Dairy Management Inc. is an organization funded by checkoff fees dedicated to promoting the sale of American-made dairy products. It also operates under the names Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy,[1] American Dairy Association, National Dairy Council and U.S. Dairy Export Council.
Dairy Management was incorporated in 1995 as a nonprofit corporation by members of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and the United Dairy Industry Association.[2] It is funded by a tax imposed on dairy farmers administered by the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board.[2][3] The corporation has 162 employees and a budget of about $140 million mostly funded by fees charged to dairy producers. It is headed by longtime chief executive Thomas P. Gallagher. [4]
Dairy Management is associated with the "Got Milk?"[5] and "Real Seal"[6] campaigns and works with industry to develop products that increase consumption of milk and cheese. It also funds research into the benefits of dairy consumption. Dairy Management has successfully promoted increased use of cheese in prepared food products such as pizza. This initiative has been criticized by Dr. Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health and a former member of the federal government’s nutrition advisory committee, as being contradictory to the nutrition goal of reducing consumption of saturated fat also promoted by the United States government.[7]
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Constitutional challenges to compulsory payment of fees to finance government funding of commodity marketing programs have been rejected by the United States Supreme Court which has declared:
"Compelled funding of government speech does not alone raise First Amendment concerns,"..."Citizens may challenge compelled support of private speech, but have no First Amendment right not to fund government speech."[8]