Tag: dairy policy

Farmers Ready to Face Policy Challenges, NMPF Farmers Say at Board Meeting

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

Dairy farmers from across the nation celebrated fairer milk prices for farmers and pledged to work together to meet challenges on labor, trade and other issues at the National Milk Producers Federation’s Board of Directors meeting, which concluded today.

“We’re in a fast-moving environment, with a new administration and things changing every day,” said NMPF Board Chairman Randy Mooney, a farmer from Rogersville, MO, in remarks at the meeting. “We are happy to have NMPF watching out for us here in Washington.”

NMPF’s board meeting brought together more than 50 farmers and dairy-cooperative leaders at the nation’s largest dairy farmer trade organization, which serves as the policy voice for dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own in Washington.

Dairy farmers at the meeting heard presentations updating pressing dairy issues, including agricultural labor, trade and H5N1 bird flu, which has now been circulating in dairy cattle for roughly one year. Milk producers also celebrated a policy win – nationwide adoption of a new Federal Milk Marketing Order that begins taking effect on June 1. The plan, spearheaded by NMPF, culminates a four-year process of seeking fairer pricing for farmers and cooperatives.

“The top two issues we have today are immigration and tariffs,” Mooney said. “Nothing else means anything else to us if we don’t have anyone to milk our cows.” On trade, he said day-to-day turbulence doesn’t change dairy’s commitment to building exports. “We intend to play in the world market, and we will invest in the world market to do it,” he said.

NMPF’s board also charted a path toward a successor organization to the Cooperatives Working Together export assistance program, which has helped dairy build overseas markets. Reflecting that reformation, the board voted to rename the program NEXT (NMPF Exports & Trade) while authorizing a new business plan for final approval in June. The board also welcomed two new directors:

  • Mark Leichtfuss of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative in Wisconsin, and;
  • Richard Hill of Upstate Niagara Cooperative in New York.

The board also created the Dr. Peter Vitaliano Legacy Scholarship as part of NMPF’s National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program. The award, named for a recently retired longtime NMPF economist, will be used to help support a student who demonstrates attributes exemplified by Dr. Vitaliano to honor his decades of commitment to the success of U.S. dairy producers and cooperatives.

New Congress Arrives with NMPF Hitting the Ground Running

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

With the new Congress and White House in full swing, NMPF is steadily building congressional support for multiple bipartisan bills that will advance the needs of dairy farmers and the cooperatives, with several of them well-positioned to become law this year.

NMPF celebrated the Jan. 23 reintroduction of the bipartisan, bicameral Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which has additional momentum this year after almost becoming law in 2023. The bill, which would allow schools to serve whole and reduced-fat milk in addition to the currently available low-fat and skim varieties, passed the House of Representatives in December that year on an overwhelming 330-99 vote.

This year’s bill is sponsored by Reps. GT Thompson, R-PA, and Kim Schrier, D-WA, and Sens. Roger Marshall, R-KS, Peter Welch, D-VT, Dave McCormick, R-PA, and John Fetterman, D-PA. NMPF and its members secured 70 bipartisan original cosponsors on the House measure, H.R. 649, and 10 on the Senate measure, S. 222, strongly positioning this critical bill to expand kids’ access to milk varieties that will provide them with essential nutrients.

Beyond whole milk, NMPF is seeking support for one last item on its Federal Milk Marketing Order modernization to-do list: mandatory dairy manufacturing cost surveys every two years.

Last year’s House and Senate farm bill proposals included important language to require USDA to conduct and report the surveys to provide all dairy stakeholders with uniform, transparent data to better inform future milk pricing deliberations.

To build momentum for the provision, Reps. Nick Langworthy, R-NY, Joe Morelle, D-NY, and Derrick Van Orden, R-WI, have introduced this language as the Fair Milk Pricing for Farmers Act (H.R. 295). Companion bipartisan legislation will be introduced shortly in the Senate. NMPF is urging congress to enact this measure as soon as possible so that USDA can begin building out the infrastructure needed to produce these important studies.

Finally, while Republicans will juggle many competing priorities when crafting tax legislation, NMPF and a broad coalition of agricultural and small business organizations is supporting the bicameral Main Street Tax Certainty Act, numbered H.R. 703 in the House and S. 213 in the Senate.

This bill, authored by Representative Lloyd Smucker, R-PA, and Senator Steve Daines, R-MT, would make permanent the Section 199A tax deduction created in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Section 199A is a tax deduction to support domestic manufacturing activities. Many NMPF member cooperatives claim this deduction annually and pass the proceeds back to their farmer-owners, who then reinvest in their own operations. The new legislation enjoys support from a broad majority of House and Senate Republicans, putting Section 199A in a positive position heading into tax deliberations.

NMPF will continue to advance these and other dairy priorities at any opportunity.

Diving in on Dairy’s Legislative Agenda

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have now taken their oaths of office, and the 119th Congress has been seated. While the opening weeks of a new Congress and presidency focus on nominations and organization, these important housekeeping processes will soon give way to a busy legislative session.

We know dairy is ready for an action-packed 2025. NMPF’s major legislative goals begins with passage of a five-year farm bill, but what makes up that bill for dairy is just as important.

First, enabling schools to offer whole and reduced-fat milk is paramount. Milk provides 13 essential nutrients and is the top source of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin D for children ages 2-18. However, just last month, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Scientific Report reaffirmed that 88% of all Americans are underconsuming dairy. The bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, recently reintroduced in Congress, provides the solution. This bill would allow, but not require, schools to serve all varieties of milk, including whole and reduced-fat milk. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that dairy foods at all fat levels have a neutral or positive effect on health outcomes. NMPF strongly supports swift passage of this measure to solve a critical child nutrition problem.

This problem is made clearer by the data. Accurate, transparent data drives strong public policymaking. And that brings up another NMPF policy priority: remedying the persistent lack of accurate data when it comes to the costs of manufacturing raw milk into processed dairy products, which denies stakeholders an essential tool for assessing how milk pricing formulas ought to be structured.

A fix lies in the Fair Milk Pricing for Farmers Act, a bipartisan bill to require USDA to conduct mandatory dairy manufacturing cost surveys every two years. This will equip all voices in the dairy industry with better data to help drive future dairy pricing conversations.

Ongoing discussions on dairy pricing are vital for an industry that continues to innovate and advance. But milk pricing isn’t the only area where innovation is necessary. On the farm, U.S. dairy farmers benefit from safe and effective feed ingredients that can boost productivity in their herds and support environmental stewardship. However, the Food and Drug Administration’s current outdated review process for these ingredients hinders their timely approval and puts U.S. dairy farmers at a disadvantage with their global competitors. NMPF supports the bipartisan Innovative FEED Act, first introduced in 2023, to create a safe but expeditious process for FDA to review these products to help farmers make important gains and stay competitive.

These are just a handful of the major legislative efforts NMPF seeks to advance. Each of these bipartisan bills made headway last year as the House and Senate began their respective farm bill processes. With the new Congress getting ready to produce results, dairy stands ready to get these important priorities signed into law.

Gregg Doud

President & CEO, NMPF

 

NMPF Congratulates President Trump, Agricultural Leadership as Government Takes Shape

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Milk Producers Federation congratulates President Donald Trump and the leaders of the new Congress and administration and is ready and eager to work on a wide range of challenging issues as the new government takes shape.

“Congratulations to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance as a new administration begins,” said NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud. “As the nation’s representative of dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own, we will work with our nation’s leaders on the Trump-Vance team and in Congress to help America prosper and for its world-leading dairy industry to grow and thrive.”

Doud also congratulated the agriculture leaders of the recently sworn-in 119th Congress. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-PA, continues as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, while Arkansas Republican Sen. John Boozman takes over the Senate’s farm panel. Both committee ranking Democrats, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Angie Craig, come from Minnesota.

“U.S. agriculture is blessed with strong, bipartisan leadership on its agricultural committees,” Doud said. “We are grateful for GT Thompson’s leadership on whole milk legislation and his successful advocacy on the “higher of,” as well drafting an overall strong farm bill that met dairy needs and his work on the Dairy Margin Coverage Program,” Doud said. “Meanwhile, Rep. Craig has been a strong supporter on many dairy issues, an active voice on agricultural trade, and a co-leader on bipartisan feed legislation to support innovation in dairy.

“In the Senate, Sen. Boozman also released a strong farm bill framework that included numerous key dairy items, and we are grateful for his advocacy on agricultural tax issues among other dairy priorities,” Doud said. “And Sen. Klobuchar as the new ranking member has been a tireless champion of dairy through her work on Dairy Margin Coverage, her sponsorship of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, her attention to Canada trade issues, and her support for whole milk.

Doud also called for swift confirmation of Brooke Rollins to become the next Agriculture Secretary, and noted the many key issues that await her, the administration and the new Congress over the next few months. Just a few of them include:’

  • Passing a five-year farm bill
  • Meeting agricultural workforce needs
  • Creating new trade opportunities
  • Bringing whole milk into school lunches
  • Building an FDA that enforces its own standards of identity
  • Ensuring a fair tax system that allows dairy producers and cooperatives to thrive.

“We couldn’t be more excited about our government’s leadership as 2025 begins,” Doud said.

Ready for Action: NMPF’s Bleiberg Anticipates Busy 2025

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

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.

For more of the Dairy Defined podcast, you can find and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music under the podcast name “Dairy Defined.”

Dairy Poised for an Action-Packed 2025

Posted on by Alan Bjerga

By Paul Bleiberg, Executive Vice President, Government Affairs, National Milk Producers Federation

2024 was a tumultuous year on the political front, and 2025 promises to be just as eventful on the policy front.

The 2024 election resulted in President-elect Donald Trump winning a second term while Republicans simultaneously won control of the U.S. Senate and held their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. With a governing trifecta in hand next year, Republicans are poised to put their stamp on many significant issues, several of which have direct implications for dairy farmers.

Picking up where this year left off, a new farm bill remains on the congressional to-do list. Lawmakers enacted a one-year extension before adjourning for the year, paving the way for House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson of Pennsylvania and incoming Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman of Arkansas to lead their respective panels in drafting long-term farm policy legislation next year.

This year’s House and Senate farm bill frameworks included numerous dairy priorities, such as requiring USDA to conduct mandatory manufacturing cost surveys every two years, prioritizing common food name protection in trade discussions, and allowing schools to serve nutrient-dense whole milk. This year’s extension ensures that the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program continues without disruption as the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) advocates for a new five-year farm bill next year that meets dairy’s needs.

Republicans will also turn their attention to extending the expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, one of President-elect Trump’s signature first-term accomplishments. NMPF will urge Congress to continue several pieces of the 2017 law, including the Section 199A domestic manufacturing tax deduction that allows agricultural cooperatives to pass the proceeds directly back to their farmer-owners. Congress is likely to complete this process using the tool known as budget reconciliation, which allows for the consideration of certain tax and spending legislation not subject to the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster requirement.

Finally, Congress will need to address an overall government funding deadline in early 2025. This year’s draft House and Senate agriculture funding bills included several NMPF-backed provisions, including House language to reverse the reduction in the maximum monthly milk allotment in USDA’s final foods package rule for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Senate language mirroring the Innovative FEED Act to allow the Food and Drug Administration to review animal feed additives in a more efficient manner. While a short-term funding extension will require the new Congress to complete the full-year bills, the bills drafted this year will likely serve as the starting point for final negotiations next year.

Beyond these priorities, Congress and the incoming Trump Administration are likely to address major issues ranging from environmental policy to labor to trade. At each step of the way, NMPF will advocate for dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own as they seek to provide the U.S. and the world with wholesome, nutritious, and sustainably-produced milk and dairy products.

lve harmful barriers to trade, and promote the U.S. dairy industry as the global supplier of choice.

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Dec. 26, 2024.

NMPF Poised for Action-Packed 2025 as Republicans Sweep

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF is analyzing the results of the 2024 elections, building new relationships and strengthening old ones as business-as-usual in Washington promises to shift next year with Republican control of the White House and both houses of Congress. 

In preparation for this “trifecta” next year, House and Senate Republicans elected their leadership teams immediately following the November elections. House Republicans voted to keep in place Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-LA, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-MN, while electing Representative Lisa McClain, R-MI, as Republican Conference Chair.  

Representatives Emmer and McClain both represent sizable dairy footprints. In the Senate, Republicans elected Senator John Thune, R-SD, a longtime dairy ally and Senate Agriculture Committee member, to serve as their Majority Leader next year. Sens. John Barrasso, R-WY, Tom Cotton, R-AR, and Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, were elected to the other top leadership spots of Majority Whip, Republican Conference Chair, and Republican Policy Committee Chair, respectively. 

House Republicans in December are likely to work with President Biden and Senate Democrats to extend several expiring laws on a short-term basis so that they can tackle them next year with complete control of the nation’s capital. Congress also is on track to pass another one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill before adjourning.  

This year’s House farm bill and Senate frameworks included numerous dairy priorities, such as requiring USDA to conduct mandatory manufacturing cost surveys every two years, prioritizing the protection of common food names in trade discussions, and allowing schools to serve nutrient dense whole milk. Should a new farm bill not be passed this month, NMPF will once again advocate for a new farm bill next year that meets dairy’s needs. However, an extension at least would ensure that the Dairy Margin Coverage program continues without disruption. 

Congress also is likely to extend government funding on a short-term basis, possibly until March. The House and Senate 2025 agriculture funding bills included several NMPF-backed provisions, including House language to reverse the reduction in the maximum monthly milk allotment in USDA’s final foods package rule for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and Senate language mirroring the Innovative FEED Act to allow the Food and Drug Administration to review animal feed additives in a more efficient manner.  

While a short-term funding extension will require the new Congress to complete the full-year 2025 bills, the bills drafted this year will likely serve as the starting point for final negotiations next year. 

The 119th Congress that convenes in January will have a full plate that extends well beyond finishing this year’s business. An extension of the debt limit, the federal government’s borrowing authority, will come due in the first quarter of the year. Then, with full control of Washington, Republicans are expected to turn their attention to extending the expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, one of President-elect Trump’s signature accomplishments from his first term.  

NMPF will urge Congress to continue several pieces of the 2017 law, including the Section 199A domestic manufacturing tax deduction that allows agricultural cooperatives to pass the proceeds directly back to their farmer-owners. Congress is likely to complete this process using the tool known as budget reconciliation, which allows for the consideration of certain taxation and spending legislation not subject to the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster requirement. 

Dairy Has Persevered Through a Successful Year

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Note: These remarks are adapted from NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud’s remarks at NMPF’s annual meeting in Phoenix, Oct. 22, 2024.

In reflecting on where we were a year ago in this industry, it wasn’t very pretty in terms of prices. There wasn’t a lot of optimism. We have experienced several stressful headlines and considerable market risk in the last year, but look at where we are now. The situation has greatly improved — but there is still work to be done.

Let’s start with the long-overdue update of USDA’s Federal Milk Marketing Orders. Then there is the ongoing revamp of the Cooperatives Working Together program (yes, we need to come up with a new name) to make our dairy exports more competitive. We didn’t sign up for H5N1, but it’s here, and we have to deal with it. The Farm Bill, the Dietary Guidelines and ongoing efforts regarding trade issues – they have all been big challenges this year and we cannot let our guard down for a minute in the months ahead. Importantly, we have a tremendous team in Washington. They are rock solid and up for the task.

And that’s critical in areas such as Federal Milk Marketing Order modernization. As I was just coming on board, I went to a couple of the hearings in Carmel, IN. And although I’m an ag economist, it gave me a headache. What a challenging conversation. But what I also saw was the unbelievable expertise and leadership of numerous NMPF members. Our unanimous message made all the difference. It forced the government to listen.

We’ve seen similar impressive accomplishments on Capitol Hill as well. Late last year we had one of the most interesting votes I’ve seen in 32 years in Washington, when the House of Representatives voted 330 to 99 to put whole milk back in schools. This was a situation where some good old-fashioned shoe-leather lobbying, where you sit down with a member of Congress and say, ‘This is the science. This is the better product. We need to put whole milk back in schools.’ The result was that a majority of both Democrats and Republicans in the House, 330 to 99, agreed. Unfortunately, we have yet to be successful in the Senate on this important issue — but the year isn’t over.

I’m not sure when we’re going to pass the Farm Bill. It could be in the lame duck. It could be next year. It could be the year after. Regardless of who is in the White House or Congress next year, the 2025 congressional agenda complicates the Farm Bill legislative process. The next Congress will likely start by navigating issues such as the debt ceiling, budget reconciliation and executive branch nominations. However, the huge issue will be the five-year expiration of our tax code. The “delta” or difference in terms of the Farm Bill and what we’re debating over is about $10 billion when it comes to reference prices. My understanding is, if Congress does nothing in 2025 on taxes, on Jan. 1, 2026, the tax bill for everyone in this country goes up by $5 trillion. This will be the first big debate of the next Congress and, for the farm economy, it dwarfs any other issue. A reasonable expectation is that this discussion will consume the first half of next year, leaving the Farm Bill debate for the last half of the year, squeezed between the process of approving appropriations bills.

We also have to continue to pay close attention to H5N1. Sometimes when we make investments in animal disease preparedness, we’re not sure if the event will ever actually occur. One of those investments, via the checkoff, we made a while back was in terms of foot and mouth disease, and people said, ‘We haven’t had that in nearly a hundred years, why are we investing in that?’

In reality, this little bit of foresight paid huge dividends this year. When H5N1 hit, we pulled these biosecurity plans off the shelf, we adapted them to this virus, and we plugged them in for a webinar for 1,300 people in this industry, in three days — an unbelievable accomplishment. When we look back to the lessons learned on H5N1, this initial investment, and the subsequent on-farm biosecurity implementation efforts that were a result, made a big difference. We must continue to look around the corner to determine what new investments must be made to ensure we’re ready for the next event, whatever that might be.

On the regulatory side, we’ve been investing in the fight against plant-based beverage mislabeling, and we’ve been proactive on the Dietary Guidelines and other nutrition issues. The team effort with incredible dairy nutrition research coming from the checkoff side, along with numerous industry partnerships along the way has been terrific. We’re going to continue to make our case respectfully, but we are not going to give an inch.

We continue to lead and innovate with improvements in our FARM Program and the ongoing work with the U.S. Dairy Export Council on these always thorny trade issues must be a priority to improve the demand environment for U.S. dairy, domestically and internationally.

This industry has a tremendously bright future. There’s never been a year like this year, in terms of headline risk in the agricultural commodity business. My contemporaries talk about this all the time with wars, inflation, viruses, et cetera. Yet, despite all of this, dairy farmers have persevered and had a tremendously successful year. Our future success will also come from the roughly $7 billion in new processing investments now being made in this industry. This is an investment in you, the dairy farmers of this great nation, and for good reason!

It has been an honor to be a part of the NMPF team in Washington this past year, and I look forward to working with you, and fighting for you in Washington, going forward.

Gregg Doud

President & CEO, NMPF

 

Dairy Votes Crucial in 2024 Elections

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

With the 2024 presidential campaign in its final stretch and the list of competitive states tightening, this much remains clear: Whichever road leads to the White House, it probably has a lot of dairy farms along the path.  

Rural and farm voters are getting plenty of attention from both campaigns this time around. But through accident or historical design, the farmers who may have the most say in this year’s presidential election may be the ones milking cows.

That’s because the most hotly contested states significantly overlap with top milk-producing regions, according to a comparison of top dairy states with the states that had the closest electoral margins in 2020. Dairy is a big part of agriculture in the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Minnesota is also part of the mix, and even Texas – which has become a major dairy producer in recent years – was among the 10 closest states electorally.  

And that’s just looking at dairy farm numbers in those states; Georgia and Arizona both have significant dairy processing capacity, which means plenty of dairy-related jobs, extending milk’s influence beyond cliched photo opportunities in front of a barn. 

With so much attention focused on the states where many of them live, what should dairy farmers and their industry allies do? It all comes down to civics and citizenship. People vote their conscience – but from a dairy perspective, here are a few thoughts that might be helpful when considering who to vote for, at all levels of federal races. 

  • International trade is an important part of dairy, and it will only be more so in the future. 
  • Americans deserve healthy diets, and dairy is critical to any good-faith iteration of the next Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 
  • And finally, it sure would be nice to have a farm bill. 

Voting in 2024 is as vital to dairy farmers as dairy is to a nutritious diet. To be better informed on dairy positions on important issues, visit the National Milk Producers Federation’s Policy Priorities pulldown on its home page, nmpf.org. NMPF also has a call-to-action page for people who wish to lend their voices to support dairy farmers and the broader industry on the critical issues of the moment. And subscribe to our publications (including this one) here.  

Engagement is crucial, and dairy voices are especially important this year. Everyone has a part to play in making them heard. In the United States, the ballot remains the most effective expression of all. From now through Nov. 5: Choose wisely. 

NMPF Makes Dairy a Farm Bill Force for Consensus, Notches Other Wins

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney
  • Secured common dairy priorities across farm bill titles in all three farm bill proposals
  • Built bipartisan congressional support to restore “higher of” Class I mover formula
  • Won legislative victories on flavored milk and sodium to shape school meals rule
  • Advocated successfully for FDA authorization of Bovaer to curb enteric methane emissions

NMPF has worked with Congress throughout the year to ensure that both chambers reflect strong and shared support for dairy priorities, even as work to pass a new farm bill stalled. The result is overlapping, pro-dairy policies in every significant legislative farm bill proposal offered thus far, including the House farm bill sponsored by Chairman GT Thompson, R-PA, the Senate Democratic framework introduced by Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-MI, and the Senate Republican framework proposed by Ranking Member John Boozman, R-AR.

Each of these proposals reauthorizes the Dairy Margin Coverage safety net and updates its production history calculation to use recent data. They also require USDA to conduct mandatory, biennial manufacturing cost surveys to provide dairy stakeholders with better data to inform future make allowance discussions. And each also continues USDA’s voluntary conservation programs and moves the remaining Inflation Reduction Act funds into the conservation baseline while keeping the Environmental Quality Incentives Program’s 50% livestock set-aside. And all of them continue important trade promotion programs and include vital language to protect the use of common food names worldwide.

Differences remain, of course. NMPF is pleased that the House bill and the Senate Republican framework include the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act to reverse the underconsumption of nutritious milk in schools. Similarly, NMPF is glad that the Senate Democratic framework includes the bipartisan EMIT LESS Act to better target conservation programs toward helping farmers reduce enteric methane emissions. Both provisions merit inclusion in the final farm bill.

NMPF also appreciates efforts among dairy’s congressional champions to restore the “higher of” Class I mover formula to reinstate orderly milk marketing. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Thompson included this fix in the House’s farm bill, while Senate Dairy Subcommittee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, led a bipartisan letter urging USDA to restore the previous formula. Finally, House Ag Representative Nick Langworthy, R-NY, and others in both parties advocated vocally for the restoration in the House farm bill. NMPF is pleased that USDA included this proposal for most milk in its Federal Milk Marketing Order recommended decision and commends these members of Congress for pushing for this solution.

NMPF secured more policy successes in other vehicles while laying farm bill groundwork. The fiscal year 2024 agriculture funding package included language to allow schools to offer low-fat flavored milk and to follow manageable sodium rules in any final school meals rulemaking. These provisions ensured that USDA’s school meals rule, made final in April, would enable schools to serve nutritious dairy foods that students will consume.

Years of NMPF efforts also drew dividends in May when the Food and Drug Administration announced that it had completed its review of the Bovaer feed additive and granted Elanco Animal Health, its U.S. sponsor, the right to market the product for use in lactating dairy cows. Bovaer has a proven track record of reducing enteric methane emissions, so this represents a milestone in NMPF’s years-long advocacy for enteric-reducing solutions. NMPF continues to seek enactment of the bipartisan Innovative FEED Act to provide FDA with clear authority to review similar future products as foods, not as drugs. This bill is included in the Senate’s fiscal year 2025 Agriculture-FDA funding bill, a path to enactment this year.

NMPF’s work all year also sets the stage for potential progress during the post-election “lame duck” congressional session, when Congress will need to pass either a farm bill or an extension and likely will need to pass a government funding bill.

House and Senate Ag Spending Measures Advance NMPF Priorities

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF backed important legislative provisions in the House and Senate versions of the fiscal year 2025 spending bills for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

The House Appropriations Committee approved its 2025 Agriculture-FDA bill on July 10. The measure includes key language to reverse the reduction in the maximum monthly milk allowance in USDA’s final foods package rule for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC helps mothers and young children access essential nutrients they otherwise may lack; NMPF is concerned that the final rule will decrease this access by reducing the allowable milk maximum. NMPF is grateful to Representatives Elise Stefanik, R-NY, and Josh Harder, D-CA, for authoring this provision in the House bill.

Across the Capitol, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its bill on July 11. The measure includes the Innovative FEED Act to enable FDA to review and approve animal feed ingredients using the agency’s Food Additive Petition pathway. The legislation would allow FDA to review animal feed additives, which are not drugs, in an efficient manner that would preserve animal, human, and environmental safety reviews. Doing so would better position U.S. dairy farmers to reduce enteric methane emissions quickly and proactively and remain globally competitive. NMPF commends Senators Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, and Jerry Moran, R-KS, for obtaining this critical language in the bill.

In addition, both chambers’ bills provide discretionary funding for multiple NMPF-backed programs, including the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network to provide stress assistance and support in rural communities and the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives that fund direct technical assistance and grants to dairy stakeholders to further the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products.

Republicans and Democrats will need to reach an agreement on overall spending levels for the fiscal year for the provisions of either version to become law. With the clock ticking on the Sept. 30 federal funding deadline, Congress will likely need to pass a short-term continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown before the November elections.

House Legislation Seeks to Restore Dairy Allotment in WIC

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

With the Sept. 30 federal fiscal year deadline fast approaching, the House Appropriations Committee has begun advancing its fiscal year 2025 spending bills for each of the federal government’s departments and agencies.

The House Agriculture-FDA Appropriations Subcommittee on June 11 approved its 2025 spending bill, including important dairy priorities in next year’s funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

The measure’s full spending details will become available when the full committee takes it up later this month, but it includes NMPF-supported language to reverse the reduction in the maximum monthly milk allowance in USDA’s final foods package rule for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which helps mothers and young children have access to key nutrients they otherwise may lack. NMPF is concerned that the final rule will decrease that access via a lower milk maximum.

Outside of the annual spending process, Representatives Elise Stefanik, R-NY, Josh Harder, D-CA, and Derrick Van Orden, R-WI, introduced the bipartisan Protecting Mothers and Infants’ Access to Milk Act on June 26. This bill would reverse the reduction in the WIC maximum monthly milk allowance for the long term, without modifying any other portion of USDA’s final WIC foods package rule. NMPF will work with the bill’s sponsors to advance this bipartisan effort.