President Donald Trump’s speech to the American Farm Bureau Federation in Nashville on Monday presented IDFA with a unique opportunity to leverage public interest in trade and the administration’s support for rural communities. In the news cycle that followed, IDFA emphasized the importance of international trade to the U.S. dairy industry, the need to successfully renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the value that workforce development would bring to rural communities across the country and IDFA’s economic impact tool, Dairy Delivers.

IDFA worked with the White House communications team to publicize the news from the president’s speech and its impact on the dairy industry by releasing a statement of support and tweeting messages, some of which were shared by Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and senior advisor.

The New York Times and Washington Post

Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO, and Stan Ryan, IDFA board member and president and CEO of Darigold, were interviewed for a New York Times story that previewed the topics of agriculture and rural prosperity to be covered in President Trump’s speech.

“I believe the president is genuine when he says he wants to take care of the folks in rural America,” Dykes told the Times. “I think he’s also hearing from rural America that, hey, NAFTA is critical to agriculture.”

Immediately following the speech, Dykes was interviewed by The Washington Post. When asked about his remarks on NAFTA, Dykes said, “The proof will be in the next couple rounds.”

IDFA Commends Administration

IDFA released a statement on Monday applauding President Trump and his administration for highlighting workforce development as a core pillar in the interagency task force report it released on Monday.

“The administration’s task force recommendations highlight the critical connection between investing in the rural workforce and strengthening American manufacturing,” Dykes said.

IDFA took to Twitter to further publicize its support, and the messages were shared by Ivanka Trump. To date, IDFA’s tweets were viewed nearly half a million times and received nearly 4,500 clicks.


Visit IDFA on Twitter at @dairyidfa and Dykes at @michaeldykesdc.

IDFA will continue efforts to advocate for free-trade agreements, which are priorities for IDFA members and the U.S. dairy industry.

Members with questions may contact Peggy Armstrong, IDFA vice president of communications, at parmstrong@idfa.org.