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New federal allowance for whole milk in school meals could open market for Vermont dairies, staff say

Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry · January 28, 2026

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Summary

Senate staff celebrated passage of a measure to permit whole and reduced‑fat milk in school programs, saying it could create additional market opportunities for Vermont dairy producers and supporting local farm‑to‑school efforts.

Miles McDermott told the committee that the recent change allowing whole and reduced‑fat milk in school meal programs represents a tangible win for Vermont dairy producers. "The whole milk for healthy kids bill was definitely, you know, the largest victory that we've had in a while," McDermott said, adding the change could open another market channel for Vermont dairies.

Staff and members connected the development to broader farm‑to‑school initiatives and discussed staffing and processing capacity in school kitchens to increase scratch cooking and sourcing from local producers. Members noted practical constraints such as kitchen staff and procurement capacity that could limit rapid uptake of local, less‑processed foods in some districts.

Delegation staff said they would pass feedback about school nutrition priorities back to Senate policy teams and explore how to align SNAP and farm‑to‑school investments to support both student nutrition and Vermont producers.