F.A.R.M. Environmental Stewardship Program
Farmers Assuring Responsible Management
The Mission of F.A.R.M.
The mission of F.A.R.M. is to assure high levels of animal care, as well as environmental and antibiotic stewardship in the farm community.
About F.A.R.M.
Created in 2009 by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), with support from Dairy Management, Inc. (DMI), the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program raises the bar for the entire dairy industry – creating a culture of continuous improvement.
The FARM Program is comprised of dairy farmers, cooperatives, and processors across the United States. We hold our members to rigorous guidelines that ensure the utmost quality on our nation’s dairy farms. We understand there’s always work to be done, so the FARM Program creates a culture of continuous improvement that allows the dairy community to work every day toward positive change.
More information on F.A.R.M. Certification
- Read more Information on how to Prepare for Certification
- Download the Farm Self-Assessment Checklist
- To enroll in the FARM Program, please contact dairyfarm@nmpf.org or call 703-243-6111.
F.A.R.M. Certifies in Three Distinct Areas:
Animal Care:
The FARM Animal Program establishes dairy animal welfare management guidelines, which are verified by both trained second and third party evaluators. This system provides the data and proof points to assure dairy customers and consumers that dairy farmers do the right thing for their dairy cows because it’s the right thing to do. The second-party evaluation is completed on every participating dairy at least once every three years. This evaluation provides dairy farms with an external review of their animal care practices based on FARM Program guidelines, highlighting the best management practices followed on the dairy and providing a method of continuous improvement where additional opportunities are presented.
Environmental Stewardship:
The FARM Environmental Stewardship module provides a comprehensive estimate of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy use associated with dairy farming. The tool is based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) of fluid milk conducted by the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas, incorporating data from more than 500 dairy farms across the United States. The FARM ES module asks a set of questions to assess a farm’s carbon and energy footprint –providing reliable, statistically robust estimates.
Antibiotic Stewardship:
The U.S. dairy industry is committed to producing safe, abundant and affordable milk and dairy beef of the highest quality. Healthy animals mean safe food, and disease prevention is the key to keeping cows healthy. Among the measures available to treat and prevent the outbreak and spread of animal diseases in the nation’s dairy cattle, the responsible use of antibiotics has a positive effect on animal health and well-being while keeping the milk supply safe for everyone. When dairy animals get sick and treatment is necessary, producers and veterinarians use drugs judiciously. Antibiotics should be used appropriately to prevent residues from occurring in milk or dairy beef sent to market.
