By Darren Turley
TAD executive director
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed its version of the Farm Bill that includes several dairy provisions focused on nutrition incentives, price reporting, trade, risk management and school milk programs. It also appears to expand support for dairy purchases by SNAP participants and preserve tools that help dairy farmers manage price volatility.
The International Dairy Foods Association says that in the Farm Bill “dairy is gaining visibility as a priority within nutrition policy and incentive‑based programs that expand access to healthy dairy products.”
Main dairy items:
- Expands dairy nutrition incentive projects so SNAP recipients can buy more milk, cheese, yogurt and cultured products, with increased funding.
- Permanently authorizes of mandatory cost surveys in the Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs) system. Includes provisions to modernize the FMMO system, including a return to the “higher of” Class I mover formula, which helps improve milk prices for farmers.
- Extends the Dairy Forward Pricing Program, which allows farmers to voluntarily enter into forward price contracts with handlers for pooled milk used for Class II, III, or IV purposes under FMMOs.
- Supports serving whole milk and 2% milk in school breakfast programs, tied to the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, signed into law in January.
- Equitably treats all four Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives centers.
Other dairy-related points
The bill also includes stronger trade promotion language and protections for common food names, which dairy groups say matter for labeling and exports. The House bill strengthens the dairy safety net by extending and updating the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program. It also reinforces voluntary, producer-led conservation efforts for dairy farmers, including targeted support for methane-reducing practices, and supports sustainable farming initiatives.
What it means
For dairy farms and processors, the biggest practical effects are likely to be more demand-side support through nutrition incentives, better market transparency and continued access to risk-management tools.
For schools and consumers, the whole milk provision could broaden milk options if that language remains in the final law.
The Senate next must take up and pass the Farm Bill before it can be sent to the president’s desk for consideration. There is no guarantee that the dairy related topics in the House version will remain in the bill. Now’s the time to urge Texas senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz to pass the 2026 Farm Bill, with the strong provisions for the dairy industry and other agriculture commodities, as well.
