** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** FOR MANY TRADES AND PROFESSIONS, THERE IS A WELL-DEFINED PATH FOR LEARNING THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS THAT ENSURE WORKER SAFETY.THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR ANIMAL CARETAKERS, AS THERE IS NO INDUSTRY STANDARD THAT DEFINES SKILL LEVEL FOR THEM. THIS SECTOR OF THE WORKFORCE RELIES ON SELF-REPORTED YEARS OF EXPERIENCE (I.E. GROWING UP ON A FARM) WHEN DESCRIBING THEIR JOB QUALIFICATIONS. YEARS AGO, WHEN MOST PEOPLE WERE MORE FAMILIAR WITH ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, THIS MAY HAVE BEEN REALISTIC. WITH THE MIGRATION AWAY FROM FAMILY FARMS, IT CAN BE AN UNREALISTIC AND EVEN DEADLY ASSUMPTION THAT FAMILIARITY WITH AGRICULTURE IS ENOUGH. U.S BUREAU OF LABOR REPORTS INDICATE FATAL INJURIES ARE STEADILY INCREASING FOR ANIMAL WORKERS (U.S. BOLS, 2024). HANDLER SKILL LEVEL CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT OVERALL WELFARE DURING AN ANIMAL'S LIFETIME, AND CURRENTLY, AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF HANDLER SKILL LEVEL DOES NOT EXIST.WE HYPOTHESIZE A POSITIVE CORRELATION EXISTS BETWEEN HANDLER SKILL LEVEL, SAFETY, AND ANIMAL BEHAVIOR.OUR OBJECTIVES ARE:TO DEVELOP AND TEST A SKILL ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR SCORING HANDLER SKILL LEVELTO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-REPORTED HANDLER EXPERIENCE, EXPERT-SCORED SKILL LEVEL, AND ANIMAL BEHAVIORTO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-REPORTED YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, HANDLER STRESS, AND ANIMAL BEHAVIOR DURING CONTROLLED CATTLE HANDLING EVENTSA SKILL ASSESSMENT TOOL COULD SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE RISK FOR INJURY TO BOTH HUMANS AND ANIMALS. THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE LONG-RANGE IMPROVEMENT IN AND SUSTAINABILITY OF U.S. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS BY IMPROVING ANIMAL WELFARE THROUGH THE PROVISION OF SKILLED CARE AND HANDLING.