SALEM, Ohio. — In video taken from the Oval Office at the White House on Jan. 14, Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, delivered remarks at the President’s signing ceremony for the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 and personally acknowledged one of the special guests in attendance.
“I want to thank all of our farmers here today,” she said, noting that most of them were fifth and sixth-generation, representing a broad swath of the nation’s dairy producers.
“The amazing thing is, some of these farmers — back here, from Butler, Pennsylvania. He —”
“Where?” President Donald Trump asked.
“Butler, Pennsylvania,” Rollins replied.
“I love Butler,” Trump said.
The man from Butler was William Thiele, a dairy farmer who Rollins said milks about 40 cows, as compared to another guest from Wisconsin who milks about 5,000.
“So, they represent all across the spectrum and what this means,” she said.
Thiele indeed does milk that many cows, all on about 300 acres, in addition to serving as a state board director for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau representing Butler, Beaver, Lawrence and Mercer counties.
For Thiele, being recognized in the Oval Office was the culmination of what he described as a rare and memorable experience. A board member of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau for more than four years, Thiele said his involvement with the organization — which includes meeting with legislators and advocating on behalf of farmers — ultimately opened the door to the White House invitation.
“I don’t think it’s a very common thing,” Thiele said in an interview of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau members attending a presidential bill signing. He was notified just two days before the ceremony while attending the Pennsylvania Farm Show, after Farm Bureau staff learned the White House was seeking dairy farmers to attend the event.
After agreeing to make himself available, Thiele said he received a follow-up call from White House staff, who asked what he described as vetting questions, including his views on agriculture issues and how he might respond if asked to speak. When he arrived in Washington, he found himself in a room with top administration officials and lawmakers ahead of the ceremony.
Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and several U.S. senators were among those present, Thiele said, many of whom later stood behind the president during the signing.
“I’ve seen you on TV and you on TV,” Thiele recalled thinking as he met them. Unlike a quick photo opportunity, Thiele said he was able to have brief conversations with many of them, an experience he described as especially meaningful.
Rollins’ mention of Butler, Pennsylvania, was not entirely a surprise to Thiele. He said he introduced himself earlier as a dairy farmer from Butler and made a point of clarifying, “Yes, that Butler, Pennsylvania,” anticipating the president’s familiarity with the town after he survived an assassination attempt there during his campaign. Still, hearing the exchange unfold in the Oval Office was profound for Thiele.
When it was his time to speak, Thiele stepped forward as Trump turned from the resolute desk to face him. “How about you?” He said to Thiele. “Nice, beautiful red hair.”
Thiele told the president that the night before, while he was milking, he had been thinking about what he was going to say and decided on how monumental a day it was in agriculture.
“This is perfect legislation; a great day for America is what this is,” he said.
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which restores whole milk options in school cafeterias, advanced with rare bipartisan support after years of debate and carries special significance for Thiele.
“It’s great for the children,” Thiele told Farm and Dairy, pointing to the added nutritional benefits of whole milk in school meals. The beverage has been banished from cafeterias since 2010 with passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which removed whole and 2% milk from school meal programs as part of an effort to reduce childhood obesity.
That legislation limited milk options to fat-free and 1% varieties, based on the belief that higher fat content in milk contributed to obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease in children. Ever since, dairy farmers and industry advocacy organizations have exhaustively campaigned for the return of whole milk to schools, blaming the law for a decline in consumption while touting its health benefits.
Thiele also sees long-term gains for dairy producers. By reintroducing whole milk to schools, he hopes children will develop a preference for fluid milk that carries into adulthood, supporting demand for dairy products down the road.
Since returning home, he said he has fielded multiple interview requests about the experience, sharing the same story repeatedly. Even so, he remains appreciative of the chance to represent Pennsylvania dairy farmers on a national stage and to witness firsthand the signing of legislation he believes will benefit both consumers and producers alike.
“It’s great because I think (U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson) said yesterday that it took him 15 years to get this reversed. And, you know, it just happened yesterday, and I think President Trump even said, ‘Well, it took us 15 minutes to sign this and get it done.’ And it’s like, yeah, how could this have taken 15 years?”
Many are celebrating the bill’s passage, from its many sponsors in the house including Rep. Thompson, R-Pa., and Kim Schrier, D-Wash., to its champions in the Senate, such as Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who co-led the bill.
“I’m thankful for the strong bipartisan support of this bill. President Trump and I rarely agree on policy, but when it comes to supporting America’s farmers, we can find common ground,” he said in a statement.
