Page 169 - The Welfare of Cattle

146 the WeLfare of CattLe

Step 4. Learn the Art of Stockmanship—Both management and the employees handling cattle
owe it to the animals we use for food to give them a life worth living. Bud Williams, the originator
of many concepts of low-stress handling, emphasizes the importance of having the right attitude
(Smith-Thomas, 2016). Some people are more intuitive with animals than others. They have a feel
for them. Managers need to find these natural stock people employees and pay them decently. In the
pork industry, stockmanship has become more important as the industry transitions from gestation
stalls to group housing To teach young pigs to successfully use electronic feeders requires a calm
patient person to be their Hog Whisperer (Coleman, 2016). To find this right person was not easy,
and many people tried and failed to become the successful “Hog Whisperer.” To find these excel-
lent stockpeople, the managers MUST care. Changing attitudes starts at the top of the organization.

reFereNCeS

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