Dairy farmers and their advocates have been working for years to restore whole milk to school lunchrooms across the country.

Lawmakers took notice and the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025, which provides flexibility to offer flavored and unflavored whole and 2% milk to students, is on its way to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature, after approval from both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives

If signed into law, the legislation is expected to assist farmers, increasingly the demand for milk across the country.

But local farmers who have given up dairy farming, saying it simply wasn’t profitable, wonder if current measures to assist dairy farmers are too late.

Aaron Sepkowski ran the North Pocono Dairy, a major part of his family history, dating back to his great-great-great-grandfather.

Sepkowski said he was forced to close the dairy in April 2023 because he was simply not making enough money to support his family.

“I’m in my 40s,” he said. “And when the cows left, I cried.”

Providing whole milk to school students may benefit farmers, but it also keeps youngsters healthier, he said.

Skim milk is basically a byproduct of separating cream from whole milk and historically had been discarded, he said.

But whole milk not only supports developing young brains but also keeps youngsters fuller longer, he added. The idea that whole milk contributes to obesity is a myth, he said.

Dairy farming as a legacy

Now Sepkowski, also a Madison Township supervisor, runs a busing company, grateful that it supports his family and his employees.

And yet, not one day goes by that he doesn’t think about dairy farming, wishing that he had the opportunity to continue doing it.

But, with small farmers facing rising costs of feed, labor and equipment and falling milk prices, Sepkowski fears for the future of small dairy farmers.

Additionally, milk substitutes have also entered the market, further draining sales of dairy milk.

“Almond milk is not milk,” he said. “Milk, on the other hand, is milk. Milk is milk.”

The Tewksbury lecture

Annette Kuzma, owner of Milky-Ray Dairy Farm in Vernon, Wyoming County, stopped dairy farming after the death of her husband Ray in 2024.

But, the Kuzmas faced the economic challenges of dairy farming for over a decade, which included an inequitable pricing formula that minimized profits for small dairy farmers.

Kuzma remembers her husband being in the hospital, where he was served skim milk with his lunch.

Ray Kuzma, known for being a quiet man, didn’t hesitate to request to speak with the dietician who came up to his hospital room.

It was then that he delivered the “Tewksbury lecture,” she said, referencing Arden Tewksbury, a long-time advocate for dairy farmers who frequently touted the benefits of whole milk.

Annette Kuzma said serving whole milk in schools makes common and nutritional sense.

In addition, Kuzma believes student athletes should drink whole chocolate milk as a recovery drink, rather than Gatorade or other similar drinks.

Dairy farmers anticipate that Trump will sign the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 into law.

“The long wait is over. Whole milk is coming back to schools,”  said Michael Dykes, president and CEO of International Dairy Farmers Association.