Integrating animal welfare into agricultural education produces future farmers with the knowledge, skills, and values to maintain high welfare standards throughout their careers.
Agricultural education is one of the highest-leverage interventions for long-term farm animal welfare improvement. Farmers who understand the science of animal sentience, the practical indicators of welfare compromise, and the skills of low-stress stockmanship before they begin farming start with attitudes and skills that predict better lifetime welfare outcomes for the animals they manage. The evidence that stockperson attitude predicts welfare outcomes better than housing or management systems underscores the value of attitude formation during education. Welfare education is most effective when integrated throughout the curriculum rather than relegated to a single module - it should inform practical skills training, business management, and environmental management content throughout agricultural courses.