News Update
Oct. 27, 2010

MSU to Host Tenth Annual Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Contest in November

There’s no doubt about it: these days, animal welfare questions are at the top of a lot of people’s minds and being put to the vote on ballots across the country. It will be today’s university students who will be charged with being the world’s future decision makers on these issues.

Students representing universities and veterinary schools across the United States and Canada will come to Michigan State University (MSU) Nov. 20-21 to learn about and debate topics related to the welfare of animals in the tenth annual Intercollegiate Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Contest.

The competition, which is divided into undergraduate, graduate and veterinary college divisions, allows students to compete in events focused on increasing the understanding of welfare and care issues affecting animals used for human purposes, including food production, research and companionship. The event promotes students’ critical thinking, teaches ethical reasoning skills, encourages objective assessments based on science, and improves persuasive public speaking and presentation skills.

“There is still a large portion of the public that doesn’t understand the difference between animal welfare and animal rights, but they’re still very sensitive to the issues,” said Camie Heleski, MSU animal science instructor and one of the founders of the contest and coach for the MSU undergraduate judging team. “Students who compete in this contest are able to gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for all that’s encompassed by the term “animal welfare.”
“Having a sound knowledge of the fundamentals and factors contributing to good animal welfare and not basing decisions solely on emotion or assumptions is key,” she added. “Students can put this knowledge to use to better communicate with their peers and make well-informed decisions in their future careers.”

On the first day of the competition, students will attend educational seminars presented by animal welfare experts from across the Midwest and Canada that are focused on the species they will evaluate in the contest. This year’s scheduled presenters are Derek Haley, Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, on welfare concerns related to beef cattle; Katherine Houpt, professor emeritus at Cornell University and consultant with Animal Behavior Consultants of Northern Michigan, on welfare related to working and service dogs; Suzanne Millman, College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, on the welfare of broiler chickens; and Cynthia Bennett, Director of Animal Welfare at the Detroit Zoo, on welfare concerns pertaining to giraffes.

Following the seminars, students will compete in the team assessment event, working in groups to assess the welfare of animals housed at the MSU Beef Cattle Research Center. In both the team and individual events, students must assess health and behavioral indicators related to animal welfare. Following the farm assessment, teams will prepare an oral presentation defending their findings that will be delivered to a panel of judges made up of animal welfare experts, including speakers from the educational seminars.

On the second day of the contest, students will work individually to evaluate welfare scenarios in each of three categories — companion animals, animals used in agriculture, and exotic or laboratory animals. Scenarios this year will focus on working and service dogs, broiler chickens and giraffes, respectively. Depending on the animal species being evaluated, competitors will compare either individual animals, entire farms or different laboratory settings. They will rank the animals or settings from best to worst according to welfare indicators. After completing their assessments, students will prepare and deliver oral reasons defending their findings to the judges.

The judges will evaluate and compare the quality of welfare in each scenario. Based on their assessment, they will come up with an official placing — or ranking — for each species scenario. The closer that students come to matching the judges’ official placings, the higher they score. Judges will calculate total scores based on team event presentations, individual scenario placings and oral reasons scores.

This year’s contest will be hosted by MSU and the MSU Animal Behavior and Welfare Group (ABWG) with support from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the MSU Department of Animal Science.

The MSU ABWG studies various animal well-being issues. Its mission is to develop practical solutions for improving the general well-being and long-term welfare of animals based on sound science and providing the necessary training to implement these solutions.

To learn more about the MSU ABWG and the annual animal welfare judging and assessment competition, visit www.animalwelfare.msu.edu/ or contact Heleski at heleski@msu.edu.

— Release by MSU.

MU Extension Livestock Specialists Says to Body Condition Score Beef Cows at Weaning

It’s important to have an idea what degree of body condition (fat) beef cows have, according to Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri (MU) Extension.

“A key time to make these body condition scoring (BCS) decisions is at weaning time. Reproduction is highly influenced by fat deposition and cows can be both too thin as well as too fat,” said Cole.

Thin or low BCS cows should be separated and given better or more nutritious feed. At the same time, the fleshy cows, BCS 7 or above, might even be put on a diet and given lower quality forage.

In order to communicate body condition scoring (BCS) more accurately, a system has been used for several years to describe those differences.

The system runs from a 1 to a 9 with 1s being extremely thin, physically weak with all ribs showing.

“Seldom do we find animals in that bad of shape. A 2, BCS is very similar to the 1 but they are not weak. The 9 BCS animal is obese and seldom seen unless she’s missed calving the last couple of years and is fed way too much,” said Cole.

The most common scores found in herds range from a 4 to a 7. Arguments can be made about the ideal BCS and, typically, they are from 5.0 to a 6.5.

“Many scorers of body condition will break on a .5 when they can’t decide if the cow or bull is a 5 or a 6. Yes, bulls need a BCS too,” said Cole.

A 5 is a very acceptable condition, especially at weaning time. The cow in a 5 BCS is moderately thin and the last 2 ribs can usually be seen. That means there is very little fat present in the brisket, over the ribs or around the tail head.

The 6 BCS animal has a very smooth appearance, no ribs are visible and fat is noticeable in the brisket and on either side of the tail head. According to Cole, this is the desired condition for 2-year old heifers just ahead of calving.

On average it takes about 80 to 100 pounds of live weight to advance a cow one BCS. This is important if you discover at weaning that you have several cows in the 3 and 4 BCS range,” said Cole.

Mature cows with a 4 BCS should be managed to move up to at least a 5 or possibly a 6 in about two or three months depending on expected calving date.

If a cow needs to move up that means they need to add at least 100 pounds of body weight to calve in acceptable flesh. According to Cole, this will require either very good hay and pasture or some concentrated feed.

“When you run your spring calving herd through the chute for their preg-check, try putting a BCS on each one. Record it on their herd record. It can be quite revealing as you compare daughters from different breeds or different sires,” said Cole.

For more information, contact any of the MU Extension livestock specialists in southwest Missouri: Eldon Cole in Mount Vernon, 417-466-3102 or Dona Goede in Cedar County, 417-276-3313.

— Release by MU.

Registration Now Open for 2011 AMI Expo

Registration is now open for attendees and exhibitors of American Meat Institute (AMI) International Meat, Poultry and Seafood Industry Convention and Exposition, scheduled for April 13-16, 2011, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill.

The official website of the AMI International Meat, Poultry and Seafood Industry Convention and Exposition, www.amiexpo.com/, includes registration, hotel and travel information, detailed conference information and exhibitor lists. It also has resources for suppliers, including information on how to exhibit and how to make the most of your experience at the show.

The cost for attendee registration is $125 and increases $50 after the March 2, 2011, pre-registration deadline.

The AMI Expo attracts approximately 400 exhibitors, who display the newest technologies in equipment, packaging, ingredients and services for processors of meat, poultry and seafood. Food industry professionals attend the AMI Expo to find solutions spanning the entire manufacturing process — from receiving and blending to processing and packaging to material handling and distribution. Attendees have the opportunity to view exhibits offering everything that meat, poultry, and seafood processing and packaging companies need to run more efficiently, create new products and improve profitability.

— Release by AMI.

— Compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.