A massive tax and spending bill is now law – but with half a year left, Congress now can turn its attention to getting whole milk back in schools, NMPF’s Paul Bleiberg said in a Dairy Defined podcast. 

“One item I'll single out first that we're hopeful to get done really in the next couple months here is the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act,” Bleiberg, NMPF’s executive vice president for government relations, said in a podcast released today. “We had a great voice vote, bipartisan voice vote out of the Senate Agriculture Committee just over a month ago, so we're hoping that we can get that through the Senate and then through the House, and begin that work of getting whole milk and 2% milk back into schools and getting kids better access to the nutrient-dense dairy options that really give them the benefits they need and that they enjoy.”

Bleiberg also discussed efforts toward agricultural labor reform, the farm bill provisions included in current law and NMPF’s policy priorities for the rest of the year. Joining Bleiberg in the podcast is Maria Brockamp, NMPF’s new manager of government relations.

To learn more about NMPF’s policy efforts via a new bill tracker, please visit nmpf.org/bill-tracker. 

The regulatory climate in Washington is shifting in unprecedented ways, requiring quick responses and an eye for opportunities, said NMPF regulation experts in a Dairy Defined podcast released today. 

The pace of evolution is “Intense, insane,” said Clay Detlefsen, NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Regulatory and Environmental Affairs. “It changes daily. It's full of unknowns, and it's moving forward at an absolutely crazy pace. We don't know what to expect tomorrow or the next day or the day after that, but things are indeed happening.”

Joining Detlefsen to discuss what dairy farmers, processors and consumers should anticipate, from milk labeling to MAHA, are Dr. Jamie Jonker, NMPF’s Chief Science Officer, and Director of Regulatory Affairs Miquela Hanselman.

The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act has a 60 percent chance of becoming law this year, with congressional momentum building along with consensus that whole milk in schools is the best option for schoolkids, Sen. Peter Welch, D-VT, said in a Dairy Defined podcast released today.

“This is one of those things where, if we get it on the floor, and get the cooperation of leadership, we get the votes,” he said. “This is one of those areas of rare bipartisanship that we have right now.”

Welch, the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s rural development subcommittee, is a Senate co-sponsor of Whole Milk for Healthy Kids, which passed the House of Representatives in 2023 and this year is advancing in both chambers. The legislation would restore the ability of schools to offer whole and 2% milk as options.

Welch also serves on the Judiciary, Finance and Rules committees, touching on agricultural issues including immigration and trade. 

Dairy farmers have boosted biosecurity and researchers have learned much about the H5N1 bird flu virus in dairy cattle one year after its introduction, top NMPF experts said in a Dairy Defined podcast. Still, the hope is that the virus may leave the dairy herd completely, 

“We’re still learning things about the virus and how it's being transmitted from farm to farm, and we still need some answers on that, but hang in there, we’re going to get through this,” said Dr. Jamie Jonker, NMPF’s chief science officer. “I do believe we're going to eliminate the virus from the U.S. dairy cattle population. I think it's just a matter of when, not if.” 

Since the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus was first reported in cattle in March 2024, more than 1,000 dairy herds have been infected, Jonker said. Still, successful eradication has taken place in some areas, and the lack of evolution of the viruses within cattle has created hope. Dr. Meggan Hain, NMPF’s chief veterinary officer, said biosecurity practices are key to containment and elimination. The National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) Program offers a wealth of materials that can assist, she said.  

Bird flu has “given us a chance to really learn some of the lessons of, where do we have opportunities, where are there things that we'll want to sort of dig into so that we're better prepared in the future if we do get challenges,” she said. “I think there's a lot of things we can take away from this that we can really make improvements on.” 

To learn more about biosecurity responses in dairy, visit the FARM Program website at nationaldairyfarm.com. 

Jessica Shelly is the Director of Student Dining Services for Cincinnati Public Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio. She's responsible for overseeing the service of more than 60,000 meals a day in the lunchroom operations at 65 schools.

And in 2023, her school system tried something different: It offered its students lactose-free milk. The hugely successful pilot project has now been adopted district-wide, improving nutrition, boosting school lunch participation and reducing food waste. The Cincinnati model points to a promising path for milk in schools, as student bodies become more diverse and millions of children rely on school meals as their main nutrition source for the day. 

“These are kids who may not be able to go home to a refrigerator full of food, and so it's our job to make sure that we are providing them with the most healthy and nutritious meals possible when they're here with us at school,” she said. “Part of that is making sure they have all the nutrients and protein they need, and we know that milk plays a large role in that.”

You don’t have to be part of the dairy sector to see how important whole milk is for children, best-selling author Nina Teicholz, Ph.D., said in the latest Dairy Defined Podcast.

That’s because nutrition science makes a compelling case for full-fat milk, underscoring the importance of getting whole milk back in schools, the goal of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, she said. 

Children who drink whole milk tend to be healthier, she said. “You need the fat in the milk to digest the vitamins that are in the milk, those are fat soluble vitamins. “I'm not a dairy advocate, but it turns out that the science supports the position of those of people in the industry who would prefer to see whole milk back in schools.”

Teicholz, author of “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet,” also discussed how food policy might be shaken up by Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s. confirmation as Health and Human Services Secretary. 

NMPF has a call to action supporting the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act for listeners who want to get involved on the advocacy page of our website, nmpf.org/take-action

With a Republican “trifecta” of House, Senate and White House control, 2025 will be an active year in Washington, NMPF Executive Vice President for Government Affairs Paul Bleiberg said in a Dairy Defined Podcast released today. 

“Everybody should just buckle up. It's going to be a busy 2025,” said Bleiberg, who leads NMPF’s lobbying efforts. 

The trifecta “means a certain ability to move your agenda through unilaterally or without the other party involved,” he said. “It also in broader terms refers to setting the agenda, obviously controlling the different committees and setting topics and moving legislation through broad decisions about governing really do fall to the party that has a trifecta.”

That will have meaningful effects on taxes and other areas of legislation, as well as on regulatory efforts, Bleiberg said. Immigration and trade also promise to be hot topics in the new year, ones with important implications, he said. 

After nearly four decades as an economist at NMPF, Dr. Peter Vitaliano is retiring at the end of the year. He predicts a bright future for the industry. 

 “The U.S. dairy industry produces a huge variety of great products, for which consumption is continuing to grow,” Vitaliano said in a Dairy Defined Podcast. “It has very progressive farms and farmers, and great leadership amongst our organizations, and great organizations. That has been the case when I came, it's the case now, and it's going to be the case for many years in the future.” 

 Vitaliano, NMPF’s longtime chief economist, reflects on the evolution of policy challenges for the dairy industry in the podcast, explaining how shifts in the industry have created greater unity – and a more effective NMPF. 

FARM Environmental Stewardship Version 3 is out – and it's a step forward for dairy farmers both as stewards and as business managers, according to NMPF Chief Sustainability Officer Nicole Ayache, who oversaw development of the initiative through the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, in a Dairy Defined Podcast released today. 

With new, updating modeling, under FARM ES Version 3, “farmers can actually run scenarios to assess practice or technology changes, see how those would impact their greenhouse gas emissions, and any potential impact on milk productivity as well,” Ayache said. “The scenarios, being able to project what-ifs, is the biggest benefit.”

The FARM Program is a partnership between NMPF and Dairy Management Inc. that helps ensure dairy's success by demonstrating U.S. dairy farmer commitment to safe, high-quality, high-integrity milk. FARM ES Version 3 took effect Oct. 31.

For more information on FARM ES Version 3, visit the FARM Program website. 

Dairy farmers are remaining resilient as they manage their way through H5N1 in dairy cattle and respond to natural disasters that have devastated farms, NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney said in remarks at the organization’s annual meeting.

“Farming is hard. I said that. We all know that. But when you get hit with weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, the list goes on and on, unexpected costs, that makes it even harder,” Mooney said in his remarks Oct. 22. “You get hit with things like bird flu that a year ago we didn't even know was a problem,” he continued. “And if you've been hit by one of these either weather event or something really unexpected, my heart goes out to you. These things are difficult. It puts strains on farms, put strains on families, put strains on financials.”

“Everything we do, the future is going to take a level of cooperation and coordination from all of us. And we’ve had that, but it’s going to take more than we’ve ever had,” said Mooney, a Dairy Farmers of America member-owner who farms near Rogersville, MO. “I continue to be inspired by all of you and the work that you’re doing. Amid great change and preparation for the future, we are still part of the greatest industry that there is.

Mooney also talks about the 2024 Farm Bill, efforts to modernize milk pricing, labor shortages and dairy’ need to promote exports.