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Last week, the American Feed Industry Association’s Board of Directors participated in a “fireside chat” with senior Food and Drug Administration officials about challenges facing the regulatory agency and steps it’s taking to work with stakeholders to solve problems and prepare for future innovation.

Last week, Emma Bower, a rising senior at The Ohio State University, joined the American Feed Industry Association’s communications team as our summer intern. She comes from a farm background, is pursuing a degree in agricultural communications with a minor in farm management, and bonus for us – she is a budding photographer with a keen eye for design. Get to know a little bit more about her below.

Last week, I, along with several members of the American Feed Industry Association staff, participated in the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s Stakeholders Summit, where we walked away with a lot to chew on, from what is driving people to click on news articles about the animal agriculture industry to who is shaping the coverage and why. Here are some of my takeaways.

If it were to enter the United States, “African swine fever (ASF) would be the most significant animal disease issue the United States has ever seen,” said Cassie Jones, Ph.D., undergraduate research coordinator in Kansas State University’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry. This is because once the disease is found in feral pigs or ticks, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate, so the focus now, particularly for swine producers and feed manufacturers, should be on prevention. 

This past week, there have been an uptick in social media videos and news stories perpetuating false claims about commercial chicken feed and its impact on the availability and price of eggs. To better understand how diet relates to a hen’s egg output, I spoke with our resident animal nutritionist, Paul Davis, Ph.D. Davis has a doctorate in animal nutrition and the added benefit of being able to tap into fellow nutrition experts’ knowledge on the American Feed Industry Association Nutrition Committee. Below is a summary of this conversation, responding to some of these claims.

Last week, recent college graduate Marisa Crowhurst joined the American Feed Industry Association’s communications team as our spring intern. When I interviewed her for this role, she stood out to me as a go-getter, having worked her way through college as a dog (and cat!) groomer to earn her bachelor’s degree in agricultural education and communication, with a specialization in communication and leadership development. She has experience in multimedia content development and is already bringing fresh ideas to our communications projects. Learn more about her in the Q&A below and meet her in person at the upcoming AFIA Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference.

Wow, we’re already in week two of the new year, and I am still getting used to writing “2023.” Before we completely wrap up 2022, I wanted to briefly share an interesting development that happened just prior to everyone putting up their out of office messages for the holidays. In late December, the American Feed Industry Association submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), asking the agency to expand the expertise and use of the feed management standard in current government conservation programs.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with the new executive director of the Assocation of American Feed Control Officials, Austin Therrell, on his plans for the industry.