JUNEAU, Wis. — The 2023 Dairy Wellbeing Workshop presented by Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) is an opportunity for all members of the farm team to better understand how to manage pain experienced by dairy cattle. The repeating one-day sessions will explore ethical approaches to decision making regarding animal welfare and offer attendees a firsthand look at how animal care choices impact cull cow quality.
The workshop will be held on Tues., Feb. 21, and repeated Wed., Feb. 22, at the Tundra Lodge Resort Waterpark and Conference Center in Green Bay, Wis. Pre-registration for this program is required. On-site registration begins at 8 a.m. each day with programming to conclude daily at 4:30 p.m.
Each one-day session will begin with a tour of the American Foods Group facility in Green Bay, where participants will trace cull cow quality backwards from the cooler to the harvest floor. Beef buyers, market experts and USDA meat inspectors will share insights on carcass conditions, body condition and condemned cows, as well as how care at the dairy farm level impacts beef quality.
“Providing the best possible care for animals in every stage of life is the goal of all dairy farmers, but it can be challenging to know when and how to treat pain, or to make decisions when an animal is sick or injured,” said Fox Lake, Wis., dairy producer and PDPW board president Katy Schultz. “We’re excited to bring together top experts on pain management and animal welfare to share the latest research and best practices to help every dairy team member recognize how to make decisions that are best for the animals and people who care for them.”
Dr. Kate Creutizinger, PhD, assistant professor in dairy animal welfare at University of Wisconsin-River Falls, will present “Managing pain throughout the life cycle,” which will outline pain experiences animals may encounter throughout their lifecycles. While some events may be considered routine, such as disbudding, Dr. Creutzinger will lead a discussion on other circumstances of pain, how they can be identified at the farm level and how to manage them.
Dr. Sharon Kuca, BVetMed, MRCVS, MS, assistant director in the Animal Welfare Division of the American Veterinary Medical Association, will lead the Assessing Animal Welfare session. She will walk participants through the Animal Welfare Assessment Contest Workshop that integrates science-based knowledge with ethical values for an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving and share tips on implementing it on dairy farms.
Learn more about the 2023 PDPW Dairy Wellbeing Workshop, including speaker information and available continuing-education units, and register your team today by visiting www.pdpw.org or contacting PDPW at 800-947-7379. Follow along digitally in advance of and during the event by following @dairyPDPW and using #mypdpw on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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.
— Professional Dairy Producers