Farm management

Dairy farming of all scales, in all regions, contributes to food security and achievement of sustainable development

Good dairy farming practices underpin the production of milk that satisfies the highest expectations of the food industry and consumers. Dairy farmers ensure that the milk and milk products produced are safe and suitable for their intended use, and that the dairy farm enterprise is viable into the future, from the economic, social and environmental perspectives. 

Dairy farmers need to be able to combine profitability with the responsibility of protecting human and animal health and welfare and the environment. Dairy farmers, as the primary producers in the supply chain, should also be given the opportunity to add value to their product by adopting methods of production that satisfy the demands of processors and customers. 

IDF work around farm management covers a range of matters. It addresses farming technologies, such as developments in machine milking, and associated standards and testing procedures and work in cooperation and in support of ISO. 

It considers aspects of animal reproduction influencing performance and health and aspects of milk production and farm management, which impact the efficiency and ethics of production, labour conditions and farmers’ returns. It looks at the influence of animal feeding on milk quality in different parts of the world, and implications of other IDF work on animal health, dairy policies and economics, environment, microbiological hygiene and residues and chemical contaminants on the implications of their findings in the context of farm management.

It also includes cross-cutting activities with international organizations on a range of dairy farm-management-related topics, including FAO and OIE.

Influencing a sustainable future

The IDF network represents a place for peer dairy farmers to influence the making of a sustainable future. IDF hosts a worldwide dairy farmers’ roundtable, with the key purpose of providing dairy farmers with an opportunity to meet for informal discussions on key global farmer issues, share ideas and learn from each other’s experiences about dairy farming.

The roundtable covers several topics, from tackling complex issues to enable networking and learning from the pooling of skills and knowledge from individuals. Held at the IDF World Dairy Summit, the meeting offers an opportunity for dairy farmers to maximise their learning opportunities and create an environment for continuous improvement and an overview of the latest trends of the dairy sector. There is also an active IDF Facebook group, which allows for regular informal discussion of farming matters.

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Providing a voice for dairy farmers to address issues of international importance

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IDF provides a permanent source of authoritative scientific and other information on a whole range of topics relevant to the dairy sector.

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IDF provides a permanent source of authoritative scientific and other information on a whole range of topics relevant to the dairy sector.