Animal welfare

I am a proponent of animal welfare. We practice it on our farm. My husband and I have a deep-rooted passion for raising livestock that began when we were children.

Sustainable livestock production is on the minds of consumers and ag industry leaders alike. Balancing environmental, social and economic sustainability makes it a complicated topic with many facets.

With the increasing amount of discussion about the care of animals on dairy farms, it is important that dairymen focus on management practices that resonate with societal values, said Nina Von Keyserlingk, animal welfare professor at the University of British Columbia.

The 2021 Center for Animal Welfare Science Virtual Symposium, set for May 19-20, will focus on understanding how the pandemic has influenced perceptions about the human-animal bond.

Thirty years ago, I was a 28-year farm broadcaster covering the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, when a women in a pig costume shoved a whipped cream pie in the face of Iowa’s Pork Queen in a protest staged by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which at the time claimed more than 350,000 members. Today, PETA claims a membership of 6.5 million.

Nearly 900 cattle that have been on a ship traveling the Mediterranean Sea for two months will be killed after veterinarians deemed them no longer fit for export, Spanish authorities said.

When Emma’s human parents died, they left a legacy of a love for animals in the form of the Ketenbrink Foundation.

I’ve been around the agriculture industry since the day I was born and I’ve learned so many lessons over the years, many good ones that impacted the life path I took, but also several lessons that were hard to understand.

Animal rights activists are focused on undermining trust to convince consumers to turn away from animal agriculture.

All the focus on the National Mall in Washington in recent days brings back memories from my many visits to our nation’s capital. I have been struck with an overwhelming sense of awe every time I have walked through the museums and the monuments.