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News of the Day September 22, 2026
USDA Restricts Spending on Dairy Marketing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says industry-funded research and promotion programs cannot fund initiatives focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving environmental sustainability.
The announcement comes after three Wisconsin dairy farmers filed a lawsuit in June challenging the federal dairy checkoff for using farmers’ money to fund so-called “Environmental, Social and Governance” initiatives. The farmers were represented by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, or WILL.
The dairy checkoff requires American farmers to pay a fee on the milk they produce to fund industry marketing and research efforts, including popular ads like the “Got Milk?” campaign.
In a letter to the National Dairy Research and Promotion Board, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday that the Trump administration is “aligning checkoff programs with its policy positions.”
“Effective immediately, all projects funded by the dairy checkoff program must focus on long-term value creation for future generations and not activities advancing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks, net-zero or climate neutrality initiatives,” Rollins wrote.