NMPF Spent $246,357 on Lobbying While Dairy Labels Bill Looms

The National Milk Producers Federation spent $246,357 on lobbying across all registrants in the third quarter of 2026, a drop of $216,476 from the previous quarter, according to federal disclosure filings that map the group's agenda on dairy safety nets, labor and mandatory food labels.

The in-house NMPF report alone lists $211,357 in expenditures. Outside firms filled the rest of the total: Monument Advocacy billed $20,000 and Groundswell Strategy LLC billed $15,000. HB Strategies filed a third-quarter amendment that replaced its original report at $0 — the clearest shift in NMPF's outside-firm roster across recent complete quarters. For comparison, all registrants combined for $462,833 in the second quarter of 2026, meaning spending fell by nearly half in three months.

Who is running the lobbying effort?

The in-house team named on the filing includes:

• Shawna Morris, executive vice president for trade policy and global affairs;
• Tony Rice, senior trade policy director;
• Maria Brockamp, senior government relations manager;
• Trey Forsyth, vice president for government and regulatory affairs, who previously served as a professional staff member on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee in the 118th and 119th Congresses.

That bench gives NMPF direct institutional knowledge of the committee now writing the farm bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced the Agricultural Act of 2026 on a 12-11 party-line vote on Sept. 16.

What does the farm bill fight change for dairy margins?

NMPF has supported efforts to update two programs that anchor dairy farm revenue risk: the Dairy Margin Coverage program and Dairy Revenue Protection. The filing ties that work to the committee's September markup. But the Senate path is not the only one in play. Sen. Mike Lee introduced S. 4906 in June, a bill that would eliminate both DMC and DRP outright. That proposal sits alongside the committee bill as a live, if opposite, direction for federal dairy policy.

For a producer, the stakes are straightforward. DMC pays out when the margin between milk prices and feed costs narrows. DRP insures revenue against price and production swings. Updating either program changes the floor under farm margins when milk prices fall or feed costs rise.

Why is NMPF fighting front-of-pack labels?

The filing also reports opposition to S. 5026, the Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act of 2026, sponsored by Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT). The bill would require health warnings on labels and in advertisements for sweetened, processed, or high-nutrient-concern foods and beverages, prohibit marketing those products to children, and expand nutrition research. Its latest action, on July 16, was referral to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

NMPF, the International Dairy Foods Association, and a coalition of dairy signatories including Dairy Farmers of America urged Congress in September 2026 to reject the bill. Their argument: the bill's broad definitions could place warning labels on whole milk, cheese, ice cream and most yogurts. The coalition cites the 2025-30 Dietary Guidelines' estimate that 67.3% to 93.9% of school-aged children fall short of recommended dairy intake. A warning label on nearly the entire dairy case, the groups contend, would collide with a documented consumption shortfall.

Where does labor policy fit in?

NMPF has supported legislative efforts to let dairy farmers keep their existing workforce while gaining access to new workers. The centerpiece is H.R. 9535, the Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026, sponsored by Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15). The bill would expand the H-2A agricultural visa program by removing the seasonal work requirement and allowing year-round agricultural employment. It was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary on June 30.

The year-round provision matters because dairy operates continuously, unlike seasonal crop work tied to the current H-2A structure. NMPF has also advocated for agricultural labor reforms either before or alongside any immigration reforms that may target farms as places of employment.

The coalition behind H.R. 9535 extends well beyond dairy: the National Turkey Federation, New York Farm Bureau, Select Milk Producers, Indiana Farm Bureau, United Egg Producers, the American Horticulture Industry Association, the International Fresh Produce Association, and Aurora Organic Dairy are all associated with the bill.

What about animal health?

In December 2025, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) led 21 colleagues in urging USDA to prioritize a poultry avian influenza vaccine strategy and, once developed, a strategy for dairy cattle. NMPF endorsed the call. The filing also lists support for modernizing the North American Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine bank — a biosecurity position the federation has held across multiple farm bill cycles.

The immediate signals for the coming months are procedural: the Agricultural Act of 2026 moves forward on a party-line committee vote, S. 5026 sits before the HELP Committee, and NMPF's fourth-quarter filing will show whether the sharper third-quarter spending cut held.