Animal Welfare Approved, the nationally recognized certification program and food label, is pleased to announce the selected projects for the 2010 Good Husbandry Grants cycle. This cycle’s funding priorities include genetics, outdoor access, and welfare improvements in the slaughter process. Twenty-eight projects in 14 states were awarded funding.

Selected projects include mobile housing for pigs, sheep and poultry, and stunning equipment for humane slaughter. A number of proposals were funded to incorporate breeding stock that is better suited to pasture-based management. “Choosing from among the many worthy proposals was a difficult task,” remarked Program Director Andrew Gunther. “But we are confident that the projects that have been selected for funding will contribute to positive developments in high-welfare pasture-based farming.”

Legislation in the recent farm bill included funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which offers farmers incentives for using sustainable agriculture practices. Specific “enhancement” projects relating to animals and livestock production include: Incorporate Native Grasses and or Legumes into 15% or more of the forage base, Grazing Management to Improve Wildlife Habitat, Monitoring Nutritional [...]

GRANTS OF UP $5,000 TO FOCUS ON OUTDOOR ACCESS, GENETICS AND IMPROVING SLAUGHTER FACILITIES

President of the Animal Welfare Institute Cathy Liss and Animal Welfare Approved Program Director Andrew Gunther are pleased to announce the 2009 Animal Welfare Approved grant cycle. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded for the sole purpose of improving farm animal welfare, with a concentration on three areas: increased outdoor access, improved genetics and improved slaughter facilities. Current Animal Welfare Approved farmers and those who have applied to join the program are eligible, and farmers may apply for certification and for a grant simultaneously. The deadline for applying is October 1, 2009.

Patricia Whisnant, D.V.M., president of the American Grassfed Association and co-founder of American Grassfed Beef, has recently had her farm, Rain Crow Ranch, accredited by Animal Welfare Approved. Rain Crow Ranch supplies American Grassfed Beef and is family-owned and operated by Patricia and her husband Mark in Doniphan, Mo. The couple raises 1,200 head entirely on grass, with the help of their three sons and four employees.

In 2003, Linda Maggio, a former veterinary technician, her husband Steve Kosco and their daughter Madison moved from New Jersey to North Carolina. They didn’t plan to become farmers, but as soon as they got a few chickens Linda became fascinated by them and that was that. Within a year of moving they started S&L Farm.