A dozen executives from North America’s largest dairy companies will travel to Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4 to advocate directly with members of Congress and Trump administration officials for passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

On Nov. 12, Dean Foods Co. said it and substantially all of its subsidiaries initiated voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization proceedings in the Southern District of Texas. Dairy industry groups, including the Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), Rosemont, Ill., issued statements the same day in reaction to the news.

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) said it is seeking applicants for its 2020 summer internship, which will offer one undergraduate or recent graduate firsthand experience with the association’s advocacy efforts on dairy policy with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and federal officials in regulatory agencies.

This October, USDA announced plans to purchase an additional $50 million in fresh fluid milk with Section 32 authority, further increasing support to the nation’s dairy industry when uncertainty with trade and low prices have created challenges for farmers and processors, said the Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA).

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), Arlington, Va., said its board of directors elected Texas dairy farmer Larry Hancock as its new chairman on Oct. 15.

The presentation took place at a press conference on Oct. 10 at Process Expo, held at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

USDA said the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) and Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), both based in Madison, Wis., were chosen to host a regional Dairy Business Innovation Initiative, serving Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Illinois.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation said they joined other agriculture groups and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle at a rally to tout the trade benefits of USMCA.

The new poll, conducted by Morning Consult in partnership with IDFA, also found that many consumers want to see more variety in school milk offerings.

The publication contains the only industrywide data collected on the commercial uses of dry and condensed milks, whey products and lactose ingredients.