Speakers

Cathy Bandyk

Dr. Cathy Bandyk is Ruminant Technical Manager for AB Vista, where she provides technical validation, positioning, training, and customer support for feed additive products going into the beef and dairy industries.  Her prior professional experiences include 19 years in the liquid feed industry, including technical support, product management, training, sales, and market communications for both Westway Feed Products and Quality Liquid Feeds. Dr. Bandyk is a three-time graduate of Kansas State University, earning her PhD in ruminant nutrition. Cathy and her husband Kim have three grown sons and a very happy Golden Retriever.  They reside in Levy County, Florida, where Cathy works from a home office. 

Justin Bundy

Justin Bundy has been at Bill Barr and Company since 2014.  He is originally from Oklahoma where he grew up involved in agriculture from a young age always interested in learning more about how food is produced and utilized.  He obtained B.S. and M.S. degrees from Oklahoma State University and then afterwards earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska. While working at the universities, Justin coordinated many different swine research projects ranging from genetics to nutrition and collaborations in between.  At Bill Barr and Company he works in multiple roles including new product review, technical support for the sales team, and direct sales. Justin and his wife Barbara currently reside in Peculiar, Missouri. 

Constance Cullman

Constance Cullman is the American Feed Industry Association’s president and CEO. She also serves as the president of AFIA’s public charity the Institute for Feed Education and Research and represents AFIA on international issues, including serving on the International Feed Industry Federation’s board of directors and executive committee, as well as the Global Feed LCA Institute’s board of directors. Cullman has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and a master’s degree in agricultural economics with an emphasis on international trade and agricultural policy from The Ohio State University. She hails from Marysville, Ohio, where her family owned and operated a cow/calf farm.

Paul Davis

Paul Davis, Ph.D., is the American Feed Industry Association’s director of quality, animal food safety and education. He oversees AFIA’s Safe Feed/Safe Food certification programs and the association’s education and training courses that are designed to enhance the industry’s ability to produce animal food efficiently and safely. Dr. Davis joined AFIA in July 2017 from Tennessee Farmers Cooperative in La Vergne, Tenn., where he served as the director of feed and animal health. He has more than 20 years of experience in animal nutrition, having held multiple nutrition positions for the co-op and various teaching positions at the University of Florida. Dr. Davis received a doctorate in animal sciences and master’s degrees in animal science and food and resource economics from the University of Florida. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the Tennessee Technological University.

Randy Davis

Randy Davis has been in the liquid feed industry for 39 years.  His roles have spanned sales, manufacturing, logistics, procurement, quality assurance, and management. His current position is Business Development Manager for Quality Liquid Feeds, Inc., focusing on the Southeastern US. Davis earned his BS in Animal Science from McNeese State University. He has been actively involved with the AFIA Liquid Feed Committee and has served as Chair of that committee. He is currently the President of the Florida Feed Association. He resides in Louisiana on the family farm with his wife Debbie.  They have 3 adult sons and seven grandchildren.

Trevor Faber

Dr. Faber earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Companion Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois, studying under the advisement of Dr. George Fahey. His research focused on the effects of prebiotics on digestive and immune health. After graduation in 2011, Dr. Faber worked four years as a Product Development Scientist at Mars Petcare, where he turned consumer insights into products on the shelf. He joined Trouw Nutrition in 2015 as the Companion Animal Nutritionist. He oversees premix formulation and provides technical assistance for Trouw’s pet food customers. He ensures the nutritional adequacy and function of pet food premixes and preblends.

Jeff Flenniken

Jeff Flenniken currently works as the Supply Director for Mars Horsecare located in NE Ohio. Jeff has a Bachelor of Science degree in Ag Economics from Ohio State and a Masters from Akron University. He has spent about 30 years in various capacities in agricultural business ranging from sales to general management. Jeff has worked on both the buying and selling side of feed, crop protection, grain and fertilizer businesses. After spending 15 years in the Cooperative system in Ohio Jeff has spent the last 15 years with Mars Inc. in several commercial, management and supply positions. Jeff is a strong supporter of the industry and AFIA serving as member and Chair of the Equine Committee.

Matt Gibson

Matt Gibson was a newly-hired feed-company nutritionist when he attended the Feed Ingredient Institute as a student in 1991.  His experience at that FII made such an impression on him that he became a Professor for the next FII the following year and has served continuously since then. Over the past 29 years, Matt has had operational and executive responsibilities in various areas (including both scientific and business) in the Animal Food, Human Food, and Bio-Fuels industries.  Further, he spent several years as an independent consultant – which included nutrition and management services for one of the largest corporate cattle feeders. Matt has co-authored over 100 scientific publications, abstracts, and book chapters, and has been an invited speaker on 4 continents.  

Kevin M. Halpin 

Dr. Kevin Halpin has over 30 years of feed industry experience, the last 25 of which have been with International Ingredient Corporation.   Kevin joined his current employer in 1995 as Vice President of Nutrition & Technical Services.   In 2011, he transitioned to his current role as Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Kevin has a Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois, where he worked primarily with poultry and swine.  His graduate advisor was Dr. David H. Baker, who was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 2005 for his long and successful career in comparative animal nutrition. 

Matthew Harper

Having grown up on farm in southern Iowa, Matt Harper has always had a deep connection to agriculture and the farming lifestyle. Harper attended Iowa State University where he earned a B.S. in Animal Science with a focus on ruminant nutrition. He has worked in the feed industry most of his career, beginning in technical service/formulation, quality control, premix and vitamin trainer, later advancing into sales and marketing.?Currently, Matt is the Marketing Director and Central Region Sales Manager for Nutra Blend, a nationwide feed ingredient distribution company and premix blender headquartered in Neosho, MO. He has been with Nutra Blend for 16 years.? 

Gary Huddleston

Gary Huddleston is the American Feed Industry Association’s director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs. He joined the association in May 2015 and has more than 30 years of experience in feed manufacturing. Huddleston manages AFIA’s efforts surrounding regulatory issues involving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Food and Drug Administration. Prior to joining AFIA, Huddleston worked at Southern States Cooperative, Inc., since 1984, where he performed numerous feed manufacturing roles. Huddleston holds a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness and economics from Tennessee Technological University.

Richard A. Jelinek

Richard Jelinek has been Vice President Global Education at INTL FCStone Financial since 2015. His primary responsibility is the development of price risk management education programs and materials on Agricultural Futures, Options and OTC markets. As part of these efforts, he also highlights other forms of market exposure including Energy, FX and Interest Rates. Mr. Jelinek’s Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Southern Illinois University and Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia were preceded by a four-year tour in the United States Navy.

Anne Fleming Koontz 

Dr. Anne Koontz currently works as a research scientist for Alltech with a strong interest in science communication and outreach.  Dr. Koontz joined Alltech in 2015 after receiving her PhD and MS in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky.  She received her BS in Animal Science, with an emphasis in biotechnology from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Koontz’s research interests span from in vitro digestion procedures, metabolism, and animal health to understanding impacts of animal production on the environment and animal responses to environmental and physiological stress.  Dr. Koontz also oversees several international research collaborations with Alltech Alliance universities spanning multiple species and numerous disciplines. 

Deborah Langford

Dr. Deborah Langford currently works as a Senior Staff Veterinarian on the Export Products staff, responsible for product exports to China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Dr. Langford received her DVM from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996. She served on active duty in the United States Army Veterinary Corps from 1997 to 2002. After leaving the military, she worked in small animal private practice in Florida. In 2008, she left private practice to go back to the Army as a civilian federal veterinarian at Fort Benning, Georgia, where she worked for 2 years prior to joining the USDA in 2010. 

Kevin Larson

As Global Strategic Accounts Director for Diamond V, Kevin Larson is part of the Diamond V North America Leadership team, holding oversight responsibilities for the company’s Global Strategic Accounts, North America Swine, and North America Equine/Companion Animal sales teams. Working closely with global animal nutrition companies, channel partners, and the Diamond V team, Kevin utilizes his varied experience to develop and execute strategies to grow their shared business. Kevin believes that our best results are based on mutual understanding and trusted relationships. Raised on a farm in west central Minnesota, Kevin began his career in sales with the Nutrena Feed Division of Cargill after graduating with a BS degree in Agricultural Economics from North Dakota State University. 

Bradley Lawrence

Dr. Bradley Lawrence is a senior technical services manager with NOVUS International of St. Louis, Missouri. He is responsible for providing technical support in the areas of methionine and mineral nutrition, gut environment modification, oxidation balance management, mycotoxin management, feed efficiency optimization, and nutritional management for sustainable pork production including antimicrobial-free production. Dr. Lawrence has also served in fire protection for the past 30 years, recently retiring as chief of the Plattsburg Fire Protection District in Missouri. He holds a doctorate and master’s degree in monogastric nutrition from Purdue University and a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University. He lives with his wife and five children near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Jonathan Lebovitz

Jonathan Lebovitz is a Senior Staff Veterinarian at USDA APHIS Veterinary Services (VS). His position at VS primarily focuses on import policy regarding materials/products for animal consumption. Prior to his career with VS, Dr. Lebovitz worked with USDA FSIS, and as a clinical veterinarian in small animal practice. Dr. Lebovitz holds a DVM and MPH from Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (Virginia Tech).

Sarah Muirhead

Sarah Muirhead is general manager of the Penton Farm Progress Livestock Group, which brings together BEEF magazine, National Hog Farmer and Feedstuffs, where she also serves as editor and publisher. With nearly 30 years of editorial and communication experience, Sarah is a regular speaker at industry-related events where she talks about not only the importance of sharing the story of our modern food production system but also how to do that most effectively, which she believes involves “dropping the defense” and “having the conversations.” Sarah grew up directly involved in her family’s seed and pork production operation. She holds a bachelors degree in agricultural communication from the University of Illinois.

Robert Musser

Robert “Bob” Musser is the Senior Process and Product Development Manager for the Land O’Lakes Milk Replacer Enterprise.  The “process” part of the title refers to optimizing manufacturing processes in the Milk Replacer plants.  He is also involved in Land O’Lakes calf trials (~1200 calves per year), helping to design trials for new product development.  Additionally, he formulates the milk replacer products for Land O’Lakes Animal Milk Solutions related to Calves, Lambs, Kid Goats and Foals.  He has worked in milk replacer for 20 years.    He has a B.S. in Agronomy from University of Missouri and a Masters in Food Science from Kansas State University.  Bob was born in Michigan and raised in St. Joseph, MO.  He currently lives in Woodbury, Minnesota with his wife Beverly and daughters Katie and Allison.

Dave Prentice

Dr. Dave Prentice obtained his DVM (1991) at Iowa State University and spent the first 7 years of his career in a mixed private practice in Northeast Iowa followed by exclusive dairy practice in Tulare California. In 2000 he obtained his Masters in Dairy Science from the University of Wisconsin where he researched ionophores and sub-acute ruminal acidosis. Dr. Prentice has been in various industry positions since leaving practice and is presently a technical consultant for Elanco Animal Health in the dairy busines unit supporting various geographies.  He and his family live in Northeast Iowa.

Karen Pollock

Karen Pollock joined Kemin in 2015 as a Technical Services Manager for poultry. Prior to joining Kemin, Karen was a research assistant while she was getting her PhD in Poultry Nutrition at the University of Arkansas. Being originally from Peru, Karen had 7 years of experience working with the poultry industry there prior to moving to the U.S. in 2011. Karen earned a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and a Master’s degree in Animal Nutrition from La Molina National Agrarian University in Peru. Karen currently resides in Fayetteville, AR. 

Chad R. Risley

Chad R. Risley has been in the agriculture industry for over 30 years.  He has worked as a swine nutritionist and researcher at Continental Grain Company – Wayne Feeds Division.  On the supplier side was in technical sales at Chr. Hansen Inc. and General Manager of Lucta USA Inc. Currently he is the CEO of Berg+Schmidt America, a supplier of functional lipids to the feed and food industries. Chad earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University and graduate degrees at Virginia Tech.  He lives in northern Illinois with his wife Lauren and daughter Erin. 

Jose Soto

Dr. Jose Soto is currently Ajinomoto’s North America Manager of Monogastric Nutrition. Dr. Jose Soto grew up in Chile where he received undergraduate and graduate training in agricultural sciences and agricultural economics, respectively. He earned his Ph.D. in applied swine nutrition from Kansas State University, where he worked extensively with amino acid nutrition and dietary energy economic modeling. Before joining Ajinomoto, Dr. Soto worked for three of the top ten swine integrators in the USA as well as allied industry, where he was involved with research and development, production operations, and technical services

Charles Stark 

Dr. Charles Stark is the Jim and Carol Brown Professor in Feed Technology at Kansas State University.  Dr. Stark received his degrees in animal sciences (B.S.) and grain science (M.S., Ph.D.) at Kansas State University. Before joining K-State he was an assistant professor in the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University for seven years.  Dr. Stark also spent 12 years in the animal feed industry with responsibilities in feed manufacturing, quality assurance, and plant operations. Over the course of his career he has published 45 journal articles, 7 extension bulletins, 4 book chapters, and 102 abstracts.  He has also been an invited speaker at 29 conferences in 16 different countries.

Todd Steen

Todd Steen is a ruminant nutritionist for Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, where he has worked since 1999. Previously, he worked as a ruminant nutritionist for Land O’Lakes for nine years. Mr. Steen holds a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University.  

Steve Willman 

Steve Willman is a Senior Technical Service Manager for DuPont Animal Nutrition. He is responsible for running enzyme/probiotic trials in feed mills, helps to design and over-see equipment installations, and works with clients to troubleshoot issues in their facilities. He has over 40 years in the feed industry. ?He graduated with a BS from Texas A&M University, then spent 35 years with Tyson Foods. ?Steve served as a volunteer EMT for the local volunteer ambulance corp and is a past president of the volunteer ambulance corp. Steve lives with his wife Mary in Texas and has one son and 4 grandchildren.  

Andrew G. Yersin

Dr. Yersin is an active member of the American Society of Animal Science, American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition, American Association of Swine Veterinarians, American Association of Avian Pathologists, and Poultry Science Association. He also serves on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Iowa State University and America's Cultivation Corridor. Before joining Kemin, Dr. Yersin worked as a microbiologist for the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa. Additionally, he has held academic teaching and research positions at Penn State University and Texas A&M University. Dr. Yersin holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a master’s degree in reproductive physiology from the University of Maryland, in College Park, Md. He completed his doctorate degree in patho-physiology at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, North Carolina.