According to multiple news outlets, President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed a "Phase One" trade deal on Jan. 15. Reaction from major dairy organizations was mostly positive.

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced the launch of the Women in Dairy Network to support a stronger, more diverse future for U.S. dairy.

The entry deadline for the World Championship Cheese Contest is Jan. 31.

The American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI), an Elmhurst, Ill.-based trade organization focused on dairy ingredients and related products, said it introduced “L3 certification” (listen, learn, liaise) for many of its hosted events and activities that have a focus on training, education and development (T.E.D.) for attendees and participants.

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., said it recognized five individuals whose careers have positively impacted the trajectory of U.S. dairy.

A dozen executives from North America’s largest dairy companies will travel to Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4 to advocate directly with members of Congress and Trump administration officials for passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

On Nov. 12, Dean Foods Co. said it and substantially all of its subsidiaries initiated voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization proceedings in the Southern District of Texas. Dairy industry groups, including the Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), Rosemont, Ill., issued statements the same day in reaction to the news.

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) said it is seeking applicants for its 2020 summer internship, which will offer one undergraduate or recent graduate firsthand experience with the association’s advocacy efforts on dairy policy with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and federal officials in regulatory agencies.

This October, USDA announced plans to purchase an additional $50 million in fresh fluid milk with Section 32 authority, further increasing support to the nation’s dairy industry when uncertainty with trade and low prices have created challenges for farmers and processors, said the Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA).

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), Arlington, Va., said its board of directors elected Texas dairy farmer Larry Hancock as its new chairman on Oct. 15.