National Dairy Holdings and HP Hood Inc., have called off the proposed merger that would have created an unrivaled No. 2 milk organization. Instead, the two privately held companies are proposing a partnership wherein John Kaneb will be the chairman and chief executive officer of NDH and Hood and Tracy Noll will be the president and chief operating officer of NDH and Hood. Hood will become a stakeholder in NDH, and Dairy Farmers of America, which is a partner in NDH, will become a stakeholder in Hood.