(Animal) Food Brings Everyone to the Table

Written by: Lacie Dotterweich   |   March 24, 2020

Our role in ag, Ensuring a stable food supply, Holidays

The theme of this year’s National Agriculture Day, “Food brings everyone to the table,” hits home for the animal food industry. While the animal food industry may not be the most well understood in the overall agricultural industry, we play a unique and very important role in U.S. agriculture – making sure America’s livestock (and thus people) and pets are fed nutritious and safe food!

We are brought to the table to ensure the production of healthy, wholesome meat, milk, fish and eggs. Each year, the U.S. raises over 9.6 billion food-producing animals. These animals ensure that Americans have access to a safe, affordable and abundant supply year-round, providing them with the good nutrition they need each day. Just like people need a balanced diet to grow and perform well, so do animals, which is why America’s nearly 6,000 feed mills are committed to churning out 236 million tons of safe, high-quality and nutritious feed each year.

Think about it - to get a thick slice of bacon, creamy ice cream cone or fluffy scrambled eggs, a pig, cow and chicken had to eat. And not only just eat, but eat feed that is safe and nutritious and that will help them reach their peak efficiency to create a high-quality output. Thanks to increased efficiencies in the feed industry, we are better able to ensure a stable supply chain and bolster the supply of these foods that Americans need.

Over the years, through better animal genetics and feed formulas, nutritionists have been able to develop more efficient diets for animals, which reduce producers’ costs while improving the output of meat, dairy, egg or fish products. For example, the average dairy cow today can produce 100 pounds of milk with 40% less feed than it did 40 years ago. Compared to the 1940s, hens today require a little over half the amount of feed previously needed to produce a dozen eggs. The feed industry continues to improve animal nutrition and efficient production by identifying and using new ingredients and advancing technology.

This National Ag Day, we are truly celebrating how food brings everyone to the table. Each person involved in the agricultural industry makes a huge difference in supplying Americans with food. Thank you to everyone who plays a part in this monumental task – from farmers to truck drivers to feed facility workers and everyone in between.