Farmers will find it much easier to handle livestock if they
understand an animal’s point of view.  That’s what national
animal welfare expert Temple Grandin told close to 400 attendees
at the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council’s winter beef
conference.  When Grandin first started working with beef cattle
in the 1970s, she determined the only way she could find out how
cows perceive the world was to get inside the chutes in cattle-
handling facilities. "I’m an extreme visual thinker because of
my autism, so I got down in the chutes to see what was going
on."  What she found is that animals are easily distracted and,
therefore, easily scared.  "Here’s the basis of good animal
care: Calm animals are easier to handle than excited, fearful
animals," Grandin told livestock producers at the conference. "I
don’t care what kind of animal you work with."  Grandin, who is
a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and
designs livestock handling facilities, said allowing animals to
move voluntarily is