Annual Report

One of the greatest privileges of leading the national dairy checkoff is the opportunity to spend time with dairy farmers and importers across the country. Whether on farms, at industry meetings or in a boardroom, those conversations continually reinforce the same belief: the future of dairy is built through collaboration.

As I reflect on 2025, what stands out most is not any one accomplishment. It is how years of focused work are beginning to build upon one another in meaningful ways.

Today’s consumers are embracing dairy for the qualities that have always made it unique – great taste, exceptional nutrition and versatility – while also recognizing dairy’s important role in health and wellness, active lifestyles and real food. Customers continue to look for new ways to incorporate dairy into products and menus, and global demand for U.S. dairy remains strong. These opportunities are the result of a long-term commitment to science, innovation, strategic partnerships and consumer engagement. These focused efforts have strengthened dairy’s position in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

What encouraged me most this year was seeing how these efforts fuel one another.

• Science strengthens consumer confidence.
• Consumer confidence creates opportunities for innovation.
• Innovation opens doors with customers here at home and around the world.

Together, these efforts create momentum that no single initiative could achieve on its own.

That is exactly what the Unified Plan was designed to do – align priorities across the dairy community, focus efforts where they can have the greatest impact and ensure we remain responsive to changing consumer needs and marketplace dynamics.

Throughout 2025, we saw meaningful progress. Decades of checkoff-supported nutrition research helped support dairy’s place in healthy eating patterns through the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, reaffirming dairy as a nutrient-dense food group and recognizing milk, cheese and yogurt at all fat levels as part of healthy dietary patterns.

Sales-driving programs demonstrated how coordinated efforts across the checkoff network and grocery partners translate consumer engagement into measurable dairy sales. And new menu, new product and marketing collaborations with leading foodservice, retail and dairy companies continued to create new ways for consumers to enjoy dairy that reflect today’s lifestyles and preferences. 

Just as important, we continued to advance the work that prepares dairy for what comes next. With a diversified portfolio of nutrition research projects and partners, and a prioritization of newly discovered milk compounds through our artificial intelligence platform – the Milk Molecule initiative – we’re laying groundwork for future benefits, claims, products and messaging. That work, and our deepening understanding of people’s health and wellness needs and expectations, enables dairy to be a solution in the “food as medicine” movement.

The dairy checkoff plays a unique role – bringing farmers, value-chain partners and third-party authoritative voices together to advance work that accomplishes more than we could alone.

Our commitment to focus, collaboration and innovation is more important than ever.

And our greatest opportunities are created when science, innovation, promotion and partnerships work together with purpose.

Consumer preferences continue to evolve, making trust and credibility more important than ever. Through coordinated marketing, nutrition communications and thought-leader engagement, DMI's Marketing Communications and Affairs Team, which includes farmer-founded and checkoff-funded National Dairy Council, works to ensure dairy remains a trusted and relevant choice for families. 

These efforts helped strengthen positive perceptions of dairy’s health benefits, increase trust in the dairy industry and reinforce dairy’s place in nutrition guidance. At the same time, e-commerce and retail partnerships connected consumers with dairy products at key purchasing moments, helping translate positive perceptions into sales.

A major milestone came with the release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (announced in early 2026), which affirms dairy as a nutrient-dense food group and recognizes milk, cheese and yogurt at all fat levels as part of healthy dietary patterns. The recommendations create opportunities for dairy, including expanded opportunities for milk – including whole fat options – in schools.

DMI also continued reaching consumers through innovative programs. The “We Are Family” e-commerce campaign, activated nationwide in partnership with state and regional dairy promotion organizations and retail and media partners, generated nearly $70 million in additional dairy sales over two years. In 2025, the campaign delivered a 3.41% sales lift, demonstrating the power of coordinated and scaled retail activation.

Meanwhile, DMI, NDC and the broader dairy community advanced additional awareness of and support for dairy’s important role in maternal and early childhood nutrition. The First 1,000 Days initiative included outreach to healthcare professionals, parents and caregivers, as well as media partnerships and digital content. 

Online engagement also continued to grow. The Undeniably Dairy digital platform reached 6.1 million users in 2025 while time spent at USDairy.com increased significantly, demonstrating continued consumer interest in trusted information about dairy nutrition, farmer stories and culinary insights.

Partnerships with respected organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and National Medical Association, helped amplify science-based information about dairy’s role in healthy eating patterns and strengthen dairy’s credibility among healthcare professionals.

In 2025, farmer confidence and engagement reached record levels. Through national and local promotion board communications, grassroots outreach, annual meetings, direct engagement and media relations, the checkoff strengthened connections with farmers and importers, showing their investment was making a difference.

This work was accomplished through expanded one-on-one engagement with select farmers and included on-farm visits, industry meetings and direct conversations about opportunities and challenges facing the dairy industry. 

Making Every Drop Count Ad

The Making Every Drop Count campaign continued playing a central role in connecting farmers and importers to their checkoff investment. Through digital advertising, media outreach, podcasts, articles and events, the campaign generated more than 17.4 million total views in 2025 – a 39% increase from the previous year.