At the Animal Agriculture Alliance, we are committed to fostering a sense of unity and collaboration among all food chain partners. Our recent annual Stakeholders Summit in Arlington, Virginia, was a testament to this, as we brought together supply chain stakeholders to discuss sustainability and other critical topics.

The topic of animal welfare is broad, complex and multifaceted, encompassing scientific, ethical, economic, cultural, social, religious and political dimensions. Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo, Ph.D., with Elanco Animal Health, addressed this ever-evolving topic at the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference held in February in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

In an era where consumers are increasingly interested in where their food comes from, it is more important than ever for the agriculture community to maintain strong connections across the supply chain. The Animal Agriculture Alliance continues to lead the charge in fostering these relationships by hosting virtual events such as webinars. Due to popular demand, the Alliance also hosted a restaurant and retail farm tour last fall for the first time in several years.

As we enter the final stretch of 2024, there has been a notable increase by animal rights activists against agriculture, especially focusing on farms, food production systems and consumer perceptions. For dairy farmers and those working within the dairy community, understanding the strategies being employed by activists is essential to staying ahead of potential threats and challenges.

The alliance keeps a pulse on the animal rights movement so that the agriculture community can stay informed and be proactive, rather than reactive, to the tactics and strategies used.

In this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast, Progressive Dairy editor and host Kimmi Devaney chats with Abby Kornegay and Casey Kinler from the Animal Agriculture Alliance about what’s new with animal rights activism, key tactics dairy producers should know about and tips for dairy producers interested in building relationships with their legislators to become a trusted resource.