The FARM Animal Care Program covers a range of animal care topics
Today’s consumers want to know that the milk they are purchasing comes from well-cared-for dairy cows. Much like taking steps to improve milk quality, following recommended best management practices for animal care can benefit not only your dairy animals, but also the overall profitability of your farm. (photo by Daniela Roland, Penn State Extension)
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Today’s consumers want to know that the milk they buy comes from well-cared-for dairy cows. Much like taking steps to improve milk quality, following recommended best management practices for animal care can benefit not only your dairy animals, but also the overall profitability of your farm.
Studies have shown a positive correlation between milk production and healthy, well-cared-for animals. For example, research has shown that herd-level management practices aimed at promoting access to feed, such as increasing feeder space, can increase milk production and reduce somatic cell counts. (Sova, et al. 2013). A more recent 2021 study found that when cows were able to ruminate while lying down, they tended to have greater dry matter intake and greater milk protein and fat content. These results indicate that encouraging lying during rumination has positive benefits for the dairy cow and its production (McWilliams, et al. 2021).
According to the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), 99 percent of the U.S. fluid milk supply in 49 states participates in the Farmers Asuring Responsible Management (FARM) animal welfare program. The FARM Animal Care program has evolved to include a comprehensive set of animal care recommendations, and most U.S. dairy farms have undergone one or more animal care evaluations. The goal of the program is to encourage continuous improvement in animal care practices.
The FARM Animal Care Program covers a range of animal care topics, recommended standards and observation-based outcomes that must be achieved.
Dairy producers participating in the FARM program most likely have a written herd health plan that includes protocols for the following:
- Care of pre-weaned calves
- Breeding quality
- Non-ambulatory animals
- Suitability for transport
- Euthanasia
These five areas often come under intense scrutiny from consumers. Below is a condensed checklist for each area of animal care with a few reminders to help producers evaluate their animal care program on their farm:
Care of pre-weaned calves
- Provide the appropriate quantity and quality of colostrum, milk or milk replacer. For example, with colostrum, feed 4 to 5 liters of high quality colostrum or colostrum replacer (for small dairy breeds, feed 3 to 4 liters) or an amount equivalent to 10% of the calf’s body weight over the course of first six hours of his life. . This can be given in one or two feedings (FARM Animal Care V4).
- Provide food and water at three days old. Make sure water is offered even in cold weather.
- Disbud calves before eight weeks of age with pain relief as recommended by your veterinarian. Research shows that any method of disbudding and dehorning causes pain (FARM Animal Care V4). Work with your veterinarian to develop a disbudding protocol that works for your animals as well as you and your employees.
- Move calves by walking, lifting, or using properly designed equipment such as a clean wheelbarrow. Calves should never be pulled by their tails, ears, limbs or dragged.
Breeding quality
- Family or employees who interact with animals must receive initial and regular training in proper animal husbandry or handling procedures. Although written protocols are necessary, follow-up with family or employees for hands-on training is essential. For example, be sure to train your part-time employee to safely and calmly move cows to the milking parlor or train the new employee who will care for newborn calves.
- Any family or employee working with animals should use as little force as possible to move or control the animal. Loud noises when moving animals should be avoided and workers should not use their tails aggressively to move an animal.
- Continuing education is recommended annually for any family or employee with animal care responsibilities.
- Animal abuse should never be tolerated.
Non-ambulatory animals
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- Make sure you have the proper equipment and trained family/employees to move the animal. Moving a 1,200 pound cow can be a difficult task and requires a bit of innovation. Make sure you have the proper equipment, such as a sled or a large skid steer loader bucket.
- Do not use the animal’s tail, limbs or head as handles. Unless absolutely necessary for a short distance, do not drag livestock over the ground.
- Once moved, provide the animal with timely medical care, shelter, and access to food and water. Also ensure the isolation of ambulatory animals and protection against predators.
Suitability for transport
- Decide quickly whether to put down an animal, taking into account its well-being and ability to make the journey.
- If possible, milk lactating cows just before transport.
- Ensure appropriate withdrawal periods for milk and meat are followed before slaughtering an animal.
- Avoid transporting animals with a body condition score less than 2.
- Refer to the FARM Animal Care Transportability Chart for a complete list of considerations.
Euthanasia
- Make sure you have established criteria for identifying animals that should be euthanized.
- Have a family member or trained and designated employee perform the euthanasia. If you are away from the farm for an extended period of time, your written protocol should address who to call in an emergency (such as a veterinarian or an experienced neighboring farmer).
- The method of euthanasia must follow methods approved by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) and/or the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
- Be sure to properly dispose of the carcass using the appropriate method in accordance with your local ordinances.
Developing, monitoring and regularly reviewing animal care protocols in these five areas can help dairy producers identify opportunities for improvement.
Additional Tips
Here are some additional tips for staying compliant with the FARM program:
- Have a current signed veterinary client-patient relationship form. This must be signed each year by you and your veterinarian.
- Develop and update a written herd health plan. This should be done in consultation with your veterinarian and re-examined annually. Be sure to review them with your family members and/or employees who work with your herd. Fillable templates are available on the FARM program website, or you can ask your veterinarian for recommendations on herd health plan templates.
- Maintain treatment records. These records can be digital if you use online dairy record keeping apps or as simple as a notebook with handwritten processing records.
Having detailed written protocols and implementing best practices in animal care can help you improve the overall management of your farm. Ultimately, this will not only help you make positive improvements to your operation, but it will also help reassure the dairy consumer when looking for that dairy product at the grocery store.
If you would like more information or have any questions, contact Daniela Roland at 717-809-2194 or djr6158@psu.edu.
The references
Farmers ensure responsible animal care management Reference Manual version 4, 2020-2022.
McWilliams, C.J., A.J. Schwanke, and T.J. DeVries. 2021. Is higher milk production associated with dairy cows having a greater likelihood of ruminating while lying down? JDS communications. 3:66-71. https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2021-0159.
Sova, AD, LeBlanc, SJ, McBride, BW, DeVries, TJ 2013. Associations between herd-level feed management practices, feed sorting, and milk production on free-stall dairy farms. J.Dairy Sci. 96:4759-4770.
–Daniela Roland, Penn State extension