Attendees Win by a Mile in Louisville at AFIA Liquid Feed Symposium

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) held its 52nd annual Liquid Feed Symposium (LFS) last week in Louisville, KY, where over 170 attendees gathered to hear the latest ingredient, weather and market forecasts and discuss the ways this unique industry segment factors into cattle producers' sustainability objectives.

“AFIA’s Liquid Feed Symposium was second to none! Attendees enjoyed three, action-packed days of AFIA and Louisville hospitality and discovered opportunities in the areas of nutrition, sustainability and regulatory compliance,” said Paul Davis, Ph.D., AFIA’s director of quality, animal food safety and education. “Additionally, industry experts were on hand to share their latest thoughts on ingredient availability, weather outlook, cattle markets and employee retention. Plus, the liquid feed folks are generous and know how to have fun!”

LFS attendees heard from several speakers on myriad topics, including: interrelationships among the microbial metabolites of a molasses-based liquid supplement, gut health and growth of grain-finished feedlot cattle; effects of replacing soybean hulls with molasses during the receiving period of feedlot calves; branding and marketing sustainability; product placement in Yellowstone; what the U.S. dairy industry’s 2050 environmental stewardship goals and the net zero initiatives mean to feed producers and practicing nutritionists; best practices for advocating for agriculture; and the relationship between carbon and cattle. Apart from the educational sessions, the AFIA held a networking event at Churchill Downs.

During the conference, the AFIA and Feedstuffs recognized Westway Feed Products’ Houston, Texas, manufacturing facility as the 2023 Liquid Feed Facility of the Year. The AFIA also inducted J. Randy Davis into the Liquid Feed Hall of Fameand awarded Wes Klett as an AFIA Member of the Year. The AFIA Liquid Feed Committee also hosted a live auction, which raised a record of over $32,260 to support the Kenny Berg Research and Education Fund. The fund, which is managed by the Institute for Feed Education and Research, supports liquid feed research projects conducted by agricultural universities.

The AFIA thanks gold sponsors: Anipro/Xtraformance, Nutrition, Huvepharma, Quality Liquid Feeds and Westway Feed Products; silver sponsors: DPI Global, Global Animal Products, Feed Strategy, NuTech Biosciences and Sunnyside Feeds; as well as bronze sponsors: Adisseo, Amalgamated Sugar, Buffalo Molasses, Cerne Calcium Company, ED&F Man Liquid Products, Double S Liquid Feed, FMF Specialty Agri Products, MGM Marketing, Midwest Agri-Commodities, Nutrien, PerforMmix Nutrition Systems, Prinova, Provitas and Zinpro.

The 2024 AFIA Liquid Feed Symposium will take place Sept. 10-12 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

For more information, visit afia.org/events.