Temple Grandin: An Amazing Story.

Many of you have recently been introduced to Dr. Temple Grandin after the HBO movie about her life. In the animal business, she has been a well kept secret for almost 30 years. Growing up and dealing with autism was extremely difficult for her and her family. Little did anyone know when she was a young girl that she would be considered a genius one day in livestock circles. I got my Animal Science degree in 1984 and much of what we studied were things that Dr. Grandin had figured out. Many of the livestock handling facilities, chutes, alleyways and tub facilities were designed, at least in concept, by Temple Grandin. If you watched the movie about her life, then you have seen the way that her autism enabled her to see what cattle saw and were frightened by as they moved through livestock handling facilities. Many of the things that would frighten a beef animal, such as light in the wrong place, or movement of people, flags, almost anything that is perceived as an unknown to a cow, she had the ability to visualize. In that respect, her autism was a gift. Maybe not to her personally, but her gift to the livestock industry has been her ability to design handling facilities where cattle can move much easier while keeping stress to a minimum. She understood flight zones, color patterns and numerous other design flaws that the normal eye could not detect or understand.

Dr. Grandin has spent her life making our lives easier. It was nothing for her to get down on her knees in an alleyway just to get the cow’s view as they moved through poorly designed corals, pens and alleys. My entire adult life, I have been in awe of this mystery person who was like a guru who could fix almost any problem that anyone ever had, whether it was slaughter plant, feed lot or any type of facility where cattle were handled. Then, of course, she became a celebrity when her HBO movie hit the airways. I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to meet this lady. Last week, Heather Buckmaster from the Oklahoma Beef Commission called and invited me to a VIP luncheon in honor of Dr. Grandin, as well as a seminar at Gallagher-Iba Arena where she spoke to over 3,000 people about her life’s work and passion. Her reason for being on the OSU campus was to announce a new professorship in her name. The Beef Council was able to raise $250,000, which will be matched by T. Boone Pickens, that will help put a half million dollar professorship in play to help OSU in their already top-notch animal science department.

I know of no one in the world who is more respected when it comes to the treatment of animals, than the iconic Temple Grandin. She has more credibility because of her life’s work and now that she is a celebrity because of her movie, that adds to her expertise because no longer is she just a guru in livestock circles, but she is now a national treasure. People from all walks of life now know her name. To say the least and to borrow a phrase from Heather Buckmaster, “she is golden”. It was a historic afternoon for Oklahoma State University to be able to tie to someone of her caliber and if an animal rights person were to attack, it is a great defense to be able to say “Dr. Grandin is advising us on how we should handle animals”. You search the world over and find me someone who “gets it” any better than she does, and I will buy your dinner. It is interesting when you listen to Temple. She refuses to use the word “harvest” as it relates to slaughter plants. She tells it like it is. She says, “We are slaughtering these animals. We are raising them for a purpose. But, if we can ease that animal’s stress up to slaughter, haven’t we been better stewards of the livestock in our charge?” I believe she is right. I do not know who could dispute that. If we put into practice the things Dr. Grandin has taught us over the last 30 years, we will do a better job and a gentler job in handling the animals that feed America and the world. It was an honor to be there and to meet this very gifted individual. I have always been lucky enough to know when I was in the presence of greatness and I truly feel like I was that day. Thank you, Dr. Grandin, for helping us help ourselves.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Harold R. McAlindon