Grainnet

By Anne Keller

The fall meeting of the Board of Directors of the American Feed Industry Association occurred in Indianapolis, IN, Nov. 11-12.

AFIA Chairman Brian Rittgers, national sales manager of the dairy business unit of Elanco Animal Health of Greenfield, IN, presided.

Among the key topics of discussion by the AFIA Board were bills before Congress that would reform food-safety standards and establish cap-and-trade limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

Possible changes to regulations administered by the Food and Drug Administration also were discussed.

Legislation pending in Congress that relates to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change was the subject of a panel discussion.

Observers are paying the most attention to activity in the U.S. Senate, which has not yet turned its full attention to cap-and-trade legislation and other issues.

Board members received the congressional update from AFIA government affairs consultant Steve Kopperud of Policy Directions Inc., who is following the food-safety and cap-and-trade issues closely.

Kopperud said a key Senate committee—the Health, Energy, Labor and Pensions Committee led by Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)—was expected to conduct a markup of a cap-and-trade bill on Nov. 18.

A guest, Gary Delong of Novecta, also shared his expertise on what future regulation of greenhouse gas may mean for the feed industry.

Delong and AFIA Vice President Keith Epperson discussed a possible method the feed industry could use to calculate emissions in the future.

Alan Gunderson of Vita-Plus Corporation shared with his fellow Board members his firm’s success in shaping the debate at the University of Wisconsin when author Michael Pollan, a prominent critic of conventional farm practices, appeared there earlier this fall.

The Vita-Plus Corporation took a number of steps to inform the university community of the many contributions agriculture makes to the state.

Board members also encouraged each other to do more to share the positive messages of food and feed production with their friends, neighbors and members of the public.

“The Board meeting in Indianapolis was significant in that our volunteer leaders began to identify and address issues that are critical to insuring we are able to feed a growing world population in a sustainable and economical manner,” said Rittgers.

“AFIA will become more active in communicating to key stakeholders in the food industry the importance of conventional food production and the significant role the feed industry plays in insuring this happens.”

Another topic that received a great deal of attention by the AFIA Board was the development of a non-profit foundation that will further understanding and research of issues related to the total feed industry.

The Board established the Institute for Feed Education and Research earlier this year, and plans to determine initial goals are under way.

Members of the IFEEDER Board of Trustees shared with the AFIA Board their marketing plan to raise $2 million in three years.

AFIA members are urged to support IFEEDER’s goal to reach that benchmark.

AFIA is in the midst of its Centennial year at this time.

AFIA, founded as the American Feed Manufacturers Association in 1909, has developed alongside the Association of American Feed Control Officials, which also was founded that year.

AFIA and AAFCO have worked together on numerous initiatives over the last century.

To commemorate the enduring relationship, the AFIA Board invited Kent Kitade, a California feed control official and AAFCO’s president-elect, to speak about AAFCO’s current and potential issues.

In addition, the gathering of Board members included a dinner on Nov. 11.

The highlight of the evening was an informative talk by John B. Swisher, the founder, chairman and CEO of JBS United based in Sheridan, IN.

Swisher, 80, received the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s 2009 Indiana Business Leader of the Year award at a gala event on Nov. 10.

He remains actively involved in the business he founded with his brother in 1956, having retired from the role of national sales manager just two years ago.

AFIA Board members enjoyed hearing Swisher speak about how the feed industry has evolved over the decades and where he believes it is going in the years ahead.

The steady growth of the association’s signature program, the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program, was conveyed to the Board, as was the pending launch of the international version of the program. Board members also learned about the recent launch of www.safefeedsafefood.org, a Web site specific to the program.

The next meeting of the AFIA Board is scheduled for March 10, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas.

For more information, call 703-524-0810.

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