Temple Grandin Comes To Pa. To Discuss Animal Handling (Continued from Page A 1) as farmers that we used to be,” said Kellett. “The farm popula tion has declined considerably and therefore the media is a pow erful lobby. Everyone (the gener al public) likes farmers and ev eryone likes food, but you have to be careful about the media and the image you put forth. “Legislators respond to lobby ing groups,” said Kellett, who pointed out that show horses have extensive protection because of lobbying groups. “There is a powerful lobby that comes from pictures and media, and those laws change fairly easi ly across the U.S. when pictures become available to the public,” she said. Dr. Temple Grandin, assistant professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, was the session’s keynote speaker. Grandin has authored more than 300 scientific articles on ani mal handling. She also designs livestock handling facilities that are in use worldwide. Grandin has been involved in the livestock industry for 30 years the first 25 she spent de Bobcat 8300 loader Backhoe • 46 HP Kubota diesel engine • 4-wheel drive • All-wheel steer • 3,200 lb. rated operating capacity • 8,430 lb. lift breakout force SEE IT AT YOUR LOCAL BOBCAT HEADQUARTERS Best Line Leasing, Inc. Bobcat of Reading Muncy, PA Reading, PA 570-546-8422 610-926-2441 800-321-2378 Clugston Ag & Turf Inc. Chambersburg, PA 717-263-4103 M Bobcat One Tough Animal ' * signing equipment and teaching producers about animal husband ry- The last five years, however, she has been hired by McDon alds, Wendy’s, and Burger King as they seek to balance producer interests and consumer concerns about animal welfare. “Economic factors bring about change, and one of the things I’ve tried to do is direct this change into something practical and sci entific,” said Grandin. For the fast-food restaurants, Grandin has taken to the road to train packing house auditors who monitor animal handling prac tices. She is working on putting together a simple, objective mea surement system for auditors to use. “Continuous measurement makes it possible to measure im provement and maintain a high standard,” she said. “You man age the things that you measure, and animal welfare can be mea sured.” Her scoring system includes stunning efficacy, animal vocali zation, slipping and falling, and electric prod use. “I thought that if I’d get the • 9' 9" digging depth • Self-leveling loader bucket • Bob-Tach™ mounting system on loader • X-Change™ mounting system on backhoe Cumberland Bobcat Grumelli’s Farm Service Mechamcsburg, PA Quarryville, PA 717-790-9810 717-786-7318 Second place winners, “Pigs R Us,” from Potter County, are, from left, Josh Risser, Amanda Barker, Mylena Drake, Erin Dickerson, and coach Ken Risser. hardware (the animal handling facilities that she designed) in stalled, everything would be fine.” However Grandin is now BS & B Repair Miffhnburg, PA 717-966-3756 Burchfields Inc. Martmsburg, PA 814-793-2194 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 8, 2003-A25 training people to use the facili ties, which she refers to as install ing her “software.” Grandin’s prior work included employment for the USDA in 1996, when she was hired to do a survey of slaughterhouses. She discovered plants that had prob lems with equipment and man agement to plants “that have kept good standards all along.” Animals are not afraid of slaughter but they are afraid of shadows, shiny pieces of metal, or air blowing in their faces, she said. “Get down in the chute and see what the animal is seeing, and get rid of distractions.” She also recommended ex changing electric prods for flags to move animals more quietly. “That last five minutes in the plant, as they go up the chute, we can cause really bad quality prob lems in pork,” said Grandin. Animal handling facilities should be well-lit, lighting the path in front of the animal but not directly in its eyes, said Gran din. She also suggested having a ramp to go over top of an existing ramp for piglets transported in a cattle track, since piglets can in jure their dew claws. In addition, “if you are build ing a new hog facility, please make 30-36-inch wide alleys, enough that two pigs can walk down side by side,” she said. Walking through the pig pens often will train them to “just qui etly get up and flow about you it makes a world of difference in how they handle and load,” she said. “Producers need to ask them selves what the public would think about their handling prac tices,” said Grandin. More information about her animal handling practices and fa cilities is available at www.gran din.com. Other presenters during the conference included Robert Ruth, Hershey, president of Country View Family farms, a hog opera tion. “As we move forward as an in dustry, we’re finding that we can’t avoid some of these (animal (Turn to Page A 26)
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