SOPs and training records
Definition
Section titled “Definition”A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a written, step-by-step instruction for a routine task: milking, colostrum feeding, treating a sick cow, handling a non-ambulatory cow, euthanasia, cleaning equipment. A training record documents who was trained on which SOP, when, by whom, and in what language.
Industry programs and third-party audits (the FARM Program, welfare audits, processor and buyer programs) check both: that written SOPs exist for the required areas, and that the people doing the work were trained on them. FARM Animal Care requires written protocols for key areas and documented training, including continuing education and signed cow-care agreements.
A controlled document SOP has:
- a title, a version number and an effective date;
- an owner and an approver (e.g. herd manager, herd vet for treatment and euthanasia SOPs);
- a change history that is append-only: old versions are kept, not overwritten;
- copies in the languages the staff use, posted or available where the work is done.
A training record has: employee name, SOP and version (or topic), date, trainer, method (hands-on, video, classroom), language, and the employee’s signature or acknowledgment.
How to pull it in DC305
Section titled “How to pull it in DC305”Not in DC305. SOPs and training records live in written binders, document
management systems or HR/training software. DC305 can show indirect evidence
that SOPs are followed (e.g. treatment events entered with technician codes),
but that is not training documentation. Technician codes vary by herd: see the
herd’s private dc305-vocab mapping.
Typical range
Section titled “Typical range”Herd context: US dairies; FARM Animal Care v5 expectations as of 2026.
- Written protocols (FARM v5 herd health plan): pre-weaned calves (including colostrum), vaccination, euthanasia, common disease treatment, disbudding, dystocia, lameness, milking (if applicable) and non-ambulatory animals, plus a written fitness-to-transport protocol. All are translated as needed into the languages of everyone with animal care duties.
- Training: all animal caretakers trained on the SOPs that apply to their job, at hire and when the SOP changes. FARM v5 also requires job-specific training for people who care for pre-weaned calves or non-ambulatory animals or who perform euthanasia.
- Continuing education: everyone with animal care duties receives animal care and handling continuing education annually, with records.
- Cow-care agreements: signed annually by every family and non-family employee aged 18 or older with animal care duties; many farms also have new hires sign at hire.
- SOP review: the herd health plan and its protocols reviewed annually by the veterinarian of record.
- Retention: keep SOP versions and training records for at least the 3-year FARM evaluation cycle (each farm is evaluated at least once every 3 years).
As of November 2026, per the FARM Version 5 evaluation preparation guide and FARM Animal Care FAQ.
Requirements change; confirm the current version with the program or regulator. This page is not legal advice.
Common mistakes
Section titled “Common mistakes”- SOPs that don’t match practice: the binder says one thing, the crew does another.
- No version or date on SOPs, so no one can tell which one was in force.
- Overwriting old versions instead of keeping a history.
- English-only SOPs for a crew that works in another language.
- Training not recorded, or recorded without dates or the SOP version.
- New hires working before training on animal handling or treatment.
- Missing continuing education for long-tenured employees.
- Unsigned or missing cow-care agreements for relief milkers, contract crews or haulers.