2020 Symposium | Dairy Cattle Welfare Council

The Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium: Promoting dairy cattle welfare and ethics through science and implementation of best practices

The Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium brings together dairy farmers, veterinarians, consultants, universities, and the dairy community to discuss best recommended practices with focus on animal well-being, management, husbandry, animal-people interaction, health, and productivity. The first keynote speaker will be Dr. Christine Webb discussing “Animal Empathy and the Ethical Upshot”. Other speakers will include Drs. Julie Føske Johnsen, Nina Von Keyserlingk, Jennifer Walker, Monique Pairis-Garcia, Lily Edwards-Callaway, Noa Roman-Muniz, Karen Waite, Kris Hiney, and Betsy Greene. The program will also include producer panel discussions as well as short oral presentations on dairy welfare-related research by students from universities across the country. The symposium is targeted towards dairy producers, consultants, dairy industry reps, academia/Extension, and veterinarians.

We will once again offer a Spanish-Speaking Session targeted towards farm managers, herdsmen, and key employees. The goal for this Spanish-Speaking Session is to teach the basics of animal welfare, why it is important on the dairy, and how to train other employees. Completion of this session will count towards required annual training outlined in the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program.