In dairy-related news the final week of November 2025:
- Senate passes Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act
- EPA, Army Corps unveil WOTUS proposal
- USDA launches website for New World screwworm
- Dairy leaders share progress, priorities at sustainability meeting
- Dr. Tony J. Seykora honored by Minnesota Milk
Senate passes Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act
On Nov. 20, the Senate passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act (S.222) by unanimous consent.
This bill would provide schools with the option of serving whole and 2% milk in addition to the 1%, fat-free and flavored options currently offered.
“Restoring schools’ option to offer whole and reduced-fat milk will mean more schoolkids will get the essential nutrients they need,” National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) President and CEO Gregg Doud said. “This commonsense legislation will help American children get back on solid nutritional footing. We’re grateful that both sides of the aisle can come together and agree on the importance of making informed, science-backed decisions that prioritize the health and future of our children.”
Whole and 2% milk were removed from school meals programs beginning in 2012 as part of an effort to slow obesity in American kids that was based on science and nutrition advice that is now outdated. Research over the past decade has found that milk at all fat levels has a neutral or positive effect on health outcomes, ranging from obesity and diabetes to heart disease.
With Senate approval, the bill now moves to the full House of Representatives for passage and delivery to the president for it to be signed into law. A similar bill overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives in 2023 but stalled in the Senate. This bill is expected to pass with strong bipartisan support once again.
EPA, Army Corps unveil WOTUS proposal
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin, together with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle, announced a proposed rule that would establish a clear, durable, commonsense definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act.
The proposal comes after the Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, which delivered on the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting America’s waters while providing the regulatory certainty needed to support our nation’s farmers who feed and fuel the world and advance EPA’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative.
The agencies developed this proposed rule using input from multiple sources, including a pre-proposal recommendations docket, information from nine public listening sessions and consultation comments from states, tribes and local governments.
When finalized, the rule will cut red tape and provide predictability, consistency and clarity for American industry, energy producers, the technology sector, farmers, ranchers, developers, businesses and landowners for permitting under the Clean Water Act.
“We are pleased that the new rule protects critical water sources while respecting the efforts of farmers to protect the natural resources they’ve been entrusted with,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “The Supreme Court clearly ruled several years ago that the government overreached in its interpretation of what fell under federal guidelines. We are still reviewing the entire rule, but we are pleased that it finally addresses those concerns and takes steps to provide much-needed clarity.”
The agency’s proposed definition of WOTUS would fully implement the court’s direction by focusing on relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water – such as streams, oceans, rivers and lakes – and wetlands that are connected and indistinguishable from such waterbodies. It will accelerate economic prosperity by revising, for example, exclusions for certain ditches, prior converted cropland and waste treatment systems and by adding an exclusion for groundwater. The proposal also takes into account seasonal and geographic variability by including waters that flow uninterrupted throughout the wetter months in the proposed definition of “relatively permanent” waters, based on pre-proposal feedback.
This proposal recognizes that states and tribes know their local land and water resources best. The proposed definition of WOTUS protects water quality by affirming federal protections where appropriate and supporting the role of states and tribes as primary regulators managing their own land and water resources.
The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register and open for public comment for 45 days. EPA and the Army will host two hybrid public meetings. Details about commenting either in writing or during a public meeting can be found on EPA’s website.
USDA launches website for New World screwworm
The USDA launched a new unified New World screwworm (NWS) website. This dynamic new site centralizes NWS information available across the federal government and reflects a whole-of-government effort to fight this pest.
“To ensure timely and effective communications, this new unified website will be a one-stop shop for all screwworm-related information and will help our stakeholders be better informed as new information comes available,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
The website has targeted resources for a wide range of stakeholders including livestock producers, veterinarians, animal health officials, wildlife professionals, healthcare providers, pet owners, researchers, drug manufacturers and the general public. It also has the latest USDA-verified information on cases and response activities in Mexico and U.S. preparedness efforts.
Dairy leaders share progress, priorities at sustainability meeting
More than 270 leaders from across the dairy value chain gathered Nov. 18 for the 2025 Dairy Sustainability Alliance Fall Meeting in Anaheim, California, sending a clear message: Progress happens faster when the community moves forward together.
The meeting drew 28 dairy farmers as well as representatives from cooperatives, processors, brands, research institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), underscoring the strength of collaboration in advancing U.S. dairy’s sustainability leadership.
The meeting’s opening session highlighted the release of the 2023-24 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report, including the industry’s first five-year update toward its 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals.
Key findings from the report include:
- A 2.5% decrease in greenhouse gas intensity since 2020
- A nearly 5% increase in milk production over that same period, showing more food produced with fewer emissions per gallon
- A tripling in fossil fuel energy displaced by biogas since 2020
- 99% of U.S. milk produced is under the FARM Program
- Strong gains in workforce safety among Stewardship Commitment legacy adopters
- Clear impacts in food security, including 1.5 billion servings of dairy reaching families through Feeding America in 2024
“Over the past five years, we’ve built the tools and partnerships needed to scale what works,” said Lori Captain, group executive vice president of sustainability strategy, science and industry relations at Dairy Management Inc. (DMI). “From shared metrics to on-farm innovation, the dairy community now has a stronger foundation to accelerate progress while staying grounded in what matters most to farmers and the people we serve.”
She highlighted advances such as:
- Development of life cycle assessments that strengthen how progress is measured
- Partnerships through the checkoff-created Newtrient that connect innovation, financing and implementation
- A rising number of feed and enteric research pilots
- Expansion of FARM Environmental Stewardship, with more than 1,000 assessments completed since its inception
- Continued progress through regional programs like the California Dairy Research Foundation and Dairy Cares, which deliver an estimated 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent reductions each year
The meeting included panel sessions and breakout sessions exploring the evolving science, technology and financing needed to advance sustainability at scale.
The fall meeting momentum extended into the 2025 Sustainable Agriculture Summit, held Nov. 19-20, also in Anaheim. The summit brings together farmers, suppliers, processors, brands, academia, conservation organizations and the public sector to drive sustainability through collaboration and innovation.
Dr. Tony J. Seykora honored by Minnesota Milk
The Minnesota Milk Producers Association announced the recipient of its Bruce Cottington Friend of Dairy award. The group recognized Dr. Tony J Seykora for his significant impact on Minnesota’s dairy industry through education, inspiring future generations and research efforts.
The association will formally present Seykora with the award during its upcoming annual meeting on Feb. 24 in St. Paul, followed by the annual Dairy Day at the Capitol on Feb. 25.
Seykora grew up on a dairy and swine farm in Steele County, where he developed a passion for dairy judging as a member of Steele County’s state-winning 4-H dairy judging team. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Minnesota and earned a Ph.D. in dairy cattle genetics from North Carolina State University. He has spent over four decades teaching dairy and animal science courses at the University of Minnesota.
In addition to teaching, he has conducted research in the dairy industry and has published over 100 scientific papers. He has also served as a leader for various youth development programs and workshops, including 4-H and FFA dairy judging.
Minnesota Milk awarded its first-ever Friend of Dairy award in 2006 to Bruce Cottington, a lifelong dairy enthusiast who spent countless hours promoting agriculture, FFA, 4-H and the state’s dairy industry. The award took on his name and is given out in select years to recognize individuals who foster Minnesota Milk’s ideals and goals through their personal efforts.
