Milk has always been one of the most "political" commodities produced by American farmers. The dairy industry's size, contribution to the American diet, and unique marketing problems have led to an "exquisitely complicated" system of regulation.l Since the 1930s, federal dairy policy has usually been set within a classic "subgovemment", including producer groups such as the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the House and Senate Agriculture committees, and the USDA marketing authorities. Ripley and Franklin have identified this system as one which illustrates "the long-term entrenchment of subgovernments in the agricultural policy area. 112 This paper traces the evolution of the dairy subgovernment since 1933, with specific emphasis on (1) pattern of interaction among industry grps, regulatory officials, and the· Congress, and (2) the mechanisms through which the more diffuse interests of consumers have been represented in policy decisions.