National Milk Producers Federation

What National Milk Producers Federation does

National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), founded in 1916 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is a non-profit trade association that represents the policy, regulatory, and market interests of U.S. dairy farmer cooperatives. Its member cooperatives collectively handle approximately 85% of U.S. milk production. NMPF's core offering is advocacy — operating across federal milk pricing, trade policy, labor and immigration, sustainability, animal health, nutrition, labeling, and food safety — delivered through direct engagement with USDA, FDA, and USTR, congressional fly-ins, and member communications.

NMPF's portfolio of programs functions as the de facto standards infrastructure for U.S. dairy. The National Dairy FARM Program operates across Environmental Stewardship (powered by the Cornell-developed RuFaS model covering 215 farms across 20 states), Animal Care, Antibiotic Stewardship, Workforce Development, and Biosecurity modules, with >99% of U.S. milk supply enrolled. Other key programs include the NEXT export-assistance initiative (funded at $0.02/cwt on member milk marketed), Cooperatives Working Together (launched 2003), the Young Cooperators leadership program, and the REAL® Seal certification. NMPF also operates affiliated trade associations for butter and ice cream mix segments.

The federation is funded through cooperative membership dues, associate member fees (50+ organizations spanning suppliers, manufacturers, and service companies), and unit-priced program contributions. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. NMPF is led by President & CEO Gregg Doud and governed by a Board of Directors elected from its 25+ member cooperatives (Dairy Farmers of America, Land O'Lakes, California Dairies, Tillamook, Prairie Farms, and others), supporting a staff of approximately 40 across policy, regulatory, scientific, communications, and member-relations functions.

Name

National Milk Producers Federation

Legal name

National Milk Producers Federation

Website

https://nmpf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Milk Producers Federation is a 1916-founded non-profit trade association representing U.S. dairy farmer cooperatives handling approximately 85% of U.S. milk production, delivering federal advocacy, the National Dairy FARM Program covering >99% of milk supply, and export-assistance programs like NEXT to its member cooperatives and 50+ associate members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (112120)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Milk Production (Raw Milk) (AFAEACAA)

Keywords

• Dairy trade association
• Agricultural advocacy services
• Dairy cooperative representation
• Farm policy advocacy
• Dairy export assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: NMPF generates revenue through cooperative membership dues and associate membership fees from organizations with vested interests in U.S. dairy's future. The organization uses these resources to advocate for dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.
2. NMPF Exports & Trade (NEXT) Program: NEXT is a voluntary, marketing-focused program funded by member cooperatives contributing two cents per hundredweight of milk marketed. The program promotes U.S. dairy product exports to overseas customers and supports export sales assistance.
3. Cooperatives Working Together (CWT): A self-help program launched in 2003 to bolster farm milk prices through expedited dairy beef sales, export market development and sales assistance. Funded through member contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Milk Producers Federation is a non-profit trade federation that represents U.S. dairy farmer-owned cooperatives through federal advocacy, regulatory engagement, and member-focused programs. Its core offerings include government relations and policy development on issues such as milk pricing, trade, labor, sustainability, and animal health; the National Dairy FARM Program for animal care, environmental stewardship, and biosecurity; the NEXT export assistance program; the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) self-help export program; leadership development through the Young Cooperators Program; and dairy leadership scholarships.

Product overview

NMPF is a trade federation serving as the unifying voice of America's dairy farmers, offering a portfolio of member-focused programs rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include the National Dairy FARM Program (a multi-module platform covering Environmental Stewardship, Animal Care, Antibiotic Stewardship, Workforce Development, and Biosecurity), the NMPF Exports & Trade (NEXT) export assistance program, the National Young Cooperators leadership development program, the National Dairy Leadership Scholarship program, and the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) export program. Additional offerings include the REAL Seal certification, American Butter Institute, and National Ice Cream Mix Association. The organization also provides advocacy resources on Farm Bill, milk pricing, trade policy, labor policy, sustainability, animal health, nutrition, food safety, and labeling standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Dairy FARM Program A multi-module farmer-owned program setting industry standards for animal care, environmental stewardship, antibiotic stewardship, workforce development, and biosecurity on U.S. dairy farms, with on-farm third-party verification and enrollment covering over 99% of the U.S. milk supply.
• NMPF Exports & Trade (NEXT) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 99% of U.S. milk supply comes from farms enrolled in FARM Animal Care Program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995USDEC is a nonprofit membership organization representing global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives. Founded by Dairy Management Inc. in 1995, USDEC represents the dairy industry's international trade interests. NMPF and USDEC frequently coordinate on trade policy advocacy and have co-led the Agricultural Coalition for USMCA with approximately 40 agricultural organizations.
• Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCFN works alongside NMPF to protect common cheese names from EU geographical indication monopolization. Both organizations jointly advocate for American producers' rights to use terms like 'parmesan' and 'feta' in global markets.
• Taiwan Dairy AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNMPF, USDEC, and CCFN signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Taiwan's Dairy Association in 2025, which supported the 2026 U.S.-Taiwan trade agreement eliminating tariffs on all U.S. dairy products.
• Dairy Management Inc. (DMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMI manages the National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association. Founded USDEC in 1995 and is USDEC's primary funder through the dairy checkoff program. DMI also supports the National Dairy FARM Program.
• Cooperatives Working Together (CWT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWT is a self-help program launched by NMPF in 2003 to bolster farm milk prices through expedited dairy beef sales, export market development and sales assistance. Member-funded program supporting dairy market stabilization.
• National Dairy BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Annual Meeting held in conjunction with United Dairy Industry Association and National Dairy Board, coordinating industry-wide events and programs for dairy farmer leadership development.
• Professional Dairy Producers (PDP)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPDP organized Carbon, Crops + Cows workshop featuring NMPF experts presenting on carbon intensity scores, sustainability metrics, and FARM-ES evaluation tools. PDP promotes its Your Farm – Your Footprint® initiative in collaboration with NMPF.
• Cornell UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornell University researchers developed the Ruminant Farm Systems (RuFaS) modeling tool in collaboration with over 20 organizations. RuFaS has been adopted as the model for the National Dairy FARM Environmental Stewardship program.
• U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNMPF works with USTR on trade negotiations and policy. The organizations collaborated on U.S.-Ecuador, U.S.-Indonesia, U.S.-Taiwan, and U.S.-Argentina trade agreements that eliminate tariffs and protect common cheese names.
• International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerNMPF and IDFA coordinate on certain industry issues. Both organizations supported the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act allowing schools to offer whole and flavored milk again, calling it a major victory for children's nutrition.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Corn Growers Association (NCGA): Commodity checkoff-and-membership organization representing U.S. corn farmers — a key dairy input supplier. Frequently allies with NMPF on Farm Bill, ethanol, and trade issues within the broader crop-livestock coalition.
• National Farmers Union (NFU): U.S. family farmer and rancher advocacy organization that often competes with NMPF/Farm Bureau on dairy and agricultural policy. Operates a similar grassroots advocacy model on Capitol Hill and with USDA.
• National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA): Trade association representing U.S. cattle producers, including a large dairy-beef crossover herd base relevant to NMPF's beef-removal program (CWT). Comparable advocacy structure and Congressional engagement for the livestock sector.
• National Pork Producers Council (NPPC): U.S. pork industry trade association operating with a similar producer-cooperative-fed model and trade/policy advocacy focus. Often partners with NMPF in agricultural coalitions on labor, trade, and animal health.
• American Farm Bureau Federation: Largest U.S. general agriculture trade association representing farmers and ranchers across all commodities. Overlaps with NMPF on broad Farm Bill, labor, and trade advocacy and represents the broader agricultural coalition NMPF often coordinates with.

Direct peers

• American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI): Trade association for U.S. manufactured dairy products (cheese, whey, milk powders, dairy ingredients). Comparable trade/advocacy function for the dairy value chain, complementing NMPF's producer-side focus.
• International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA): Trade association representing the U.S. dairy processing and manufacturing industry (fluid milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt). Coordinates with NMPF on industry-wide issues such as the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act while representing processor (rather than farmer) interests.
• U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC): Nonprofit membership organization founded in 1995 by DMI to represent the international trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, processors, and cooperatives. Closely intertwined with NMPF, frequently co-led on trade coalitions such as the Agricultural Coalition for USMCA.
• Dairy Management Inc. (DMI): Manages the national dairy checkoff program, the National Dairy Council, and American Dairy Association; primary funder of USDEC and co-supporter of the National Dairy FARM Program. Operates the checkoff-funded marketing and research apparatus parallel to NMPF's advocacy role.
• American Butter Institute: Butter industry trade association managed by NMPF and wholly owned by the federation. Functions as a focused advocacy vehicle for butter standards and labeling, materially overlapping NMPF's Standards of Identity work including the 2025 Country Crock FDA complaint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nmpf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/nationalmilk
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalmilk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-milk/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Milk Producers Federation