Temple Grandin -- and animal agriculture -- win at Emmys

Watch Temple Grandin's speech at the Emmy's last night
Credit: CNN on YouTube

Temple Grandin won big last night -- and that can be considered a win for everyone in animal agriculture. Grandin, who is autistic, is widely recognized in the livestock production industry for her work in analyzing and improving animal handling systems. The movie that portrayed her life story sheds a light on the positive nature of animal production, as opposed to the overblown stories captured by the media in a rare instance of negative handling.

Below is a release from the American Meat Institute, featured on http://www.porkmag.com/:

HBO’s “Temple Grandin” swept the Emmys award competition Sunday, capturing some of the top awards including Best Picture, Best Actress for Clare Danes who portrayed Grandin, Best Supporting Actress for Julia Ormond who portrayed Grandin’s mother, Best Supporting Actor for David Strathairn who portrayed Grandin’s favorite teacher and Best Director for Mick Jackson.

Danes held the award up and spoke to Grandin directly saying “This is in service of your work.”

When the movie’s crew accepted the award for Best Picture, they brought Grandin to the stage. When the movie’s producer said Temple was their hero, she threw her arms around her in a spontaneous embrace and then she asked her mother to rise to her feet and be acknowledged with applause.

While the film was predicted to capture many awards, it fared better than many critics predicted.

AMI President J. Patrick Boyle offered hearty congratulations to Grandin, who is an AMI member, the lead instructor at AMI’s Animal Care & Handling Conference and a past recipient of AMI’s Industry Advancement Award.

“Temple Grandin has done remarkable things for our industry and for people with autism,” Boyle said. “She has transformed the way we handle livestock and measure welfare. She has been a gift to so many people including those in our industry. And, of course, she has helped to enhance animal welfare dramatically.”

“HBO did a marvelous job in bringing her life’s work to life on the screen. She is incredibly deserving of the accolades she is now receiving. On behalf of the members of AMI, I say congratulations Temple Grandin and thank you.”