The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska was awarded a $300,000 Project Grant under the USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grant program (CFDA 10.310). The grant, awarded on July 1, 2024, with a completion date of June 30, 2026, will fund research to develop and test a skill assessment tool for scoring the skill level of animal handlers. The project aims to investigate the relationship between self-reported handler experience, expert-scored skill level, and animal behavior during controlled cattle handling events. The goal is to create an objective measure of handler skill level that could substantially reduce the risk of injury to both humans and animals in the agricultural industry, thereby improving animal welfare and the overall sustainability of U.S. food systems.
Generated 2/25/25, 5:06 AM