By Jennifer Vit
Iowa State University will host the Fourth International Beef Cattle Welfare Symposium July 16-18, 2014. The symposium will bring together beef producers, processors, retailers, government officials, NGOs, animal scientists, veterinarians and students to discuss, debate and learn more about specific welfare issues encompassing all angles of the beef supply chain, including social concerns, production, environment, transportation, processing, marketing, trade regulations and legislation.International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare
During the first day of the symposium, participants will get hands-on experience in diagnosing and treating lameness in beef cattle. Participants also will practice the correct technique for on-farm euthanasia and learn a variety of on-farm techniques for minimizing stress during handling and management procedures, including dehorning. This portion of the symposium will take place in the new state-of-the-art Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center on the Iowa State University campus.
The Thursday, July 17 and Friday, July 18 program will take place at the ISU Alumni Center. These sessions will include in-depth discussions about current and future beef cattle welfare concerns, low-stress cattle handling, beta-agonist use, lameness and pain management from industry experts, including Temple Grandin, Dan Thomson and Tom Noffsinger. World renowned beef cattle experts, bovine practitioners and animal scientists from Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Canada and the United States will provide an international perspective on global issues such as the impact of stress on the health and welfare of beef cattle, strategies for reducing stress and improving welfare at weaning, and understanding and managing the animal welfare impacts of painful procedures in beef cattle.
The program also will feature Greg Peterson, of the Peterson Farm Brothers, whose clever parodies of popular songs convey a positive message about agriculture and livestock production. Their videos have received more than 15 million views on YouTube.
“Ranchers, animal scientists and veterinarians have traditionally been the standard bearers for beef cattle welfare,” said Dr. Hans Coetzee, 2014 symposium chair and section leader, ISU Pharmacology Analytical Support Team. “With the growing separation of consumers from rural agriculture, beef producers need to take a strong leadership role in establishing good livestock practices and have active and informed input on potential regulations and changes in the industry to help minimize the information disconnect between consumers, food retailers and livestock producers and protect the long-term sustainability of beef cattle production.”
Registration for the symposium is currently open. There are special rates for registering before July 1, 2014, and for Iowa Cattlemen’s Association members. There also is an option to attend the symposium via a live webcast, for those unable to attend in person. There are rates for both individuals and groups to join the event via the webcast. Each participant who attends the 4th International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare is eligible to receive a certificate for 14.5 Continuing Education Units from the Iowa Veterinary Medical Board at the conclusion of the symposium.
The symposium currently is accepting entries for both oral and poster presentations. All submissions are due by June 1, 2014. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by June 15, 2014.
Source:iastate.edu