FARM Bridges Best Practices, On-Farm Solutions
September 2, 2026
The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program focused its evaluator network on industry insights, knowledge-sharing and on-farm preparedness at its 2026 Evaluator Conference, held Aug. 18-19 in Boise, ID.
CoBank’s lead dairy economist, Corey Geiger, set the tone on day one with an outlook on the state of the dairy industry. Geiger provided a comprehensive overview of the current trends and future opportunities of the U.S. dairy industry, including production, consumption, exports, genetics, and market dynamics.
Attendees also heard from subject matter experts on the latest science supporting industry research such as the Ruminant Farm System (RuFaS) model, in addition to using artificial intelligence to support animal welfare monitoring.
Day Two included a panel session, “Managing Customer Expectations,” with Kayla Rink, manager of dairy science and farm practices at Dairy Farmers of America, Kevin Fath, manager of farm relations and procurement for Lactalis USA and Mike Machado, senior manager of milk procurement, farm practices & dairy sustainability for Glanbia Nutritionals. The panel was moderated by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s Chase DeCoite. Speakers discussed how evaluators can use the FARM Program to navigate customer relations and expectations for their organizations. Attendees also trained in how to encourage producers to foster relationships with their workforce to promote dairy stockmanship.
Began in 2016, the conference connects program evaluators with industry experts to share current science and best management practices related to FARM Program pillars. Evaluators are individuals trained and certified to conduct second-party Animal Care, Environmental Stewardship, and Workforce Development evaluations on behalf of FARM cooperative and processor participants. Evaluators collaborate with dairy producers to identify strengths and outline areas for improvement in all program areas.
The FARM Program is grateful for the sponsors that made this year’s event possible. To learn more about this year’s conference and sponsors, visit the conference webpage.
