MDC is Back in Schools, Updates on the DGAs and More

Dear Friend,

At Dairy Council of California’s March board meeting in Carlsbad, we kicked off our annual strategic success planning process by getting dairy community insights on messaging and strategies from the board of directors. We used activities like a dot survey and an interactive SWOT analysis to engage our best collective, future thinking and looked at both internal and external opportunities and threats.

Some key takeaways from the meeting include recommendations to focus on tailored messaging to promote the functional health benefits of dairy across the life span, elevating how dairy can be a solution for health and wellness at key life stages. Our board also recognized our strong internal leadership, especially among women leaders who are able to foster trust across a wide range of partners and sectors. They recognized our agility and strategic foresight and the systematic approach we take to tracking and addressing trends proactively.

We are all optimistic about the opportunities to elevate dairy in health and wellness conversations, and aware of the threats of an uncertain and complicated regulatory environment both at the state and national levels.

We look forward to working with our Dairy Council of CA team to put together a dynamic, flexible plan that elevates the health of children and communities across the state.

Back in Schools for Mobile Dairy Classroom! 

We are excited to announce that, starting March 27, 2025, our Mobile Dairy Classroom (MDC) team resumed live, interactive dairy agricultural education experiences in schools. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) ban on all dairy exhibits had been in place since January 2025 to help mitigate the spread of bird flu. Dr. Annette Jones, State Veterinarian for CDFA, provided clearance to resume MDC assemblies following the review and approval of the MDC biosecurity protocols, ensuring the health and safety of our animals, students and school communities.

Our five MDC instructors are excited to be back at schools hosting live assemblies with their cows providing an engaging opportunity for students to learn about dairy farming, nutrition and agricultural sustainability practices firsthand. We appreciate the dairy community’s continued support and partnership in bringing this valuable experience to schools throughout California since the 1930s.

Awards and Grants Announced

Dairy Council of CA has proudly announced our 2025 Let’s Eat Healthy Leadership Award and Grant recipients. These inspiring leaders and innovative projects are empowering communities to build lifelong healthy eating patterns through education, collaboration and advocacy. Learn more about each of these programs at the following links: Awards and Grants.

Dietary Guidelines Reform Act of 2025

On March 25 and 26, 2025, the Dietary Guidelines Reform Act of 2025 was introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The reform act would amend the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans process, potentially changing the timing, scope, stakeholders and review process if enacted. Key highlights include:

• Changing the frequency of Dietary Guidelines updates from every five to every 10 years.
• Challenging the inclusion of sustainability or health equity considerations in the Dietary Guidelines process by prohibiting certain topics from consideration.
• Bringing greater focus on individual conflicts of interest of Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee members.

What’s next?

Following the introduction to the House and Senate, the Dietary Guidelines Reform Act of 2025 will next be referred to relevant committees in each respective chamber for review. It is unclear how and if this reform act would affect the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines process and the expected release of the Dietary Guidelines by Dec. 31, 2025. Dairy Council of CA will continue to monitor the process and provide the dairy community with timely updates.

Senate Holds Hearing on Whole Milk in Schools

On April 1, 2025, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. A panel of nutrition experts addressed the committee on the importance of dairy in a healthy diet, especially among adolescents. The proposed legislation could allow higher-fat milk options in schools. Overall, the panel stressed that increasing dairy intake could help address nutrient deficiencies and improve public health, especially if supported in school meal programs.

The recording from the hearing will remain open for five days, and it was suggested that the Senate utilize the committee and possibly move this piece of legislation forward outside of waiting for the full Farm Bill.

State of the Dairy Industry Report

Dairy Management Inc. recently released a comprehensive report on the state of the dairy industry, in collaboration with the National Milk Producers Federation, the U.S. Dairy Export Council and McCully Consulting. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the dairy sector, particularly focusing on the substantial wave of investment in domestic processing capacity, with over $8 billion in new milk plants and expansions either completed or planned. The report is further explained through a series of recorded webinars that cover key topics, included in the links below.

• U.S. Milk Production Outlook
• Dairy Product Outlook
• Global Market Outlook

If you have questions, concerns or feedback you would like to share, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,

Amy DeLisio, CEO
Dairy Council of California