The perfect primer for attendees new to the animal handling world to learn the basics or those looking to refresh their knowledge, this session will cover handling principles such as flight zone, distractions that impede movement, and proper use of driving aids. Led by animal and behavior scientist, and the world’s foremost authority on animal welfare, Dr. Temple Grandin will provide great opportunities for questions and discussion with an industry icon.

Optimal animal welfare outcomes during slaughter are not merely a function of infrastructure and protocols, but are driven by the culture of care created on the plant floor every day. This session, featuring Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz and  Dr. Lily Edwards-Callaway, explores how leadership, employee engagement, and shared responsibility drive humane outcomes at harvest operations.

Attendees will examine what defines a strong culture of animal welfare, how expectations are reinforced through daily behaviors and decisions, and how organizations can empower employees at all levels to uphold animal care standards. Through real-world insights and applied examples, this session highlights how culture serves as the foundation for consistent, humane handling and continuous improvement. 

Join Roya Galindo for a practical walkthrough of a real non-compliance report. In this interactive session, you’ll learn how to interpret findings, avoid common mistakes, and develop strong, defensible responses to improve compliance and animal handling outcomes.

Participants will discuss current challenges and practical solutions in animal care and handling in small peer groups. From welfare concerns and regulatory updates to public perception and supply chain expectations, this session will provide an opportunity for attendees to network and address key issues impacting the industry today, such as staff training, policy development, and emerging technologies. Attendees will leave with insights and resources to improve animal care practices and enhance accountability across operations.

Explore new scientific insights into animal welfare across slaughter, stunning, and routine husbandry procedures. This session features research on health abnormalities in natural-program cattle, effectiveness of a prototype captive-bolt device for bison, objective behavioral and physiological indicators of castration pain in calves, and real-time heartrate responses during stunning and exsanguination. Attendees will gain a comprehensive, data-driven understanding of how animals respond during handling and slaughter, and how emerging tools can enhance welfare assessment and operational decision-making. 

Animal rights extremism is on the rise, making security a growing priority across the animal agriculture and food communities. America’s farms, ranches, food processors, retailers, and restaurants play a critical role in keeping the food supply safe and accessible. In this session, Hannah Thompson-Weeman, president and CEO of the Animal Agriculture Alliance, will share insights on emerging activism trends and outline practical strategies to help safeguard your operation, protect animal welfare, and strengthen the resilience of the food supply chain.

Proper stunner performance is critical to ensuring humane handling, employee safety, and regulatory compliance in meat and poultry operations. This session provides a practical, equipment-focused overview of stunner selection, routine maintenance, troubleshooting, and verification to help facilities maintain consistent and effective stunning outcomes.

Led by Ryan Malone, Product Specialist at Bunzl, the session will explore key considerations when selecting stunners for different species, production speeds, and facility layouts, as well as common maintenance issues that can compromise performance over time. Attendees will gain insight into preventive maintenance best practices, including inspection routines, parts replacement, calibration, and documentation to support animal welfare audits and compliance expectations.

The session will also include a visual demonstration of stunner components and maintenance practices, highlighting what operators and supervisors should routinely check to ensure equipment functions as intended. Designed for plant managers, animal welfare officers, maintenance teams, and operations leaders, this session emphasizes practical takeaways that can be immediately applied on the plant floor to support humane handling programs and continuous improvement efforts.
 

This fast-paced, peer-driven Bullet Session gives attendees the opportunity to share practical ideas, process improvements, and small but meaningful changes they have implemented in their plants or operations to enhance animal handling, animal welfare, and the employee work environment.
Participants will offer brief, real-world examples—from facility or equipment adjustments to training approaches, handling techniques, or team engagement strategies—that have delivered measurable or observable improvements. The session is designed to encourage open knowledge-sharing, spark new ideas, and provide attendees with immediately applicable takeaways they can adapt within their own operations.
Whether the improvement was a major initiative or a simple tweak that made a difference, this session highlights the power of continuous improvement and learning from one another across the industry.
 

Artificial intelligence is transforming how beef harvest facilities monitor and support animal welfare. This session highlights how AI enabled tools—such as computer vision and real-time analytics—can strengthen humane handling practices, enhance consistency, and reinforce a culture of care from the pens to the harvest floor.  

Animal welfare doesn’t stop at U.S. borders. This session will provide the opportunity for a global look at animal handling practices—what other regions are doing better, why it works, and how those lessons can strengthen welfare outcomes.