**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** MOST OF THE U.S. POPULATION IS NOW SEVERAL GENERATIONS REMOVED FROM FARMING AND UNFAMILIAR WITH CURRENT FOOD-PRODUCTION PRACTICES YET ALSO INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT ON THESE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS. THIS MEANS CONSUMERS MUST TRUST THAT FOOD PRODUCTION PRACTICES ALIGN WITH THEIR VALUES AND EXPECTATIONS AND DISCOVERING EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY ERODES PUBLIC TRUST. FOR THE DAIRY INDUSTRY, POOR TREATMENT OF COWS BY FARM WORKERS CAN BOTH DETERIORATE PUBLIC TRUST AND RESULT IN PROFOUND NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON ANIMAL WELFARE.OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD PUBLIC TRUST IN THE U.S. DAIRY INDUSTRY, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO COW-HANDLING PRACTICES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON ANIMAL WELFARE. OUR INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT WILL INTEGRATE PRINCIPLES FROM APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY AND ANIMAL WELFARE SCIENCE TO PROVIDE PRACTICAL, SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE, EVIDENCE-BASED TOOLS TO IMPROVE THE TRAINING OF DAIRY-FARM PERSONNEL AND THE WELFARE OF THE COWS UNDER THEIR CARE. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT TO PROMOTE CONSISTENTLY POSITIVE BEHAVIORS TOWARD COWS, WE MUST TARGET THE ATTITUDES THAT DAIRY-FARM WORKERS HOLD TOWARD THOSE ANIMALS. WE ALSO HYPOTHESIZE THAT, TO BUILD OR MAINTAIN PUBLIC TRUST IN DAIRY PRODUCTION PRACTICES, WE MUST ENGAGE WITH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHILE DEVELOPING OUR TRAINING PROGRAM AND INTEGRATE THE VALUES OF BOTH PUBLIC AND INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS.OUR OBJECTIVES INCLUDE EVALUATING PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD DAIRY COW-HANDLING PRACTICES TO UNDERSTAND RISKS FOR NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF DAIRY FARMING. WE ALSO SEEK TOUNDERSTAND THE ATTITUDES OF FARM WORKERS TOWARD WORKING WITH COWS AND TO IDENTIFY THEIR INDIVIDUAL TRAITS AND CULTURAL, SOCIOECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS PREDICTING THOSE ATTITUDES. WE WILL THEN INCORPORATE THIS NEW KNOWLEDGE INTO DESIGNING AND RIGOROUSLY EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN ACCESSIBLE, BILINGUAL, AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT DIGITAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR DAIRY-FARM PERSONNEL.BY DETERMINING HOW VARIOUS COW-HANDLING PRACTICES ARE VIEWED BY THE PUBLIC AND BY LEARNING WHY NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS SOMETIMES OCCUR BETWEEN HUMANS AND COWS ON FARMS, WE WILL DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE TRAINING PROGRAM RESULTING IN LASTING POSITIVE CHANGES IN DAIRY WORKERS' ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS TOWARD COWS. WE ANTICIPATE THAT THIS GAIN IN KNOWLEDGE AND CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR WILL HELP IMPROVE PUBLIC TRUST IN U.S. DAIRY PRODUCTION PRACTICES.