REGULATORY REGISTER
Summer 2025
Sustainability & the Environment
Court Upholds Livestock Exemption for EPCRA Reporting Requirements
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Aug. 7 upheld a 2019 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that exempted air emissions from animal waste at farms from select reporting requirements subject to the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, or EPCRA.
The court rejected arguments from environmental and community groups who claimed that EPA exempting livestock facilities from reporting their air emissions as hazardous substances is inconsistent with a federal emergency response statute. According to the ruling, the EPA’s exemption aligned the regulations under EPCRA with the expectations of Congress.
EPCRA reporting requirements are tied closely to the reporting requirements for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, or CERCLA, which is commonly known as the Superfund statute. Both CERCLA and EPCRA include reporting requirements for releases of hazardous substances to the environment that NMPF has contested for years.
Agriculture Organizations Stand Against EPA Assessment
NMPF and other major agriculture organizations stood together against a draft risk assessment the EPA created as part of the agency’s effort to protect communities from PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). The assessment models human exposure to the “forever chemicals” PFOA or PFOS from the application of sewage sludge, or biosolids, to farmland. The agriculture organizations object to the models used in the draft risk assessment, stating the models operate on extreme assumptions which don’t account for the reality of agriculture.
The organizations submitted joint comments Aug. 13 explaining the shortcomings of the agency’s draft risk assessment on PFOA and PFOS in sewage sludge and why this model should not be used to inform new regulations. NMPF filed supplementary comments Aug. 14 with additional perspectives from its members.
EPA’s misguided approach in this model paints an inaccurate picture that does a disservice to everyone. NMPF will continue to advise EPA about realistic representation of on-farm practices.
Time to Say Goodbye to National Air Emissions Monitoring Study, NMPF Says
NMPF submitted comments Aug. 18 to the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study Group in response to the draft revised emission models for animal feeding operations released by EPA late last fall.
After significant analysis, NMPF concluded that the current draft EPA dairy Air Emissions Estimating Methodologies (EEMs) are not appropriate for predicting dairy farm emissions. NMPF describes the specific modeling flaws in its comments to support its argument that EPA should permanently cease its efforts in this area.
The EPA’s EEMs for dairy comprise a series of 21 different barn, milking center, lagoon, and corral air emissions models. The barn and milking center EEMs include models that predict NH3, H2S, TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 emissions, and the lagoon and corral EEMs include models that predict NH3 and H2S emissions. NMPF has worked with a consulting firm at considerable expense and effort to analyze the models and documents and evaluate their ability to accurately estimate NH3, H2S, TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 emissions.
“NMPF believes it is futile to analyze a handful of farms and then try to extrapolate those findings to thousands of other unseen farms,” NMPF states in its comments. “The matter is further complicated because our operations are not static. Our industry — and most other agriculture industries — change over time, and we pride ourselves in our mission of continuous improvement.”
NMPF also signed on to separate comments with 23 other agriculture organizations raising concerns about the air emissions methodologies across species. The joint comments point out that there are flaws in
the EEM models for livestock, poultry and egg production. The agriculture groups also state that the draft models, if implemented in their current form, “would impose significant costs” on farmers. These groups are working to schedule a meeting with Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation Aaron Szabo to further discuss how the flawed emissions reporting methods will have far reaching negative effects on U.S. agriculture.
Livestock Groups Raise Concerns with Proposed Revisions to the National Handbook of Conservation Practices
A coalition of state and national organizations, representing an overwhelming majority of livestock farmers and ranchers across the country, filed comments July 30 to USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service on the proposed changes to Conservation Practice Standard (CPS) 359, which specifically addresses lagoons that are designed to provide treatment of animal manures. This standard contains design criteria from Chapter 10 of the NRCS Part 651 Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook for the design and operation of animal manure treatment lagoons. The comments are against a proposed revision that would add a “roofs and covers” section to the standard requiring covers for “anaerobic lagoons on operations that are equal to or greater than 1,000 animal units.” Cornell University estimated this would cost $300 to $900 per lactating cow in upfront capital cost.
Labeling & Standards
American Butter Institute Takes Aim at Country Crock
The American Butter Institute, an organization managed and staffed by NMPF, asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take action against Country Crock’s “dairy free salted butter” in a complaint sent June 25, asserting that the product’s label violates federal regulations.
The plant-based spread’s front label, in bold letters, describes itself as a form of butter, although the federal standard of identity, along with legislation passed by Congress, defines butter as a product made from milk. In reality — and as admitted in the much smaller font on the package label — the Country Crock products describe themselves as “79% plantbased oil spreads.”
As margarine and vegetable oil spreads have declined in sales, companies are seeking to capitalize on butter’s resurgent popularity by misappropriating the term “butter” and applying it to products that clearly do not meet butter’s federal standard of identity, Christopher Galen, executive director of ABI, said. Butter manufacturers have to follow federal labeling standards, but the proliferation of fake butters is eroding the integrity of the marketplace, he said.
NMPF raised a similar objection to Country Crock in 2019, when the company introduced a “plant-based butter.”
Unfortunately, while the FDA was quick to respond to ABI’s complaint, the agency essentially said that it is relying on plant food marketers to police their own practices according to a 2025 FDA guidance indicating
that if imitators use the name of a standardized food (butter, in this case), the imitation food should be qualified by its type of plant source. The FDA also wrote to ABI that it looks at the entire context of the label to identify the nature of the food within, to ensure that it is not misleading.
NMPF Flags Bad FDA Labeling Rules to HHS
NMPF filed comments July 11 opposing FDA’s proposed Front-of-Pack labeling rule as well as two proposed plant-based labeling guidance documents published in response to a Department of Health and Human Services request for information.
In its comments to HHS, NMPF states that FDA’s Front-of-Pack nutrition labeling scheme is a highly flawed, unlawful approach to educating consumers about food nutritional profiles. The proposed rule violates the First Amendment’s prohibition on certain compelled commercial speech by focusing solely on saturated fat, sugar and sodium while ignoring the fact that dairy is a good or excellent source of 13 essential nutrients, NMPF states. The First Amendment requires compelled commercial
speech to be factual, uncontroversial and related to a substantial government interest. NMPF has repeatedly pointed out to FDA that the proposed Front-of-Pack nutrition labeling fails to meet these legal requirements and therefore the proposed rule must be revoked.
“The proposed Nutrition Info box compels food manufacturers to carry a subjective, government-endorsed message that elevates three nutrients above all others, despite disagreement among nutrition experts and evolving science showing the importance of the complete food, especially in dairy products,” NMPF said in its comments. “We believe that compelling this messaging violates the commercial speech protections under the First Amendment.”
In its separate comments to HHS on plantbased guidance, NMPF calls attention to two proposed documents: “Labeling of Plant-based Milk Alternatives (PBMA) and Voluntary Nutrient Statements” published in the Federal Register Feb. 23, 2023, and “Labeling of PlantBased Alternatives to Animal-Derived Foods: Draft Guidance for Industry” published in the Federal Register last Jan. 7.
Eliminating these plant-based labeling guidance documents directly aligns with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s mission of “making sure that providers and caretakers can focus on preventing and treating chronic diseases,” NMPF said in its comments. NMPF pointed to ample evidence that mislabeling has led to confusion among consumers regarding the nutritional deficiencies of plant-based alternatives.
“These documents mislead consumers, distort public understanding of healthful eating, and are both unlawfully promulgated and otherwise unlawful on numerous grounds,” NMPF said.
HHS is considering these comments as part of its broader deregulatory initiative.
FDA Proposal Eliminates 18 Dairy Standards
The Food and Drug Administration proposed July 16 to revoke 18 standards of identity (SOIs) for dairy products, concluding that these standards are no longer necessary to promote honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers.
FDA in its action said it wants to get rid of three categories within the standards of identity rules: Products no longer on the market, foods covered by different regulations, and combination foods. NMPF is investigating if FDA’s analysis is wrong in some cases about products they claim are not in the marketplace.
“If these products are still being made and FDA takes them off the Standards of Identity list, then those foods can be made any way anyone wants and they will be able to be called that food. That’s going to wind up with consumers getting things with no idea of what they’re getting,” Senior Vice President of Regulatory & Environmental Affairs Clay Detlefsen said.
SOIs are intended to protect consumers in retail market spaces and removing SOIs would not affect products sold directly in food service businesses. NMPF will submit comments based on feedback from its members by FDA’s Sept. 15 deadline.
Nutrition & Food Safety
Members-Only Webinar Explores the MAHA Movement
NMPF hosted a members-only webinar June 24, titled “Dairy in the Era of ‘Make America Healthy Again’” exploring the implications of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement. The movement has gained traction at the federal and state levels. From whole milk to raw milk, to broader questions about pesticide regulation and the dietary guidelines, MAHA is influencing decisions that matter to dairy farmers and to dairy consumers.
Speakers Carmen Rottenberg, managing director of Groundswell Strategy, and Miquela Hanselman, NMPF director of regulatory affairs, provided a comprehensive overview of the MAHA Commission’s May 22 report, its influence within the Trump administration and how it affects dairy, from federal dietary guidelines and labeling laws to access to crop inputs.
Second MAHA Commission Report Delayed
The public release of the second report from the Make America Healthy Again Commission was delayed from the expected Aug. 12 release. The report is a follow-up strategy to the Commission’s first report, published in May. A leaked draft of the report has caused some public speculation. A new release date for the official report has not been announced.
The Department of Health and Human Services launched Aug. 18 an online interactive platform called MAHA in Action, intended to track the progress of all MAHA movement initiatives.
FDA Proposes Tool for the Prioritization of Food Chemicals for Post-Market Assessment
FDA released June 18 its proposed method for ranking which chemicals in the food supply the agency would prioritize for post-market assessments. The proposed Post-market Assessment Prioritization Tool focuses on potential risk to public health (risk ranking) and other considerations, using a MultiCriteria Decision Analysis method. The goal of this tool is to be science-based, data-driven, systematic and reproducible.
In comments submitted to FDA Aug. 18, NMPF raised concerns with FDA’s proposed scoring criteria for the tool that would give equal weight to scientific evidence as its “other decisional criteria” category, which would include external organization opinions and public social media trends.
NMPF asserts that making the “other decisional criteria” equal to the “public heath criteria” would not achieve a data-driven and reproducible model for prioritizing post-market assessments of food chemicals. “Allowing subjective measures to influence the assessment could lead to rankings not based in science but instead driven by public opinion,” NMPF stated in its comments.
Animal Health
Tracking Emerging Diseases: New World Screwworm
The New World Screwworm (NWS) is a dangerous pest that can affect livestock and other warm-blooded animals, including humans. This parasitic fly lays its eggs in open wounds, and then the young larvae, often called maggots, feed on the host animal’s living tissue. Recently, NWS has had a resurgence in parts of Central America and Mexico. The United States has taken measures to prevent the spread of screwworm to its borders, but dairy farmers should remain vigilant about monitoring for this threat.
NMPF is working with federal and state animal health officials to support dairy farmer needs should an NWS outbreak occur in the U.S., including advocating for the NWS sterile fly production facility USDA recently announced will be built in Texas. NMPF created a fact sheet for farmers to know what to look for in their herds and what to do if they suspect a case of NWS on their farm.
USDA issued a five-pronged plan in June to combat the northward spread of NWS from Mexico into the United States, and built upon that plan in an Aug. 15 announcement. USDA has also set movement restrictions for livestock from Mexico. Quarantines and movement controls are effective measures to prevent the spread of NWS infestation. If an outbreak occurs, state and federal regulators may put quarantines or movement restrictions in place.
Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications for NWS in the United States. The FDA, under an Emergency Use Authorization, may authorize expedited access to certain animal drug products that are approved for other indications or available internationally but not specifically approved for NWS domestically. This framework enables veterinarians, producers and animal health authorities to obtain critical resources necessary to safeguard companion animals, livestock and the national food supply. For information regarding treatment options, consult your veterinarian. Up-to-date details on authorized animal drugs can be found on FDA’s website.
Producers who suspect NWS infestation should immediately quarantine affected animals and report the case to their local veterinarian, State Animal Health Official, or USDA.
More States Move to “Unaffected” Status for H5N1
The National Milk Testing Strategy facilitates comprehensive H5N1 surveillance of the nation’s milk supply and dairy herds. Since Dec. 6 when the program was announced, 45 of the 48 contiguous United States have enrolled (all except Florida, Massachusetts and North Dakota). As of Aug. 22, only five states are considered “affected” and 29 states have been designated as “unaffected” after ongoing testing and surveillance activities demonstrates absence of disease in dairy cattle in the state.
As more states transition to “unaffected” status, it is important not to stop prevention measures, like on-farm biosecurity practices. Both USDA and industry continue to support the rapid development and timely approval of an H5N1 vaccine for dairy cattle. NMPF created an H5N1 Vaccine Working Group to help inform about potential H5N1 vaccination strategies for dairy cattle which may include target populations, vaccination protocols, surveillance frameworks, and communication needs for stakeholders. The working group held its first meeting July 25.
NMPF Highlights Mission-Critical Roles Ahead of USDA Reorganization
Dairy farmers and their cooperatives enjoy strong, collaborative relationships with USDA officials at numerous agencies, both for customer service and technical expertise. USDA has proposed a reorganization that, in NMPF’s view, offers an important opportunity to strengthen USDA functions while maintaining vital services, including farmer-facing programs that serve dairy producers well.
NMPF will submit a letter to USDA Aug. 29 that lays out the programs, functions,
and personnel of greatest significance to dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own, including USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Agricultural Research Service, Farm Service Agency, Food and Nutrition Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service.
NMPF is grateful for its productive and multifaceted partnership with USDA in pursuit of the shared goals of providing households both domestically and internationally with a safe, abundant, and affordable supply of nutritious milk and dairy products.
After ICE Raids on Farms, Who Cares for the Animals?
A truly effective enforcement approach will take on-the-ground realities into account as it protects the border, food supplies — and defenseless animals.
BY DR. MEGGAN HAIN, NMPF CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER
Dairy farming requires long hours of working with animals that need regular feeding, clean, comfortable housing and sometimes medical treatment. It’s a job few seek to do; the reality is that the knowledgeable, caring and hard-working farm staff who do this work are largely foreign-born.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on agricultural operations are garnering headlines, with a focus on the human toll. As a dairy welfare veterinarian with 20 years of experience, I watch with a different concern: for the animals these workers are tending.
Law-enforcement interventions on dairy farms represent a real and immediate threat to animal welfare on U.S. dairies, as workers who understand how to properly take care of dairy cattle are taken away, with no immediate replacements. We can debate why immigrants became America’s primary animal caregivers or who else could fill that role; the immediate impact of their disappearance is loss for the farms, the farmers, their cattle, and ultimately, every consumer of nutritious dairy products.
We’ve already seen disruptions. A South Dakota dairy farm lost 40 staff members; the family that owns the farm now must figure out how to care for 7,000 cattle without help. A New Mexico farm in June that lost 11 staff members scrambled to care for their cattle with half their staff.
Losing livestock caretakers harms animals. Mature cattle who in a day will consume up to 100 pounds of feed and 50 gallons of water feel the ill effects of hunger and thirst within 24 hours, sooner in hot summer months. For young calves, going beyond 12 hours without feeding can result in dehydration and illness; going beyond 24 hours can result in death. Staff shortages also makes illness more likely to go undetected or treated, causing unnecessary suffering and death.
Meanwhile, an unmilked dairy cow is an impaired cow. Without milking at least twice a day, pressure
in the cow’s udder shuts down normal functions and can cause significant pain for the cow. Cows that go beyond 24 hours without milking have an increased susceptibility to mastitis or a mammary infection. Losing an animal caretaker not only hurts the cows, but also the farm’s ability to produce the milk it needs to sell to stay in business.
These are only immediate impacts: They don’t even take into account the need for cleaning, building maintenance and all the work involved in keeping cows and their calves healthy. Nor does it factor in the potential impact to the dairy’s next generation due to the lack of knowledgeable caretakers for the most vulnerable populations, the expectant cows and the newborn calves, resulting in higher birth mortality and calves dying from untreated diseases.
Suggested alternatives to immigrant labor pose near-term problems. Replacement native-born workers are scarce and would take years to gain the same herd knowledge and caregiving expertise. Robotic milkers, another suggested solution, takes intense capital investment — and robots won’t care for a suffering calf on a cold winter night. Livestock care is a specialized job that requires knowledgeable and caring people: In America today, and for the foreseeable future, the people who have stepped up to care for the animals that provide Americans with safe, affordable nutrition are foreign-born.
President Donald Trump has made several encouraging statements acknowledging the need for foreign-born farm workers. But those words don’t seem to have gotten through to the border security apparatus. A truly effective enforcement approach will take on-the-ground realities into account as it protects the border, food supplies — and defenseless animals. The administration should work with the agricultural community and find practical solutions as it pursues a secure border and a stronger America.
It’s not just the farmers and consumers who need this. The animals do too.
Trade & International
Trade Remains Top-of-Mind; NMPF Navigates Frequent Changes
The Trump administration announced new trade frameworks with eight countries ahead of its Aug. 1 Reciprocal Trade deadline. As opposed to traditional comprehensive free trade agreements, these initial frameworks vary greatly in scope and detail but are intended to set the stage for further negotiations and more concrete trade commitments.
In addition to frameworks signed with South Korea, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Japan, (as well as an interim agreement with China), the U.S. negotiated deals that promise benefits for U.S. dairy exporters with Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Based on announcements to date, it is likely that both Vietnam and the Philippines will zero out tariffs on U.S. dairy exports, leveling the playing field with Australia and New Zealand.
Additionally, the U.S.-Indonesia Framework looks to be a major win for U.S. dairy. It appears to remove Indonesia’s tariffs on U.S. dairy exports to match the current level for Oceania suppliers, and address longstanding regulatory barriers that have made it difficult for U.S.
companies to compete in Indonesia, including listings of U.S. dairy facilities, acceptances of certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities, and potentially committing to protecting common name rights and preserving U.S. access to the Indonesian cheese market. Details on all announced trade details are forthcoming.
In addition to the significant groundwork that NMPF has laid to educate policymakers about the tariff and non-tariff barriers impacting U.S. dairy exports, NMPF Executive Vice Presidents Jaime Castaneda and Shawna Morris, in their roles as private sector trade advisors to the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA, routinely offered confidential guidance throughout the negotiations and continue to inform the Administration’s efforts to iron out the dairy details of these frameworks.
NMPF Lays Groundwork for 2026 USMCA Review
As the Trump administration and Congress prepare for the critical U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) review process next year, NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) are supporting policymakers with the
information they need to correct loopholes and shortcomings with the agreement that have limited market access for U.S. dairy exporters.
Of particular concern are Canada’s dairy policies that offload artificially low-priced dairy proteins into the global market and prevent U.S. dairy exporters from fully accessing the Canadian market.
NMPF Executive Vice President Jaime Castaneda and Senior Vice President Will Loux elaborated on these concerns and the harm caused by these underhand practices at a July 28 hearing before the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). The hearing was a part of an USITC investigation into the export competitiveness of the nonfat milk solids industries in the United States and other major suppliers. The investigation follows continued NMPF pressure on the administration to address Canada’s persistent attempts to circumvent USMCA’s export limitations for skim milk powder, milk protein concentrates and infant formula.
Addressing issues to the south, the Consortium for Common Food Names (of which NMPF is a founding member) sent a letter June 24 to Ambassador Greer and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins highlighting Mexico’s ongoing failure to fulfill its USMCA common name commitments and calling for the U.S. to prioritize full implementation during the review process.
Leadership from NMPF Helps Avoid Major Supply Chain Disruptions
NMPF and USDEC joined hundreds of agricultural, trade, and transportation organizations in sending two letters encouraging the Trump administration to take steps to avoid supply chain disruptions and
secure the smooth and secure trade of U.S. goods.
As concerns rise that ongoing shifts in tariff implementation will recreate the import and export challenges the United States faced during the pandemic, the agriculture groups in a June 17 letter called on Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Commerce Department Secretary Howard Lutnick and Federal Maritime Commission Chair Louis Sola to reassemble the White House Supply Chain Disruption Task Force. The Task Force, launched in 2021 to monitor and address near-term supply chain challenges, consists of supply chain experts across the administration.
NMPF, USDEC and more than 150 U.S. agricultural exporters, importers, farmers and agribusinesses, and other groups in a July 7 letter urged USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer not to impose proposed fees on Chinesebuilt vessels entering U.S. ports. The proposed fees stem from a Special 301 investigation on Chinese shipping dominance as part of an effort to support domestic U.S. shipbuilding.
USTR rolled back its initially proposed fees on Chinese-linked ships entering U.S. ports in April following strong industry pushback, including comments from USDEC and NMPF and coordinated congressional letters supported by the organizations urging fee reductions. The July letter warned that the remaining proposed port fees will still significantly harm U.S. supply chains, raising costs for exporters and importers, increasing consumer prices, and potentially reducing ocean carrier services, thus causing congestion and delays. To better support revitalizing domestic shipbuilding, the letter advocated for a long-term, investment-driven strategy over a fee-based approach.
New Colombia Registration Requirements Delayed After NMPF Efforts
Following sustained advocacy by NMPF and USDEC, the Colombian government announced a one-year delay in implementing a new decree originally set to take effect on July 31 that would require foreign food facilities and inspection systems associated with products like dairy deemed “high-risk” by the Colombian government to be registered with the National Institute for the Surveillance of Drugs and Food (INVIMA).
The June 2024 draft of Decree 2478 proposed that foreign food safety authorities submit lists of manufacturers and exporters of such highrisk foods. It also outlined new registration fees and granted INVIMA authority to conduct on-site audits of facilities and inspection systems to determine their eligibility for export approval to Colombia. These measures risk upending trade in an important free trade agreement partner market.
Working in collaboration with USDEC and the U.S. government, NMPF’s efforts helped secure the one-year pause, postponing any changes until July 31, 2026. In parallel, NMPF and USDEC have been working with USTR and USDA to pursue a more workable process for U.S. dairy exporters to ensure that the INVIMA listing requirements do not impose burdensome barriers when they are ultimately implemented.
Europe’s ‘Animal Health’ Legislation Risks Unnecessary Trade Barriers, NMPF Says
NMPF and USDEC submitted formal comments to the European Commission July 15, expressing significant concerns about the EU’s proposed animal welfare legislation and its potential application to imported products. While acknowledging the EU’s sovereign right to set domestic production standards, NMPF strongly objected to the imposition of those standards on trade partners, emphasizing that such process-based requirements bear no connection to food safety or animal health. NMPF and USDEC warned that extending EU consumer preferences to imports would violate World Trade Organization commitments and risk creating unnecessary trade barriers.
In their submission, NMPF and USDEC highlighted the robust animal welfare practices already in place across the U.S. dairy sector, including the globally recognized National Dairy FARM Program, which aligns with international standards and boasts over 99% industry participation. They urged the European Commission to pursue voluntary labeling as a more appropriate path forward, allowing consumers to make informed choices without mandating burdensome requirements on foreign suppliers. The comments also called for broad stakeholder engagement, adherence to international norms, and respect for systems that achieve equivalent outcomes through different means — warning that failure to do so would distort markets and unfairly disadvantage non-EU producers.
Other NMPF News
New NMPF Bill Tracker Monitors Key Dairy Legislation
NMPF added a bill tracker to its website June 4, offering members and other dairy advocates an up-to-date hub for monitoring federal legislation that affects U.S. dairy farmers and their cooperatives.
The tracker offers users detailed information on bills NMPF is monitoring, including legislative actions, sponsors, summaries and more, making it easier to stay informed and engaged in the policy process.
The new feature adds to NMPF’s existing advocacy resources, including the grassroots action page where users can message members of Congress for critical legislation such as the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.
NMPF Names Four Dairy Scholarship Winners
Four graduate students researching in areas that benefit dairy cooperatives and farmers were awarded scholarships as part of the 2025 NMPF National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program. Recipients of the scholarships were announced at NMPF’s June Board Meeting:
Dallas Soffa, a doctoral candidate in Physiology of Reproduction in Animal Science at Texas A&M. Soffa’s research explores the hormonal influence on reproductive microbiota and immune cell signaling in cattle.
Margaret Costello, a doctoral candidate in Animal & Dairy Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on integrating emerging sequencing technology and non-invasive sampling techniques with
rumen microbiome research to address key industry concerns.
Marina Rocha Dorella, a master’s student in Animal Science at the University of Minnesota. Her research explores enhancing dairy industry sustainability through precision dairy technology, more specifically, optimizing hyperketonemia treatment efficiency and labor allocation.
The committee also selected a student to receive the newly created Dr. Peter Vitaliano Legacy Scholarship. The scholarship, created in March, supports individuals who demonstrate a passion for the industry through community engagement, academic interests and advocacy. This year’s scholarship was awarded to:
Maria Belen Ugarte Marin, a doctoral candidate in Veterinary Medical Sciences at the University of Florida studying the identification of detrimental milking characteristics and their association with dairy farm performance. Maria’s dedication to mentorship, serving as a teaching assistant, and overall passion for supporting the next generation embodies the vision for dairy leadership by Dr. Vitaliano, who retired from NMPF last year after nearly four decades as an economist with the organization.
“Congratulations to each recipient of this year’s National Dairy Leadership Scholarships,” NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said. “We are proud to continue to focus on the future of the industry by supporting these young professionals in their endeavors. Farmers can be confident in their investment in education and the next generation of dairy leaders.”
To learn more about and contribute to the NMPF National Dairy Leadership Scholarship program, please visit the scholarship website.
