Many livestock groups have formed voluntary animal care certification programs.
The pork producers call theirs “We Care”. Beef producers have their Beef Quality Assurance program. The dairy industry’s animal well-being initiative is called FARM—Farmers Assuring Responsible Management.
One of the dairy program participants is producer Deb Reinhart of New Holstein, Wisconsin. She says the FARM review confirmed they are doing a lot of things right. But she says one of their challenges—as with many dairy operations—is heifer housing.
“In the summer, that’s not a problem for us because we pasture—but in the winter, we need more housing—and given the economics of dairy, that’s not always possible,” says Reinhart, “so we want to make sure we’re maintaining those pens in the best way—to care—and to make sure the health of our animals is utmost in our minds.”
National Milk Producers Federation officials say that dairy producers participating in the FARM program account for about 50 percent of the milk produced in the U.S.
AUDIO: Deb Reinhart (4:30 MP3)
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