictions detailed in the Special 301 report as a priority trade barrier. We look forward to continuing this great work with USTR.”

“The EU’s approach to geographical indications is simply a dressed-up trade barrier. It is entirely unacceptable,” Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN, said. “Too many trading partners have been coerced into imposing barriers on products using common food names. We greatly appreciate the administration’s leadership in reversing this trend, and we urge USTR to build on their great work securing important protections for common names in nine Agreements on Reciprocal Trade signed to date and protect common names in every market.”

CCFN submitted comments to the agency in January, which broke down the many markets where U.S. dairy producers’ common name rights are being threatened, including “asiago,” “provolone” and “gruyere,” and participated in the Special 301 public hearing USTR held in February. NMPF and USDEC filed supporting comments, expressing gratitude for the administration’s action.

All three organizations will continue to work closely with USTR and U.S. government partners to monitor implementation of the reciprocal trade agreements and to ensure that U.S. trade partners fully meet their commitments to maintaining open and predictable access for U.S. dairy and other common name products.