By Meggan Hain, Chief Veterinary Officer
The internationally recognized National Dairy Farmer Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program helps dairy farmers, cooperatives, and processors demonstrate the industry’s commitment to strong on-farm best management practices, keeping U.S. dairy competitive and in the driver’s seat. Unlike most international programs, the FARM program was developed by the U.S. dairy industry and, as such, a key component is including farmers’ and dairy partners’ voices in the program updates.
The FARM program has opened its public comment period for proposed Version 2028 standards to gather farmer and industry insights. In addition to providing feedback on proposed Animal Care standards, participants will also have the opportunity to review proposed FARM Workforce Development (WFD) evaluation updates.
All dairy industry stakeholders are invited to provide comments, feedback, and concerns related to the proposed standards by Oct. 2. Click here to view the proposed standard updates and complete the survey.
Each FARM program area has a dedicated task force comprised of diverse farmers, subject matter experts and cooperative staff to ensure that the resulting standards and best management practices are science-backed, outcomes-based and facility- and size-neutral. The Farmer Advisory Council and respective task forces reviewed and proposed changes for Version 2028, which are included in the public comment survey.
Established in 2009 by the National Milk Producers Federation, the FARM Animal Care Program helps demonstrate to consumers and customers that U.S. dairy farmers are committed to providing excellent care of their dairy cattle while producing safe, wholesome milk. The program covers 99% of the fluid milk supply in the U.S., making farmer feedback critical to ensuring standards are practical and achievable.
Key areas discussed include the evaluation process for injured tails and fitness to transport guidelines. The groups also reviewed calf nutrition, animal observations, documentation requirements, and continuing education standards. Not all standards were reviewed for revision, reflecting that many Version 5 standards continue to meet current industry needs.
The Workforce Development program was established in 2018 and launched a best practice evaluation in 2020. This evaluation is separate from FARM Animal Care. Currently, 13 dairy cooperatives and processors participate in FARM Workforce Development, with more than 1,500 FARM Workforce Development Version 2 assessments completed in 2025.
Proposed changes to the Workforce Development evaluation tool include wording adjustments to improve clarity and farm-level relevance of questions; restructuring certain questions and their response options to be less prescriptive (e.g. on timing of safety self-inspections); and exploratory additions to the evaluation to cover additional topic areas.
Once the open comment period is closed, the respective committees will review submissions and consider feedback before proposing final recommendations to the NMPF board of directors in March 2027.
To stay informed on Version 2028 development, visit the FARM Program website.
This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on July 27, 2026.
