Beef Handling Facility Ribbon Cutting & Open House, April 21st

EKU's new state-of-the-art beef handling facility designed by Temple Grandin and her colleague, Mark Deesing, will be officially dedicated this week. The ceremony is set for Friday, April 21, at 1 p.m. at Meadowbrook Farm, followed by an open house and guided tours.

Special guests include EKU President Michael Benson, CBT Associate Dean Ed Davis, Associate Professor Ed Fredrickson, and Sam Miller from USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Keynote speaker for the event will be Mark Deesing. Deesing began his career in the livestock industry as a farrier and horse trainer. In 1993 he began to work with Temple Grandin in research and writing projects. They co-authored two books together; "Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals” (Academic Press, 1998), and "Humane Livestock Handling” (Storey Publishing, 2008), along with several referred journal articles on cattle behavior. Deesing and Grandin pioneered work on using facial hair patterns to predict temperament and fertility in cattle.

Currently Deesing is a custom design consultant for Grandin Livestock Handling Systems, Inc., and has designed hundreds of handling facilities for all types of livestock, as well as wildlife and zoo species. He travels around the country visiting ranches, feedyards, and packing plants consulting on design of new facilities, troubleshooting problems in existing facilities, and working with producers on improvements in humane handling practices.

The event is sponsored by Madison County Soil Conservation District and Kentucky Cattlemen's Association.

Published on April 19, 2017