Internationally Renowned Animal Welfare and Autism Expert Dr. Temple Grandin to Visit Wichita

WICHITA, Kan., July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Temple Grandin, professor of livestock handling and behavior at Colorado State University, and the subject of an HBO docudrama that debuted nationally on February 6, will be making a swing through Wichita on August 5-6 to speak with Cargill employees about animal welfare, participate in a public book-signing, be the keynote speaker at an autism conference and meet with representatives of the Lose The Training Wheels™ organization for youth with disabilities.  Internationally heralded for her work in the areas of animal welfare and autism, Grandin has been responsible for major livestock handling innovations and improvements that have been adopted throughout the U.S. and internationally.

"Cargill has a very close working relationship with Temple, and has for many years," explained Dr. Mike Siemens, Cargill's head of animal welfare based in Wichita.  "We have learned a great deal from her as she has helped us understand the importance and benefit of properly handling and respecting live animals raised for human consumption.  Her contributions in the areas of animal welfare, food production, people with disabilities and society as whole, are enormous, and we are privileged to have a long-standing and mutually beneficial working relationship with Temple.  She has been instrumental in helping us enhance our animal handling systems and programs at our beef and pork facilities," Siemens concluded.

Grandin, who is autistic, has written nine books on animal welfare and the human potential for overcoming disabilities.  She actively teaches, consults and pursues new and better animal welfare techniques.  On May 16, 2010, she received an honorary doctorate degree of humane letters from Duke University in Durham, N.C.  Grandin is also one of Time magazine's 2010 top 100 most influential people, and number five in the "heroes" category.  She has appeared on CNN Larry King Live, 20/20, 48 Hours, Prime Time Live, The Today Show, C-Span and in a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) special.  Grandin has also been featured in People Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, Time Magazine and Discover Magazine.  She has authored more than 400 articles in scientific and livestock publications and journals.  The HBO docudrama titled "Temple Grandin," which has been nominated for 15 Primetime Emmy Awards, will be released for sale in DVD format on Aug. 17, 2010.

From 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thurs., Aug. 5, 2010, Grandin will participate in a book signing at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, located at 1920 North Rock Road in Wichita.  "We're extremely pleased to host Dr. Grandin's Wichita book signing event, which will be part of a Bookfair Fundraiser to benefit Heartspring, an internationally known center for children with special needs.  If you mention your affiliation with the Heartspring Bookfair, a percentage of your purchase at the Bradley Fair Barnes & Noble that day, including those made during Dr. Grandin's book signing, will be donated to Heartspring," stated Brad Purkey, Barnes & Noble community relations manager.  "It's an honor to have Dr. Grandin with us, and we hope to generate a significant donation for Heartspring as a result.  We'll also have a supply of Dr. Grandin's books available for anyone who wishes to purchase them for the book signing."

While in Wichita, Grandin will also be the keynote speaker at a Sensory Challenges conference for Future Horizons at the downtown Hyatt hotel, August 6, 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., as well as meeting briefly with representatives of Lose The Training Wheels™ during her visit.  For more information about the conference, visit www.sensoryworld.com.

About Temple Grandin

Born on August 29, 1947, in Boston, Grandin earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire, a Master of Science degree in animal science from Arizona State University and a Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois.  She currently teaches animal science as a professor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.  In 2004, Grandin received a "Proggy" award in the "visionary" category from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

About Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services.  Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 138,000 people in 67 countries.  Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business.  For more information, visit www.cargill.com.

SOURCE Cargill