Dairy policy in the Trump era

MADISON, Wis. — Hot-button issues like tariffs, labor and the push to bring whole milk back into schools were the focus of a panel discussion Oct. 2 at World Dairy Expo in Madison. Several members of the dairy industry shared their opinions with an overflowing room during a session entitled “Dairy Policy in the Trump Era: The First 250 Days.”

Speakers included Gregg Doud, president and CEO of National Milk Producers Federation; Sheryl Meshke, president and CEO of Associated Milk Producers Inc.; and dairy farmer Brian Rexing of New Generation Dairy in Indiana. The session was moderated by Alan Bjerga, executive vice president of communications and industry relations at NMPF.

Meshke said tariffs are the most noticeable policy change affecting day-to-day operations at AMPI. The cooperative retains 95% of its product domestically, while working up to 5% exports since 2020. For its cheese cutting, wrapping and processing plant in Portage, 20% of that product relies on exports.

“As we’ve traversed these 250 days and know that sometimes cheese is on a ship and tariffs are changing, there’s been a learning curve,” Meshke said. “Right now, from our view, though, business is fairly stable.”

Doud said trade is not just about tariffs.

“For the first time in American history, it’s about U.S. industrial policy,” he said. “What is the most important thing about that policy? To be competitive in the world economy. The passage of the tax bill we just did is far and away the most important thing we can do for the U.S. economy.”

The goal is to be reciprocal and level with everyone else when it comes to tariffs, Doud said.

“Donald Trump … uses all these things as leverage,” he said. “These things take time. All the easy stuff in agricultural trade was done a long, long time ago. Now, we’re stuck dealing with issues that have been in place for decades. It takes real muscle and leverage to get these things fixed.”

He said the good news on the dairy side is that the only country with retaliatory tariffs is China.

“We brought the value of the dollar down significantly from the beginning of the year, and we’re doing really well on the export side,” Doud said.

Labor was a key topic discussed as panelists shared their thoughts on immigration reform.

“It’s a problem,” Rexing said. “It’s a problem on our farm, and we have guys who are concerned. We’re trying to talk with them and work with them the best we can.
I don’t want any criminals on my farm. I want the bad guys out of here. But let’s not disrupt everything in that process. We have to get focused and work on securing this labor force. … This has to be fixed.”

Doud agreed, stating that he believes the top three issues in U.S. agriculture today are labor, labor and labor. He said in his opinion, tweaking the H-2A visa program does not help the dairy industry because few people in the industry utilize H-2A.

“It’s a seasonal program; it doesn’t work for us,” he said. “We need a visa program that helps us on a dairy farm. We simply don’t have that today. That requires Congress.”

Immigration reform last occurred in 1986, Doud said.

“We get right up to the goal line every time, and we fail to get 60 (votes) in the Senate,” Doud said. “I cannot emphasize to you enough how patient we’re going to have to be, how hard we’re going to have to work, and how difficult it is going to be to get this one across the board. This is an issue that has perplexed Washington, D.C. for decades.”

Meshke said AMPI employs 1,100 people across seven manufacturing facilities, which entails a mix of team members, including global workers.

“We’re staffed up right now,” she said. “We’re in a very good spot.”

Rexing said he feels that the reforms dairy farmers are asking for are not out of the question.

“We need a reliable workforce for a lot of our dairies,” he said. “We need laws and things we can abide by that make sense.”

Doud said Congress has to be the one to make changes to immigration reform.

“There’s not too much Trump can do,” he said. “You all need to talk to your congressman about this issue, about all these issues.”

Whole milk took the spotlight when the conversation shifted to nutrition. Doud said he sees the Make America Healthy Again movement as an unusual political coalition of the right and the left.

“I don’t think we’ve seen anything quite like it in food, in agriculture, ever in this country,” he said. “This is a momentous opportunity for dairy.”

Doud said the administration wants to change the fundamental diet of Americans in a way he thought everyone in the room that day at Expo would completely agree with. The push is pro-animal products, pro-protein and pro-dairy.

“We have moved heaven and earth this year in the U.S. Senate to get the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act approved,” Doud said. “We are doing everything we can to get this passed. There are new dietary guidelines coming this year, and from all indications, they are going to be significant changes.”

Rexing is also getting behind the MAHA movement.

“I’m a firm, 100% believer in whole milk,” he said. “What we produce as dairy farmers is the most wholesome, nutritious product on earth.”

Looking ahead to 2026, Meshke said there are opportunities related to the MAHA movement.

“Suddenly, what we’ve been doing for many years is perhaps in vogue,” she said. “Let’s capitalize on that. This is all becoming trendy under this policy, under the administration that we’re in.”

Where all these issues are concerned, Rexing sees a unified front from the dairy industry as the only option to accomplish goals.

“We have to do this together,” he said. “We have to come with one, strong, consistent voice. We can’t be fractured. I’m confident that’s the way things get done.”

Meshke said numerous surveys have always confirmed that Americans trust farmers, and when it comes to communicating what farmers need, farmers are the most credible source.

“It’s paramount that we show up — whether in our home districts or if we have the opportunity to participate in a fly-in,” she said. “They want to hear from you. You have to take the time, and it’s a sacrifice.

Doud warned the crowd not to assume when it comes to discussing issues with policymakers.

“Explain to them what this means for you on the farm in real-world terms,” he said. “Talk to them about real economic circumstances that you face. That is the best thing you can do.”

Rexing encouraged farmers to step out of their comfort zone.

“We as farmers may not think our voice is strong, but it is,” he said. “We have to share our message with everyone we can. We have to talk to Congress and our elected officials. We cannot give up.”