Dairy farmers across the country may soon find a little more breathing room when it comes to one of their most persistent challenges: finding and keeping reliable workers. The National Milk Producers Federation, or NMPF, is praising a new plan from the Trump administration that aims to improve dairy access to the H-2A agricultural worker program, a change the industry has been seeking for years.
In a statement released June 18, 2026, NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said dairy producers appreciate the new clarification outlining exactly how dairy operations may use the H-2A program. For an industry that runs every single day of the year, gaining a clearer path to this program is no small thing.
“Dairy farmers appreciate the new clarification released by the Trump administration outlining how dairy operations may use the H-2A agricultural worker program,” Doud said. “The dairy industry has long sought access to the H-2A program, and this guidance will help open the door for dairies to begin using this program.”
The H-2A program has traditionally been geared toward seasonal agricultural work, which has made it a difficult fit for dairy farms that need help around the clock, in every season. Cows do not take a day off, and neither do the people who care for them. That year-round reality has long kept many dairies on the outside looking in when it came to this particular labor solution. The new guidance, NMPF says, begins to change that.
Doud credited several federal leaders for taking the issue head-on, applauding secretaries Rollins and Mullin and acting Secretary Sonderling for what he called their proactive leadership. He added that the federation looks forward to learning more about the important new changes as they take shape.
Still, NMPF is making clear that this is a starting point rather than a finish line. The organization pledged to keep working with both Congress and the administration to secure long-term certainty for the dairy workforce. That includes finding workable solutions to help dairies transition into the H-2A program in a way that lasts.
The stakes reach well beyond the farm gate. A stable, dependable workforce helps keep dairy operations healthy, which in turn supports the small towns and rural communities that depend on them. As Doud put it, the goal is to ensure that dairies across the nation are set up to thrive, “boosting rural communities and providing Americans and the world with high-quality, nutritious products.”
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, Virginia, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. Its member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, giving the organization a strong voice for dairy on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.
To read the full statement and learn more about the new H-2A guidance, visit the National Milk Producers Federation online at www.nmpf.org.