2023 Michigan Pork Symposium: Thursday, February 16, 2023

Jan 23, 2023

very year, Michigan Pork Producers Association works to bring pork producers together from across the state of Michigan for educational sessions, honoring award-winning producers, and to meet with industry representatives at the annual Michigan Pork Symposium. This year’s event will be held on Thursday, February 16, 2023 at the Lansing Center in Lansing, MI.

Grace Platte and Wayne Humphreys will open the 2023 Michigan Pork Symposium as keynote speakers.

Grace Platte with Animal Ag Alliance will present about bridging the communications gap in animal agriculture. The topic of responsible and sustainable animal agriculture has received a lot of attention in recent years, but these concepts are nothing new to the American farmers. For generations, farmers and ranchers across the country have raised animals not only in an ethical manner, but also in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner. Consumers are hungry to learn more about where their food comes from. Unfortunately, some of the loudest voices they are hearing from include activist organizations rather than farmers and industry experts. This session will empower attendees to be outspoken advocates for agriculture online and within their communities and make a difference in public perception by effectively communicating on relevant issues in animal agriculture.

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Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.