Feed Education Spans the Globe

Written by: Erica Burson   |   April 21, 2021

Online learning

Did you know that animal food industry professionals from every continent except Antarctica have attended an American Feed Industry Association event or educational program?  

While the overwhelming majority of the attendees are from the United States (93%) and Canada (3%), virtual education courses like the AFIA/KSU 500: Fundamentals of Feed Manufacturing have attracted students from Europe, South and Central America and Asia. Some of the participants are employed by branches of U.S. or multinational companies and others work at smaller organizations serving a single country or region, such as Brazil, Ireland, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.  

Starting in 2020, the AFIA began offering select content from the Fundamentals of Feed Manufacturing online course in smaller segments online and on-demand. People are able sign up for and take any of the available courses at a time that best fits their schedules. The modules include narrated presentations and knowledge checks. To date, more than 10% of people who have participated are from outside the United States 

When, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AFIA transformed events that had traditionally been held in-person to virtual, this enabled attendees from even more counties to participate. For example:  

• AFIA’s 2021 virtual Pet Food Conference attracted our first attendees from Algeria and New Zealand.   

• AFIA’s 2021 virtual Feed Education Program, typically held at the International Production & Processing Expo, had nearly 300 attendees and nearly 10% were from outside the United States – Mexico, Canada, as well as several European countries, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Central and South America.   

• AFIA’s 2020 virtual Feed Industry Institute attracted several attendees from Western Europe. As this course is designed for employees new to the feed industry, going virtual meant individuals who may not have been able to invest the time or money to attend in person were able to benefit from this course. This program also had record enrollment! 

For those of you living and working in the animal food industry outside the United States, or who have colleagues living and working outside the United States, check out what the AFIA has to offer that can be completed without having to step foot on an airplane!  

As an AFIA staff member, I am excited that industry professionals across the globe are learning best practices to produce safe and nutritious animal feed and pet food to feed a growing population! Be sure to check out our upcoming event calendar and let us know if you have questions about any of our events.