COBLESKILL, N.Y. — Whole milk is back on the menu in federal school meals, and dairy farmers are working at the grassroots level to make sure families and schools know it.

At the 150th Schoharie County Sunshine Fair in Cobleskill Aug. 11-16, dairy farmer Ann Diefendorf, one of the New York State’s “3 Farmers Who Care,” took the whole milk and message directly to fairgoers, including new hand-painted round bales urging them to “Ask for Whole Milk in Your School” and “Reach for the Red Cap.”

Diefendorf tells Farmshine they also made a new oversized banner using 97 MILK’s social media post about USDA’s Final Rule and provided other materials at the booth.

As always, they also gave out whole milk and whole chocolate milk produced in the Empire State, this time through a chiller-dispenser machine like some schools are using. The first 60 gallons dispensed in small cups came from RonnyBrook Farms Dairy near Pine Plain and the last 12 gallons from Dygert Creamery of Palatine Bridge.

On the second day of the fair, the Dygert family stopped by the booth and Diefendorf was joined by Olivia Dygert and Macie Romell, students who know how good delicious, nutritious whole milk really is.

The booth used the new banner to highlight USDA’s June 8th Final Rule that fully implements the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act signed into law in January to restore whole and 2% milk options across all federal school meals and child nutrition programs, including child daycare and senior care centers.

Adjustments are also included in the Farm Bill making its way through Congress to expand options for whole milk and more dairy products in other types of feeding programs.

Meanwhile, conversations among school foodservice personnel around the country demonstrate how uneven implementation has been. The popular question tells the tale on “lunch lady” social media platforms: “Are you serving whole milk and do you understand the rule?”

A communication breakdown is apparent in the uneven support from State Education Departments who audit these programs in how they did or did not convey the USDA Final Rule.

Some foodservice personnel state that they believe whole milk is permitted only at lunch or only at breakfast, while others are confronting procurement hurdles, flavored-milk added-sugar requirements, or foodservice contractors whose offerings have not caught up with the new rules.

For 97 MILK and the 3 Farmers Who Care, the implementation gap shows how important education is as the next step: The rule has changed. Now more schools need to more fully know what their options are and why it matters to student health and nutrition.

In addition to the longstanding grassroots work of 97 MILK and 3 Farmers Who Care, dairy farmers can also see their checkoff dollars at work on bridging the implementation gap through the New York Dairy Promotion Order and more broadly through American Dairy Association North East that works with 1800 school districts across the multi-state region.

ADANE is providing schools with information and tools to navigate the return of whole and 2% milk, while also making materials available for dairy farmers and others to use in conversations with their local schools. Through direct school outreach, its “Whole Lotta Wholesome” campaign and implementation support helps schools address practical hurdles — procurement, product availability, equipment, menu planning and staff education — that stand between a change in federal policy and actually getting more milk choices onto school serving lines.

In Pennsylvania, as reported last week, the Whole Milk in Schools Task Force is working to gain cosponsors and Senate leadership interest in Pa. Senate Bill 1362, introduced by Sen. David Argall to fund pilot grants for bulk chiller dispensers and other refrigeration options to help expand choices and improve student health.

At the federal level, USDA announced on Tues., Aug. 25 that part of its healthier school meals program will be $50 million in school grants for equipment such as expanded cold storage for fresh local foods. House Ag Chairman GT Thompson also introduced the FRESH Act (Funding for Refrigeration Equipment for Student Health) specifically targeting equipment for milk service.

The ADANE materials are available at https://www.americandairy.com/dairy-in-schools/programs/school-milk/

Also be sure to follow and consider volunteering and donating to help the grassroots efforts of 97milk.com as the core group of founding volunteers from Pennsylvania continue to do milk and dairy education since February, 2019.

Plus, if you’re in New York State, look for opportunities to help 3 Farmers Who Care! They also tirelessly volunteer their time, and they do many events throughout the year to promote and educate the general public about whole milk and dairy.