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New Dietary Guidelines for Americans are encouraging to dairy in ways that are consistent with the latest science and consumer needs for high-quality, affordable nutrition, NMPF Director of Regulatory Affairs Miquela Hanselman said in a Dairy Defined Podcast. “We turned out pretty well in the guidelines,” Hanselman said in the podcast released today. “We hit the three servings. Dairy is a distinct group. Full-fat dairy is recommended repeatedly throughout the guidelines, which everyone was very excited to see.” Hanselman also outlines how these guidelines came to be, and what work remains to be done in the next edition of the twice-a-decade guidelines. 

History may not rhyme, but it echoes, and for all the challenges dairy has faced, a few key areas have continued to resurface throughout Chris Galen’s nearly three decades in dairy. “A lot of what I had worked on at the start of my career, and also now in the last few years of my career at National Milk, has been on milk pricing, in particular federal milk marketing order reforms,” said Galen, NMPF’s longtime communications leader and the current Senior Vice President of Member Services and Governance, in a Dairy Defined podcast. “A lot of what we have to do, has to do with just making certain that farmers are paid fairly.” Galen reflects on the changes of dairy’s structure in the 21st century, the continued importance of family farms to dairy, and the evolution of media that has made it easier to serve members while getting dairy’s message to a broader audience. 

NMPF elected Indiana dairy farmer Brian Rexing as its 15th chairman at its annual meeting last week, succeeding Randy Mooney of Rogersville, MO, who had served in the position for the past 17 years. This week’s Dairy Defined Podcast is taken from their remarks at the meeting in Arlington, TX, with Mooney reflecting on his tenure and dairy’s future and Rexing outlining his hope for the years to come. 

Dairy’s future is bright, and it’s brightest when the industry is united toward common goals, the chairmen of the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation said.   “$11 billion or so in projects are happening or about to happen that will significantly grow the industry capacity throughout the country,” said Daragh Maccabee, CEO of Idaho Milk Products and Chairman of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) in the podcast released today. “That means the processor community is stepping up, and we all know that the dairy producer community will do its part as dairy farmers always, always do. And aligned with that investment also comes furthering innovation capabilities or further investment in innovation capabilities so that the US can continue to lead the way in delivering value for milk in increasingly sophisticated ways.”  The discussion covers the unique qualities of the U.S. dairy industry, including its scale, efficiency, and sustainability. Maccabee and Mooney, who serves as chairman of the National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Farmers of America, the largest U.S. dairy co-op, with the strength of cooperatives and industry organizations are also highlighted as keys to industry progress. However, dairy faces challenges around labor shortages and trade uncertainty, they said.  “We need new laws that help farmers continue to have the labor that we need on the farms to produce the milk. And without that, that's the biggest critical issue that I see as what could affect future dairy production in this country, is just making sure the cows get taken care of and the cows get milked under the labor standards that we have today,” Mooney said.  Still, the industry’s overall outlook remains something to cheer about, said Mooney, who soon will be stepping down as NMPF’s chairman. Reflecting on nearly two decades of leadership in that role, Mooney said it’s been an honor to be part of a profession that improves people’s lives.   “This industry is going to be bright for the future of farming. It's going to be bright for the producers,” he said. “And not only that, what makes me feel good at the end of the day is on our individual farms.”   

Life as an influencer means entering free-wheeling debate with perspectives from all sides. But to advance better nutrition with ample servings of dairy, it’s necessary to do, says social media personality Lauren Twigge.  Twigge, a registered dietician and nutritionist with a degree in animal science, offers “Nutrition at Its Roots,” an online and social media platform she uses to advance the message of dairy’s benefits and high-quality nourishment. Her work has been featured in Prevention, Health, Shape, Good Housekeeping, and other media outlets helping to demystify nutrition and offer sound guidance for families and individuals navigating an often-confusing nutrition landscape. Anyone seeking a bigger online presence should just get out there and engage, she said. “For farmers or health professionals like me that want to share facts, start putting the content out there. Your themes, your trends, your approach will come as you go, because you're going to start to get people asking you questions.” And while sometimes the interactions aren’t the most pleasant, in the end it’s worthwhile, she said.  “You've got so many great farmers online that are sharing their stories, showing days in their life, and I think that it really helps put a face to the industry, and that's what consumers need to see,” she said. “My big piece of advice would be, start the content, post the content, share your story, talk about your family, talk about the industry, and talk about why you love it. Connect people with your passion. And that is content that people resonate with, and content that people resonate with is content that people remember and learn from.”

A massive tax and spending bill is now law – but with half a year left, Congress now can turn its attention to getting whole milk back in schools, NMPF’s Paul Bleiberg said in a Dairy Defined podcast.  “One item I'll single out first that we're hopeful to get done really in the next couple months here is the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act,” Bleiberg, NMPF’s executive vice president for government relations, said in a podcast released today. “We had a great voice vote, bipartisan voice vote out of the Senate Agriculture Committee just over a month ago, so we're hoping that we can get that through the Senate and then through the House, and begin that work of getting whole milk and 2% milk back into schools and getting kids better access to the nutrient-dense dairy options that really give them the benefits they need and that they enjoy.” Bleiberg also discussed efforts toward agricultural labor reform, the farm bill provisions included in current law and NMPF’s policy priorities for the rest of the year. Joining Bleiberg in the podcast is Maria Brockamp, NMPF’s new manager of government relations. To learn more about NMPF’s policy efforts via a new bill tracker, please visit nmpf.org/bill-tracker. 

The regulatory climate in Washington is shifting in unprecedented ways, requiring quick responses and an eye for opportunities, said NMPF regulation experts in a Dairy Defined podcast released today.  The pace of evolution is “Intense, insane,” said Clay Detlefsen, NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Regulatory and Environmental Affairs. “It changes daily. It's full of unknowns, and it's moving forward at an absolutely crazy pace. We don't know what to expect tomorrow or the next day or the day after that, but things are indeed happening.” Joining Detlefsen to discuss what dairy farmers, processors and consumers should anticipate, from milk labeling to MAHA, are Dr. Jamie Jonker, NMPF’s Chief Science Officer, and Director of Regulatory Affairs Miquela Hanselman.

The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act has a 60 percent chance of becoming law this year, with congressional momentum building along with consensus that whole milk in schools is the best option for schoolkids, Sen. Peter Welch, D-VT, said in a Dairy Defined podcast released today. “This is one of those things where, if we get it on the floor, and get the cooperation of leadership, we get the votes,” he said. “This is one of those areas of rare bipartisanship that we have right now.” Welch, the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s rural development subcommittee, is a Senate co-sponsor of Whole Milk for Healthy Kids, which passed the House of Representatives in 2023 and this year is advancing in both chambers. The legislation would restore the ability of schools to offer whole and 2% milk as options. Welch also serves on the Judiciary, Finance and Rules committees, touching on agricultural issues including immigration and trade. 

Dairy farmers have boosted biosecurity and researchers have learned much about the H5N1 bird flu virus in dairy cattle one year after its introduction, top NMPF experts said in a Dairy Defined podcast. Still, the hope is that the virus may leave the dairy herd completely,  “We’re still learning things about the virus and how it's being transmitted from farm to farm, and we still need some answers on that, but hang in there, we’re going to get through this,” said Dr. Jamie Jonker, NMPF’s chief science officer. “I do believe we're going to eliminate the virus from the U.S. dairy cattle population. I think it's just a matter of when, not if.”  Since the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus was first reported in cattle in March 2024, more than 1,000 dairy herds have been infected, Jonker said. Still, successful eradication has taken place in some areas, and the lack of evolution of the viruses within cattle has created hope. Dr. Meggan Hain, NMPF’s chief veterinary officer, said biosecurity practices are key to containment and elimination. The National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) Program offers a wealth of materials that can assist, she said.   Bird flu has “given us a chance to really learn some of the lessons of, where do we have opportunities, where are there things that we'll want to sort of dig into so that we're better prepared in the future if we do get challenges,” she said. “I think there's a lot of things we can take away from this that we can really make improvements on.”  To learn more about biosecurity responses in dairy, visit the FARM Program website at nationaldairyfarm.com. 

Jessica Shelly is the Director of Student Dining Services for Cincinnati Public Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio. She's responsible for overseeing the service of more than 60,000 meals a day in the lunchroom operations at 65 schools. And in 2023, her school system tried something different: It offered its students lactose-free milk. The hugely successful pilot project has now been adopted district-wide, improving nutrition, boosting school lunch participation and reducing food waste. The Cincinnati model points to a promising path for milk in schools, as student bodies become more diverse and millions of children rely on school meals as their main nutrition source for the day.  “These are kids who may not be able to go home to a refrigerator full of food, and so it's our job to make sure that we are providing them with the most healthy and nutritious meals possible when they're here with us at school,” she said. “Part of that is making sure they have all the nutrients and protein they need, and we know that milk plays a large role in that.”

You don’t have to be part of the dairy sector to see how important whole milk is for children, best-selling author Nina Teicholz, Ph.D., said in the latest Dairy Defined Podcast. That’s because nutrition science makes a compelling case for full-fat milk, underscoring the importance of getting whole milk back in schools, the goal of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, she said.  Children who drink whole milk tend to be healthier, she said. “You need the fat in the milk to digest the vitamins that are in the milk, those are fat soluble vitamins. “I'm not a dairy advocate, but it turns out that the science supports the position of those of people in the industry who would prefer to see whole milk back in schools.” Teicholz, author of “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet,” also discussed how food policy might be shaken up by Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s. confirmation as Health and Human Services Secretary.  NMPF has a call to action supporting the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act for listeners who want to get involved on the advocacy page of our website, nmpf.org/take-action

With a Republican “trifecta” of House, Senate and White House control, 2025 will be an active year in Washington, NMPF Executive Vice President for Government Affairs Paul Bleiberg said in a Dairy Defined Podcast released today.  “Everybody should just buckle up. It's going to be a busy 2025,” said Bleiberg, who leads NMPF’s lobbying efforts.  The trifecta “means a certain ability to move your agenda through unilaterally or without the other party involved,” he said. “It also in broader terms refers to setting the agenda, obviously controlling the different committees and setting topics and moving legislation through broad decisions about governing really do fall to the party that has a trifecta.” That will have meaningful effects on taxes and other areas of legislation, as well as on regulatory efforts, Bleiberg said. Immigration and trade also promise to be hot topics in the new year, ones with important implications, he said. 

After nearly four decades as an economist at NMPF, Dr. Peter Vitaliano is retiring at the end of the year. He predicts a bright future for the industry.   “The U.S. dairy industry produces a huge variety of great products, for which consumption is continuing to grow,” Vitaliano said in a Dairy Defined Podcast. “It has very progressive farms and farmers, and great leadership amongst our organizations, and great organizations. That has been the case when I came, it's the case now, and it's going to be the case for many years in the future.”   Vitaliano, NMPF’s longtime chief economist, reflects on the evolution of policy challenges for the dairy industry in the podcast, explaining how shifts in the industry have created greater unity – and a more effective NMPF. 

FARM Environmental Stewardship Version 3 is out – and it's a step forward for dairy farmers both as stewards and as business managers, according to NMPF Chief Sustainability Officer Nicole Ayache, who oversaw development of the initiative through the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, in a Dairy Defined Podcast released today.  With new, updating modeling, under FARM ES Version 3, “farmers can actually run scenarios to assess practice or technology changes, see how those would impact their greenhouse gas emissions, and any potential impact on milk productivity as well,” Ayache said. “The scenarios, being able to project what-ifs, is the biggest benefit.” The FARM Program is a partnership between NMPF and Dairy Management Inc. that helps ensure dairy's success by demonstrating U.S. dairy farmer commitment to safe, high-quality, high-integrity milk. FARM ES Version 3 took effect Oct. 31. For more information on FARM ES Version 3, visit the FARM Program website. 

Dairy farmers are remaining resilient as they manage their way through H5N1 in dairy cattle and respond to natural disasters that have devastated farms, NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney said in remarks at the organization’s annual meeting. “Farming is hard. I said that. We all know that. But when you get hit with weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, the list goes on and on, unexpected costs, that makes it even harder,” Mooney said in his remarks Oct. 22. “You get hit with things like bird flu that a year ago we didn't even know was a problem,” he continued. “And if you've been hit by one of these either weather event or something really unexpected, my heart goes out to you. These things are difficult. It puts strains on farms, put strains on families, put strains on financials.” “Everything we do, the future is going to take a level of cooperation and coordination from all of us. And we’ve had that, but it’s going to take more than we’ve ever had,” said Mooney, a Dairy Farmers of America member-owner who farms near Rogersville, MO. “I continue to be inspired by all of you and the work that you’re doing. Amid great change and preparation for the future, we are still part of the greatest industry that there is. Mooney also talks about the 2024 Farm Bill, efforts to modernize milk pricing, labor shortages and dairy’ need to promote exports.