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NMPF says FARM-ES protects farm data, provides opportunities

A national dairy group says the FARM-ES, or Farmers Assuring Responsible Management -Environmental Stewardship program, helps dairy producers document their sustainable practices and bring more revenue to farms.

Nicole Ayoche with the National Milk Producers Federation tells Brownfield the unified, dairy-focused program collects and protects farmer data, which can help them benefit from carbon programs and market-driven premiums. “One of the most common things we answer is, ‘Do you have a privacy policy, like, where does this go? Something I like to assure farmers is that we do. We have a privacy policy. We have a terms-of-service, and it spells out that farmers own their data and that no one can share their data without their permission.”

The increasing demands by processors for on-farm data have been criticized by some producers and the American Dairy Coalition, but Ayoche says FARM-ES is designed to reduce the burden of processor data demands. “We don’t control the asks. We don’t control the companies’ need for their sustainability or their supply chain work, but our point of view is that it’s a lot better for a farmer to have access to a unified platform, a dairy-focused program.”

Ayoche says farm data collected by FARM-ES can be aggregated, but individual farm data cannot be shared without the farmer’s permission.

Since 2017, the FARM program has signed up about six thousand dairy farms ranging from ten head to thirty-five thousand head of cows.  That’s about 25% of the U.S. dairy farms.

AUDIO: Nicole Ayoche discusses FARM-ES and farmer data with Brownfield’s Larry Lee