Dairy Industry Policy News

Whole Fat is Back: Why New Federal Policies are a Major Opportunity for the Dairy Industry

Wed, 20 May 2026 12:07:37 GMT

In the world of agricultural policy and human nutrition, the pendulum is swinging back toward a familiar, nutrient-dense staple. At the 2026 Dairy Sustainability Alliance Spring Meeting in Oak Brook, Ill., a panel of experts convened to discuss what they termed a “new era for dairy.” This era is defined by two major milestones: the release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the landmark passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.

Moderated by Dana Engel of the National Dairy Council, the session brought together the perspectives of a farmer-dietitian, a school nutrition specialist and a regulatory expert. Together, they painted a picture of an industry moving from a defensive posture to a period of growth, fueled by science that finally acknowledges the benefits of whole-fat dairy.

The 2025-30 Dietary Guidelines: A Leaner, Stronger Message

The DGA serves as the foundation for all federal nutrition programs, from school lunches to WIC. Abby Copenhaver, a New York dairy farmer and registered dietitian, highlights a significant shift in how these guidelines are presented. While previous versions were exhaustive 170-page documents, the 2025-30 version has been distilled into a punchy, nine-page framework focused on eight core messages.

Dairy is prominently featured in three of those eight messages, specifically regarding protein intake, dairy consumption and — most notably — the incorporation of healthy fats. For the first time in decades, the guidelines have moved away from the strict fat-free or low-fat mandate, opening the door for whole-fat dairy options across the lifespan.

“This is a really exciting time for dairy and nutrition,” Copenhaver notes. She points out that while the industry has long fought an uphill battle against the misconception that dairy fats contribute to cardiovascular disease, the new guidelines reflect over 20 years of research — much of it farmer-funded — showing the neutral or positive health outcomes of whole-milk dairy.

Closing the Nutrient Gap

Despite the recommendation of three servings of dairy per day, the average American currently consumes only about 1.5 servings. Copenhaver frames this as both a public health crisis and a massive market opportunity.

“If we could just get people to take those full three servings, we’re talking about a lot more milk,” she says.

The challenge lies in education. Copenhaver argues that for years, the MyPlate visual relegated dairy to a small circle on the side, making it feel like an afterthought or an optional add-on. The new era of messaging must reposition dairy as a foundational food group essential for everything from infant brain development to maintaining muscle mass in the elderly.

The Return of Whole Milk to Schools

While the DGA provides the scientific framework, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 provides the legislative muscle. Signed into law on Jan. 14, 2025, the act restored the option for schools to serve whole and reduced-fat (2%) milk — options that had been largely absent from cafeterias since 2012.

Katie Bambacht, vice president of nutrition affairs at the National Dairy Council, explains the implementation is already moving at a rapid pace. Within hours of the president signing the bill, USDA issued guidance allowing schools to diversify their milk coolers. Schools can now choose between whole, reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free options, including flavored and lactose-free varieties.

However, the transition isn’t as simple as swapping out crates. Schools are facing significant operational headwinds:

Tight Budgets: School nutrition programs operate on razor-thin margins. Every penny added to the cost of a milk carton must be accounted for.
Caloric Caps: While the act excludes milk fat from the weekly saturated fat limits, schools must still stay within total calorie counts for their menus.
Logistics: Processors must be able to supply the increased demand for higher-fat options.

To address these challenges, the National Dairy Council has launched pilot programs in states like Arizona, Texas, Minnesota and Georgia. These pilots are measuring three key metrics: student preference, program participation and — most importantly — consumption.

“We want to know: Are they actually drinking it?” Bambacht says. Preliminary data suggests when kids have access to the milk they drink at home (which is predominantly whole or 2%) they are more likely to participate in the school meal program.

The Looming Battle Over Added Sugars and Flavored Milk

While the return of whole milk is a victory, Miquela Hanselman, senior director of regulatory affairs for the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), warns new regulatory storm clouds are gathering.

The primary threat is a proposed limit on added sugars in school meals. The current DGA suggests added sugars should make up no more than 10% of total calories. In a school setting, this could make it nearly impossible to serve flavored milk, which currently accounts for two-thirds of all milk consumed in schools.

“If we lose flavored milk, the implementation of whole milk won’t be enough to offset the loss,” Hanselman warns.

NMPF’s economic analysis shows while whole milk adoption will boost the industry, a ban on flavored milk would lead to a net decrease in total milk consumption among children. The industry’s argument remains steadfast: the nutrient package of 13 essential vitamins and minerals in flavored milk far outweighs the small amount of added sugar, especially when compared to sodas or sports drinks.

The “Ultra-Processed” Debate

Another emerging challenge is the rising narrative around ultra-processed foods. Hanselman notes the FDA and USDA are currently working on a formal definition for UPFs. There is a concern within the dairy community that minimally processed staples like flavored yogurt or certain cheeses could be unfairly swept into this category.

“Secretary Kennedy has talked about how ultra-processed foods are making Americans unhealthy,” Hanselman says.

The dairy industry is working to ensure the processing required for food safety and convenience — like pasteurization or individual packaging for school snacks — isn’t conflated with the “ultra-processing” of junk foods.

A Unified Strategy for Growth

As the session concluded, the panelists agreed the new era requires a unified voice. The industry must move away from disparaging different types of dairy (e.g., low-fat versus whole) and instead focus on the “one more serving” goal.

For a dairy farmer milking 1,800 cows like Abby Copenhaver, these policy wins are personal. They represent a future where the product she works 365 days a year to produce is valued for its full nutritional complexity. For brand leaders and marketers, it’s an invitation to lean into trends like gut health, protein and whole food simplicity.

The message to the alliance was clear: The science is on dairy’s side, the legislation is finally catching up and the next five years will be defined by how well the industry can execute at the school-tray level and the grocery-aisle level.

House Passes 2026 Farm Bill: The Impact on U.S. Farmers

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:28:02 GMT

With a bipartisan vote of 224-200, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7567 , the bipartisan Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, on April 30. In addition to extensive updates to food and agriculture programs in a budget-neutral package, this vote marks the farthest a farm bill has made it in Congress since the most recent reauthorization was signed into law in 2018.

After a series of floor debates and last-minute amendments, the bill now moves to the Senate with some notable changes, including:

Year-round E15 sales removed from bill to be voted on in two weeks
Late amendment includes language to strengthen the domestic supply of fertilizer
Pesticide liability protections were stripped from the bill

My amendment passed! Pesticide liability protections have been stripped from the farm bill. 🔥⚔️🔥
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) April 30, 2026

“Working in Congress on behalf of our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities is an honor — even when the work requires debating the farm bill through the night,” says House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15). “I can think of no more important work than championing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, and I am extremely pleased to see this bill pass out of the House of Representatives with a strong bipartisan vote.”

With a vote of 14 Democrats in favor, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 obtained the highest number of votes from the minority party on a House farm bill since 2008. Similarly, with over 96% of the GOP Conference voting in favor, this is the highest level of Republican support for a House farm bill in history, affirming the commitment of House Republicans to rural America.

“I especially want to thank all parties who were involved in the negotiations that allowed the farm bill to proceed to the floor and secure a future vote on year-round E15,” Thompson says. “Members of the Biofuels Caucus are tireless champions for rural America, and I look forward to joining them May 13 in advancing that important legislation.”

Swift Senate Action Needed

As the bill heads to the Senate for debate, Thompson reinforces that “farm country needs updated policy” that reflects current challenges in U.S. agriculture.

“The 2026 farm bill fills that gap,” Thompson says. “I look forward to seeing Chairman Boozman and the Senate make progress on this important legislation so we can get the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 sent to President Trump’s desk as soon as possible.”

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, along with all of the Democrats on the committee, says the committee looks forward to working with Senate Republicans on a bipartisan Farm Bill that can be successful on the Senate floor.

“We have been clear that the Farm Bill must address the needs of American farmers and families,” Klobuchar says. “With a five-year high in small farm bankruptcies, the Farm Bill must address rising input costs, provide new opportunities for domestic markets, and fight for a trade agenda that works for everyone. Senate Democrats are committed to ensuring all states are treated equally by delaying the new SNAP cost shifts and addressing the needs of farm country.”

Pesticide Amendment Passes

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s (R-Fla.) highly debated bill passed the House, stripping the farm bill of pesticide liability provisions. Before the amendment, the bill’s original language reaffirmed EPA as the sole agency capable of determining the information listed on a pesticide label. Critics, including Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) advocates, worried the language would shield pesticide manufacturers from liability claims.

D.C. consultant Callie Eideberg, with the Vogel Group, saysthe provision’s controversy means the bill will likely have an uncertain future moving forward.

“This means that pesticide companies, the chemical companies, are now still going to be dealing with the status quo, dealing with different requirements from different states,” Eideberg says.

In a post on X, Rep. Luna reaffirmed her disapproval of glyphosate and other pesticides.

“I do not support giving blanket immunity to corporations at the expense of American families. Pesticides are linked to a 30% increase in childhood cancer and over 170 studies corroborate the evidence,” Luna says.

In a press release following the bill’s approval in the lower chamber, the Modern Ag Alliance, a group backed by chemical company Bayer and over 100 agriculture companies wrote, “Today, the House turned its back on the farmers who feed, fuel and clothe this country. By gutting common-sense crop protection provisions from the farm bill, lawmakers caved to anti-science MAHA activists instead of standing with those who grow our food.”

Iowa farmer Mark Jackson says it is “unfortunate” Congress could not give farmers support for chemical weed control products. Jackson said farmers should be allowed the “freedom to farm” and said glyphosate’s scientific approval process, and the product’s 50-year registration history make it a credible product for farmers to use.

“I think we need to rally around science, follow the science,” he adds.

Eideberg says as the bill moves to the Senate, the MAHA movement could continue to influence debates. She believes the smaller body of the Senate will bring a different dynamic to the issue.

“I think we’re going to see those MAHA influencers feeling very emboldened by this win today and pushing even harder in the Senate to get more of what they’re looking for,” she says.

Farmers Praise Passage of Farm Bill
Ohio farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Jed Bower says USDA programs are important to the success of corn farmers and rural communities, particularly as growers face their fourth year of net losses and struggle with high input costs.

“We look forward to working with our allies in Congress over the next two weeks to secure passage of the E15 legislation,” Bower says. “Thanks to continued efforts on this issue from our biofuel champions, Speaker Johnson promised a vote on E15, and we refuse to allow a handful of multi-million and multi-billion-dollar energy companies to derail our efforts. Allowing the year-round sale of E15 would help our growers by expanding ethanol sales while also saving consumers money at the pump at a time when fuel prices are on the rise.”

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) is looking forward to the Senate taking up the farm bill without delay as farmers face unprecedented challenges.

“The House-passed 2026 Farm Bill supports the farm safety net, preserves existing conservation programs that include opportunities for dairy and livestock producers, bolsters trade promotion programs while protecting common food names, recognizes the important role of dairy in nutrition, and supports animal health programs,” said NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud. “All of these are important priorities to dairy farmers and the broader industry, and we appreciate the leadership shown by House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson and other dairy champions to get this legislation through the House.”

U.S. pork producers are praising a very significant section that provides “much-needed relief from the misguided California Proposition 12 ” in addition to expanding the Animal Health Protection Act to include improving animal disease traceability and requiring thorough documentation on USDA’s ability to protect producers from significant economic losses due to a foreign animal disease outbreak.

Prop. 12 is creating uncertainty for pork producers and raising costs across the supply chain. Congress has a role to restore regulatory clarity.

It’s time for a fix. #FixProp12

🎥 Video credit: @HouseAgGOP pic.twitter.com/lkAmG1bmAw
— NPPC (@NPPC) April 30, 2026

“Today’s House farm bill passage is a testament to the power of rural America when we stand up for our farms and future generations with a unified voice,” said Rob Brenneman, National Pork Producers Council president and pork producer from Washington County, Iowa. “We wholeheartedly thank our champions—House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson, Rep. Ashley Hinson, and others—for not backing down from the fight for what is right for rural America. He and congressional supporters on both sides of the aisle heard our plea to help America’s pork producers.”

Eideburg points out that opposition to the farm bill pork provisions in the House are coming from several fronts.

“First, it’s coming from animal welfare groups that want to see those requirements in place,” she says. “We want to see minimum standard requirements for gestation rates. This other opposition is coming from companies and farmers who have already complied with Prop 12 and they don’t want that requirement removed because then they are going to be a) at a competitive disadvantage and b) out a ton of capital investment that they made on their to comply.”

The bill reflects many of wheat farmers’ top priorities from modernizing farm credit and safeguarding international food aid programs to enhancing export competitiveness, says National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President Jamie Kres.

“These provisions will help ensure America’s wheat farmers can remain resilient and globally competitive,” Kres says.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane appreciates how Thompson and House leadership took the time to listen to real farmers and ranchers.

“Instead of caving to attacks on the livestock industry from shell activist groups that impersonate real producers, a bipartisan group of lawmakers advanced a bill that will provide certainty and important policy fixes for cattle country,” Lane says. “We look forward to engaging with the Senate to advance this farm bill to the president’s desk.”

Industry Says This Farm Bill is Needed Now

National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) CEO Ted McKinney says this legislation supports farmers, ranchers and consumers while providing economic growth opportunities for rural communities. H.R. 7567 prioritizes provisions that strengthen local food purchasing programs, enhance international market opportunities, reauthorize the three-legged stool for foreign animal disease prevention and preserve the viability of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

The American Veterinary Medical Association says the inclusion of the Healthy Dog Importation Act is just one of the many key veterinary provisions they applaud in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. This would improve importation standards to ensure a dog is healthy when imported into the U.S., which is especially important considering New World screwworm in Mexico continues to move closer to the U.S. border.

“The AVMA applauds the House for advancing a Farm Bill that will strengthen dog importation standards, fund and assess federal programs vital to veterinary medicine, and protect the country’s animal and public health,” says Dr. Michael Q. Bailey, AVMA president. “Enacting the Farm Bill is essential to advancing research into effective recruitment and retention strategies for veterinarians serving in rural and underserved communities. With the legislation now moving to the Senate for consideration, we look forward to working further with Congress and will continue to underscore the importance of including veterinary priorities in the final version of the Farm Bill.”

Now, Not Tomorrow

After voting in support of the bill, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) says, “Rural America needs a new Farm Bill now, not tomorrow. With today’s passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act, House Republicans have once again reaffirmed our commitment to American agriculture and delivered for hardworking growers and producers.”

Eideburg says funding for SNAP program will likely be a major fight in the Senate. The “One Big Beautiful Bill” shifted some costs within the program to state governments. She says the funding restructure and the combined potential vote to ban soda from SNAP could cause tension in the upper chamber.

She also says year-round E15 provisions, which were taken from the farm bill and punted for a vote in the House next week, could see as much opposition in the Senate.

“This really is a big hurdle to get E15, year-round E15 over the line.”

The Ticking Clock: How New Overtime Laws are Redefining the U.S. Dairy Farm

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:45:39 GMT

For nearly a century, the rhythm of the U.S. dairy farm was dictated by the cow, not the clock. When the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was signed into law in 1938, it established the 40-hour workweek and the right to overtime pay for the American workforce — with one major exception: agriculture. For decades, the agricultural exemption was a cornerstone of farm economics, reflecting the unpredictable, weather-dependent and biological nature of food production.

But that cornerstone is being dismantled. Over the last decade, a seismic shift in labor law has moved from the statehouses of the West Coast to the heart of the Rockies and the Northeast. The era of the agricultural exception is ending, and for the dairy industry — one that never sleeps — the transition is proving to be a complex, costly and deeply personal challenge.

The California Catalyst: A New Economic Reality

The momentum for change began in earnest in California. In 2016, the passage of Assembly Bill 1066 sent shockwaves through the industry by outlining a phased removal of overtime exemptions for farm workers. By 2022, large employers were required to pay overtime after 40 hours a week, fundamentally altering the cost structure of the nation’s leading dairy state.

For producers like Melvin Medeiros of Layton, Calif., the shift has been a lesson in the limits of efficiency. Medeiros has spent the last several years trying to dial in on operations to mitigate rising costs.

“Our minimum wage is $15, and we’ve got employees that are saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got to make more money,’” Medeiros says.

He notes while the demand for higher wages is understandable in an inflationary environment, the quality of available labor remains a hurdle. For Medeiros, the intervention of the state has added a layer of friction to an already difficult business.

“I do know when legislation gets involved, it turns it into a mess,” he says.

A Wave Across the West and Beyond

As California’s phase-in progressed, other major dairy states followed suit, often spurred by a mix of legislative action and judicial rulings:

Washington State (2021): Following a state Supreme Court ruling that found the dairy overtime exemption unconstitutional, Washington began a phase-in that reached the 40-hour threshold in January 2024.
New York (2022): In a move that mirrored the West Coast, New York began a gradual reduction of its 60-hour threshold, with the ultimate goal of reaching 40 hours by 2032.
Oregon (2022): The state established its own path toward a 40-hour workweek, set to be fully implemented by 2027.

In eastern Washington, fourth-generation dairy farmer Jason Sheehan of J & K Dairy has watched these changes closely. Operating about 45 minutes outside of the Tri-Cities, Sheehan employs 38 full-time workers. Unlike the transient nature of some agricultural sectors, Sheehan’s workforce is a testament to stability; 80% of his staff have been with him for more than three years and more than one-third have tenures spanning a decade or more.

“Yes, we have people that have been with us for a long time,” Sheehan says. “If the pay was an issue with our employees, they would have gone and found work elsewhere.”

Sheehan’s employees typically average 50 to 60 hours a week. For his operation, cutting hours isn’t a simple fix. Cows must be milked, and the work doesn’t stop when a time card hits 40. Like most owner-operators, the Sheehans haven’t reduced their own hours either; they often hit the 40-hour mark by mid-week and keep plowing forward.

“We have to work until the job gets done,” Sheehan says. “That is the farmer’s motto. What we can focus on is continuing to do a good job of taking care of our cows, land, and employees, and deal with the punches as they are thrown at us.”

The Colorado Frontier: A New Level of Complexity

The latest battleground for dairy labor is Colorado. In 2021, the state passed Senate Bill 21-087, the Agricultural Labor Rights and Responsibilities Act. This didn’t just mandate overtime; it fundamentally redefined the legal standing of farmworkers in the state, including the right to organize.

As of 2024, Colorado’s regulations have introduced some of the most specific and tiered thresholds in the country. For dairy operations, the rules are a moving target:

Standard Overtime: Most agricultural employers must pay overtime after 48 hours, though a new threshold of 54 hours per week is slated for January 1, 2027, for certain categories, including dairy.
Daily Protections: Colorado has introduced unique daily rules that go beyond the weekly total. This includes a mandatory half-hour paid break after 12 hours of work and an extra hour of pay (at minimum wage) if a shift exceeds 15 hours.

These nuances are particularly difficult for the always-on nature of dairy. Unlike a crops farmer who can park the tractor when a storm rolls in, a dairy farmer is bound to the biological clock of the herd.

The Three-Way Squeeze

The national trend toward overtime pay has forced dairy producers into a squeeze play, leaving them with three difficult paths:

Absorb the Cost: Producers can pay the overtime, but with dairy margins already razor-thin and milk prices volatile, this often eats directly into the capital needed for farm maintenance and debt service.
Split Shifts: Farmers can attempt to hire more part-time staff to keep everyone under the overtime threshold. However, in an era of historic rural labor shortages, finding double the number of qualified milkers is often an impossibility.
Automate: This is the path of robotic milking. While the capital investment is massive, especially for larger scale operations — many producers see it as the only way to decouple their business from the rising cost and decreasing availability of manual labor.

A Struggle for the Future of Farmland

The labor crisis is happening against a backdrop of shrinking agricultural resources. Colorado, for example, is losing farmland at a staggering rate.

“Colorado is losing farmland faster than any state in the country. With roughly 1.6 million acres lost in just five years ... we must take steps to support our farmers and ranchers,” said Sen. Cleave Simpson, a sponsor of SB26-064.

Legislators like Simpson and Sen. Dylan Roberts (D-Frisco) are attempting to balance these new labor realities with support programs, such as the Agricultural Future Loan Program.

“Farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our state, and in a time of increasing uncertainty, they need our support now more than ever.”

Colorado Senator Dylan Roberts

The End of the Exception

As the dairy industry moves toward a labor model that mirrors manufacturing and industrial sectors, the farmer’s motto of working until the job is done is being tested by the reality of the punch clock. For producers like Medeiros and Sheehan, the goal remains the same: taking care of the land, the animals and the people. But as the legal landscape continues to shift, the cost of that care is higher than it has ever been.

The next decade will likely determine who survives this transition. As labor laws evolve, the U.S. dairy farm is being forced to evolve with them — whether through technology, new management styles or, in some cases, the difficult decision to exit the industry entirely.

House Ag Committee Starts Farm Bill Mark Up

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:24:43 GMT

The push to get a five-year farm bill has been renewed in the House Ag Committee as Chairman G.T. Thompson released language and mark up began on Tuesday.

One Big Beautiful Bill Omits Farm Bill Titles

While some question why a new long term farm bill is needed, a cross section of the nation’s farm groups explain the bill did not cover all the titles normal included in a long-term farm bill.

“We had a lot of the provisions of the farm bill that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill — the increase in reference prices, some changes and improvements to crop insurance, etc. But there’s still some really important aspects of the farm bill that need to be passed,” says Steve Censky, chief executive officer of the American Soybean Association.

Sam Kieffer, chief executive officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers, points out the One Big Beautiful Bill did not touch the conservation title or reauthorize programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Nor did the legislation deal with credit or expand farm loan limits.

“It is time to give our folks some certainty when it comes to conservation programs, when it comes to credit. The cost of doing business is drastically different than it was in 2018. And the 2018 Farm Bill was based off of data from three, four years prior. So, we want to make sure that we improve the credit section of of the farm bill, get that finished,” Kieffer says.

Farm Safety Net Needed

Kieffer adds a farm bill is also needed to provide certainty to farmers and offer a farm safety net in times of negative margins.

“There’s three years of market loss that our growers are struggling with at the moment, and they’re making hard decisions. Some of them are reducing acres, some of them are letting land go and there’s a price to be paid for that as well,” Kieffer says.

House Ag Committee Language Includes Prop 12 Ag Labeling Uniformity Act

Chairman Thompson’s farm bill language includes a Ag Labeling Uniformity Act, which covers pesticide registrations, according to Censky.

“Which means that the EPA is going to have preeminence when they make a health and safety determination of a pesticide, a crop protection product. You can’t have a state adopt different rules,” Censky says.

The House language also includes a national fix to California’s strict Prop 12 sow production standards and the possible patchwork of rules in other states.

However, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) would lose around $1 billion in budget authority over the next four fiscal years under the House Agriculture Committee’s GOP farm bill draft, according to calculations by the Congressional Budget Office. EQIP was essentially used as a funding source for other priorities in the legislation.

Include Food for Peace Program

Kieffer says NAWG also wants Congress to move the Food for Peace Program to USDA in the language of the Farm Bill.

“USDA knows how to deal with farm commodities. USDA is already in the business of engaging in food aid programs globally. They have the infrastructure. They have the personnel and they understand agriculture. So, the farm bill that is ready to be moved in the house here soon has a provision that would include that,” Kieffer adds.

Senate Preparing for Farm Bill Mark Up

While the Senate Agriculture Committee has not released farm bill language or scheduled a mark-up, chairman John Boozman told Agri-Pulse his committee will take up a farm bill of its own in the coming months. Timing will be dependent in part on how debate over a House version proceeds.

Will Congress Pass a Farm Bill?

Still there’s uncertainty about the appetite for passage of a farm bill in Congress according to Tim Lust, chief executive officer of National Sorghum Producers.

“A lot of these details honestly have been negotiated for a year or two, and it’s maybe little tweaks to them, but a lot of the main things haven’t really changed. It’s a matter of how do we get that across the finish line and find a way to get it signed into law?” he says.

Operating in the Shadows: Why the Dairy Workforce Crisis is a Threat to National Food Security

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:08:05 GMT

Behind every gallon of milk lies a multi-billion-dollar industry fueled by a workforce that, in the eyes of the law, technically doesn’t exist. This is the ultimate American paradox: a critical sector of the national economy forced to operate in the shadows, where a single enforcement rumor can halt business overnight.

At a recent panel at the IDFA Dairy Forum focused on immigration and the workplace, and industry leaders from across the political and geographic spectrum gathered to dissect a crisis that has moved beyond mere political rhetoric into the realm of business continuity and national food security.

The discussion, featuring Shannon Douglass (California Farm Bureau), Rick Naerebout (Idaho Dairymen’s Association), James O’Neill (American Business Immigration Coalition), and Julie Myers Wood (Guidepost Solutions LLC), revealed an industry caught between shifting federal enforcement agendas and a desperate need for structural legislative reform.

The Geography of Fear: California Versus Idaho

The impact of immigration policy is often dictated by the political makeup of the state in which a farm operates. Douglass, representing the deep-blue state of California, described a fear factor that can paralyze a harvest in hours.

“In June, specifically in the strawberry fields of Southern California, workers were afraid,” Douglass says. “We saw up to 60% of the workforce simply not show up because of rumors of ICE agents in the area.”

This instability doesn’t just affect the workers. It creates a ripple effect throughout the supply chain. In the Los Angeles area, it took nearly two weeks for harvest crews to recover their volume after a single week of enforcement scares. For many farmers, the chaos is more damaging than the enforcement itself, leading to shut-down crews and lost product when the timing of the harvest is most critical.

In contrast, Naerebout describes a different reality in the red state of Idaho. Under the Trump administration, Idaho has benefited from a governor who maintains a solid relationship with federal leadership. Naerebout pointed to a recent “New York Times” interview where President Trump admitted to instructing ICE not to focus enforcement on agricultural sectors.

“We have benefited from being a red state under this administration,” Naerebout notes. “But the risk is that as easily as he tells them not to enforce, he can tell them to start. We can’t be content with the current state of play. We have to keep ringing the bell for a permanent solution.”

The “Quiet” Enforcement and Supply Chain Disruptions

Wood, a former federal prosecutor and head of ICE, warns the absence of a large-scale workplace ICE Raid doesn’t mean enforcement has stalled. Instead, it has become more surgical and administrative.

“ICE is continuing to conduct audits on third-party staffing companies,” Wood explains. “Farmers and processors often find their biggest disruptions come through these secondary sources.”

Furthermore, the enforcement has moved downstream into transportation. Wood highlights aggressive enforcement regarding visa violations among truck drivers crossing borders. While these actions don’t make the headlines like a facility raid, they create significant short-term disruptions and long-term structural questions about how U.S. businesses secure a globally competitive workforce.

The “CEO Pickle” and the Dairy Gap

Perhaps the most significant challenge discussed was the unique position of the dairy industry. Unlike the produce sector, which can use the H-2A seasonal visa program, dairy requires year-round, daily labor.

“Don’t overcomplicate this,” Naerebout urges. “We need two high-level policies: a path to legal status for the current workforce and a viable year-round visa program for the future. That has been the ask for two decades.”

The “CEO Pickle” refers to the underground nature of agricultural labor. Naerebout shares a sobering story of a police chase that ended on a dairy farm, leading to a full-scale raid that decimated the operation’s workforce.

“Our industry is divided,” he says. “Smaller farmers feel like they can’t grow because they are operating in the shadows. We have a whole underground labor market, and we have to come up with answers.”

Linking Labor to the Grocery Bill

O’Neill argues the best opportunity for reform lies in connecting the workforce crisis to the consumer crisis at the grocery store.

“The primary driver of increased food cost is the increased cost of labor, and the primary driver of that is accessibility,” O’Neill says. He notes the political environment is shifting, with a general backlash against current enforcement styles — particularly among Hispanic voters — and a growing recognition that food inflation cannot be solved without stabilizing the farm workforce.

O’Neill highlightes that while legislative efforts like the Dignity Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act have been reintroduced, they require a bipartisan environmental shift to move forward. The goal is to move immigration from a fiery border security debate to a pragmatic discussion about economic stability.

The Path Forward

The consensus among the panelists was one of urgent optimism. The American public’s view on agricultural labor is softening as the link between labor availability and food prices becomes clearer. However, the industry remains at the mercy of executive whims and congressional inaction.

As Douglass concludes, the goal isn’t just about numbers or data; it’s about the “personal stories of the farmers”, and the resilience of the communities they support. Whether in a blue or a red state, the message to Washington is the same: the U.S. dairy and agricultural sectors cannot remain globally competitive while their workforce remains in the shadows.

Your Next Read:
Overnight Exodus: How An ICE Raid Cut This Dairy’s Workforce By More Than Half

The Politics of the Plate: How Voter Sentiment is Reshaping the Ag Landscape

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:15:31 GMT

The road to the 2026 midterms runs directly through the dairy aisle. At the International Dairy Foods Association Dairy Forum in Palm Springs, Calif., Morning Consult’s lead U.S. politics analyst, Eli Yokley, delivered a high stakes briefing on the cultural forces currently driving the American voter. From the surprising bipartisan popularity of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement to a softening public stance on agricultural labor, Yokley’s data outlines how the dairy industry can leverage its position at the intersection of nutrition and necessity to navigate an increasingly complex political landscape.

The “MAHA” Momentum and the Milk Moment

Yokley began with a surprising revelation: While voters historically distrust the Republican party on general healthcare policy, the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda is a notable exception.

“Voters just don’t trust Republicans on healthcare in the traditional sense,” Yokley notes. “But the MAHA agenda, specifically as it relates to food, is remarkably popular. It’s working on bipartisan territory.”

According to Morning Consult data, the favorability of the MAHA agenda remained steady throughout 2025. Voters associate the movement with improving food access and reducing harmful additives rather than vaccine skepticism. This “big moment for milk” is rooted in a return to natural, whole foods. Interestingly, Yokley points out a significant gender divide. Men across the political spectrum view whole milk as “generally good for you,” women, who still perform the majority of grocery shopping, are slightly more skeptical. However, a quarter of all grocery shoppers expressed a willingness to pay more for “natural” or “whole” products, a trend driven by high-earning suburban parents who will be the ultimate deciders of the 2026 midterms.

The Inflation Disconnect: Groceries as a Political Weapon

The most significant headwind for the current administration is the economy, specifically the “grocery store” voter. Yokley argues the administration’s focus on tariffs is increasingly out of sync with voter concerns.

“Voters perceive big price increases in groceries more than any other category,” Yokley says. “Groceries are the biggest driver of voter concern this year. It activates people across all income levels.”

For the dairy industry, there is a silver lining: Dairy products are still perceived as relatively affordable compared to bread, fruits and vegetables. And while, prices of fruits and vegetables have actually remained remarkably stable , dairy’s perceived “affordability halo” gives the industry a level of credibility when engaging with policymakers. Voters are far more likely to blame trade policies and immigration enforcement for rising food costs than they are to blame the farmers themselves.

The Immigration Leverage Point

One of the most delicate issues for the dairy industry is immigration, and Yokley’s data suggests a surprising shift in public sentiment. While the political rhetoric around border security remains fiery, the American public’s view on agricultural labor is softening.

“There is an openness among the American people to the idea that these kinds of workers are important to the economy, especially in this inflationary environment,” Yokley explains.

The share of voters who believe there is “about the right number” of seasonal or lower-skilled workers has increased, while the share of those who believe there are “too many” has stalled. This creates a strategic leverage point for the dairy industry to advocate for reform, framing it as a solution to food inflation rather than a purely political issue.

The CEO Conundrum: Public Silence Versus Private Action

Yokley also addressed the role of business leaders in this volatile climate, describing it as a pickle. Morning Consult data shows only a third of voters want to see CEOs speaking out publicly on issues such as trade or immigration. In fact, public attacks on the administration can be more harmful among a leader’s own base than helpful among the general public.

The solution? Private action and the power of trade associations.

“Voters are much more open to private action and lobbying,” Yokley says. “They get that this happens. It underlines the importance of trade associations like IDFA to provide the political cover that individual CEOs might not want to risk.”

Forecasting 2026 and Beyond

Looking ahead to the midterms, Yokley described a “split” reality. The Senate map currently favors Republicans, with high-profile races in Georgia (Jon Ossoff) and Maine (Susan Collins) serving as key bellwethers. The House, however, remains a toss-up, with Democrats needing only a three-to-four-point advantage on the generic ballot to reclaim control.

Finally, Yokley cast an eye toward 2028, noting that California Governor Gavin Newsom is a figure to watch. Newsom’s “fiery rhetoric” and “Trump-style” engagement are activating young voters in a way that feels authentic to the Democratic base.

The Bottom Line for Dairy

Yokley’s concluding message was one of optimism for the industry. In a deeply divided country, milk remains a “wholesome, accessible staple” that doesn’t trigger as much discord as other issues.

“The American people don’t hate milk,” Yokley concludes. “The industry is positioned at the intersection of nutrition and affordability — the two things voters care about most.”

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How An ICE Raid Cut This Dairy's Workforce By More Than Half

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:53:18 GMT

Like many of their fellow dairy farmers, Rodney and Dorothy Elliott, owners of Drumgoon Dairy, grapple with securing reliable labor. Nestled in the small town of Lake Norden, S.D., their labor headaches intensified this past spring when their 6,500-cow dairy operation experienced a federal Department of Homeland Security audit that led to the immediate termination of 38 employees. The Elliotts were left with 16 workers.

“We didn’t just lose employees — we lost years of experience, skills, knowledge and a team culture that we had built over the past 10 years or more,” Dorothy says.

The audit findings revealed several workers had inaccurate, outdated or incomplete documentation regarding their U.S. citizenship status or work permits. For the Elliotts, the raid brought to light a critical issue that many farms and ag businesses face today: The complexities of immigration policy impact workforce availability.

The Elliotts fear for the future, not only for their own dairy, but for the industry at large. Immigrant workers are critical to dairy operations, representing over half of all dairy farm labor and contributing to 79% of the U.S. milk supply, according to the National Milk Producers Federation.

“Basically, we’ve turned off the tap, but we’ve done nothing to create a solution to find employees for the dairy industry,” Dorothy says.

(Drumgoon Dairy)

The urgency for immigration reform is exacerbated by the fact Americans are typically unwilling to undertake these demanding jobs, says Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association.

“This is bigger than just a dairy issue, this is a feeding America issue, which is national security. Roughly half of all on-farm labor in America is unauthorized. We cannot feed ourselves as a country without these workers,” Naerebout says. “One of the lessons we learned from WWII is that a country that cannot feed itself without imports is at greater risk from their enemies.”

(Drumgoon Dairy)

A Sustainable Future Requires a Sustainable Workforce

The Elliotts’ journey began in northern Ireland, where they managed a small dairy farm restricted by stringent government regulations. Frustrated by the limitations and lured by an enticing marketing campaign from the South Dakota Department of Agriculture, the family took a leap of faith. They left Ireland, aspiring to transform their modest 140-head operation into a modern, sustainable dairy farm.

Their vision extended beyond business growth — they also set their sights on building an operation that offered future generations a chance to return to farming.

“We’ve achieved our goals that we set out for ourselves: Build a dairy, milk cows and grow the dairy industry in South Dakota,” Dorothy says. “Is it a sustainable goal if there’s nobody to work on these dairies? No. All the time, money, effort, investment and hard work that has gone into it will be null and void if there isn’t a workforce.”

With firsthand experience, Elliott empathizes with her workforce, many of whom are Hispanic immigrants. Elliott gained citizenship shortly after relocating to the U.S., and her husband followed suit, becoming a citizen eight years after they moved.

“We’re facing a reality where all our employees are doing is working. They’re filling positions that are, at present, not being claimed by American workers,” Dorothy reflects.

Her statement sheds light on the essential roles immigrant laborers play across the agricultural landscape, highlighting the gap between workforce demands and available labor supply.

“I want people to understand that dairy farms don’t choose to hire undocumented workers. We all have to hire following state and federal guidelines,” Dorothy says. “Everyone who was hired on our farm had to have a state or federally issued ID card and a Social Security number. Some of these employees had been working without any flags being raised for over 10 years. They were paying all the state and federal taxes we are required to collect.”

(Drumgoon Dairy)

Automation Still Requires Human Touch

Despite adversity, the Elliotts push forward. Nearby farms offered temporary assistance following the raid, and they continue to heavily invest in both local and international workforce recruitment. Although automation seemed a promising alternative at one point, the prohibitive costs and disappointing results led to the sale of some equipment.

Drumgoon Dairy installed 20 robots in 2020. They hoped to recruit students and graduates from Lake Area Technical College’s robotics program to maintain the equipment. They’ve advertised maintenance positions, but the response has been disheartening. As of now, “no one,” according to Dorothy, has stepped forward to fill these roles.

Given the high costs associated with running and servicing the robots, the family decided to remove them.

(Drumgoon Dairy)

A National Security Crisis

Drumgoon Dairy’s challenges are not isolated. Since President Trump’s crackdown on immigration started a year ago, ICE Raids have happened all across the U.S. While numbers specific to the agriculture industry aren’t available, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , the number of people in immigration detention in the U.S. hit an all-time high as of Dec. 14, 2025, at 68,400 people.

It’s been nine months since the ICE raid at Drumgoon Dairy. While the Elliotts now have a full workforce, they’re not operating with the same level of experience, skills and knowledge.

“I feel that the Republican Party has run on this promise of immigration reform and encouraging new businesses to come and set up businesses in the U.S.,” she says. “Since we started dairy farming in 2006, the only people coming to work on dairy farms have been from the Hispanic community. I now see local construction businesses, factories, landscaping businesses and other ag businesses all using Hispanic workers. Where is the reform? What has been done to facilitate a sustainable workforce?”

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Trump Signs Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into Law

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:25:58 GMT

President Donald Trump has signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 into law, clearing the way for whole and 2% milk to return to America’s school cafeterias for the first time in more than a decade.

Schools Regain Full Milk Options

The bipartisan legislation reverses Obama-era restrictions that limited federally supported school meal programs to fat-free or low-fat milk options. The bill passed both chambers of Congress unanimously in late 2025, signaling broad agreement around child nutrition, school meal flexibility and dairy market access.

Under the new law, schools may now offer a wider range of fluid milk choices, including flavored and unflavored organic or conventional whole, 2%, 1%, skim and lactose-free milk. Supporters say the expanded menu better reflects current nutrition science and aligns school offerings with what families commonly consume at home.

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Farm and Dairy Groups Sing Praises

Farm organizations quickly praised the signing, calling it a practical policy win for both students and farmers.

“Farmers applaud Rep. GT Thompson and Sen. Roger Marshall for working to return whole milk to America’s schools, and to the president for signing the legislation today,” says Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “The commonsense, bipartisan bill ensures children will have access to important vitamins, protein and other nutrients while supporting dairy farmers who need access to expanded markets for their product.”

Dairy industry leaders emphasized that milk’s full nutritional profile was a key driver behind the legislation.

“Dairy farmers and their cooperatives couldn’t be more thrilled that whole and 2% milk is returning to school meals,” says Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “Dairy is a nutrition powerhouse that should be used to its fullest potential — and that means making it available in the same varieties families consume at home.”

Doud says NMPF is prepared to support implementation efforts as schools update menus and procurement plans.

“We are ready to help schools and USDA in any way we can as this important legislation is implemented, and we thank the Trump administration, our advocates on Capitol Hill, and everyone who has worked to make school meals better through increased access to dairy,” he says.

The International Dairy Foods Association also hailed the signing as a long-awaited milestone.

“The long wait is over! Whole milk is coming back to schools,” says Michael Dykes, president and CEO of IDFA. “This law is a win for our children, parents and school nutrition leaders, giving schools the flexibility to offer the flavored and unflavored milk options, across all healthy fat levels, that meet students’ needs and preferences.”

Dykes thanked a broad group of lawmakers for advancing the bill, including U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier and Thompson, and U.S. Sen. Peter Welch and Marshall, as well as congressional committee leadership involved in shepherding the legislation through Congress.

“IDFA is deeply grateful to President Trump for signing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into law,” Dykes says. “IDFA and our members stand ready to partner with USDA, states and school nutrition leaders to help schools offer the milk options kids prefer so more students can benefit from the 13 essential nutrients that milk provides.”

Schools could begin offering whole and 2% milk as soon as the next school year.

UPDATE: Supreme Court Did Not Issue Ruling on Tariffs Case, Decision Still Pending

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 13:45:23 GMT

UPDATE: The U.S. Supreme Court chose not to release its ruling on President Trump’s global tariffs Wednesday. A decision is still pending.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue one or more rulings on Wednesday in cases already argued before the justices as major legal disputes remain pending, including litigation testing the legality of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs.

The court is set to release rulings at about 10 a.m. ET (1500 GMT). The court does not announce ahead of time which rulings it intends to issue. The court issued one ruling last Friday but did not act in the tariffs case, which was argued on Nov. 5.

The challenge to Trump’s tariffs marks a major test of presidential powers as well as of the court’s willingness to check some of the Republican president’s far-reaching assertions of authority since he returned to office in January 2025. The outcome will impact the global economy.

During arguments in the case, conservative and liberal justices appeared to cast doubt on the legality of the tariffs, which Trump imposed by invoking a 1977 law meant for use during national emergencies. Trump’s administration is appealing rulings by lower courts that he overstepped his authority.

Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on goods imported from individual countries — nearly every foreign trading partner — to address what he called a national emergency related to U.S. trade deficits. He invoked the same law to impose tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, citing the trafficking of the often-abused painkiller fentanyl and illicit drugs into the U.S. as a national emergency.

The challenges to the tariffs in the cases before the Supreme Court were brought by businesses affected by the tariffs and 12 U.S. states, most of them Democratic-governed.

Other cases awaiting rulings include disputes concerning voting rights, religious rights, Trump’s firing of a Federal Trade Commission member, LGBT “conversion therapy” and campaign finance limits, among others.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham)

Economists Forecast Farm Economy to Stabilize, But High Costs and Policy Uncertainty Block a 2026 Rebound

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 18:26:38 GMT

As 2026 ushers in a fresh start, agricultural economists say the U.S. farm economy has stopped sliding, but it’s far from fully healed.

The December Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor shows month-to-month sentiment is improving, but deep structural strain remains — especially in row crops. Meanwhile, livestock markets continue to provide strength. Crop producers face another year of tight margins driven by high input costs, weak prices and unresolved trade and policy uncertainty.

“There’s cautious optimism,” the economists say, “but very little belief that 2026 will bring a meaningful rebound without cost relief or stronger demand.”

Those themes mirror the perspective of Seth Meyer, former USDA chief economist and now director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri. In a recent interview, Meyer connected the dots between narrow margins, policy responses and what might actually move the dial for U.S. agriculture heading into 2026.

Stabilizing, Not Recovering

December Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor

(Lori Hayes )

Economists see the ag economy holding its ground — but not gaining strength.

54% say the ag economy is somewhat better than one month ago.
Compared with a year ago:
- 42% say conditions are worse
- 33% say they are better
Looking ahead 12 months:
- 46% expect conditions unchanged
- 38% expect improvement
- 15% expect conditions to worsen

“Momentum has improved since mid-2025,” Meyer notes, “but tight margins have been with us for a long time. Turning that around requires demand growth, not just price stabilization.

Farm Journal’s December Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor

(Lori Hayes )

Grant Gardner, assistant Extension professor at the University of Kentucky, tells AgriTalk’s Chip Flory: “I think as we move into kind of this next marketing year, you’re looking at what looks like a breakeven and not a loss, but breakeven still doesn’t look great after three years of breakeven or losses.”

He says even with the $11 billion in Farmer Bridge Program payments , it won’t drastically change the outlook for the farm economy.

“Purdue had a good survey about a month ago, where they looked at what were these payments going to go to, and research would show that a lot of these payments go into long-term assets, and so land tractors, but I think over 60% of producers right now are in such a tight cash crunch that you’re going to see a lot of these payments go into that short-term debt,” Gardner says.

Consolidation a Growing Threat

Economists are nearly unanimous that the crop sector remains under extreme financial stress. 83 percent say row crops are currently in a recession. That isn’t about production declines — acres and yields haven’t collapsed — but about persistently weak profitability.

“Negative returns for at least the third consecutive year across nearly all row crops,” one economist wrote in the survey.

Another said: “Margins remain below full costs of production for many producers.”

Farm Journal’s December Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor

(Lori Hayes)

Meyer traces that back to how abruptly agriculture moved from the high prices of 2021 and 2022 into today’s tighter margins.

“We moved very quickly from a very high price environment and good profitability in 2022 to very tight margins,” he says. “That usually happens coming off price peaks, but this time it happened really rapidly.”

A minority of survey respondents argued farms are “treading water,” supported by strong land values and government aid rather than eroding further, which Meyer acknowledged aligns with how risk and safety nets have interacted this year.

But when you look at how the current stress in the farm economy could impact consolidation, the ag economists say it’s the economic pressure combined with demographic trends causing the acceleration. In fact, 92% of them say consolidation is underway and unavoidable.

“Markets go to the lowest-cost producers,” one economist wrote. “That sorting is consolidation on the production side.”

Aging producers exiting and rent-heavy operations under pressure only add fuel to that trend, with one economist saying: “Consolidation happens because producers have to exit, not because they want to.

What’s Driving the Farm Economy Right Now

When economists were asked to identify the two most important factors shaping agriculture’s economic health today, their responses clustered around a familiar, but increasingly sharp, divide: strong demand in livestock and the protein sector versus persistent oversupply and cost pressure in crops, all layered with trade and policy uncertainty.

Several economists pointed to continued strength in beef demand, both domestically and through export channels, as a key stabilizing force. While the dairy sector is an area that shows signs of weakness for 2026.

“Livestock revenues are a bright spot,” one respondent noted, underscoring why the livestock sector continues to outperform crops financially.

Looking to 2026, economists overwhelmingly point to input costs, not interest rates, as the biggest barrier to profitability. Nearly 70% cited input prices as the largest challenge as well, far ahead of trade concerns or capital availability.

Farm Journal’s December Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor

(Lori Hayes )

“We have too much supply and not enough demand for row crops,” one economist wrote.

Another said: “Input costs are still too high.”

Trade remains a central wild card, especially relationships with China and uncertainty around global supply. Several respondents cited trade disputes and agreements as critical factors, along with questions about the size of South American crops and how that could shape global competition in the months ahead.

Policy uncertainty was also featured prominently, with economists pointing to domestic biofuels policy, government payments and broader market signals as factors influencing both short-term cash flow and longer-term demand growth.

Overall, economists say the ag economy is being pulled in opposite directions: strong livestock demand providing support, while crops struggle under high costs, oversupply and unresolved trade and policy questions — a dynamic that helps explain why the broader farm economy feels stable, but far from healthy, as 2026 approaches.

Livestock: A Continued Bright Spot

Livestock continues to stand out as the most financially healthy segment of the ag economy. Every economist surveyed rated beef as above average or excellent, supported by strong domestic demand and tight supplies. Dairy and pork were viewed as stable to moderately strong.

That success creates a stark contrast with row crops, where corn and cotton were cited by 38% each as the commodities most at risk financially in 2026.

What Could Move Crop Prices in the Next Six Months

Looking ahead to the first half of 2026, economists say crop prices will hinge less on domestic fundamentals and more on global supply, trade flows and policy clarity.

Across responses, South America emerged as the dominant influence, with economists repeatedly citing Brazilian weather, the size of the South American harvest and how those supplies compete with U.S. exports. Several noted that clarity around South American production will be critical in setting price direction for corn, soybeans and wheat.

Trade, particularly with China, remains another key swing factor. Economists emphasized not just the announcement of trade agreements, but whether purchases translate into actual shipments.

“China purchases of U.S. crops, but also if and when actual shipments occur,” one respondent noted, adding that details within any trade deal, including purchase commitments, will matter just as much as headlines.

Domestic factors still play a role, but economists see them as secondary in the near term. Input prices, early U.S. planting conditions and assumptions about 2026 acreage were all cited as important — especially as markets begin to trade expectations for next year’s crop mix.

Policy uncertainty also hangs over the outlook. Economists pointed to ongoing questions around trade policy, biofuels policy and broader economic conditions as variables that could amplify or mute price moves.

Economists say crop prices over the next six months are likely to be driven by how global supply unfolds, whether export demand materializes and how quickly policy uncertainty is resolved, rather than by any single domestic production shock.

Biofuels Policy: A Potential Turning Point?

One of the clearest themes Meyer highlights as a possible game changer for demand, and ultimately prices, is biofuels policy.

For economists, policy levers like year-round E15, Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes, 45Z investment tax credits and how small refinery exemptions are handled could meaningfully influence demand for corn and soybeans in 2026 and beyond.

“It’s one of the places where policymakers actually have levers to help with tight margins in the row crop sector,” Meyer says.

He emphasizes that final rules on RFS volumes and how biobased credits are implemented could impact feedstock demand.

“For the next couple of crop seasons, RVO (Renewable Volume Obligations) and how EPA reallocates small refinery exemptions are big factors,” Meyer says. “Should we raise the RVO to soak up that pool like a sponge? Should imported feedstocks get full 45Z credit? Those decisions could move demand.”

On year-round E15, a long-sought policy priority for corn growers, Meyer is cautiously optimistic.

“I do think it matters,” he says. “Maybe it’s not a huge swing this year, but offering certainty and building demand over multiple seasons is supportive. Other countries like Brazil are ramping up their biofuels production too, so this isn’t happening in a vacuum.”

Policy Uncertainty Still Looms

Economists also flagged top priorities for 2026 policy action:

Year-round E15 (row crops)
Trade policy clarity (row crops & livestock)
Labor reform and regulatory issues (livestock)

They also highlighted under-covered risks, which include pressure on land rents and values, labor shortages, biofuels policy details (such as 45Z credits) and slower population growth affecting long-term demand.

What Could Move Livestock and Dairy Prices in the Next Six Months

When economists look ahead to livestock and dairy markets in early 2026, they see a mix of strong demand signals, supply-side risks and policy uncertainty shaping price direction.

Consumer demand remains the cornerstone of the outlook, particularly for beef. Several economists pointed to continued buying interest from U.S. consumers as the primary support for cattle prices, even as affordability pressures rise. At the same time, some warned that a more “K-shaped” economy could begin to shift demand, pulling some consumers away from beef and toward pork.

Supply dynamics and herd trends are another major focus. Economists cited herd size, potential herd expansion and the availability of feeder cattle as critical variables. The expected resumption of feeder cattle imports from Mexico was highlighted as a key factor that could influence cattle supplies and pricing, depending on timing and volume.

Animal health risks also remain on the radar. Issues such as avian influenza, screwworm and other disease threats were mentioned as potential disruptors that could quickly alter supply conditions in both livestock and dairy markets.

Policy and trade uncertainty continues to hover over the sector. Economists pointed to ongoing questions around tariffs, restrictions on live animal trade with Mexico and the next steps under the USMCA as factors that could impact both imports and exports. Political uncertainty more broadly was also cited as a potential source of market volatility.

For dairy, economists noted that beef-on-dairy dynamics are likely to continue weighing on milk prices by increasing beef supplies while complicating dairy herd decisions.

Taken together, economists say livestock and dairy prices over the next six months will be driven by a delicate balance between strong consumer demand, evolving supply conditions and unresolved trade and policy questions, with any shift in one of those areas capable of moving markets quickly.

Acreage Expectations: Stress, Not Shock

Despite margin pressure, economists do not expect dramatic acreage pullbacks in 2026. Most expect:

Corn: 93 to 95 million acres
Soybeans: 84 to 86 million acres
Wheat: 44 to 45 million acres
Cotton: 9 to 10 million acres

Corn acreage expectations have edged lower since November, as economists backed away from another year above 95 million acres. At the same time, soybean acreage expectations have firmed, with 75% now targeting 84 to 86 million acres, suggesting stronger relative economics for beans.

“Export demand has helped keep corn acres supported,” Meyer says. “The question is whether that demand holds and whether policy supports it.”

As for acreage, the major impact on prices would be a large acreage reduction, which is unlikely.

“That’s what it comes down to, too. What I’ve been thinking about is what else can you use land for? And you’ve got the pushback on urban sprawl, you’ve got pushback on other uses for ag land. But right now, the simple fact is we’ve got way too much production. Without that slowing, or a drastic increase in demand, I don’t see prices improving to very lucrative levels,” Gardner says.

Overall, The Ag Economy Is a Grind, Not a Rebound

When you look at all the results from the December Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor, economists paint a picture of an industry that has stopped getting worse, but has not yet found a path to durable profitability.

Crops remain mired in margin compression; livestock continues to outperform but remains sensitive to policy decisions. Government aid is buying time but not addressing structural challenges, but it’s policy outcomes, especially around biofuels, trade and E15, that could be decisive in shaping 2026 outcomes.

For now, the farm economy has found a floor. The tougher question, economists say, is whether policy can help lift it, or if it will continue to grind forward without a genuine rebound.

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Will Congressional Inaction Force Farmers to Choose Between Health Insurance and Their Farm Budget?

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 15:16:10 GMT

Healthcare insurance plans for some U.S. farmers could double in 2026, as enhanced federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are scheduled to expire.

The impending cost surge could affect thousands of U.S. farmers who currently rely on the ACA marketplace for their health insurance, according to the non-partisan KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation), a health policy organization.

KFF estimated in 2023 that 27% of “farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture managers” relied on individual ACA market coverage. Nationally, more than 22 million Americans rely on the ACA marketplace for insurance options.

Farmers ‘Don’t Have Many Options’
Iowa farmer Aaron Lehman, who testified before Congress last week, highlighted the severity of the potential cost increase on his family. He said he expects to pay double to purchase an insurance plan for 2026 that would be comparable to what his family had this year.

“That is an incredible cost for our family budget and for our farm budget,” Lehman stated. The fifth-generation farmer and president of the Iowa Farmers Union described how rising healthcare costs are colliding with already harsh economic realities in agriculture.

“Farmers right now are trying to make all sorts of decisions because commodity prices are low, because of the chaotic trade situation that we’re in and higher input prices. All these things have made a real crisis for a lot of our farmers,” said Lehman.

“Finding ways to deal with that, we just don’t have too many options. Farmers will buy less equipment or not make the necessary upgrades and equipment that they need to,” he added. “They’ll look at their input suppliers, and they’ll decide, ‘what can we do to get through just this year … to get a plan to put the crop in the ground?’”

Read the testimony of Aaron Lehman here. A portion of his testimony and discussion is also featured on a posting to YouTube .

Signup Deadlines For Coverage
The challenge for farmers trying to decide on what insurance policy to purchase is compounded by the deadline to enroll in ACA marketplace plans: People needed to choose their ACA plan by Monday for coverage to begin Jan. 1. Open enrollment continues in most states until Jan. 15 for coverage beginning Feb. 1.

Despite broad public support for an extension to the ACA tax credits — a KFF poll said 74% of Americans favor continuing the enhanced credits — a congressional standoff has so far failed to produce a solution:

Failed Votes: Both a Democratic plan to extend the enhanced tax credits for three years and a Republican proposal to replace them with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) failed to pass the Senate last week.
Impending Crisis: Nearly six in 10 enrollees (across all categories) told KFF they could not afford even a $300 annual increase in 2026 without significantly disrupting household finances.
Political Fallout: The issue of healthcare costs and expiring subsidies is highly polarizing, with some Republicans warning that a failure to address the problem could cost them legislative majorities in next year’s mid-term elections.

As the deadline for open enrollment closes and the Dec. 31 subsidy expiration date approaches, farmers must prepare for substantially higher health insurance costs in 2026 unless Congress acts to reach a last-minute agreement.

Young Farmers Need Better Options
During his testimony and ensuing discussion, Lehman stressed that healthcare isn’t just a personal household issue; it’s central to the future of American farming. With the average age of an Iowa farmer at 57, he said the sector desperately needs young and beginning farmers to return to the land. But without affordable, reliable health coverage, inviting the next generation back onto the farm becomes a far riskier proposition.

“You have to be very smart to figure out the plan that can bring the next generation on the farm,” he said, adding that many talented, innovative young people want to farm, but face daunting financial barriers — healthcare high among them. He noted that one of his sons works with him on their family operation, which is based in Polk County, Iowa.

Lehman framed affordable healthcare for farm families as an investment, not a handout: a way to make it possible for young farmers to feed their communities, support local and regional food systems, or continue larger family commodity operations.

“Extending the federal support for lowering the cost of health insurance is a true win for farmers and for all of rural America,” he said.

Whole Milk is Back! Congress Passes Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 21:08:05 GMT

At a glance:

Congress passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, allowing schools to once again offer whole and 2% milk.
The legislation reverses a 2012 policy that limited school milk options to fat-free and 1%.
The bill now awaits the president’s signature, with implementation expected as early as the next school year.

Congress has approved the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act , marking a major shift in federal school nutrition policy and reopening the door for whole and reduced-fat milk in school meal programs. The legislation reflects growing consensus around the nutritional value of milk at all fat levels and underscores the impact of sustained, bipartisan advocacy.

“Today we will restore students access to a wide variety of milk options assuring students have the necessary nutrients to learn and to grow, says Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., a leading supporter of the bill since its introduction. “I have worked for a decade to restore whole milk to our school cafeterias, which have been limiting healthy choices for students, but that changes today.”

He emphasized the importance of choice in school meals, noting that whole milk is a key part of a balanced diet for students.

“Whole milk is an essential building block for a well-rounded and balanced diet, and students should have the option to choose the milk they love. I am proud that my bill, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, passed the House today and now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature,” Thompson added.

The move has drawn praise from industry leaders, who say it reflects both the importance of milk in children’s diets and the power of sustained advocacy.

“It’s hard to overstate the significance of congressional passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, not only because it represents major progress in improving the nourishment of American schoolkids, but also because of what it says about how persistent, long-term effort can still bring bipartisan success in Congress,” says National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO, Gregg Doud.

If signed by the president, schools would once again have the option to serve whole and reduced-fat milk alongside the fat-free and 1% varieties currently allowed. Supporters say the added flexibility would better reflect what families purchase at home and align school offerings with current nutrition science.

A Long Road Back for Whole Milk
Whole and reduced-fat milk were removed from school menus in 2012 under nutrition standards set by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which aimed to reduce childhood obesity. Schools were limited to fat-free and 1% milk, and flavored milk was required to be fat-free. While intended to improve student health, the change coincided with a decline in school milk consumption and reduced choice for students.

Over the past decade, a growing body of research has shown that milk fat has a neutral or even positive effect on health outcomes. That evolving science, combined with changing consumer preferences, helped build bipartisan support for restoring flexibility in school milk offerings.

The bill’s passage represents the culmination of more than a decade of effort by dairy advocates, lawmakers and industry stakeholders.

“And now the day has arrived. We thank Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson of Pennsylvania and Representative Kim Schrier of Washington for their critical roles in championing the most recent version of this important legislation to the finish line and the many other congressional leaders who preceded them in their efforts to protect access to nutritious milk in schools,” Doud says.

A similar measure passed the House overwhelmingly in 2023 but stalled in the Senate. With Senate approval now secured, the legislation clears its final congressional hurdle.

Restored Choice for Schools and Students
The dairy industry emphasizes the collaborative nature of the effort.

“Dairy doesn’t succeed without tireless advocates on Capitol Hill, and it’s been an honor to work with these members and their staffs in this effort,” Doud adds.

With the bill now awaiting the president’s signature, attention turns to implementation.

“The next step, after a presidential signature, is implementation. We pledge our fullest support to federal officials and school districts across the nation to help with implementation of this important legislation. Congress made a positive difference today. We are thrilled to be a part of it,” Doud says.

While the bill does not mandate whole milk, it restores flexibility schools have not had in more than a decade. For students, it means access to the same range of milk options their families choose at home. For dairy farmers, it reopens a significant market, as school meal programs account for nearly 8% of all fluid milk sales.

Schools could begin offering whole and 2% milk as soon as the next school year.

A Conversation With Ag Secretary Rollins on Labor, Disease and MAHA

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 19:59:29 GMT

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins stuck to streamlining the federal government labor rules to alleviate dairy’s worker crisis and said more aggressive measures are coming to prevent and contain disease, in an interview with Dairy Herd Management. Rollins this week was at the joint annual meeting hosted by National Milk Producers Federation, the United Dairy Board and the United Dairy Industry Association in Arlington, Texas.

While there, she said the H-2A visa program is particularly broken for dairy, which requires year-round support instead of seasonal workers. She also said measures, such as mandatory testing for lactating dairy cattle prior to interstate movement, are not aggressive enough to address modern biosecurity threats.

Below is a summary of Dairy Herd’s 20-minute conversation with Rollins, who discussed labor, disease prevention as well as her feelings on the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

What Federal Efforts Are in the Works to Ensure Adequate Labor for U.S. Dairies?

One of the central concerns among dairy producers, and the entire industry, is comprehensive immigration reform. To put it in perspective, more than two-thirds of today’s 9.36 million dairy cows are milked by immigrant laborers in the U.S., according to the National Milk Producers Federation.

Currently, the H-2A visa applies strictly to seasonal or temporary labor. Dairy operations, however, require consistent, skilled workers every day of the year. Milking and caring for cows, managing processing facilities and ensuring food safety are daily tasks that don’t pause between seasons. This mismatch leaves dairy farmers and processors nationwide without a legal means to fulfill their guestworker needs.

In addition to the need for year-round help, Secretary Rollins notes farmers must interact with three different federal agencies to use the H-2A program. Moreover, the costs associated with securing labor have significantly increased, with reports from farmers in south Texas indicating average hourly costs, including transportation and housing, reaching $30 to $35 per hour. Comparatively, similar labor across the border is $2 per hour, Rollins says, illustrating a system that is both unsustainable and inherently unfair.

Ideally, any H-2A program changes will reduce costs and red tape, but comprehensive solutions ultimately require congressional action.

In addition to visa programs, Secretary Rollins says the current administration remains focused on sealing borders and mass deportations.

“Everyone understands the dynamics of an open border, and the millions and millions, we’re unable to count how many, that crossed during the last administration. The President’s No. 1 promise as a candidate in 2022 through 2024 was sealing the border and mass deportations,” she says. “Looking at this challenge through the lens of understanding labor is absolute when we can’t feed ourselves, combined with where we are in terms of immigration, those are the nuances.”

How is the Administration Addressing Threats to Animal Ag?
On day 1, after being sworn in as Secretary of Ag, Rollins was briefed on HPAI . She made it clear that while some measures, such as mandatory testing for lactating dairy cattle prior to interstate movement , had been enacted, a broader and more aggressive approach is necessary. Recognizing that maintaining the status quo was insufficient, a comprehensive strategy was essential — not just from USDA but across the entire federal government.

“I realize there are lots of opinions on my boss, President Trump, but I think the one thing that most people would agree on is that he leaves it all in the field. And, that we have to do everything we can for this moment that we were given to fix a very broken system, whatever that system may look like, in this case, which is animal disease,” Rollins says.

In February 2025, the Trump administration set forth a five-point plan to combat HPAI . Rollins notes the dairy sector, in particular, showcased remarkable adaptability to HPAI threats, demonstrating industry resilience and proactive measures.

Significant investments, such as a $100 million innovation grant , have been allocated to explore vaccines and therapeutic solutions. However, the complexities of viral mutations necessitate caution, especially regarding vaccination strategies, to prevent potentially more dangerous strains from emerging.

“I think we’re going to make more progress than perhaps has been made. Having said that, it’s a virus and the virus always wins,” she says, noting they are worried about New World screwworm and took aggressive actions to combat that by closing several ports.

“We’ve not imported new animals, which is one of the reasons beef prices are up, but we are looking now to figure out how to start reopening ports. I think we’ve gotten our arms around exactly what the problem is,” she says. “We’re building out new sterile fly facilities, which is the only way we eradicated it 30 to 40 years ago, but we have a really good system in place.”

Rollins shares collaborations with international counterparts are stronger, creating an unprecedented partnership with Mexican authorities to manage and preempt future animal agriculture outbreaks effectively. Enhanced border protocols, including disinfection and ivermectin treatments for imports, underscore a commitment to protecting livestock health.

“I feel confident that we are aggressively attacking all pieces of NWS,” she says.

What Does the MAHA Movement’s Mean for Dairy?
The “Make America Healthy Again” movement aims to revamp the nation’s food system, and Rollins offers reassurance dairy products at the forefront.

“Health care costs too much. We’re not getting the care we need, especially to vulnerable populations. How do we fix that?” she asks. “Over the last year, it is completely flipped to, what are Americans eating? What are we serving in our schools? What are we serving in our SNAP program, which 42 million Americans are on the food stamp program.”

While the current economic situation is troubling, Rollins is confident in the long-term potential for profitability and sustainability in the dairy industry.

“What milk, cheese and other dairy products mean as we completely and fundamentally shift our entire food system is our dairy industry is at the very front tip of the spear,” she says, noting the response markets are answering and the dairy industry, too, with the $11 billion in new processing plants, U.S. dairy is riding a wave of momentum that is fueled by consumer demand.

“In the long term, I’m not sure there is an agriculture industry that has more to gain and that will see more of a pivot toward real profitability and real sustainability than this [dairy] industry. I could not be more excited to help lead on that,” she says.

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Kennedy Says U.S. to Announce New Dietary Guidelines in December

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 19:18:49 GMT

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration will release new dietary guidelines in December aimed at reducing high rates of obesity and changing the country’s food culture, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Thursday, Nov. 6.

“We’re about to release dietary guidelines that are going to change the food culture in this country,” Kennedy told reporters during an event in the Oval Office, where Trump announced a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to cut the price of weight loss drugs. “We’re releasing those in December.”

Kennedy says the new guidelines would change the kind of food served to military service members and children in schools, but gave no details on the new recommendations.

“If we want to solve the chronic disease crisis, we have to tackle obesity,” Kennedy says. “Obesity is the No. 1 driver of chronic disease.”

Fifty percent of the adult U.S. population is obese or overweight, Kennedy says, adding that it’s driving costs up for diabetes care and cardiac diseases.

The updated U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which influence school lunches, medical advice and nutrition standards, have been anticipated since summer. The new guidelines are expected to address saturated fat, found mainly in meat and certain oils, and ultra-processed food, along with modified suggestions related to dairy consumption, sources familiar with the process told Reuters in June.

The Department of Health and Human Services and USDA publish the guidelines jointly every five years.

The current dietary guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat to less than 10% of total calories consumed daily, and do not address ultra-processed food. The definition of ultra-processed food is hotly debated by the food industry, while the report describes it as industrially manufactured products.

The guidelines recommend limiting consumption of alcoholic beverages to one drink a day for women and two for men, or not drinking.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

A Tale of Two Farm Economies: What Policy Shifts and Trade Pressures Mean for U.S. Dairies

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:26:22 GMT

It looked like good news in USDA’s September forecast: near-record net farm income for 2025. But Danny Munch, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) economist says that’s not necessarily the case. During the Dairy Hot Topics seminar, hosted by American Dairy Coalition at World Dairy Expo 2025, he explained nearly a quarter of that income is expected to come from government payouts.

“It is a little bit misleading of a forecast when you say, ‘Oh, this looks pretty good this year for 2025: near record net farm income,’ when that $41 billion should be looked at as filling in gaps that many farmers faced in prior years,” Munch says.

Munch calls this inconsistency the tale of two farm economies. The livestock sector, including dairy, is hanging on, while row-crop margins disappear. Dairy producers are also seeing a difference in their milk checks, and Munch sheds some light on where that’s coming from.

Cheese Storage As An Indicator
“There are some fascinating things happening in terms of our cheese product demand and further-processed product demand,” Munch says.

For him, cheese storage metrics can help inform dairy product demand and predict where the prices might go. As of right now, food service demand and steady buying from Mexico and Korea are keeping U.S. cheese disappearance and exports strong.

“Americans are continuing to eat a lot of cheese, and cold storage has remained quite flat,” Munch says. “Those are fairly good metrics in terms of price. When exports and domestic disappearance start to stabilize or tick down, or domestic storage starts to tick up, then you’ve really got a problem for your prices.”

(Source: USDA AMS, American Farm Bureau Federation Calculations)

Make Allowances And Milk Check Transparency
June’s federal order updates raised the make allowance, or the estimated cost of processing milk into cheese, butter, powder and whey. This effectively reduced the minimum price paid to farmers. Processors say the increase reflects higher costs, but farmers are questioning the reasoning, noting the billions that have already gone into plant investments.

At the same time, dairy producers have been earning less than their milk’s true value because federal formulas haven’t kept pace with rising component levels. USDA plans to update those composition factors, but implementation is delayed until December 1, leaving farmers waiting on the positive change while the price-reducing updates took effect immediately.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” requires USDA to conduct a biennial processor-cost survey – a key step toward transparency.

“There’s a lot of hope with the survey,” Munch says. “Our dairy farmers are looking for transparency in how their prices are being set, so we’re looking forward to USDA putting out how that will look.”

As a result of unclear line items such as “market adjustment” or “PPD,” both AFBF and ADC have a renewed interest in mandatory transparency for cooperatives and proprietary processors alike.

Munch says these line items from some handlers blur lines between regulated minimums and retained earnings, making it hard for farmers to see the real breakdown.

“When you are regulated under a governance system, you as a farmer want to trust that what you’re being paid and the terms on your milk check are consistent with regulations under that federal and government system,” Munch says.

Munch encourages farms to review milk checks carefully each month. If anything is unclear, redact any personal information and share the statement with ADC or your state Farm Bureau.

The Impact of Trade Rhetoric
When it comes to the global dairy market, Munch warns global perception and port performance matter as much as price.

“When a country stops buying from you because they don’t like your rhetoric, that’s real money,” he says. His point is demonstrated by Canada’s pullback on U.S. wine imports after political disputes.

Even with a willing international buyer, the U.S. faces significant logistical hurdles in getting dairy inventory out of the country. Munch notes there isn’t a single U.S. port that ranks in the world’s top 50 for efficiency, and there’s little chance to catch up to the automation already in place at leading ports overseas.

Why Engaging Makes a Difference
In closing, Munch encourages farmers to simply engage.

“The people writing the rules don’t always know how milk pricing works,” he says. “Sometimes you have to explain it like you’re talking to a toddler.”

That means sharing stories is more important than sharing data. Fair pricing, transparent reporting, functional ports and positive rhetoric have a direct connection to your livelihood, and explaining it in the right way could have a real impact on which side of the two farm economies you’ll land.

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A Legacy of Leadership: Jim Mulhern's Impact on the Dairy Industry

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:48:01 GMT

As attendees soon gather at the Tanbark at World Dairy Expo to celebrate the illustrious career of Jim Mulhern being named World Dairy Expo’s 2025 Industry Person of the Year, one thing is very clear: his contributions to the U.S. dairy industry. With a relentless drive rooted in servant leadership principles, Mulhern’s 40-year legacy is one of transformative impact and unwavering dedication to U.S. dairy farm families.

A Career Steeped in Service
Mulhern’s journey began in the corridors of Capitol Hill, where he arrived in 1982. Shortly thereafter, in 1985, he began his first tenure with the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) by directing government affairs activities. His influence shaped NMPF’s strategic response to the farm crisis of the time.

Fast forward to 2013, Mulhern was entrusted to lead the organization through two farm bills and the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. Under his leadership, NMPF adapted to an industry that had evolved remarkably since he first entered the field in 1979, working with a Midwest dairy cooperative.

Throughout his career, Mulhern has witnessed significant shifts within the dairy industry, particularly in farm numbers. Despite these changes, he maintained an optimistic outlook.

“Directing the policy efforts of the nation’s dairy farmers and their cooperatives has been the highlight of my professional career,” Mulhern tells Dairy Herd Management.

Honoring a Distinguished Career
Mulhern’s influence extends beyond public policy; he’s been a vital mediator between the dairy community and policymakers, articulating complex issues with clarity. Colleagues acclaim his collaborative nature and steadfast kindness, qualities that have left indelible marks on dairy and agricultural policy.

Previous Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack presented an award to Jim Mulhern “in recognition of your exemplary leadership and decades of service to the U.S. dairy community” at the 2023 International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit in Chicago.

In the presentation, Vilsack noted Mulhern came from a working-class family of nine in Wisconsin and had learned the importance of hard work as a child. As a middle child, Vilsack said Mulhern had learned to be “an extraordinary listener” and “the value of compromise.”

Vilsack, who served as president of the U.S Dairy Export Council between his two terms as agriculture secretary, says the U.S. dairy industry punches above its weight in Washington and credited Mulhern with the development of the Dairy Margin Coverage Program. When the program did not work, Mulhern proposed “adjustments that needed to be made,” Vilsack said.

“There are producers today that may not understand the role of Mulhern, but they understand the significance of that program,” Vilsack said.

In recognition of his profound contributions receiving these big honors at World Dairy Expo, many leaders in the industry are applauding along. Mulhern’s achievements have been celebrated by many, including Michael Dykes, president of the International Dairy Foods Association.

“On behalf of the International Dairy Foods Association and our members across the dairy supply chain, I congratulate Jim Mulhern on being named World Dairy Expo’s Industry Person of the Year,” Dykes remarks. “Jim’s dedication and leadership have strengthened U.S. dairy for decades. He has been a valued partner and friend, and I am pleased to see him recognized with this well-deserved honor.”

Gregg Doud, president of National Milk Producers Federation says, “Jim Mulhern has been a stalwart for dairy for more than four decades, and the positive legacy he’s left is something I appreciate more fully every day that I work as his successor at NMPF. His many policy successes have improved dairy farmers’ prosperity and strengthened the entire industry, distinguished not only by its quality, but also by the thoughtful approach he always took toward all parties involved. He richly deserves any honors the industry awards him.”

NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney, a dairy farmer outside Rogersville, Mo., says, “Jim has been a leader, a visionary, and a friend to dairy, and through that, a leader in agriculture. The combination of his depth of knowledge, his energy and his unflagging passion for dairy producers is impossible to replace. His influence and achievements will resonate in this industry for years to come.”

Mulhern’s career exemplifies a blend of professional excellence and personal dedication— a true testament to the power of passionate leadership within the agricultural sector. His legacy will undoubtedly continue to shape and inspire the dairy community for generations to come.

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Strengthening Dairy Ties: A Landmark Step for U.S.–Taiwan Collaboration

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 12:06:50 GMT

The U.S. and Taiwan have taken a monumental step in enhancing their relationship within the dairy sector. The recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), and the Dairy Association of Taiwan (DAT) marks a significant milestone in the two countries’ ongoing partnership.

Cultivating Stronger Connections
The essence of this MOU lies in its commitment to boosting trade and defending the integrity and image of dairy products. It supports dairy farming initiatives and seeks to deepen the cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan, especially in the areas of dairy benefits and trade enhancement. A pivotal aspect of this agreement is the exploration of opportunities designed to strengthen commercial ties between these two nations.

Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC, articulates the importance of the agreement by highlighting its role as a catalyst for expanding U.S. dairy’s presence in Taiwan.

“This agreement is a significant step toward expanding the presence of U.S. dairy in Taiwan, one of the most dynamic markets in Asia,” she says, emphasizing that by bolstering the ties between the dairy industries of the two nations, new pathways for growth and innovation will emerge. This will ultimately create long-lasting benefits for both Taiwanese and American consumers and producers.

A Strategic Partnership
Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF, also underlines the vital nature of this partnership, considering Taiwan’s market is experiencing growth.

“Taiwan is a growing market, and this agreement ensures that U.S. dairy is well-positioned to meet demand for high-quality dairy products in the region,” he says. This MOU is a testament to the industry’s endeavors to bring tangible value back to the U.S. dairy community through strategic exports.

The agreement was signed during a USDA-led trade mission to Taipei and is a testament to NMPF’s and USDEC’s commitment to fostering a sustainable and prosperous future for the dairy industry. By expanding their network of international allies, these organizations continue to pave the way for future collaborations that will benefit the global dairy community.

This MOU marks an essential chapter in the ongoing story of U.S.–Taiwan collaboration in the dairy sector. It holds the promise of not just strengthening economic and commercial ties, but also of elevating the role of dairy in supporting healthy diets for the consumers of both nations.

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California's Water Crisis: Farmers Warn Water Rules Could Cripple Central Valley Agriculture

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:52:48 GMT

On Hansen Ranch in the Central Valley, fifth-generation farmer Erik Hansen grows a little bit of everything — pistachios, almonds, pomegranates, alfalfa, corn for silage and cotton.

“We farm 15, 16 different crops,” Hansen says. “Cotton is our biggest acreage crop, and that’s in the form of Pima cotton.”

That diversification has long been the Hansen family’s survival strategy. But in spring 2023, no amount of crop rotation could shield them from disaster.

“Where we’re standing right now was underwater,” Hansen recalls. “A mile from here, over by that PG&E substation, was the edge of the lake.”

The flood wiped out 600 acres of pomegranates and 400 acres of pistachios. One thousand acres of permanent crops gone in one season.

“It was a massive hit,” Hansen says. “We had about 5,000 to 6,000 acres under water. Some of that water lasted for over a year.”

From Too Much Water to Not Enough

The irony is hard to ignore: In 2023, floodwaters destroyed thousands of acres. Now, Hansen says it’s the lack of access to water that could cripple farms across the Central Valley.

“The last projections I heard were anywhere from 1 million to 1.2 million acres totaled in the valley,” he says, referring to farmland that could be idled by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) .

Passed in 2014, SGMA requires local agencies to reduce groundwater overdraft and achieve sustainable use by 2040. On paper, Hansen says, that makes sense.

“To some extent it is good because you have to have a way to manage the overdraft,” he explains. “The problem is there are surface water facilities we developed back in the 50s and 60s that we’re just not using. A lot of that water is going out to the Pacific Ocean.”

For Hansen, the politics sting. He believes decades of state decisions — prioritizing fish and wildlife, reallocating water, and neglecting infrastructure — set up today’s crisis.

“I’m frustrated because the families that have been farming here for years, some decades, sometimes even more, are being footed with a bill for problems that somebody else created,” Hansen says. “If the state doesn’t look in the mirror, I think we’re going to find ourselves in the same position again.”

Young Farmers Face the Same Struggles

Forty miles south, 30-year-old Elizabeth Keenan is navigating the same regulatory headwinds. Her grandfather Charlie started Keenan Farms in 1972, acquiring one of California’s first pistachio orchards. Today, Elizabeth farms alongside her parents and brother.

“Rolling with the regulatory punches can be complicated,” she admits. “Despite pistachios being such a high-value product, despite having optimal land and weather conditions, we really have everything set up beautifully — except for legislation.”

Water, she says, is the most difficult hurdle.

“We’re up to a 50% allocation,” Keenan explains. “The base allocation is 2.2 acre-feet, so we get 1.1 acre-feet to use. Otherwise, we have to have open fallow fields. To pump more water, we have to buy it on the open market, and that’s expensive too.”

A Political Battle Over Flows

Signs line highways across the Central Valley warning that 80% of California’s river water flows out to the Pacific instead of farms. Assemblyman David Tangipa, a freshman lawmaker representing the 8^th District, says those numbers are real.

“It’s 100% happening,” Tangipa says. “Almost 83% of all water in the state is automatically pushed out for environmental purposes.”

California averages about 200 million acre-feet of water each year, Tangipa notes, but despite record rainfall, farms often get less than half of their allocations.

“We’ve prioritized so much environmental legislation that more than 80% of our water is pushed out immediately to the ocean, unnaturally,” he says. “Meanwhile, farmers get less water and more land goes out of production.”

Proponents of Current Water Flows

There are proponents of the current way the water flows, mainly for environmental reasons and to prevent saltwater contamination of freshwater sources.

California releases water into the ocean to prevent saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies, protect endangered aquatic species and ecosystems, and maintain the delicate balance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary, a critical source of drinking and irrigation water.

A portion of released water is also used for stormwater management to prevent flooding, as it can be difficult and impractical to capture and store all of it.

And those in favor of environmental water releases say it’s essential to support broader ecosystem benefits like water filtration and carbon sequestration, which are important for overall environmental health.

The Ripple Effect

The Central Valley of California is a powerhouse in food production for the U.S. That area alone produces approximately half of all the fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S., as well as a large portion of the nation’s nuts and other foods. When you break down the numbers, the Central Valley accounts for about 60% of the nation’s fruits and nuts, and about 30% of the nation’s vegetables.

For Thomas Putzel, who works with farmers across the Central Valley, the impact of regulations isn’t just measured in acre-feet. It’s measured in livelihoods and the food supply.

“The environmentalists try to say farmers are wasting water,” he says. “But when we look at what farmers provide, we’re planting forests. One acre of almonds will capture 18 metric tons of carbon a year. That’s like taking 29 million cars off the road.”

Putzel says California voters already approved a water bond to build new storage a decade ago, but no new projects have been built.

“Not one shovel has gone in the ground in 10 years,” he says. “Actually, they took some of that money and tore dams down.”

Meanwhile, permanent crops wither when water isn’t available, leaving behind dead orchards that invite pests and rodents into neighboring fields.

“SGMA’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Putzel says. “But you’ve asked growers to run a marathon with their legs tied together. People don’t understand; food doesn’t come from a grocery store. It comes from a farmer. If California stopped shipping produce for one week, our stores would be empty.”

“Is Farming in California’s Best Interest?”

For Erik Hansen, the question is bigger than water allocations or acreage lost.

“Government is probably the biggest problem right now,” he says. “It just seems California hasn’t really decided whether farming is in their best interest. Politicians like to say they’re for small business and small farming, but virtually every piece of legislation makes it more difficult to survive.”

As the Central Valley wrestles with the challenges of floods, drought and regulations, one reality is clear: The fate of these farms is tied not just to weather and soil but to political decisions that could shape the future of food in America.

Navigate the Shift: U.S. Dairy Markets and the Impact of New FMMO Changes

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:38:19 GMT

U.S. milk output has been surging most of the year, bringing dairy prices to some of the lowest we’ve seen in years. USDA reports August 2025 saw an increase of more than 3% higher milk output than August of last year.

It is a perplexing issue with lower cow numbers. However, feed is cheap, and if there is one thing the American farmer is good at, it is creating efficiencies in every corner of their operation.

As a result of the abundance of milk supply, there have been new lows in nearly every sector of the dairy market — but most notably in butter, cheese and Nonfat Dry Milk (NDM). Butter fell below $2.00 per pound, something we have not seen in months, due to the higher cream supply and higher churning activity as of late.

Demand is steady domestically, but the supply of milk is more than we can use. Exports have been the bright light in the demand picture, as world demand is strong, but demand struggles to keep up with the national milk production rising the fastest pace we’ve seen in two years.

While markets struggle to find support, farmers have begun to adjust to the new changes in the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO). It has been long awaited for the FMMO to get a new, modern facelift to reflect more of what we are seeing in dairy today by updating the old, outdated formulas. However, it did not come without costs for some farmers.

For others, such as farmers in the southeast, where fluid milk is usually a deficit in that region, the changes are favorable. For example, Class I Pricing has changed to the “higher-of” formula — which ties fluid milk prices to whichever is greater between Class III or Class IV. There have also been adjustments for location-specific premiums, which are meant to better reflect hauling and supply costs.

Processors saw a benefit in higher allowances for butter, cheese, nonfat dry milk and whey — which are supposed to reflect the updated manufacturing costs. Unfortunately for farmers, this translates into lower component values on their milk checks.

In the cheese pricing formula, they have removed the 500 lb. barrel price from Class III calculations, leaving only 40 lb. blocks as the sole reference price for cheese.

There have also been some changes in component assumptions. Protein and solids factors will increase. This is meant to align formulas more closely with today’s milk composition. These changes have been delayed until December 2025. This is to give risk management tools such as DRP insurance, contracting and hedging strategies some time to adjust or adapt before the new pricing structure roll out begins.

For the producers, the biggest impact seen so far is the immediate difference on their settlements, which have shown lower-than-expected returns under the updated system, especially if they are focused on components due to the new make allowances.

For the future, the shift in protein and solids should improve valuations. Producers shipping into fluid milk markets should stand to benefit from stronger Class I values and higher differentials. But today, it is clear changes in policies may help improve transparency and make calculations easier — but not always the best financially for the producers.

As far as where to go from here for the farmer, learn as much as you can about the new policy changes, how it affects your farm prices and talk with your marketing professionals about what needs to be done for hedging or insurance needs going forward.

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UDSA to Hold Listening Sessions Addressing the Rural Veterinary Shortage

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 17:26:29 GMT

Last month, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the Rural Veterinary Action Plan, which will enhance the support available for rural veterinarians across the US. The plan includes the following action items:

Improve Veterinary Grant Programs
Better Understand the Rural Veterinary Shortage
Recruit and Retain Veterinarians
Catalog Federal Resources Available to Veterinarians
Work with Stakeholders to Understand the Barriers to Entry and Increase Recruitment in Rural Areas

This plan aims to address the rural veterinary shortage due to the low percentage of veterinary school students that come from rural areas or express an interest in rural practice, along with the low number of recent grads entering production animal medicine.

As a part of the working with stakeholders action item, USDA will be hosting two virtual listening sessions for the veterinary workforce on Sept. 29 and 30. The following USDA agencies will be represented at these sessions:

National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Economic Research Service
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Rural Development

These sessions will begin with a short update on the current veterinary landscape followed by stakeholder comments for the remainder of the meeting. Interested parties are invited to participate and must register for these sessions in advance. Both sessions will cover the same topics.

Register for the September 29 Session

Register for the September 30 Session

USDA to Provide $1 Billion to Flood and Wildfire-Impacted Livestock Producers

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:16:07 GMT

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced Sept. 12 eligible livestock producers will receive disaster recovery assistance through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program for 2023 and 2024 Flood and Wildfire (ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW) to help offset increased supplemental feed costs due to a qualifying flood or qualifying wildfire in calendar years 2023 and 2024. The program is expected to provide approximately $1 billion in recovery benefits.

Sign-up begins on Monday, Sept. 15. Livestock producers have until Oct. 31 to apply for assistance.

“We are providing continued support for livestock producers whose livelihoods and way of life have been disrupted by catastrophic floods, wildfires, and poor forage conditions in 2023 and 2024. Under President Trump’s leadership, USDA is standing shoulder to shoulder with America’s farmers and ranchers, delivering the resources they need to stay in business, feed their families, and keep our food supply strong,” Rollins says. “This announcement builds on the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) and the historic levels of assistance we have rolled out over the last few months, once again proving that this administration is working as quickly as possible to get help out the door and into the hands of livestock and dairy producers. USDA will continue to put farmers first and ensure they have the relief they need to weather storms and build for the future.”

Qualifying Disaster Events

To streamline program delivery, FSA has determined eligible counties with qualifying floods and qualifying wildfires in 2023 and 2024. For losses in these counties, livestock producers are not required to submit supporting documentation for floods or wildfires. A list of approved counties is available at fsa.usda.gov/elrp .

USDA explains for losses in counties not listed as eligible, livestock producers can apply for ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW but must provide supporting documentation to demonstrate that a qualifying flood or qualifying wildfire occurred in the county where the livestock were physically located or would have been physically located if not for the disaster event. FSA county committees will determine if the disaster event meets program requirements.

Livestock and Producer Eligibility

For ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW, FSA is using covered livestock criteria similar to the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) which includes weaned beef cattle, dairy cattle, beefalo, buffalo, bison, alpacas, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, ostriches, reindeer and sheep.

Wildfire assistance is available on non-federally managed land to participants who did not receive assistance through LFP or the ELRP 2023 and 2024 for drought and wildfire program delivered to producers in July of this year.

Payment Calculation

Eligible producers can receive up to 60% of one month of calculated feed costs for a qualifying wildfire or three months for a qualifying flood using the same monthly feed cost calculation that is used for LFP.

ELRP 2023 and 2024 for drought and wildfire and ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW have a combined payment limit of $125,000 for each program year. Producers who already received the maximum payment amount from ELRP 2023 and 2024 for drought and wildfire will not be eligible to receive an additional payment under ELRP 2023 and 2024 FW. Eligible producers may submit form FSA-510, Request for an Exception to the $125,000 Payment Limitation for Certain Programs, to be considered for an increased payment limit of $250,000.

Supplemental Disaster Assistance Timeline

The press release says USDA is fully committed to expediting remaining disaster assistance provided by the American Relief Act, 2025. On May 7, USDA launched its 2023/2024 Supplemental Disaster Assistance public landing page where the status of USDA disaster assistance and block grant rollout timeline can be tracked. The page is updated regularly and accessible through fsa.usda.gov . Contact your local FSA county office for more information.

Wisconsin Ag Regulators Propose Massive Livestock Fee Increases

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:33:29 GMT

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is proposing changes to rules, ATCP 10 and 12 , regulating animal disease and movement and animal markets, dealers and truckers.

According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) , these changes include massive fee increases that will be a substantial financial burden to markets, dealers and truckers that will unavoidably be passed down to farmers.

The license fee for what the DATCP calls “Animal Market Class A” would change from $420 to $7,430. A late fee for those markets would also increase by nearly 1,700% by shifting from the current price of $84 to $1,486. The registration fee paid by about 1,000 truckers transporting livestock in the state would increase 517%, from the current price of $60 to $370.

(Wisconsin Farm Bureau)

WFBF Government Relations Director Jason Mugnaini says it is important to clarify that Wisconsin’s program had historically received state funding support through DATCP, but this proposal shifts that onto industry fees.

The WFBF also reports the inspections and public health activity costs of these programs have previously been partially funded by state funding in Wisconsin, as they are in neighboring states. DATCP’s proposal shifts the full cost of these programs onto industry fees.

DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski explains the fees have not been adjusted since 2009 and the increases are needed to maintain critical animal health and transportation services.

“This program is currently in deficit because these have not been adjusted for so long,” Romanski explains. “Costs have increased during that time.”

He is transparent about the financial realities driving these increases. While the percentage increase might seem large, it reflects 17 years of accumulated cost pressures. He summarizes the goal is not to burden the industry, but to ensure the continued provision of critical animal health and movement services.

According to Sam GO, DATCP communications director, the DATCP Division of Animal Health receives federal funding through cooperative agreements for specific goals and objectives, such as animal disease surveillance and animal traceability. The cooperative agreements are separate from the programs in the proposed fee rules and do not fund the programs in the proposed fee rules.

She explains as federal funding for the cooperative agreements has decreased, those activities that are partially federally funded (such as animal disease surveillance and animal traceability) need to have a larger portion of their costs covered by the state animal health general program revenue. That means there is less state GPR remaining to cover the deficit in program revenue for the ATCP 10 and ATCP 12 programs.

The ATCP 10 fees support the following animal health programs: Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) Forms, Intermediate Handling Facilities, Disease Certifications (Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, Pseudorabies), Equine Infectious Anemia Retests, Equine Quarantine Stations, Feed Lots, Medical Separation, National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), Farm-Raised Deer, and Fish Farms.

The Process

Romanski explains the administrative rule process is collaborative and takes about two and a half years. He says the process is designed to be collaborative with multiple opportunities for public input and engagement. He encourages stakeholders to not just critique the increases, but to offer constructive feedback and potential alternative solutions.

The current stage is specifically about public comment and engagement. He says the department wants to hear from industry members, producers and other stakeholders. They are actively seeking input that can help shape the final rule package.

The public can participate and provide feedback that can be considered by the department’s staff through several channels:

Attending public hearings
Submitting written comments by Oct. 15

The remaining hearings will be hosted virtually and at the Prairie Oaks State Office Building, Room 106, 2811 Agriculture Dr., Madison, WI 53708. For more information, dial-in instructions and to register for online access click on the ATCP 10 or 12.

ATCP 10:
• Monday, Sept. 15 – 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 17 – 9 a.m.

ATCP 12 :
• Tuesday, Sept. 16 – 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 17 – 1 p.m.

Individuals can submit written comments by Oct. 15 to: Angela.fisher1@wisconsin.gov or Angela Fisher, DATCP, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708

Romanski explains after the public comment period, DATCP staff will review all submissions, consider suggested changes, and then present any revisions to their policy-making board. This ensures multiple layers of review and public involvement.

Neighboring State Comparisons

According to the proposal document , programs in adjacent states (Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois) are similar to Wisconsin, as all are based on federal standards. Neighboring states primarily fund these types of programs through general program revenue; therefore, they have lower fees than Wisconsin’s current fees. While Wisconsin’s program fees are collected from a small number of licensees, these critical programs have impacts and benefits across animal health, animal industries and public health.

In Iowa, a livestock market permit is $50 per year. The livestock dealer and livestock market agent permits are $10 per year. A bull breeder license is $20 every two years. A livestock dealer or order buyer permit is $50 per year. A feeder pig dealer agent permit is $6 every two years. A pig dealer’s agent permit is $3 per year.

In Michigan, an action Class I is $400 per year. A buying station (Class II) is $250 per year. The remaining fees are waived for veterans: A dealer (Class III) is $50 per year. An agent broker (Class III) is $50 per year. A collection point (Class III) is $50 per year. A trucker (Class IV) is $25 per year.

In Minnesota, a livestock market agency and public stockyard is $300 per year. A livestock dealer is $100 per year. A livestock dealer agent is $50 per year.

In Illinois, a livestock auction market license is $200 per year. The livestock dealer license is $25 for a new license, $10 for the annual renewal, as well as $10 for each location in addition to the first location, and $5 for each employee. A feeder swine dealer license is $25, the renewal is $10, and there is a fee of $5 for each employee. There is no fee for a slaughter livestock buyer’s license, just a requirement to submit an annual report.

Industry Feedback

Both the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association (WCA) and WFBF have come out opposed to the fee increases.

Tressa Lacy, WCA president from Rio, Wis., voiced her concern at the first hearing on Sept. 11.

“The Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association is in opposition to the proposed fee increases inspections and registrations related to a variety of activities by Wisconsin animal dealers, truckers and markets in ATCP 10 and 12,” she says. “I raise beef cattle with my husband and our 8-month-old in Columbia County. We both work off the farm in agriculture to financially afford our beef and hay farm operation, and I know the cost of these fees will be passed directly on to producers like us.

“The result of such significant increases will be fewer livestock marketing options, the potential for reduced disease traceability and fewer opportunities to sell livestock in the state of Wisconsin. Fewer options inevitably mean lower prices and thinner margins in an industry that is already being pushed on thin profit lines.”

She explains the inspections and animal health protections funded by these programs serve a broad public purpose — protecting animal health and consumer confidence in the meat raised in Wisconsin.

“It is fundamentally unfair to shift the entire cost onto the users as this is certainly a public food safety conversation,” Lacy adds. “I share the industry concern that these initial proposals are just the start of all programs in Wisconsin shifting to being user funded. Other states fund these programs with state support as the benefits are shared by everyone. DATCP should restore and continue the approach for these outlined programs.”

She concluded her comments saying: “WCA respectfully ask that DATCP reconsider these unreasonable fee increases and maintain a funding structure with state support that is fair, practical and supportive of both public health and Wisconsin agriculture.”

Mitch Giebel a WFBF member from Lyndon Station, Wis., also shared his thoughts on the proposed fee increases.

“I’m very concerned about the massive increases of fees being proposed,” he says. “As a young farmer, every dollar really does matter on our operation. We work hard to raise our livestock, and we already face high input costs, tight margins and unpredictability when it comes to marketing. Adding thousands of dollars in new fees, especially increases as massive as what is proposed doesn’t seem realistic. It’ll undoubtedly make it harder and tighter for the sale barns and livestock markets to survive, and unavoidably, it is probably going to be passed to us as the producers and farmers.”

He also explains programs such as animal health, disease control and traceability benefit everybody in the state, not just farmers.

“Healthy animals and safe food are the best interest for our state; other states recognize that and utilize state funding to maintain these programs and cover these costs,” he says. “Wisconsin needs to restore and maintain its state funding that has historically existed for these programs, rather than shifting a substantial burden on a small number of farmers and marketers. I am asking you to please reject these fee increases as they are written. They are too steep, too fast and out of line with our neighboring states.”

WFBF is calling on producers to share their concerns: “These unprecedented fee increases cannot move forward without your voice being heard. Share how these proposals would impact your farm, your business and Wisconsin agriculture.”

America's Farm Labor Crisis: Can Immigration Reform Save Agriculture?

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 19:24:02 GMT

Walking orchards in the Central Valley, is something Scott Peters’ family has done for four generations. With his great grandfather settling in the fertile valley in 1933, the family has been immersed with changes. From regulations and battles over water, to the fight for labor and immigration, Peters Fruit Farms is not only working to preserve the past, but also fighting for their future.

“Today, we primarily grow stone fruit. We’ve gone a little bit into the citrus just to diversify. We have the packing house, so we want to keep it running year round. Citrus is the winter commodity, and stone fruit is the summer commodity,” Peters says.

The Peters are unique. They don’t just grow and pick the fruit. They’re also packers and shippers — an operation that relies on hundreds of employees throughout the year.

“Labor prices are really difficult for us,” says the California peach grower. “As an example, our minimum wage is $16.50. When we compete against Georgia (known as the ‘Peach State’), their minimum wage $7.25. It’s just under half of what we have to pay people, which means we just don’t have a margin of error. If there’s something wrong with the crop — if we have a weather event — it stings us a lot harder.”

California’s Farm Labor is Skilled and Difficult to Replace

That’s the reality for farmers across California. Not only are regulations and water becoming expensive for growers across the state, but labor costs are also on the rise. And considering labor is the highest cost for fruit growers, it’s putting a severe strain on producers.

And while it’s expensive, labor is one of Peters’ most critical resources.

“They’re a very talented labor force. We can’t just go and get somebody off the street,” he says. “We can’t get an H-2A worker from another country who doesn’t know the industry. They can’t do the same job.”

From Arizona to California, to meat processing plants that span across the U.S. Peters says that’s one of the biggest misconceptions about migrant labor. People may think they aren’t talented or skilled, but Peters argues they’re both.

“The supervisors have these rings, and we’ll open them up to the size of fruit we want picked. They will pick a few samples off the tree, show them what sits on the ring and what goes through the ring. And the labor we have picking in the orchard, they will know — just by looking at the rings — which fruit to pick,” Peters explains. “They’ll just go from limb to limb, tree to tree, and they’ll pick the size that we’re requesting by the rings.”

Scott Peters shows U.S. Farm Report host Tyne Morgan rings they use to show individuals who are picking the fruit just what size of fruit they need to pick that day. With barely any difference in the size, it shows just how skilled the labor that works in Peters’ orchards are today.

(Matt Mormann, Farm Journal )

Peters says, to the untrained eye, the difference in the size of the rings is unnoticeable — making the labor this orchard employs irreplaceable.

“That’s how skilled they are,” he says. “So when people say they’re replaceable and you can get H-2A people or other people off the street, no, it doesn’t work that way. Those people will have no idea that small of a difference when we’re asking them to pick a certain size.”

The Broken U.S. Immigration System

The individuals Peters employs aren’t part of the H-2A system. Instead, his workers have been in California for generations, doing manual labor many Americans either don’t want to do, or physically can’t do, at a speed that’s needed today.

“The immigration system in the U.S. is absolutely broken today,” Peters tells U.S. Farm Report. “Why? Because they don’t have a simple, easy way to make immigrants legal. It’s complicated. It’s not very easily accessible for the people. If they find a way to do it, it takes them a long time. We have employees that have gone through the process and are legal. At the time, we did not know they were not. We had no idea. When they come to us, they show us a valid ID, and they show a valid social security card. As far as we’re concerned, we are hiring legal people. And then they come back to us down the road and they show other cards and say, ‘Well, now i need to change.’ Then we have to abide by the new name because of the standards.”

Results from Farm Journal’s Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor

(Lindsey Pound )

Agricultural economists from across the U.S. agree. In the latest Farm Journal Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor , 87% of economists said the U.S. immigration system is broken for agriculture. But on the flip side, 87% of economists also said there will be no movement on immigration reform in 2025.

Manuel Cunha, president of the Nisei Farmers Leagu e, has been fighting for a fix to the current immigration system for decades. He says the current 40-year-old immigration system doesn’t work for agriculture. He argues it’s dramatically impacting California’s agricultural landscape.

“It’s horribly broken, and you can’t band-aid it together anymore,” Cunha tells U.S. Farm Report.

H-2A Program Doesn’t Work for California Agriculture

The H-2A guest worker program may work for some sectors of agriculture, but it’s not a comprehensive “fix” for agriculture — especially industries that rely on a large number of seasonal labor.

While the program is vital for addressing domestic labor shortages, for labor-intensive specialty crops like fruits and vegetables, the H-2A program is designed to provide a cortical legal source of labor where domestic workers are often unwilling or unavailable.

However, Cunha says what the H-2A guest worker program is designed to do, and how it actually works, are two different things.

“The cost is prohibitive. It’s a broken program. A guest worker program should be what it is. You go to the border, get a card and come into California or Arizona or wherever, work for 10 months and then leave,” Cunha says. “The system today requires people to through a process in the countries where you have recruiters that control the workers. They, in turn, kind of manipulate those workers where to go and how much you’re going to pay me, then the person comes here. On top of that, to provide required housing, transportation and meals is very costly. In this state, at $23 an hour, no farmer can afford that.”

Cunha says these are all reasons why the H-2A program must be reformed.

“We also must have a guest worker program for hotels, restaurants and construction to where those workers can come in here, they work for 10 months in a rotation, they go back and then they come back again,” Cunha says. “But it’s a guest worker program and not allowing the country to select and choose who you want. There has to be a great working relationship on a guest worker program that works for my industry and agriculture and the other industries as well.”

40-Year-Old Program

The last major immigration reform in the United States was the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), which granted legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants and increased penalties for employers hiring them.

The legislation, now 40 years old, is something Cunha argues is out of date.

Efforts to pass new immigration legislation have frequently failed due to partisan disagreements and an inability to find common ground between parties and administrations.

“They use it so they can get re-elected every time. And it’s so sad that our legislators have that type of mentality. Let’s not fix it, because if we say we’re going fix it, that’s how we’ll get elected. That’s how we’ll get re-elected,” Cunha says. “It’s been broken, and it’s been a facade.”

Dignity Act of 2025

Cunha says the only solution on the table that would work today is the Dignity Act of 2025. The bill was introduced on July 15 by Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX).

The bill not only focuses on securing the border, but it provides legal status to qualifying undocumented immigrants. It also imposes higher penalties for illegal border crossings and human and child sex trafficking. Not only would it address America’s farm labor crisis, but Cunha says it could help save agricultural industries that rely heavily on migrant labor across the U.S.

“This is the first real immigration bill that has addressed industries. The Farm Worker Modernization Act was just ag, and it really didn’t do all of ag. It only did the field and not the packing houses or the processing,” Cunha explains. “But being that we’re in the year 2025, many industries like agriculture have the same problem. Those workers have been there for years. And so somehow, we need to give them that opportunity to have a legal means to work here and to travel home.

Cunha says the U.S. has to do something new when it comes to immigration reform, and the Dignity Act of 2025 gives that life.

“The president continually gives off positive vibes: ‘I want the workers to stay here. They are important for the industries, agriculture, the restaurants, the hotels, the construction.’ So, those people need to be here. The bill absolutely deals with that. It makes them have dignity, respect and the fear of not being apprehended any part of the day, going to church or going to the hospital or whatever. They would have a legal card, and the bill’s doing that,” Cunha says.

For now, there’s a nervousness among workers in California — essential labor that supports California’s multi-billion-dollar farming community.

“The workers that are here are more than any H-2A worker that could ever come into the unit. We have 1.6 million. The Department of Labor couldn’t even handle that number if they wanted to bring in H-2A people. The system would blow up,” Cunha says.

California Farmers Are Hopeful

In June, President Donald Trump said he would issue an order soon to address the effects of his immigration crackdown on the country’s farm and hotel industries, which rely heavily on migrant labor.

Trump continues to send mixed signals on immigration policies — even with his hints of a fix for agriculture. According to preliminary Census Bureau data, analyzed by the Pew Research Center , the number of immigrant workers in the U.S. has declined by 1.2 million from January through the end of July. That figure includes people who are in the country illegally, as well as legal residents.

Peters says, considering the Trump administration continues to focus on agriculture, he is hanging onto hope. The hope is that Washington will finally find a long-term fix that helps farmers and protects the precious labor they can’t do without.

“They’re very talented workers,” Peters says. “They have skills, and they’re very hard to replace. You have to train the new person, and it’s how fast they pick up on the training. We’ve looked at robots that do pick fruit. The technology is coming, but it’s not there yet. It’s got a ways to go.”

Americans’ View on Immigration

Americans seem to be growing more positive toward immigration over the past year. According to a Gallup poll released in June, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.

According to Gallup, these shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021. And with illegal border crossings down sharply this year, the Gallup poll found fewer Americans back hard-line border enforcement measures, while more favor offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.

How a Wisconsin Cheese Plant Strike Highlights National Immigration Challenges

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:47:09 GMT

In the heart of Monroe, Wis., a significant event is unfolding as workers at a local cheesemaker plant take a stand against new employment policies. The transition to new ownership by Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) cooperative has ignited a strike, driven by concerns over employment and immigration verification processes.

The shift began on August 1, when DFA officially acquired W&W Dairy. As part of this transition, DFA implemented E-Verify, a federal system designed to verify employees’ immigration status. This move triggered protests due to fears that some immigrant workers might lose their jobs. Employees, many having dedicated years — even decades — to W&W Dairy, feared the changes and voiced their demand for severance pay as recognition for their longstanding commitment to the W&W Dairy.

“I think it’s really great that people stood up for themselves simply out of the dignity that, ‘we’re not new employees, we’ve been here 10, 15, 20 years, and we should be recognized as such,” Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of immigration advocacy group Voces de la Frontera, said in a statement.

Neumann-Ortiz took part in a rally that was outside of the dairy plant on Tuesday.

“Obviously, there was a great sense of betrayal that they kind of were told ‘nothing’s going to change,’” she said. “And then it did.”

DFA’s Commitment to Compliance
DFA responded with a statement affirming their commitment to retaining 100% of the W&W workforce while complying with federal employment eligibility requirements. The company’s spokesperson, Kim O’Brien, noted DFA did not initiate a new policy — they are simply adhering to federal law that requires proper documentation.

“With the intention to retain 100% of the W&W workforce, as part of the hiring process to become DFA employees, all W&W workers and other applicants were notified of the need to provide documents to complete both an I-9 form and the E-Verify process. In the event any applicant chose not to provide the required documentation, or the E-Verify process was not successfully completed, DFA’s ability to offer employment was impacted,” the DFA statement said, adding that some media outlets have incorrectly reported that a new company policy is to blame for workers not having a job.

“This is not a new DFA policy; we take compliance with state and federal labor laws very seriously and are committed to complying with federal employment eligibility requirements. As a federal contractor, DFA uses E-Verify across our national network of 80+ manufacturing plants,” the statement said.

The Bigger Picture: Immigration and Food Security
This situation in Monroe reflects broader challenges within the U.S. dairy industry. In fact, DFA has been active in the national conversation about the need for pragmatic solutions to address our nation’s broken immigration policy.

The recent DFA statement read, “This is another example of the significant challenges facing those producing this country’s food. We are advocating for the urgent focus required to develop a solution to sustain the U.S. food supply.”

On July 23, Dennis Rodenbaugh, president and chief executive officer of DFA, shared an open letter on LinkedIn that was published as a full-page ad in the New York Post and Wall Street Journal, emphasizing the critical need for agricultural labor reform in the U.S. dairy industry. Other food industry associations have also issued statements on immigration in the U.S.

Rodenbaugh, who once dairied in western Kansas, highlighted the unique year-round demands of the dairy sector, which are not addressed by current immigration policies like the H-2A program.

“The only agricultural visa available, the H-2A program, is limited to seasonal or temporary work, which is inadequate for dairy operations that require skilled labor every day of the year. These jobs cannot be automated; they demand experience, expertise, and hands-on performance. What’s urgently needed is an immigration policy that addresses the unique challenges of the dairy industry and ensures a sustainable U.S. food supply,” wrote Rodenbaugh, who has been employed with DFA for 18 years and served as CEO since May 2022.

Rodenbaugh’s letter serves as a call to action, advocating for immigration policies that support the dairy industry’s sustainability. He argues that food security is a national priority, intertwined with the economic stability and future of American agriculture.

Rodenbaugh wrote that America’s food security is a matter of national security, as is the U.S. agricultural system — which contributes over $1 trillion to the economy. He wrote the labor shortage has reached “a critical inflection point.”

“Failures of the past are not corrected by creating even greater problems in the present, or worse, by using rhetoric intended to eliminate any path forward,” he wrote. “Doing so risks food access and affordability, disrupts communities and leaves U.S. farms and hardworking families with an uncertain future.”

Moving Forward
The strike at Monroe’s cheesemaker plant sheds light on the complexity of labor and immigration issues within the dairy sector. As the situation unfolds, it underscores the need for thoughtful immigration reform that considers the unique demands and contributions of agricultural workers to America’s economy and food security.

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Senators Reintroduce DAIRY PRIDE Act to Crack Down on Misleading Dairy Labels

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:12:24 GMT

In a renewed effort to crack down on what dairy advocates call misleading and unfair labeling practices, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has reintroduced legislation to prevent plant-based products from using dairy terms like milk, cheese and yogurt.

On Tuesday, Senators Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., announced the reintroduction of the Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, milk and cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act, or DAIRY PRIDE Act, of 2025.

The bill requires the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce its own standards of identity for dairy products, which define milk and other dairy foods as being derived from cows, goats or sheep. Despite these standards, FDA’s 2023 draft guidance currently allows plant-based products made from nuts, seeds or grains to continue using dairy terms on their packaging.

“Wisconsin is known across the world as America’s Dairyland because our hardworking dairy farmers produce the best products with the highest nutritional value,” Baldwin says. “But for far too long, imitation dairy products made from plants and nuts have ridden the coattails of our dairy farmers. I’m proud to work with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to settle this once and for all.”

Risch adds, “Dairy comes from cows, goats and sheep, not almonds. Plant-based products’ misleading branding is a disservice to consumers and the farmers who dedicate their lives to making the nutritious dairy products Idahoans enjoy.”

The legislation would require FDA to issue updated guidance on enforcement within 90 days and report back to Congress within two years. It is widely supported by national and regional dairy groups, including the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), American Farm Bureau Federation, EDGE Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Midwest Dairy Coalition and Idaho Dairymen’s Association, among others.

Industry Applauds Legislative Action
Dairy organizations welcomed the bill as a move toward restoring fairness in the marketplace.

“When consumers buy products labeled as milk or cheese, they’re expecting delicious, nutritious foods made with the goodness of real dairy — not nuts, peas or beans,” says John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. “We applaud Senator Tammy Baldwin and the bipartisan Congressional coalition behind the DAIRY PRIDE Act.”

Gregg Doud, NMPF president and CEO, called FDA’s failure to enforce its own standards harmful to public health and confusing for consumers.

“It’s time to get rid of FDA’s 2023 guidance on labeling imitator beverages and replace it with straightforward policy that makes FDA enforce its own dairy standards of identity,” Doud says.

Continued Consumer Confusion
The argument central to the bill is one of nutritional transparency. Dairy groups contend that allowing non-dairy alternatives to use traditional dairy terms implies a nutritional equivalency that doesn’t exist.

“Medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, agree that it’s a problem when products mislead consumers by using dairy terms to imply that they provide dairy’s unique nutritional profile, when nothing could be further from the truth,” according to NMPF.

Heidi Fischer, EDGE Dairy Farmer Cooperative president, echoed that sentiment, noting the bill protects consumer trust and supports the integrity of dairy labels.

“We encourage timely action on this bill to prevent further misleading product names on our grocery store coolers and shelves,” she says.

Broad Bipartisan Support
In addition to Baldwin, Risch, Collins and Welch, the 2025 DAIRY PRIDE Act is also cosponsored by Senators Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Angus King, I-Maine, Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Supporters argue that this broad coalition reflects the widespread impact dairy farming has on rural economies and nutrition policy alike.

“Idaho dairy farmers have worked hard for generations to provide real, safe and wholesome dairy products,” says Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association. “Allowing plant-based alternatives to use dairy terms misleads consumers and undermines the work of our family farms.”

If passed, the DAIRY PRIDE Act would require FDA to enforce its own legal definitions for dairy terms and issue updated guidance within 90 days, formally reserving labels like milk, cheese and yogurt for animal-derived products. The agency would also need to report back to Congress within two years, outlining its enforcement progress and demonstrating accountability.

New Bipartisan Bill Could Unlock More Milk Choices for WIC Participants

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 18:48:39 GMT

A new bipartisan effort in Congress is taking aim at current milk restrictions in the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program, offering families greater flexibility and access to the nutritious milk options they already use at home.

This week, U.S. Representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) and Chris Deluzio (PA-17) introduced the Giving Increased Variety to Ensure Milk Into the Lives of Kids (GIVE MILK) Act, legislation designed to allow WIC participants over the age of 2 to purchase 2%, reduced fat or whole milk through the program.

Currently, WIC guidelines restrict milk purchases to nonfat or 1% options, a policy many argue is outdated with both consumer preferences and nutritional science.

“For more than a decade, whole milk has been wrongfully dubbed as unhealthy, but in reality, it provides a wealth of essential nutrients that are particularly important for children,” says Rep. Thompson. “Including whole milk in the WIC program will provide a healthy option for those families who find themselves depending upon these benefits for access to essential nutrition.”

Deluzio emphasizes the importance of giving families choice.

“Parents should have the freedom to choose what kind of milk they bring home to their families,” Deluzio says. “Yet the WIC program doesn’t allow parents to buy whole or 2% milk. I’m proud to co-lead the GIVE MILK Act with Congressman Thompson to fix this, giving the full range of milk options to families in Pennsylvania and across the country.”

Widespread Industry Support
The legislation is drawing strong support from leading voices in the dairy industry.

“WIC plays a vital role in ensuring that pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children can gain the nutrients needed for health and development,” says Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). “Reduced-fat and whole milk are the most popular milk options in the U.S., so it’s common sense to allow these healthful, popular options to be purchased through WIC.”

Michael Dykes, DVM, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), points to consumer data that supports the bill’s direction.

“Recent national polling conducted by IDFA and Morning Consult shows that 91% of parents serve their children whole or 2% milk at home,” Dykes says. “Yet current WIC rules don’t allow them to choose preferred options like whole and 2% milk — options that provide the same important nutrients as all fluid milk, including calcium, protein and key vitamins.”

Dykes praises the GIVE MILK Act as a “common-sense fix” that strengthens WIC’s reach and helps make the program more attractive to eligible mothers and children.

A Boost for Pennsylvania’s Dairy Industry
The bill also carries particular significance in Pennsylvania, where dairy is a major economic driver.

“We are pleased to see Representatives Thompson and Deluzio re-introduce the GIVE MILK Act,” says Bailey Fisher, federal affairs specialist at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. “Their leadership on this bill is especially meaningful, given how significantly the dairy industry contributes to Pennsylvania’s agricultural economy.”

“This crucial bill is another step toward offering children whole and 2% milk — some of the most wholesome and nutritious beverages available,” Fisher adds. “It’s a common-sense piece of legislation that will result in healthier children and help sustain our local family dairy farms.”

Looking Ahead
If passed, the GIVE MILK Act would mark a significant change for the WIC program, aligning it more closely with both consumer behavior and updated nutrition science. Supporters say it’s a long-overdue step toward ensuring families get to decide which milk works best for them.

Scoop of Change: U.S. Ice Cream Makers Pledge to Eliminate Artificial Colors by 2028

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 18:54:46 GMT

For generations, ice cream has been more than just a dessert, it’s been a centerpiece of celebration, a comfort food and a shared American tradition. Now, an industrywide pledge aims to keep it wholesome too. The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), in collaboration with more than 90% of U.S. ice cream makers, has announced a voluntary commitment to eliminate certified artificial colors from ice cream made with real milk by Dec. 31, 2027.

As part of this initiative, companies will phase out colors like Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 from their ice cream and frozen dairy desserts. The move is in response to shifting consumer expectations and evolving state and federal policies, which are increasingly pushing for food to be made with more natural ingredients.

“I am proud of ice cream makers and dairy foods companies for stepping up for American families by making this voluntary commitment to provide ice cream and frozen dairy treats without certified artificial colors,” says Michael Dykes, DVM, president and CEO of IDFA. “Americans are passionate about their ice cream, and the IDFA Ice Cream Commitment will ensure wholesome, indulgent ice cream products made with real milk from American dairy farmers remain a special part of our lives as state and federal policies evolve.”

The announcement was made at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C., in celebration of National Ice Cream Day, which falls on Sunday, July 20. Dignitaries including Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary joined the IDFA and ice cream enthusiasts to mark the occasion.

“I appreciate IDFA members for spearheading this new initiative and finding ways to promote President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda,” Rollins says. “Each one of these endeavors helps families make better choices and pursue healthier lives.”

The initiative was recognized as a forward-looking step that aligns with broader public health goals and growing consumer demand for transparency and simplicity in food ingredients.

“I applaud the International Dairy Foods Association for stepping up to eliminate certified artificial colors,” Kennedy adds. “The American people have made it clear — they want real food, without chemicals. Together, we will make America healthy again.”

This pledge builds on other recent IDFA commitments aimed at schools, such as removing certified artificial colors from milk, cheese and yogurt by July 2026, and lowering added sugars in school milk offerings, all while preserving the nutritional value of dairy products.

The scope of the Ice Cream Commitment is broad, covering products made with real milk sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and even online. While the pledge does not apply to non-dairy items or in-house products made by small ice cream shops and restaurants, it signals a major step toward aligning retail dairy desserts with consumer preferences and state-level regulations.

“Today’s announcement represents a commitment by dozens of individual ice cream companies,” says Andy Jacobs, CEO of Turkey Hill Dairy and chair of the IDFA Ice Cream Segment Board. “From small independent companies to family-owned businesses going back generations, to large multi-national companies, we have all come together in a true industrywide effort to make these changes.”

America’s dairy farmers play a key role in making this transition possible.

“Today, all across this country, truck drivers are hauling thousands of tanker-loads of farm fresh American milk to hundreds of U.S. ice cream making facilities,” says Sam Schwoeppe, a dairy farmer with Prairie Farms Dairy. “In fact, one out of every 10 tankers of U.S. milk goes to making ice cream, supporting thousands of dairy farming families like mine. As we enjoy our favorite ice cream treats, please remember to thank a dairy farmer. They make it all possible.”

The love for ice cream in America runs deep. IDFA polls show 97% of Americans love or like ice cream, with the average American eating about 19 lb. per year. In 2024 alone, the U.S. produced roughly 1.31 billion gallons of it.

“None of this is possible without our incredible American dairy farmers,” Dykes says. “One out of every 10 gallons of milk produced on American dairy farms goes to making ice cream each year. Dairy farmers are essential to making ice cream great!”

For more information about the IDFA Ice Cream Commitment, including the full pledge, resources, and promotional materials, visit www.icecreamcommitment.org .