IFEEDER Fodder

At the recent International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), the American Feed Industry Association hosted an educational session called, “Feed Your ESG: How Feed Will Help Hit Sustainability Targets.” While I spoke about Institute for Feed Education and Research’s sustainability efforts underway to support the feed industry and our customers, I took away much more from the panel discussion with Mike Gauss, president of KENT Nutrition Group, who shared insights into his company’s efforts to advance ESG in practice.  

Since 1944, the National Research Council, and now the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), has published 11 editions of the Nutrient Requirements of Swine. As the primary reference for developing swine diets, the 12th edition will be a valued resource to feed industry members, their customers, swine nutritionists and researchers. The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), with the National Pork Board, National Corn Growers Association and United Soybean Board, is providing funds and industry feedback to support the revision. 

Since the outbreak of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in 2013, the feed and livestock industries have worked to gain a better understanding of pathogen transmission through feed and the supply chain. Multiple studies have documented the distribution of viral pathogens in mills after contamination, the stability of viruses in feed and ingredient matrices, and virus reduction using chemical mitigants or extended holding times.

The International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) is an important opportunity for meetings and networking and also where great opportunities for learning occur. I had the opportunity to participate in the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit, hosted by the American Feed Industry Association, Meat Institute, and U.S. Poultry and Egg Association.

In the tapestry of sustainability and innovation, there are stories that serve not just as individual successes but as rallying cries for entire industries. One such unfolding narrative centers around the urgent need for sustainable agriculture—a call that reverberates from the fields to the boardrooms, from rural communities to urban centers. While some players, like Novonesis, have set important precedents, the full story is yet to be written.

As the agrifood sector seeks opportunities to use feed to reduce the environmental footprint of animal production, the discussion focused on the importance of innovation in its many forms — linking solutions from feedstuff production to the rations consumed by the animals.

Feedstuff production on the farm may be a leading source of the environmental footprint for livestock, poultry, horses and pets, but it doesn’t mean it will be the best solution for reducing it. Regenerative agriculture, climate-smart practices and efforts to improve soil health are agricultural practices that receive a lot of attention by stakeholders for reducing t animal feed’s footprint, but I would argue that we must give equal attention to some of the animal food industry innovations in the pipeline that will offer solutions as well.  

Over the past year, I’ve been lucky to collaborate with many American Feed Industry Association and Institute for Feed Education and Research staff and members, forging the first-ever partnership between our organizations. The goal was to elevate a vision that feed and animal nutrition can be a critical lever in providing sustainable solutions to food systems.