Dairy Promotion Program

The Dairy Promotion Program or National Dairy Checkoff is a United States commodity checkoff program for dairy product promotion, research, and nutrition education as part of a comprehensive strategy to increase human consumption of milk and dairy products and to reduce dairy surpluses.

It provides primary funding for Dairy Management Inc. Dairy farmers fund this self-help program through a mandatory 15¢/cwt. ($3.31 per metric ton) assessment on all milk produced and marketed commercially in the 48 contiguous states. Dairy farmers can direct up to 10¢ of this assessment for contributions to qualified regional, state or local dairy product promotion, research or nutrition education programs; the other five cents goes to the national checkoff. In 1995, the Dairy Management Inc was created as a special department to increase dairy consumption in the United States.

The Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 (P.L. 98–180, Title I) authorized the program. The national dairy checkoff started in 1983 as an optional program for dairy farmers to contribute to increase demand for dairy products. Today the program is no longer optional; dairy producers must contribute to the program. The program is administered by the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (Dairy Board), a group of 36 dairy farmers appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to staggered three-year terms.