The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program released Environmental Stewardship (ES) Version 3 supporting the dairy community’s efforts to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050.
The FARM Program focuses on five program areas: Animal Care, Antibiotic Stewardship, Biosecurity, Environmental Stewardship and Workforce Development. Each program area provides participants with resources such as science-based standards, verifications, metrics and other tools that can be leveraged to improve best management practices in each respective pillar.
FARM ES Version 3 gives dairy farmers a scientifically robust tool with more advanced features to assess the impact of potential practice or technology changes, according to the Oct. 31 news release. The update is critical as dairy farmers, cooperatives and processors continue to seek ways to advance their sustainability efforts in ways that make business sense.
“Environmental Stewardship Version 3 is a significant step forward in supporting dairy’s sustainability journey,” said Nicole Ayache, National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) chief sustainability officer. “This new version yet again demonstrates dairy’s leadership, showcasing our commitment to providing farmers with the best available science and insights as they pursue continued innovation and operational efficiencies.”
Version 3 incorporates the Ruminant Farm System (RuFaS) model, a whole-farm model that simulates dairy farm production and environmental impact. The RuFaS team is comprised of researchers and software engineers from across the country with deep expertise in their respective fields, including experts from Dairy Management Inc. The process-based RuFaS model follows the biological, physical and chemical flows on the farm, enabling more granular environmental footprinting and scenario analysis.
FARM ES Version 3 offers farmers an advanced, more refined output compared to previous versions of the program, including estimates of carbon sequestration and the ability to analyze the environmental and milk productivity impacts of various practices and technologies, the news release noted. Version 3 also contains optional data inputs, such as details on reproductive programs, culling information and cropping practices, for more tailored results.
A key focus for the rest of the year will be to collect farmer, FARM evaluator and other stakeholder feedback to further refine Version 3. Feedback forms are available online for farmers and evaluators to provide suggestions. FARM also plans to host stakeholder webinars to foster discussion about the new platform.
Participants can contact their FARM Program evaluator to gain access to a FARM ES Version 3 platform or reach out to dairyfarm@nmpf.org for guidance.
The National Dairy FARM Program was created in 2009 by NMPF in partnership with Dairy Management Inc. Program participation is open to all U.S. dairy farmers, cooperatives and processors. Participants follow rigorous guidelines to ensure social responsibility on the nation’s dairy farms while committing to continuous improvement. For more, visit nationaldairyfarm.com.
NMPF, based in Arlington, Va., develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. Its member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk.
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