The 16th Annual VT Grazing and Livestock Conference held January 21st drew over 700 attendees this year, including Senior Loan Officer Jean Conklin and directors Paul Saenger and Walt Gladstone. Many came to hear one of the three keynote speeches by Dr. Temple Grandin from Colorado State University. Four hundred attendees heard her two presentations during the day focusing on animal behavior and humane handling. She has done extensive work on the design of handling facilities. Half the cattle in the U.S. and Canada are handled in equipment she has designed for meat plants. There were also numerous workshops related to grazing and pasture management as well as the trade show. That evening another crowd gathered to hear Dr. Grandin address seeing the world through the lens of autism.
