Tag: dairy farm biosecurity

FARM Biosecurity Remains Leader on H5N1; First In-Person Training Approaches

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program is preparing for its first in-person FARM Enhanced Biosecurity training, with H5N1 in dairy cattle still a significant concern one year after it was first identified.

The Program has released five new guides and one-pagers in the past year that give farmers necessary tools to protect their farms. The two-day in person training, set for April 30-May 1, will provide FARM program evaluators with the opportunity to learn how to help farmers develop an enhanced biosecurity plan.

The training also provides a networking opportunity with other dairy professionals and a chance to hear from a Virginia dairy producer about the process and lessons learned from implementing a FARM Biosecurity–Enhanced plan.

This training is supported by a cooperative agreement with USDA National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Plan (NADPRP). The agreement supports expanding the resources available through the FARM Biosecurity program, such as additions to the current online module and a second in-person training set for 2026 in Washington.

For questions, please contact Miquela Hanselman, mhanselman@nmpf.org.

FARM Biosecurity helps protect dairy’s future

Posted on by Alan Bjerga
By Miquela Hanselman
Director of Regulatory Affairs, National Milk Producers Federation

Biosecurity may be more top-of-mind than ever in dairy herds in light of how industry practices are changing in reaction to the presence of the H5N1 virus in dairy cows. The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Biosecurity Program has resources that can support dairy farmers as they face evolving animal care challenges.

The FARM Program launched its Biosecurity Program in 2021 via a cooperative agreement with the USDA National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response program. FARM Biosecurity builds on the existing FARM Animal Care Program and Secure Milk Supply (SMS) Plan, providing resources focused on protecting cattle and employee health.

The program includes both everyday biosecurity practices as well as enhanced biosecurity resources. The FARM Everyday Biosecurity Program focuses on preventing disease introduction and spread by building on the good husbandry practices dairy farmers have long included in animal care. Everyday biosecurity practices protect against common diseases like contagious mastitis, respiratory infections, and scours.

Enhanced biosecurity brings the practices developed under the SMS Plan into the FARM program. Though FARM Enhanced Biosecurity was developed to help ensure continuity of business during a foot and mouth disease outbreak, the concepts can help protect against other known disease threats, such as the current highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in dairy cattle.

Take steps now

We are still learning about how HPAI virus spreads among cattle, with more information expected as testing ramps up and federal agencies begin isolating data patterns. Below are some every day and enhanced biosecurity focus areas that help against the spread of many known diseases in cattle. These measures may also help prevent HPAI virus exposure to cattle and the people who care for them. Great first steps are identifying a line of separation, limiting animal movement as much as possible, using premovement testing, and having logs of visitors, deliveries, and animal movements.

Protecting the dairy from exposure:

  • Minimize access of wild birds to cattle and their environment.
  • Manage movements of cattle and their transport.
  • Limit livestock contact to essential people.

Preventing cattle or calf exposure:

  • Avoid feeding raw colostrum or milk to calves, cattle, and other mammals.
  • Follow good milking practices.
  • Separate new or returning animals and isolate sick animals.
  • Sanitize milking equipment after use with new, returning, or sick cattle.

Precautions for animal caretakers:

  • Avoid consuming unpasteurized (raw) milk and cheeses from suspect or confirmed HPAI cattle.
  • Wear protective gear covering the eyes, nose, mouth, and hands when contacting infected animals, carcasses, milk, or manure.

The enhanced biosecurity prep guide and online training include key biosecurity concepts that can be used during the H5N1 outbreak.

Good biosecurity takes time and practice to be effective, but as current challenges show, more attention to it will be critical to our industry today and tomorrow. Building everyday practices into your routine and having an enhanced biosecurity plan can protect your animals, employees, and business from disease threats.

Visit nationaldairyfarm.com to learn more about biosecurity and access resources, and visit nmpf.org/hpai for the latest updates on HPAI in cattle.

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on June 3, 2024.

FARM Program Launches Enhanced Biosecurity Initiative

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The FARM Program announced the launch of FARM Biosecurity – Enhanced on Oct. 4, a new aspect of the FARM Biosecurity Program that includes training and an online database.

FARM Biosecurity – Enhanced, includes an online database to develop and securely store dairy producers’ enhanced biosecurity plans (EBP) and an online training that helps users write those plans. FARM has also developed a FARM Biosecurity – Enhanced Biosecurity Prep Guide and Database User Guide to complement these tools.

Stronger, or enhanced, levels of biosecurity will be needed to protect cattle against the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) found in two-thirds of the world. One FMD case in the United States could shut down movement across the nation of livestock and their products for at least 72 hours.

FARM Biosecurity – Enhanced incorporates the on-farm elements of the Secure Milk Supply Plan for Continuity of Business. The Secure Milk Supply (SMS) Plan for Continuity of Business was designed to help the dairy industry prepare for an FMD outbreak by providing producers with the tools to develop an enhanced biosecurity plan. The FARM Biosecurity – Enhanced database not only securely stores the EBP plans, but with producer permission will share the plans with state animal health officials for their approval to speed up issuing a movement permit in the event of an FMD outbreak.

FARM Biosecurity has two parts: Everyday Biosecurity for common disease threats and Enhanced Biosecurity for highly contagious foreign animal diseases. The FARM Biosecurity resources aim to protect dairy cattle, build resiliency, and future business continuity opportunities for the dairy industry.

NMPF and the National Dairy FARM Program would like to thank the United States Department of Agriculture National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (USDA NADPRP) for funding the FARM Biosecurity initiative through a cooperative agreement and Dr. Danelle Bickett-Weddle with Preventalytics who was instrumental in the development of the FARM Biosecurity resources.

To learn more about the FARM Program or access protocol templates and training aids, visit the FARM website: nationaldairyfarm.com

To learn more about the Secure Milk Supply Plan, access templates, standard operating procedures, movement logs, and more, visit securemilk.org.

FARM Program Releases Everyday Biosecurity Manual

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Dairy FARM program Oct 24. released Version 1 of the FARM Everyday Biosecurity manual, one of the key deliverables tied to 2020 National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response program funding to develop FARM Biosecurity. The manual focuses on everyday steps dairy farmers should take to protect herd and employee health. Taking a building block approach, the manual outlines key focus areas that include:

  • Animal health and disease monitoring
  • Animal movements and contact
  • Animal products, vehicles and equipment
  • Personnel, cleaning and disinfection; and
  • Line of separation.

Operations just getting started in biosecurity should focus on animal movements and contact, animal health and disease monitoring and personnel, the FARM Biosecurity task force recommends. FARM Biosecurity is the newest pillar of the FARM program and participation is voluntary. In addition to everyday biosecurity mentioned above, enhanced biosecurity for the Secure Milk Supply Program  focuses on the steps that need to be taken in the event of a Foot and Mouth disease outbreak.