In-Person, Online Event Highlights Applied Strategies for Advancing Food Animal Welfare
‘Boots on the Ground: Animal Welfare from the Veterinary Perspective’ set for Oct. 2
By John Lovett – Sept. 10, 2025
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A practical approach to improving welfare outcomes in food animal production is the focus of the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing’s 11th annual symposium, Oct. 2, at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences.
The free event, themed “Boots on the Ground: Animal Welfare from the Veterinary Perspective,” will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person. In-person registration closes on Sept. 25. The event begins that Thursday at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast and ends at 3 p.m. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.
“The symposium brings together leading veterinary professionals to share real-world veterinary insights and case studies on animal welfare,” said Shawna Weimer, director of the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing. “This year’s theme highlights practical, on-the-ground approaches to improving welfare outcomes in food animal production.”
The Center for Food Animal Wellbeing is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. The center’s mission is to disseminate science-based information and drive innovation towards practices and technologies that cultivate animal welfare for ethical and sustainable food systems.
Weimer is an assistant professor of poultry science for Bumpers College and the Division of Agriculture’s research and extension arms, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.
More than policy
Weimer noted that “turning welfare science into action leads to healthier animals, which translates to better outcomes for the animals, farmers and consumers.
“It’s not just about policy — it’s boots-on-the-ground impact,” she said.
Featured speakers and topics include:
- Jennifer Walker, chief animal welfare officer for Kinder Ground — Applications and limitations of an animal welfare audit.
- Brooke Kitting, senior veterinarian for Seaboard Foods — Individual pig care.
- Kate Barger, principal veterinary consultant for KB Welfare Consulting — Global perspective of animal welfare.
- Cole Crumpacker, staff veterinarian for Butterball — Metapneumovirus impact on turkeys.
- Laura Tensa, veterinarian for Wilcox Farms — Translating welfare science into practice.
The detailed agenda, registration information, and more information about the speakers are available on the event website.
The Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization will award seven hours of continuing education credits for attending the symposium.
Sponsorships are being accepted to support the event. To sponsor, please contact Weimer or visit the online giving portal.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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