Dec. 18 2017 02:58 PM

Demand for Transparency Increases Focus on Animal Care Practices of Dairy Farmers

The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

Dairy farmers, herd managers and industry professionals will gain new perspective on animal welfare issues like lameness, body condition scoring, and cull-cow management at the PDPW Dairy Wellbeing Workshop, presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW). Two one-day sessions will be held on Wed., Feb 7, and Thurs., Feb. 8, both at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wis., from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.

The workshop will feature a behind-the-scenes tour of American Foods Group meat processing plant, tracing backwards from the cooler to the harvest floor. Participants will hear from beef buyers, market experts and USDA meat inspectors about cull-cow quality and carcass conditions.

Following the tour, participants will return to the convention center for workshop presentations from two leading animal care experts:

  • Dr. Nigel Cook, DVM, chair of the Department of Medical Sciences and Profession in Food Animal Production Medicine at UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, will review animal welfare challenges that producers currently face, as well as practices and assessments that may be required in the future.
  • Dr. Franklyn Garry, DVM, professor at Colorado State University, will discuss humane euthanasia of dairy animals, including appropriate circumstances and proper methods.

To learn more about the program and to register, visit www.pdpw.org or contact PDPW at 1-800-947-7379.

The PDPW Dairy Wellbeing Workshop is an accredited training and offers up to 6.0 Dairy AdvanCE continuing education units (CEUs) for each day. To learn more or secure credits, visit www.DairyAdvance.org. Up to 6.9 CEUs are available to UW-School of Veterinary Medicine (UW-SVM), and up to 7.0 CEUs are available to the American Registry of Professional Scientists (ARPAS) members.

Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) is the nation's largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed."