House Committee Votes to Bring Back Whole Milk

Feb 13, 2025
By Farms.com

2025 Bill Aims to Reintroduce Full-fat Milk in Schools

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has successfully passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, a pivotal step toward reintroducing whole and reduced-fat milk in school cafeterias.

The bill, passed with a vote of 24-10, reflects a strong bipartisan agreement and is now awaiting further approval by the full House and Senate.

Endorsed by Michael Dykes, IDFA’s president and CEO, the move is celebrated across various sectors. “Today’s strong, bipartisan passage... demonstrates the widespread support the bill enjoys,” Dykes commented. He urged swift action to reintroduce nutritious milk options to school children, highlighting over a decade’s absence from school menus.

The lack of whole and 2% milk in schools has led to a significant decline in dairy consumption, with many children not meeting the federal guidelines for necessary nutrients.

Nutritional science supports the reintroduction, linking full-fat dairy products like whole milk to numerous health benefits, including lower risks of obesity and heart disease among children.

The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act aims to revitalize school meal programs, offering children essential nutrients that support their growth, immune function, and overall health.

For further details on the role of whole and 2% milk in promoting child wellness, visit www.wholemilkforkids.com.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.