This conference will focus primarily on current and emerging welfare and animal-handling issues in the beef industry.
Beef cattle experts, bovine practitioners, philosophers and animal scientists will provide insight on the latest research during their presentations.
Dr. Temple Grandin, a cattle welfare specialist and instructor at Colorado State University, will be one of the symposium speakers. She will touch on the concerns with beta-agonists and the importance of body structure pertaining to lameness in cattle.
Cattle handling has improved, she says. However, she wants the industry to focus on measuring everything they do – how many times they prod, poke or move the animal.
Dr. Jeff Carroll, research leader for the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Livestock Issues Research Unit, will also be a featured speaker.
He will focus his presentation on the variations of stress and immunity in cattle when influenced by natural changes and the feeding of nutritional supplements.
He will also discuss how cattle respond and cope with stress and immune challenges. Carroll says not all cattle are the same; therefore, management of cattle should not be the same.
“Understanding the biology associated with these variations could improve cattle performance as well as animal health and well-being,” Carroll says. “Some of the information provided will be beneficial to producers as they evaluate their management practices.”
Other speakers will include Dr. Dan Thomson, professor of production medicine and epidemiology at Kansas State University; Dr. Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein, a research scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; and Dr. Bernadette Earley, a principal research officer at Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre in Ireland.
The cost of registration is $200 for the entire symposium if registered before or on July 1. Late conference registration is $275. One-day attendance options are available at $150 for July 17 or July 18. ISU students and staff can register for $50.
The symposium is also available via a live webcast for those unable to attend.
Visit the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach website to register and learn more. 
