Low stress livestock handling implies a safe, calm, efficient manner of handling, which will minimize the amount of stress cattle are exposed to. For low stress handling to work properly, producers need to learn to read cattle so that they can be in the right place at the right time. It is about reading an animal’s response to pressure and understanding their flight zone, figuring out how much pressure needs to be applied and adjusting that pressure as required in order to get the cattle to calmly and quietly go where you are asking. To successfully move livestock it is imperative that there is effective communication between the handler and the animal.
Hailing from Hanna, Alberta, Dylan Biggs has spent his life working cattle on his family’s ranch. Their vertically integrated cow-calf to consumer operation utilizes mostly native pasture, which has supplied him with a vast number of livestock handling experiences. He became motivated him to find a more effective and less stressful approach to handling livestock after feeling dissatisfied with their current handling process at the time. He was introduced to Temple Grandin and Ray Hunt in the mid 80’s and then to Bud Williams in 1989. For over 20 years, Dylan has traveled extensively across Canada and into the US sharing his knowledge and experiences surrounding low stress cattle handling with livestock producers through seminars, clinics, and livestock handling demonstrations, print and radio media. Dylan shares what he has learned in an effort to improve the quality of life for both family farms and livestock.
Dylan will have two demonstration times at Ag in Motion. At each session he will spend an hour with a group of 10 yearling bulls demonstrating and showing the audience where and how the animals flight zone’s work, as well as the difference between individual flight zones and group flight zones. The key message that attendees will take away is the importance of low stress cattle handling, and how to incorporate it on their operation. Dylan will share with the group some insight into cattle handling skills and techniques that will enable them to work their livestock calmly, efficiently and with more control.
The Low Stress Cattle Handling Demonstration will take place on Wednesday, July 18th at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.