Page 31 - The Welfare of Cattle

8 the WeLfare of CattLe

regardless of holidays, weather, or special events. It is a demanding responsibility. I’ve found the
producer’s personal status, identity, and self-image are all tightly connected to their cattle.
My hope is that this book presents information in a manner that allows the reader with strong
opinions on all sides of the issues to pause, to invest in the required struggle to truly understand the
points that are being made by the authors, to ruminate thoughtfully about what the reader’s personal
truth is, and then to strive to take the first step, or the next step, in improving the welfare of cattle
under their stewardship (and I include consumers as sharing in the responsibility of stewardship
through their purchasing decisions). This is a journey we humans have been on with cattle for thou-
sands of years, and that will continue as long as humans and animals depend on each other.

Donald J. Klingborg
School of Veterinary Medicine Emeritus
University of California, Davis, CA