ARLINGTON, VA – The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program today celebrates the release of an updated Secure Milk Supply (SMS) Plan, website, and resources, ensuring the health and wellbeing of dairy cattle while preserving the economic viability of dairy businesses.
“It was a great opportunity to collaborate with other farmers, processors, veterinarians, and state and federal officials to update the SMS Plan for our evolving dairy industry,” said Tom Walsh, a dairy farmer from Minnesota. “We put together many commonsense resources to protect our animals and consumers while still milking healthy cows and moving healthy animals.”
Updates include the expansion of the SMS Plan for Continuity of Business for use beyond foot and mouth disease (FMD) to include similar contagious diseases like H5N1, resources for producers, cooperatives and processors, as well as updated movement permit guidance that includes raw milk for animal feed and more.
The FARM Biosecurity — Enhanced Program aligns with the Secure Milk Supply Plan for Continuity of Business to provide dairy farmers with the tools needed to develop an enhanced biosecurity plan.
The dairy industry and animal disease threats have changed since the SMS Plan was first created in 2017. Dr. Craig McConnel, an Extension Veterinarian from Washington State University, shared, “This experience opened my eyes to the practical considerations needed to create applicable plans for a broad range of dairy enterprises. I respect all the thought and discussion to create a flexible yet thorough enhanced biosecurity template for FMD, H5N1, or future disease challenges.”
An SMS technical committee comprised of dairy producers like Walsh, cooperatives, processors, extension veterinarians like McConnel, academicians, state and federal animal health officials met monthly from February 2025 to January 2026 to review stakeholder input and guide the updates to the SMS Plan.
An updated draft plan was presented in a national stakeholder webinar, and FARM captured stakeholder feedback last November through a public comment period before the technical committee finalized the updated plan in February.
The new SMS website was reorganized based on stakeholder input, making it easier to find resources to prepare for an outbreak. The website overhaul was executed by Iowa State University’s Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) and Dr. Danelle Bickett-Weddle of Preventalytics, with support from the National Dairy FARM Program.
National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), which administers the FARM Program, was awarded funding in July 2024 from USDA’s National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP) to better prepare farmers for foot and mouth disease, should an outbreak occur in the U.S.
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