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Stress Lowand Humane Animal Handling, Two Workshops

(Nov. 12 & 13, 2004) Have you ever heard a hilarious (in retrospect) story about loading livestock onto a truck? Probably all farmers would be happy avoiding such trying adventures. If you can do without such challenges, join us for an eye-opening, hands-on workshop about handling farm animals with minimal stress on both the animals and the farmer.

The Regional Farm & Food Project and The Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) have teamed up to present two low-stress animal handling workshops from 10 AM – 3 PM, on Fri., Nov. 12 and Sat., Nov. 13.

These workshops will intermingle practice handling a group of animals with presentations, behavior exercises, and informal discussion. Demonstrations and instruction will be provided by Drs. Jennifer Lanier and Robert Hadad, of the Farm Animals and Sustainable Agriculture Section of HSUS.

Jennifer Lanier, who is an animal behavior and handling expert in her own right, has worked closely with the remarkable animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Grandin. Grandin's insights and design recommendations are opening up the meat industry to revolutionary changes in how animals are handled.

Through a little theory and a lot of practice, you will learn:

  • What shadows, baseball hats, and noise have in common
  • Characteristics of herd and prey animals that will make it easier to work smoothly with them
  • How to change our own behavior to accommodate animals' natural tendencies and thus handle them more humanely and with less stress
  • How herd animals perceive the world differently than we do, and design features of low-stress handling facilities that respect these difference
  • How to read a group of animals in a particular situation - assess their temperament and stress levels, and act on this understanding

The Fri., Nov. 12 workshop will take place in Washington County, NY, at a farm to be announced. The next day's workshop will be held at Four Winds Farm, a diversified organic livestock and vegetable farm, in Gardiner, NY, near New Paltz, in Ulster County.

To reserve your place, please send a $20 deposit to RFFP, indicating which date workshop and the names of those attending. Include phone number, email and mailing address to receive the confirmation and directions! A total donation of $30 - $50 at the workshop will cover costs for those attending.