By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program is partnering with the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program for the first-ever joint FARM/BQA Dairy Award.
The award is intended to honor beef and dairy farmers and marketers who demonstrate the best in animal care and handling practices daily.
The BQA program aims to provide guidelines and transparency in beef production to help increase consumer confidence.
FARM is a program of the National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Management, Inc. whose goal is similar—to ensure best practice guidelines are followed by farmers so consumers feel safe and secure in purchasing dairy products.
Dairy cows comprise a significant portion of the U.S. cattle sector, and Texas leads the nation in cattle numbers.
In 2017, Texas had about 400 dairy farms with an estimated 475,000 milk cows.
“By partnering with BQA, we can grow our pool of nominations and celebrate even more dairy farmers for their commitment to the highest animal care standards,” Emily Yeiser Stepp, director of the FARM Animal Care program, said in a release.
The winner of the award will be selected by a committee of animal scientists, industry representatives and staff from both the BQA and FARM programs.
The winner will be selected on the following criteria:
• The farm’s collective BQA and FARM practices, accomplishments and goals;
• Relevant local, regional and national BQA and/or dairy promotion group or cooperative leadership;
• Promotion and improvement of animal care practices, BQA or FARM program and consumer perception of beef or dairy industries;
• Effectiveness in promoting and implementing BQA practices; and
• Completion of the FARM Version 3.0 Animal Care Evaluation and implementation of program requirements.
Any individual, group or organization can nominate a single dairy operation for the award. The deadline to apply is June 1.
The packet containing all information on applying and award criteria can be found here.