Biosecurity and Health Checklists
Download: Texas Dairy Farm Tours and Education Guide
Opening a dairy to visitors can build goodwill, and it can also bring disease and injury risks if it is done carelessly. This page is a planning guide, not a downloadable file, and the checklist at the end is yours to adapt.
Why open the farm to visitors?
Many people have never seen a working dairy. A well-run tour builds trust, answers questions and sometimes inspires the next generation of farmers. For a community like Stephenville, where agriculture is part of the local identity, tours can strengthen ties.
But a tour is a commitment. It takes preparation, staff time and a clear plan. Decide your purpose before you decide your route.
If you are new to agritourism, ask your county extension office whether other farms nearby have done it, and visit one before you design your own.
What are the biosecurity basics for visitors?
Visitors can carry disease onto a farm on boots, clothes and hands. A herd-health plan should say who can go where, what protective gear is needed and how the farm cleans up afterward. Talk to your herd veterinarian before you finalize it.
For official guidance, look to the Texas Animal Health Commission and USDA APHIS. Disease situations change, and current recommendations may be tighter than usual. Check their pages before each season rather than assuming last year's plan still fits.
Also keep in mind that animal-health recommendations can change quickly. A plan that is fine in a quiet season may need tightening during an outbreak elsewhere, so make a habit of checking official pages before any scheduled tour.
- Keep visitors out of high-risk animal areas
- Provide clean boot covers or boot washing
- Hand washing stations at entry and exit
- Log visitors and where they have been recently
- Postpone tours if there is a disease concern
What about visitor safety?
Children and adults around large animals and machinery is a risk. Plan routes that stay away from equipment, manure handling and calving areas. Keep a staff member with every group, and set rules in advance.
The safety basics in this farm safety guide are a good starting point, and OSHA publishes workplace safety information that helps you think about hazards. An insurance agent can tell you what coverage applies to visitors.
Public health and food handling
If any food or milk samples are involved, food handling and hygiene matter. Animals can carry germs that make people sick, so hand washing after contact is not optional. The CDC publishes guidance on safe animal contact at farms and fairs.
Keep eating and drinking away from animal areas, and make sure strollers, bags and toys stay out of barns.
Making the tour educational
Start with a short story, show the milking routine from a viewing area if you can, and explain what the cows eat and how milk is kept cold. Plan for questions and for the child who asks about everything.
The dairy herd guide on our sister site is a handy reference for explaining herd care, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension often supports agritourism and education. You can also look at Dairy MAX for educational ideas in the region.
Staffing, scheduling and pacing
A tour needs people who are not milking. Decide who will lead, who will watch the group and who will cover the farm if something goes wrong. Everyone should know the plan in advance and know who has the authority to stop a visit.
Schedule tours at quiet times of day and keep them short. Younger groups tire quickly, and older groups like a chance to ask questions. Leave a buffer between groups so you can clean up and reset.
Consider a weather plan. In a Texas summer, shade and water are not optional, and a cancelled tour is better than a heat illness.
Build your own farm tour checklist
Because there is no downloadable plan here, copy this checklist and adjust it with your veterinarian. Review it before each season and after any disease alert.
If you want a smile before the first group arrives, farm.FM has a dairy section and education stories, and a farm.FM story about dairy farm tours is worth reading.
- Written visitor policy approved by your veterinarian
- Boot, hand and clothing rules
- Marked routes and no-go zones
- Staff with every group
- Liability coverage confirmed
- Contact list for emergencies
Sources and further reading
- Texas Animal Health Commission: animal disease rules
- USDA APHIS: animal and plant health
- OSHA: workplace safety
- CDC: public health
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Texas extension service
- Dairy MAX: dairy promotion in the Southwest
Ask locally: Your herd veterinarian and your insurance agent should both review a tour plan before the first group is scheduled.