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The Institute for Feed Education and Research's Executive Director Lara Moody recently had the opportunity to moderate a panel exploring the path to sustainable feed. 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.

When it comes to managing pre-consumer food waste, dairy cows are a huge part of the solution because, to them, these byproducts are a luxury. “These animals have specifically evolved to digest fiber and extract nutrition. The byproducts, for example—it’s good stuff for them; it has nutritive value,” said Juan Tricarico, Ph.D., senior vice president of environmental research and distinguished scientist at Dairy Management, Inc. (DMI), in a TIME article.

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.  

On both the domestic and international fronts, we are being asked how feed additives and ingredients can mitigate offsets, such as methane, and support sustainable and nutrient-dense animal protein diets. The American Feed Industry Association prides itself on its commitment to being the voice for the animal food industry at the international level and has invested more time and energy into the sustainability and climate change space over the past few years. This is also one reason why the AFIA is engaged in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C), and participated in the meeting held in Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago.

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.

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.

At the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), we keep a close eye on different issues impacting the industry. Sustainability has been a hot topic lately, and one of our members, Perdue Farms, has been making big strides in the right direction. Drew Getty, Perdue’s vice president of environmental sustainability and government relations, joined me for an interview to discuss the company’s partnership with GreenGasUSA and their combined efforts to reduce carbon emissions. 

Are you a “value creator?” If you haven’t heard this term – keep reading! McKinsey & Company recently conducted a global survey on how companies capture the value of sustainability. Below are four things I learned about the benefits of a company having a sustainability program within their organization from the “Creating Value with Sustainability: Survey.”