The greater the variety of milk in schools, including whole, lower-fat and flavored varieties, the greater the benefits to students, dairy farmers are telling lawmakers as they meet them on Capitol Hill.

“I think it's awesome that students and kids have a choice. Giving them more choices just gets more milk out there for them, and the benefits that it has, and the flavor that it has that kids enjoy,” said Lauren Schwartzbeck, a schoolteacher and dairy farmer who farms near Union Bridge, MD, and a member of Maola Local Dairies, in the latest episode of the Dairy Defined podcast, released today. “I think by giving them those choices and by providing that product to them, that can only do great things, not only just for our dairy industry, but for these kids as well.”

Schwartzbeck was joined by Prairie Farms Chairman and NMPF Executive Committee Member Frank Doll, whose dairy is near Greenville, IL, on the podcast. The two farmers discuss the benefits of adding whole milk to school meal menus as well as the value of flavored milks, which are a popular source of student nutrition. Doll also talks about some of dairy’s priorities as farmers descend on Washington next month for its annual fly-in.

Stewardship is a deeply engrained value among dairy farmers that’s also good for economic success, NMPF’s Nicole Ayache says in the latest Dairy Defined Podcast.

Ayache, who leads the National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) Programs’ Environmental Stewardship initiative, notes how sound management of resources and a focus on efficiency has boosted dairy productivity and bottom lines, even as it reflects the dedication of the farmers themselves to serving consumers.

“A lot of stewardship is about efficiency” – but it’s also more than that, Ayache said. “Anyone who chats with farmers know that because you can hear every time you talk to them about their farm and their choices, you can hear their passion for the animals and the land and their care and the nutrition they provide to our country and the world.”

The United States is negotiating bilateral trade agreements at a frenetic pace across the globe. Dairy’s key to success has been a proactive approach that gets the fundamentals of industry needs right, said Shawna Morris, an executive vice president with NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council, in a Dairy Defined Podcast released today.

“On the whole, a lot of good stuff coming down the pipe,” said Morris, specifically citing agreements with Indonesia and Taiwan as holding potential for significant market expansion, for dairy, which saw its second-best year for exports in 2025. Both in advising the U.S. government on agreements and maintaining gains overseas, NMPF/USDEC trade efforts are matching the federal government’s in its intensity, she said.

“Our focus really is on, how do we make sure that we're keeping the doors open, and also looking at some of the policy tools that can be leveraged in order to expand consumption or dairy access more broadly,” Morris said.