A coalition of California dairy groups has launched a campaign to get all of the state’s 1,750 dairy farms to participate in the National Dairy FARM Program. Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) was developed by animal scientists, veterinarians and dairy industry people and is designed to assist farmers in demonstrating and verifying the ethical treatment of their dairy animals.
Michael Boccorodo with Dairy Cares says the four major dairy processors have signed-on with the effort which will start with a series of educational workshops to educate producers on best management practices. The next step is an on-farm evaluation of each dairy farm to assess current practices and identify any needed improvements. The final step is independent, third-party verification to demonstrate program integrity and credibility.
Education will begin in April and they hope to have on-farm assessments completed by the end of the year with third-party verification next year. The ultimate goal is to deliver to consumers a product they can be confident was produced in an environmentally sustainable manner by animals which are well cared for.
AUDIO: Michael Boccodoro talks about the effort
Latest: 
One bill that should be passed is that all the PETA/and other animal activists
should be required to appear at each dairy at least once a week to kiss each milk producing cow right on their snotty nose.
This would probably spoil the milk though. So they could kiss the bulls, as that is more like what they are familiar with is bull.
With all due repect, best mamagement practices for who? Do you think these farmers didn’t have “good mamagement skills” before a bunch of “activists” got in on this? Who took care of the dairies before all these new groups popped up to tell us what to do. Does this change the continued poor price we recieve for milk? Does this change the long hours we give service to our daries 7 days a week? How should all the above forementioned people in your artical be allowed to dictate to us our way of life? Come and walk in the dairyman’s shoes. I don’t think new management skills are the anwser to an age old way of life. It’s not just a business for most of us, it’s out way of life and our land and business all in one. No two people wear the same hair do and no two farmers dairy the same. But our cows are our income and our animals and we do take good care of them. Instead of walking through and “assessing” us, why not put on a pair of boots and work with us for a few weeks, then you might understand a little more of the “reality.” That’s it- maybe we should have a reality show on tv starring dairy farms. What a concept! Although she has a very good show; what next, dairies hosted by Opra?