New World Screwworm, the lingering effects of the H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle, and Food and Mouth Disease in Europe all gained attention as the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program hosted its annual FARM Evaluator Conference, July 14-16 in Green Bay, WI, where evaluators compared notes and discussed best practices to encourage continuous improvement in the industry leading animal-care initiative.
The conference, attended by more than 100 evaluators and staff, kicked off with a panel of previous FARM Excellence Award winners, sharing on-farm successes using the FARM Program pillars. 2023 Evaluator of the Year winner and Associated Milk Producer, Inc. (AMPI) evaluator Jim Kauffman, who has conducted evaluations for AMPI since 2011, also shared tips and best practices when working with farmers to collect documentation and to identify improvement opportunities between evaluations.
Attendees also heard from subject matter experts on the latest science supporting industry best practices, ranging from topics such as vaccinations, conservation tools and animal enrichment activities.
Day two included an update from a panelist of animal health experts on emerging diseases affecting dairy cattle.
Dr. Burke Healy with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service discussed recent cases of New World Screwworm near the southern border, Dr. Darlene Konkle provided an update on the response to H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle and Dr. Elizabeth Parker discussed the recent Foot and Mouth Outbreak in Europe and what we can learn from it. Evaluators also shared personal experiences undergoing the FARM Biosecurity training and using the FARM database to store biosecurity plans for producers.
The annual conference began in 2016 to connect evaluators, industry allies and on-farm 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 work with dairy producers to identify strengths and outline areas for improvement in all program areas.
The FARM Program is grateful for the many sponsors that made this year’s event possible. To learn more about this year’s conference and sponsors, visit the FARM webpage.