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Goals. They are an important part of being successful in any job or project. I set goals in my job, personal life and for my physical fitness. My kids set them for the sports they play. Not only is it important to set goals, but also to share those goals with someone who can hold you accountable. Now, imagine you are the president of the United States. You set those goals, both long- and short-term goals, and you share them with the public – and the forces then start going to work – who are either with you or against you.  

I was three weeks into my new job with the American Feed Industry Association when then-President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act into law and the learning curve began. I was working for Richard Sellers, who wisely offered the advice that there is no better way to learn an industry than to go through a massive overhaul of its regulations! Many reams of paper, hundreds of hours of conference calls, countless pounds of chocolate consumed, and now, the law has been implemented via the regulations and the industry has excelled in its compliance.  

“Buckle up, it may be a wild ride,” said Gary Huddleston, the American Feed Industry Association’s director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs, at the 2021 Feed Education Program.

2020 was a year that I have been looking forward to for so many years. My entire family was. 2020 is the year my family’s farm in Fairmont, Minn., turned 100 years old. A century farm! That’s a pretty big deal and a reason to celebrate…until we couldn’t celebrate.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) took on a new look this year as it went virtual due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Over eight days and several weeks, the CAC brought together over 600 participants from all over the globe, in various time zones and translation in six languages, to discuss international standard setting. The meeting went surprisingly well in a virtual format. It was encouraging to see the global commitment for moving international standards forward continues during these trying times.   

With only a week left to go, both candidates are desperately vying for your vote. Early estimates show that more than 60 million Americans have already cast their votes, surpassing all 2016 early ballots submitted, and yet still, more people are waiting in socially distant lines to vote in-person early or are expected to turn out on Election Day.

One of the main reasons the American Feed Industry Association formed over a century ago was to harmonize state feed laws. Now, in 2020, our organization still tracks legislative and regulatory issues of importance happening at the state level, and recent actions in California highlighted yet another urgent reason why this is necessary.

As individuals, you either like working with others or you don’t. We discover these things about ourselves during our school years and these traits develop further during our careers. As a trade association, these same behavioral tendencies also exist. Overall, I would say the U.S. animal food industry tends to play well with others. This is demonstrated by the work of American Feed Industry Association members and by AFIA’s membership in the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF).