In dairy-related news at the end of June 2026:
- Prairie Farms Family of Companies honors America’s 250th anniversary with donation of 250,000 servings of milk
- NMPF: Dairy demand resilient despite mounting economic pressure on consumers
- Utah State wins dairy checkoff’s New Product Competition
- Midwest Dairy Accelerator showcases new opportunities for dairy
- Gonna Need Milk partners with Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios’ Supergirl to spotlight milk
Prairie Farms Family of Companies honors America’s 250th anniversary with donation of 250,000 servings of milk
In celebration of June Dairy Month and America’s 250th anniversary, the Prairie Farms Family of Companies is donating 250,000 servings of fresh whole milk to 50 Feeding America partner food banks in 20 states, helping provide nutritious dairy products to families facing food insecurity across the Midwest and South.
As part of this year’s effort, Prairie Farms Dairy and Hiland Dairy are placing special emphasis on helping families experiencing food insecurity, including military households. According to Feeding America, military families face food insecurity at rates higher than many Americans realize, with studies showing that approximately one in four active-duty service members experiences food insecurity at some point during military service.
“June Dairy Month is an opportunity to celebrate our dairy farmers and employees and to support food banks with one of the most requested yet least donated items, fresh milk,” said Matt McClelland, CEO and executive vice president of Prairie Farms Dairy. “As a farmer-owned dairy cooperative, we are proud to nourish our communities every day. This donation reflects our commitment to helping families facing food insecurity, including many military households, and reinforces the values that guide our ongoing partnership with Folds of Honor and our support for those who serve our country.”
The food bank donations took place on June 24, with fresh whole milk donated to 50 food banks across 20 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.
NMPF: Dairy demand resilient despite mounting economic pressure on consumers
U.S. milk production grew 2.9% in April on a component basis, as dairy producers added more cows to the milking herd to take advantage of returns from beef-on-dairy and productivity increased, according to a report from Katriel Marks-Yant at the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).
Summarizing dairy markets in the June 2026 Dairy Management Inc./NMPF Dairy Market Report, Marks-Yant said, “Strong milk production has translated into ample cheese and butter production, limiting price upside. Solid domestic sales and surging exports for those two product categories have kept prices relatively balanced, despite low consumer confidence.”
On the protein side of the question, prices remain historically firm as nonfat dry milk (NFDM) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) supplies remain hard to come by. However, at time of writing, NFDM prices were weakening as additional supply and loss of export sales pulled U.S. prices back toward parity with Oceania and Europe.
For more information on commercial use, dairy trade, milk production, product inventories, prices and margins, view the June 2026 Dairy Market Report.
Utah State wins dairy checkoff’s New Product Competition
A team of food science students from Utah State University won first place in Dairy Management Inc.’s (DMI) New Product Competition with a high-protein personal pizza featuring a crust made with approximately 85% dairy ingredients.
Judges from across the dairy industry selected Utah State for best meeting this year’s contest challenge: developing an innovative dairy-based product that supports bone health, muscle health and weight management.
The team’s winning product, Athena’s Slice, reimagines personal pizza with a crust made from cottage cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan and nonfat dry milk. Topped with tzatziki-style sauce, gyro meat, feta cheese, mozzarella, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, onions and green bell peppers, the pizza delivers 30 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per serving.
The students said Athena’s Slice was designed to meet growing consumer demand for protein-rich foods while demonstrating dairy’s versatility in unique applications. Team members Taelie Kennedy, Angalee Brinkerhoff and Erynn Chidester received DMI’s Platinum Dairy Innovator Award and a $10,000 prize.
“Someone suggested a cottage cheese pizza crust, and I wanted to do something Greek-themed,” Kennedy said. “We also looked at consumer insights, and protein has been one of the biggest trends for years, so that was important to us. Those concepts came together, and that’s really how Athena’s Slice was born.”
Other winners included:
- Gold Dairy Innovator Award ($7,000): Cornell University – Melt a Whey, a bite-sized dairy snack that melts in the mouth and can be prepared as a latte-style beverage. The product contains approximately 55% dairy ingredients and delivers 18 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of collagen per serving.
- Silver Dairy Innovator Award ($4,000): Oregon State University – Protein Pomodoro, a refrigerated pasta sauce formulated with 61% dairy ingredients that combines cottage cheese with a classic tomato base to deliver protein and calcium in a familiar meal solution.
- Dairy Innovator Awards ($2,000 each): Rounding out the top six finalists are Cornell University (cottage cheese reimagined as a light, airy mousse), University of Wisconsin – Madison (high-protein, frozen mousse-style dessert) and University of Wisconsin – River Falls (freeze-dried snack featuring a cottage cheese base combined with fruits, vegetables and/or chocolate).
Midwest Dairy Accelerator showcases new opportunities for dairy
Midwest Dairy, in partnership with VentureFuel, announced the six companies selected for the second annual Midwest Dairy Accelerator, an intensive 10-week virtual program designed to help emerging food and beverage brands scale innovative products that use Midwest dairy as a key ingredient.
The selected startups reflect some of the fastest-growing trends in food and beverage, including high-protein snacking, yogurt-based functional foods, clean-label ingredients, premium frozen desserts and globally inspired dairy products. The cohort was chosen from a highly competitive applicant pool across the Midwest and represents a new generation of entrepreneurs reimagining dairy’s role in modern food innovation.
The 2026 Midwest Dairy Accelerator cohort includes:
- Disco Cow, Chicago, Illinois, founder Kate Colehour is reimagining cottage cheese through whipped, protein-packed dips and spreads that combine convenience, flavor and nutrition for everyday snacking occasions.
- Drippy Dip, Saginaw, Michigan, co-founder Ryan Fitzpatrick is reinventing cheese dip with a shelf-stable product made from real cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses, featuring clean ingredients with no seed oils, artificial dyes or unnecessary additives.
- MOOJ Foods, Chicago, Illinois, founder Ritu Sreenivasan is modernizing traditional paneer with a high-protein, lower-fat dairy product designed for everyday cooking across a wide range of cuisines and consumer preferences.
- Pretty Cool Ice Cream, Chicago, Illinois, founder Dana Cree creates chef-driven gourmet frozen novelties featuring premium dairy ingredients, innovative flavors and artisan craftsmanship inspired by her award-winning pastry background.
- (P)RiND, Chicago, Illinois, founder Matteo Caoia is redefining protein snacking with cheese pops made from just cheese and four simple ingredients, delivering 30 grams of protein in a naturally lactose-free, gluten-free format.
- Yotopia, Iowa City, Iowa, founder Veronica Tessler is bringing probiotic-rich frozen yogurt to consumers with premium frozen desserts made from locally sourced dairy that deliver both indulgence and functional benefits.
Participants will gain access to workshops, one-on-one mentorship and direct collaboration with leaders across the dairy ecosystem, including ingredient experts, processors, manufacturers, retailers, academics and food industry executives. Programming will cover consumer insights, ingredients and innovation, manufacturing, distribution, retail strategy, marketing and business pitching.
The program will culminate in a live pitch event on Sept. 16. Finalists will present their businesses to a panel of industry experts and judges, with a $20,000 grand prize awarded to the winner and $10,000 awarded to the runner-up.
Gonna Need Milk partners with Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios’ Supergirl to spotlight milk
Gonna Need Milk announced a summer-long partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures in support of DC Studios’ highly anticipated film Supergirl, in theaters nationwide on June 26, to spotlight dairy milk as real-world “hero fuel.” Inspired by Supergirl’s powers, the campaign brings dairy milk’s real-world nutrition benefits for strength, recovery and focus to life for fans through national retail, co-branded packaging, creator content, sweepstakes and fan experiences.
“Supergirl’s strength, resilience and focus are the perfect match for the real, science-backed benefits of dairy milk,” said Yin Woon Rani, CEO of MilkPEP. “While Supergirl’s powers may come from the yellow sun, milk’s benefits come from real nutrition including high-quality protein to help build and repair muscle, nutrients that support focus and a unique combination of protein, carbohydrates and electrolytes that can support post-activity recovery.”
Marking the beginning of a significant entertainment partnership activated across the dairy aisle, Supergirl-themed signage landed in more than 2,600 dairy aisles nationwide, including at Albertsons, Walmart and Kroger, in May. Five regional dairy brands – Crystal Creamery, Sarah Fresh, Lucerne, Hollandia and Maola – also debuted co-branded Supergirl labels across approximately 17 million milk units, each featuring a custom QR code directing consumers to the Gonna Need Milk Supergirl Sweepstakes. Prizes include a private hometown screening of Supergirl for 40 people, Fandango movie codes and Supergirl merchandise packages.
Amplifying the campaign regionally, dairy organizations including Arizona Milk, The Dairy Alliance, American Dairy Association Northeast and DairyMAX are driving localized excitement through e-commerce, shopper marketing, high-impact out-of-home advertising, experiential activations and additional in-store support.
To bring the campaign to Supergirl fans online, music icon, dad, former space trainee and certified space enthusiast Lance Bass stars in a social-first video introducing fans to "Intergalactic Milk," a Supergirl-inspired beverage made with real dairy milk. Following Bass’ debut, a wave of culinary, science, film and lifestyle creators are sharing their own takes on Intergalactic Milk including Christina Tosi, award-winning chef and founder of Milk Bar; Maddi Lou, a movie and lifestyle creator known for tapping into buzzy film moments; and Emily Calandrelli, MIT engineer, science communicator and the 100th woman in space.
