Advocacy
Every post the Federation has filed under Advocacy.
The aging rule coalition
The federal food-safety regulator has put its raw-milk aging standard on this year's priority list. A federation coalition meeting on the topic drew more members than the agenda…
Read postThe silo testing shift
A shift from farm-level to plant-level surveillance testing has changed how some regions monitor milk supplies. We break down what's actually being asked of members and what isn't.
Read postThe recordkeeping deadline that moved again
The federal traceability recordkeeping deadline our smaller members were bracing for has moved again, this time to mid-2028. Here's why we're using the extra runway now, not later.
Read postThe safety net gets a rewrite for 2026
The federal dairy margin program many members lean on has changed for 2026, with a longer lock-in option and lower premiums. Here's what to check before you sign…
Read postWhat sixty days is actually buying you
New research questioning whether the 60-day aging rule stops every pathogen has reopened a debate our members have been living with for years.
Read postWhat clears first when the backlog breaks
The federal funding lapse that stalled comment periods and export paperwork this fall is finally moving toward resolution. Here's what we're watching first.
Read postThe standards up for repeal
A federal proposal to strike a batch of decades-old dairy standards of identity has quietly reopened for comment, and members who make the cheeses on the list should…
Read postThe comment period stuck behind the shutdown
A federal comment period on interstate cheese shipment closed weeks ago. With the shutdown into its fourth week, members are asking why nothing has moved since.
Read postThe old labeling rules now up for review
Federal regulators have proposed dropping a set of decades-old cheese labeling standards as obsolete, and the federation wants member input before the record closes.
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