Today at the Animal Welfare Conference

Animal Neglect charges -- Webster City, Iowa The Associated Press reported that on May 18, a search warrant was executed by the Hamilton County, Iowa Sheriff's Office at 1835 White Fox Road and 1878 N. Stonega Ave., which resulted in John Patrick Thompson, 56, from Webster City, being charged with a total of 22 counts of livestock neglect and 14 counts of duty to dispose of dead bodies (animal carcasses).  Eleven head of livestock were seized from the property and are being cared for by the Animal Rescue League and a local farmer at undisclosed locations.  As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation of the commission of a come and any defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.  Iowa Code chapter 717 contains the provisions regarding animal abuse and neglect charges. 

So, what role does ISU Extension play in educating producers about animal welfare?  How do we assess the needs and design programming to assist livestock producers about these issues?  These are some of the questions we'll be discussing today.