December 2025

THE HUMANE HAND:

A resource for developing careful and confident livestock handlers in meat plants.

Training Tip

Celebrating Research Excellence:

Huitema Showcases Animal Welfare Study

Gabby Huitema, one of our Program Technicians and an Animal Welfare Lab Research Assistant, presented her research on stun placement and captive bolt use for yaks at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Undergraduate Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities (URSCA) Fall Gala! We are incredibly proud of Gabby and all of the hard work that she and her research mentors put into this project. Keep up the great work!

NEW One-day Workshop offering

Stunning Equipment Maintenance and Testing, Feb. 19

Effective stunning starts with functional and reliable equipment. In this workshop, trainees will complete hands-on activities related to stunning equipment maintenance and testing. This workshop is ideal for individuals who maintain captive bolt or electrical stunning equipment.

Detailed stunning equipment repair and maintenance
Methods for bench testing stunning equipment

Looking Ahead to Spring Events

Find us at MAMP and WAMP this spring. We’re excited to continue connecting with industry professionals and sharing insights on animal welfare and research.

Mark your calendars and join us for two fantastic opportunities to engage, learn, and collaborate:

MAMP Annual Convention, March 19-21, 2026

WAMP Annual Convention, April 7-12, 2026

Attention Wisconsin Meat Processors!

Our Spring Humane Handling and Stunning workshops will be your last chance to utilize free tuition coverage from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Seats are limited so act now!

Humane Handling Institute

hhi@uwrf.edu

715-425-4987

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