Tag: trade

NMPF Heads Off Halal Trade Barrier in Indonesia

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Indonesia revoked its Halal pre-shipment inspection requirement and delayed its Halal supply chain mandate by two years on Oct. 16, just days before both measures were set to take effect, following a coordinated effort led by NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council to head off new trade barriers. NMPF and USDEC collaborated with a coalition of international dairy organizations and worked closely with USTR and USDA to oppose the measures, which would have required an unworkable conformity inspection of every shipment in the country of origin and extended Halal requirements to every link in the supply chain, from cold storage to ocean carriers. U.S. exporters shipped over $220 million in dairy products to Indonesia last year, all of which would have fallen under the expanded requirements.

The win builds on NMPF and USDEC’s work to secure important dairy market access in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country. That includes Agreement on Reciprocal Trade commitments on zero tariffs and assurances on nontariff issues such as import licensing and Indonesia’s onerous dairy processing facility registration. NMPF will use the two-year window to push for a permanent fix based on Indonesia’s existing Halal certification system.

Taking Stock and Gearing Up for What’s Ahead

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Editor’s Note: This column is adapted from remarks given Oct. 20 at NMPF’s annual meeting.

 

Over the past year, the dairy industry has faced a wave of challenges from Washington, state capitals, and markets around the world. Last month at our annual meeting in Kissimmee, FL, I talked about some of the big wins NMPF has shepherded for dairy in 2026, and I shared a few of my thoughts on what’s to come.

The theme of the annual meeting this year was “Committed. Resilient. Ready.” and I think that really sums this industry up beautifully. To be totally honest, it’s been a pretty darn stressful year in Washington. But time and time again, this industry has shown up and proven its commitment, its resilience, and its readiness for whatever comes next.

Right now, we’re advocating on dairy’s behalf on a number of key topics including labor, the farm bill, nutrition and trade.

The last time we talked about meaningful agricultural labor reform and actually accomplished it in the United States was in 1986, 40 years ago. Spend five minutes with any dairy farmer in this country, and you’ll hear why reform is long overdue. As we’ve said for years, dairy does not have a seasonal labor problem; we have a year-round workforce problem. Our farms operate 365 days a year, yet we have never had a visa program built for their needs. Over the past year, however, that message has gained traction in the halls of Congress and with the administration. We’ve worked with Chairman GT Thompson and the House Ag Committee. His bill, the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, is one of the strongest we’ve seen on this issue and marks a major step forward. Together, these efforts have helped shift the conversation in Washington: more offices on Capitol Hill than ever before understand that dairy farmers need a year-round workforce, not just seasonal labor. That growing understanding is real progress, but it is only the beginning. We still have a long way to go, and we won’t stop until dairies across the country can find and keep a legal, stable workforce.

We are also as close as we’ve ever been in recent years to passing a new, comprehensive farm bill with significant wins for dairy. While we secured important wins to dairy programs, such as Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, challenging market conditions have many producers wondering whether our risk management tools are keeping up. To that end, the NMPF board came together in Florida to support a package of improvements to both DMC and Dairy Revenue Protection as the House and Senate try to negotiate a farm bill in the final weeks of 119th Congress. NMPF is already hard at work trying to secure these improvements before the end of the year.

The issue of nutrition — the dietary guidelines, the broader debate about what goes on the American plate, defining “ultra-processed foods” — has taken a life of its own in Washington. We’ve been pushing everything we can think of from whole milk, defending flavored milk in schools, you name it, making the science-backed case that dairy is one of the most nutrient dense, accessible, and affordable foods that families have.

It’s been a very active couple of years on the trade front. We’ve been engaged in the USMCA joint review process since its beginning in July, working on Mexico and Canada to get them to live up to the commitments that they’ve made, especially Canada on their tariff rate quotas. Canada’s our second biggest market. It’s very important for us. We value this relationship, and I’m confident we’ll sort this out. Through August, U.S. dairy exports are up 12 percent, and if we can keep up this pace, we could set a record at $10.6 billion. Alongside the U.S. Dairy Export Council, we keep pushing to open new markets and defend the ones we have because, for a lot of our members, export markets aren’t just nice to have anymore; they’re essential.

NMPF also built out its state issues advocacy this year and tapped into state networks more than ever before to help address issues that may not have reached the federal level yet but still have major effects on our members.

The dairy industry has been tremendously committed and resilient, chipping away at these issues to make the future of dairy stronger. And we’re ready to adapt to the moment so our progress can continue.

The midterm election will result in a minimum of 83 new members of Congress next year out of the 435 House members and 100 senators. This nearly historic level of turnover will bring an immense challenge on Capitol Hill next year as we get to know all of these new members and their staff and find the ones who will work with us to advance not just dairy, but all of agriculture. It sure seems like it gets more difficult with each passing year to find staffers that understand the basic realities of dairy farming.

It is going to take all of us to deal with this. And my message is very simple: We will work with anyone we can find that is willing to pick up the mantle for dairy, regardless of what side of that aisle they are on. The issues we’re tackling are bigger than party politics.

The future of the dairy industry and its leadership is bright because we put in the time and effort in terms of staff in Washington to get these things done. We’ve had great success in Washington; we know what it takes to win, and that’s what makes this industry special.

Tomorrow’s election will bring about monumental levels of change, but we remain committed, resilient, and ready to advocate for you.

Gregg Doud

President & CEO, NMPF

 

Milk, cheese, and Mexico: A partnership grows

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Jaime Castaneda, Executive Vice President, Policy Development & Strategy

For America’s dairy farmers, few trade relationships matter more than the one we have built with Mexico. This summer brought fresh proof that partnership remains strong, and fresh urgency to get the policy details right as the two countries renegotiate trade terms.

Deepening ties at the binational summit

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) led a delegation of U.S. dairy leaders to Querétaro, Mexico, from July 29 to 31, for the eighth annual U.S.-Mexico Binational Dairy Summit.

NMPF and leading Mexican dairy organizations discussed issues affecting producers and consumers in both countries, and reaffirmed shared principles supporting dairy sector growth and competitiveness in both markets. Participants also adopted a new commitment: supporting the next generation of dairy farmers through the exchange of knowledge and experience.

“When dairy farmers on both sides of the border sit down together, we find we’re solving the same problems and chasing the same opportunities,” said Becky Nyman, a dairy farmer who took part in this year’s summit. “This relationship works because it’s built on real conversations.”

Why Mexico matters to U.S. dairy farmers

Mexico is the single most important export market for American dairy by a wide margin. In 2025, Mexico bought $2.6 billion worth of U.S. dairy products — 27% of all U.S. dairy exports by value — making it America’s top cheese customer ($965 million), and top buyer of nonfat dry milk/skim milk powder ($1.1 billion).

That success didn’t happen overnight. Before the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect in 1994, U.S. dairy exports to Mexico totaled just $211 million a year. Mexico crossed the $1 billion threshold in 2011; by 2025, that figure had grown nearly two-and-a-half-fold again.

Every pound of cheese and every truckload of milk powder moving south reflects real commercial value on U.S. dairy farms. That’s why strengthening this relationship is a bottom-line issue for producers nationwide.

USMCA Talks: where things stand

That growth is precisely why NMPF has been at the negotiating table as the U.S. and Mexico work through the review process of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). In addition to the Querétaro summit, NMPF’s Shawna Morris and I traveled to Mexico City July 22 to 23 for the third round of U.S.-Mexico bilateral negotiations. U.S. talks with Canada are continuing on a separate track.

Throughout the week, Shawna and I pressed Mexican officials, including the lead agricultural negotiator, trade ministry staff, and the director general of Mexico’s intellectual property office, on two priorities: protecting common cheese names like “Feta” and “Parmesan” from restrictions Mexico is facing pressure to adopt under its trade deal with the European Union, and preserving the broad market access that U.S. dairy exporters currently enjoy in the Mexican market.

NMPF-led engagement also included meetings with Mexican dairy industry leadership, plus briefings on Capitol Hill and with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. As confidential advisors to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA, Shawna and I are continuing to urge the U.S. negotiating team to resolve outstanding issues constructively so a stronger and renewed trade agreement with Mexico emerges from this review.

Mexico didn’t become the top dairy market of the United States by accident. It took fair trade rules to open the door, and decades of relationship-building to keep it open. As USMCA negotiations continue, NMPF will keep working every angle to make sure this relationship remains productive for the next generation of dairy farmers on both sides of the border.

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Aug. 31, 2026.

NMPF’s Bjerga on Dairy Stewardship

Posted on by Alan Bjerga

 

NMPF Executive Vice President Alan Bjerga discusses the importance of high-quality stewardship on dairy bottom lines in an interview with RFD-TV. The U.S. system of farmer-led, voluntary initiatives that enhance stewardship helps dairy competitiveness overseas while improving financial stability at home, a message that’s important for the general public to know, Bjerga said.

Trade Progress Poised to Reel in Revenue

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

In the turbulent tides of overseas commerce over the past year, U.S. negotiators landed a trophy bass in February: a trade agreement with Indonesia that we’ve been trying to hook for decades. It’s a big fish for dairy.

Following years of advocacy by NMPF and our partners at the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the Consortium for Common Food Names, the deal announced Feb. 19 will eliminate tariffs on all U.S. dairy exports, ease regulatory snarls and protect common cheese names like “parmesan.” Indonesia is already the eighth-biggest market for our dairy products — but it’s the world’s fourth most-populous nation, giving its growth potential for U.S. producers nowhere to go but up.

The Indonesia deal was the ninth trade deal secured to date by U.S. negotiators that includes new market access for U.S. dairy products. It’s a good one, but far from the only gain. Some other highlights of these pending agreements include:

  • Elimination of 100% of tariffs on U.S. dairy products in most deals and notable tariff cuts in others, helping to provide competitive parity to suppliers from Oceania or the EU. A great example of this is the level playing field we now have for extended shelf-life milk into Taiwan.
  • Bans on the introduction of dairy facility listing requirements in all these markets; in Indonesia this wipes away a process that could take over three years for a processing plant to navigate before it gained approval to ship.
  • Commitments in each deal to protect U.S. exporters’ use of up to 40 common cheese names like “parmesan,” a result that’s particularly important as the European Union’s Free Trade Agreement network expands, threatening to limit U.S. growth opportunities to market cheeses with widely recognized terms.

This successful expedition would not have been possible without a world-class captain. Chief Agricultural Negotiator Julie Callahan was instrumental in securing these trade deals that will bring real results back to U.S. farmers. NMPF thanks her and the USTR team, all of whom we have had the honor of working with closely, for the substantial efforts made to bring these agreements home.

And even though a recent Supreme Court ruling on tariffs added even more uncertainty to trade policy, the progress made so far also underscores an important fact about dairy’s future: Trade continues to grow, and the foundations for future growth are only getting stronger, as bilateral negotiations continue and the dairy industry continues patiently building markets.

2025 was one of the strongest trade years ever for dairy products. Volume growth for U.S. dairy exports rose 4% over 2024 as measured in milk solids equivalent, ending up second only to 2022 in all-time shipments. Measured in value, U.S. dairy exports rose 15% over 2024 to $9.63 billion, just short of the 2022 record of $9.66 billion.

The star performer of the year? Cheese. Shipments in 2025 rose 20% over the previous year, which also set a record. New domestic processing capacity helped, as did growing familiarity with the quality and taste of American-made products. Just as impressive, the record sales were spread across the globe, lessening the risk that over-reliance on any single market could create risk in the future: In 2025, 39 countries bought more than 1,000 metric tons of U.S. cheese.

Butterfat and high-protein whey also saw banner years, showing the broad-based nature of sales growth. While conflicts between the U.S. and trading partners are throwing exports into doubt in some areas, in dairy, we’re not seeing widespread effects. In fact, it’s the opposite: U. S. dairy is highly competitive in the global marketplace, and we’re building stable, collaborative, relationships that we are confident will stand the test of time and contribute to long-term prosperity for U.S. dairy farmers.

We have a lot of folks to be thankful for on this journey, from our USDEC and CCFN colleagues to the cooperatives who provide high quality products and invaluable expertise. But looking ahead, we need to capitalize. At NMPF, a big part of our trade support comes from our NEXT (NMPF Exports & Trade) program, launched in the second half of last year.

NEXT helps create export opportunities for U.S. dairy producers in international markets, by overcoming trade barriers and keeping domestic dairy products competitively priced overseas. The 142 million pounds of export volume it assisted in its half-year nearly matched the full-year 2024 volumes under the prior Cooperatives Working Together program, which NEXT succeeded.

The program continues to test innovative ways to grow dairy’s market share through new initiatives, including expanding its product mix and providing targeted, additional support beyond primary assistance in key markets — places where the U.S. is at a tariff disadvantage or the U.S. has the ability to gain market share. Cooperatives interested in joining NEXT, or wanting to know more about the program, should contact next@nmpf.org.

Improved trade access coming soon in numerous markets through bilateral agreements, a full year of NEXT, and the continued collaboration of dairy partners builds great momentum for 2026 in U.S. dairy shipments overseas.

Keep that in mind as you read about tariffs, tariff limitations, tariff alternatives, and trade tensions. Though the waters may not be calm, a skillful angler can still net an impressive haul. And thus far, we in dairy have been casting very effectively, and reeling in a brighter future for U.S. dairy products.

Gregg Doud

President & CEO, NMPF

 

U.S. Dairy Supports Launch of New Ag Coalition for USMCA

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council co-led today’s launch of “The Agricultural Coalition for USMCA,” an industry-wide effort to support the strengthening and renewal of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

USMCA, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2020, mandates a “joint review” in 2026, which allows the countries to consider potential changes to the agreement. Since the stakeholder engagement process began in October 2025, the U.S. dairy industry has spoken to the importance of the agreement, while stressing that certain critical shortcomings must be addressed.

“USMCA has helped grow vital export opportunities that support dairy farm incomes across the country,” Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF, said. “Unfortunately, Canada has clearly not upheld their end of the deal and Mexico needs to fully implement USMCA commitments to respect our use of common cheese names. We look forward to working with the Administration during the review to ensure our trading partners honor their commitments so the agreement can best deliver for dairy farmers.”

“USMCA has been critical to maintaining strong export demand for U.S. dairy farmers, manufacturers and exporters, providing greater opportunities in the Mexican market in particular,” Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC, said. “At the same time, persistent market access barriers, particularly in Canada, limit the full potential of the agreement and must be addressed to ensure that U.S. dairy exporters receive the benefits they were promised.”

The U.S. dairy industry exported about $3.6 billion in dairy products to Canada and Mexico in 2024, which accounts for about 44 percent of total export value. At the same time, USMCA has fallen short in certain key areas. USDEC and NMPF will continue to fight for several priorities in the review, including through the Coalition:

  • Combatting Canada’s continued manipulation of its administration of dairy tariff-rate quotas, denying U.S. exporters the meaningful market access guaranteed under USMCA.
  • Tackling Canada’s circumvention of USMCA dairy protein export disciplines, which has resulted in continued offloading of artificially low-priced dairy proteins, undercutting U.S. products in both domestic and global markets.
  • Ensuring that Mexico upholds its USMCA commitments to protect common cheese names such as “feta.” The issue is increasingly pressing as European Union trade negotiations seek to restrict the use of generic terms worldwide.

NMPF and USDEC will continue to work with trade negotiators to address USMCA noncompliance areas ahead of the July 1 joint review deadline.

NMPF’s Castaneda on Continued Tariff-Free Access to Colombia

Posted on by Jessi-Ryah Cordova

NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council welcomed the government of Colombia’s dismissal of a Subsidies and Countervailing Measures investigation into milk powder imports from the U.S. The investigation began in 2024 and alleged, without a factual basis, that U.S. milk powders were unfairly subsidized and harmed Colombian dairy producers. NMPF’s Jaime Castaneda, vice president for policy development and strategy, said that’s never been the case.

Dairy = Growth, Expansion, Opportunity and Optimism

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Editor’s Note: This column is adapted from remarks given Nov. 11 at NMPF’s Annual Meeting.

 

I love where we are in this industry right now. We are right where we want to be.

Yes, there are going to be challenges. Yes, there’s going to be uncertainty. But we’re in expansion mode. And I love it.

What I want the theme to be today, in our industry, is growth and expansion and opportunity and optimism. I understand that that’s tough to do when you’re in Washington DC these days. It’s a tough place to do business. It’s a tough place to get anything done.

But the relationships that the National Milk Producers Federation has are unbelievably strong. Whether it’s Senator Thune or Chairman GT Thompson, up one side and down the other. The unbelievable work, unbelievable work that has gone in on getting whole milk in schools, by Senator Roger Marshall from Kansas, and Senator Welch from Vermont. Bipartisan work.

I want to give you a quick status on whole milk in schools, and where we are. We’re so close on this one, and this is a huge thing. Not just for U.S. consumers, and for all of us who have kids in school, but it’s just doing the right thing.

Meanwhile, the One Big Beautiful tax bill is a monumental accomplishment in terms of our global competitiveness. I know the tariffs are disruptive, but that’s a small piece of what amounts to a U.S. industrial policy. We have a tax policy that I think makes us really competitive globally — and not only does that help us on the farm in terms of confidence and investment, but the bill holds other benefits as well: the Section 199A depreciation, the estate tax, the increase in the reference prices for soybeans and wheat, the extension of DMC through 2031 — all were in that bill, folks. That was a critical piece that we got done.

In terms of global competitiveness, we also have to continue with trade deals. USTR is working day and night. These deals are going to matter. We’ve got deals done with Malaysia and Cambodia. And you say, “Well, my goodness, is that a really big deal?” Yes, because these deals got rid of barriers, we got rid of restrictions. We’ve got some really good trade agreements coming, too, in terms of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. If you’ve noticed, and think about where the president was recently in those countries, those are all the countries that border China, folks. And that’s the really interesting thing: In terms of strategy, the president said, “Well, I’m going to make sure that I go visit all these countries first, before I talk to President Xi in China.” That’s not by coincidence.

Having the opportunity to have duty-free access into Southeast Asia is something that we have wanted across all of agriculture, and in particular in the dairy industry, for a long, long time. That’s going to make a huge difference for us.

Along with these opportunities, we also have some of the best leaders in this industry. Our new NEXT program is an exciting part of our trade future, and the implementation and the federal milk marketing order has been really, really smooth so far. The ability for you to be unanimous in what you wanted as an industry, as you presented this to the government, made all the difference.

As a former government official, I can tell you, when you’re not unanimous, that gives that government official the ability to kind of pick and choose what they want to do. When you come in and say, “This is unanimous, this is what we want to do,” you’ve got no wiggle room as the government official. You’ve got to implement this. And that’s why you were so successful in this.

I want to talk briefly about 2026. At NMPF we have done some strategic planning, and we’ve got some work to do on government, governance, leadership development. The YC program is an unbelievable asset for us in this industry. Thank you all for participating in that. But one of the things we’re going to change at National Milk as soon as this meeting is over is, we’re going to try to have a new lease on life on state issues. You’ve got somewhere between 150 and 200 different pieces of state legislation in the food business right now, and in agriculture. We’re going to try to tackle this, not to lobby on these issues, but just to keep track of what we have going on and to be able to coordinate.

On the trade side, we’ve got the USMCA review. We’re constantly dealing with China. We’ve got a farm bill to finish, and then of course, we have a midterm election here coming this fall. And a challenge to 2026 is, you’re going to have your folks that represent you at home say, “Well, we’ll get to that after the midterm election.”

Well, this immigration issue can’t wait for that, folks. It is without question our number one issue in dairy, but across all of agriculture, in my opinion. And I think, to give you the charge today on all of this, I think we need to remind our elected officials that we’ve got to milk the cows every day. We have to do what we do every day. We don’t have time to wait for the inconvenience of an election to get things done in Washington.

So your charge today is this: We are expanding, we are growing, we are doing well. We have great relationships, and we look forward to the year we have ahead. I’m optimistic.

Gregg Doud

President & CEO, NMPF

 

NMPF’s Morris on U.S. Dairy Trade Wins

Posted on by Jessi-Ryah Cordova

NMPF’s Executive Vice President of Trade Policy and Global Affairs Shawna Morris said the federation is thrilled with the announcement from the Trump administration of new trade agreements in Southeast Asia. The agreements were with Malaysia and Cambodia, and new trade agreement frameworks are in place with Thailand and Vietnam.

Jonker Honored as NMPF Represents U.S. Producers at World Dairy Summit

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

An NMPF delegation collaborated with counterparts on shared dairy priority areas including trade, animal welfare, the use of dairy terms, dairy promotion and other topics at to the International Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 20-23.

The summit marked the end of NMPF Chief Science Officer Jamie Jonker’s five-year term as chair of IDF’s Science Program Coordinating Committee. Jonker spoke at the IDF Forum session, which featured a review of IDF’s key projects this year and priorities for 2026.

Jonker also received an honorary IDF membership recognizing his tenure as SPCC chair and his contributions to the organization and to dairy globally. Jonker has “demonstrated remarkable leadership, guiding the Federation through numerous changes and challenges with purpose,” the IDF Board of Directors cited in its recognition.

NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud and NMPF Executive Vice Presidents Jaime Castaneda and Shawna Morris participated with U.S. Dairy Export Council and checkoff program leaders in bilateral meetings, including with the Indian Dairy Development Board, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Eucolait, European Dairy Association, Nestle, the Mexican dairy sector, and the Chilean dairy sector. The meetings provided the opportunity to exchange information on developments in key markets of interest to the U.S. dairy industry and explore the potential for further work together on shared interests.

Castaneda and Morris spoke on a panel discussion about ensuring that government-led dairy nutrition policies are guided by objective scientific evidence, a key message that will frame next year’s Latin American Dairy Nutrition Conference in Lima, Peru coordinated by NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council in collaboration with the National Dairy Council.

Additionally, William Loux, who heads NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council’s Joint Economics Team, shared the U.S. perspective of the current economic landscape on a separate panel session.

As a precursor to the summit itself, NMPF co-led a roundtable session of animal care programs around the world. Launched in Chicago during the summit hosted by the U.S. in 2023, the roundtable provides a valuable avenue for fostering information sharing and alignment steps by leading animal care programs such as FARM.

The annual gathering of more than 1,000 dairy industry professionals from around the world provides an opportunity to promote the U.S. industry and collaborate with global partners on the sector’s most significant trends and opportunities.

NMPF Identifies Dairy Trade Barriers for U.S. Government

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF and USDEC filed extensive comments Oct. 30 as part of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) request for global trade barriers for its 2026 National Trade Estimate report.

The list of issues compiled by NMPF and USDEC highlight dairy trade irritants in 34 different markets, including regional blocs like the European Union and parties to the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement.

Several key issues that the organizations cite include Canada’s refusal to comply with its dairy commitments under USMCA, dairy facility registration challenges across various markets, and the European Union’s long list of trade-distorting measures ranging from certification requirements to the abuse of geographical indications to monopolize common names like “parmesan.”

Supplementing NMPF’s engagement with USTR as cleared confidential advisors, the comments serve as a key resource for the U.S. government as it engages in negotiations with trading partners. The 2025 National Trade Estimate report has served as a guide for crafting the Trump Administration’s reciprocal trade plan. It also offers details on priority dairy markets and products as the U.S. government seeks to resolve barriers to dairy trade and expand market access opportunities.