This week the National Dairy FARM Program announced that key components of materials pertaining to Farmers Assuring Responsible Management are now available online in Spanish.

The announcement was made during the National Milk Producers Federation Board of Directors meeting in Alexandria, VA.  The purpose of the meeting was to bring producers and industry leaders from across the country in order to provide an update on the on-farm animal well-being program.

The National Dairy FARM Program was created by the National Milk Producers Federation with support from Dairy Management Inc. The nationwide program is voluntary and was designed to bring consistency and uniformity to animal care through education, on-farm evaluations, and objective third-party verification.

“Since U.S. dairy production involves a number of native Spanish speakers who are responsible for animal care on a day-to-day-basis, the National Dairy FARM Program recognized the need for animal care materials to be available in Spanish,” said Betsy Flores, National Milk Producers Federation Director of Regulatory Affairs.

The materials for the Animal Care Manual (Manual de Cuidado Animal) and Animal Care Quick Reference User Guide (Cuidado Animal Guia de Referencia Rapida para el Usuario) are available online in English and Spanish.

Introduced in 2008, the National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiatives describe principles and guidelines for dairy farmers.  NMPF Animal Care manual details the best management practices for numerous issues including animal health, environment and facilities, animal nutrition, and transportation and handling. 

The Animal Care Quick Reference User Guides are condensed versions of the manual, which provide a condensed version for on-farm use and implementation.  Materials will be supplemented with a video on animal care as well as other educational resources.  On-farm instructors may also be available from a producer’s cooperative or other source.