News

Study finds the dairy farmers care for animals

A National Milk Producers Federation report indicates dairy farmers continue to adopt high-quality animal care.

Federation spokesman Chris Galen says the report quantifies the practices of farmers participating in the industry’s National Dairy FARM Program – Farmers Assuring Responsible Management.

“The FARM Program is about continuous improvement, it’s not about trying to flunk people out or having a pass/fail system,” Galen told Brownfield Ag News on Thursday from his office in Washington, D.C.  “It’s about measuring how well we’re doing now, and then trying to make certain that where we’re not necessarily having all the farmers measure up, they have an opportunity to do that in the future.”

The report found that nearly 95 percent of farms train their employees to properly move animals that cannot walk.  More than 98 percent train employees to handle calves with a minimum of stress.

At the same time, Galen points to numbers that could be improved.  For example, 84 percent of farms in the program have a valid relationship with a veterinarian.

“About 84 percent of the farms in the program have that, but that means that about one in six do not.  We need to do more in terms of annual training for new and existing personnel,” said Galen.  “Again, 84 percent of the farms do that, but that means that another 16 percent do not.”

Overall, according to the report, participation in the FARM Program increased to more than three-quarters of the nation’s milk supply.  That’s up five percentage points from the previous year.

The FARM Program is now in its fifth year. The voluntary, national set of guidelines is designed to demonstrate farmers’ commitment to animal care and a quality milk supply.

AUDIO: Chris Galen (10 min. MP3)