Pacing Ourselves for the Long Haul

Written by: Constance Cullman   |   August 29, 2023

Member value

Today, the American Feed Industry Association released our annual, “Our Industry, Our Promise” report, detailing the operational challenges facing today’s animal feed and pet food manufacturers at the global and international levels. It also discussed the ways the AFIA is addressing those challenges head-on, while laying the groundwork for a prosperous future for our members and association into the future.

It has been said:

“The only constant in life is change.” Heraclitus  

“We should remember that good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation.” Thomas Edison 

These two observations, spoken 2,400 years apart by a Greek philosopher and one of the most famous inventors of all time, have never been more applicable than they are today.  

Change in the animal food sector is constant, and the only difference is the pace at which it happens.

After experiencing several years of change at the AFIA, it was time to conduct a stocktaking of the organization and the industry it serves and develop a strategic plan to tackle emerging challenges. 

The result is a three-year strategy to strengthen the voice of the U.S. animal food industry as we work to carry out our new mission of influencing policy and connecting people. In doing so, the AFIA is uniquely positioned to advance our members’ interests as we move toward our vision of achieving a healthier world through advanced animal nutrition. 

This effort is built around our organization’s Four Promises to our members. To become recognized as the leading voice for the animal food industry, the AFIA will be working to strategically target our policy communications and assure we are in the right place at the right time with the right message that reflects members’ interests, needs and priorities.   

To be recognized as the leading animal food industry association providing legislative, regulatory and policy representation, the organization will advocate for a more efficient and modern regulatory review of animal food ingredients, support the resiliency of the U.S. animal food industry through customer and supplier market diversification, and facilitate industrywide solutions for a more sustainable animal food and livestock production sector. 

Increasing member access to individual staff expertise as a tool for business success will be realized through Safe Feed/Safe Food certification program growth and expanded member service, enhanced responsiveness to members’ requests for individual guidance and standard procedures for responding to fast-paced news cycles about the animal food industry. 

We know the demand is growing for excellent engagement opportunities for specialized training, professional education and networking and we are responding with a focus on providing relevant, timely and quality content to support members’ education and training needs. 

With change, comes opportunity, and the AFIA team is prepared to help our members advance the overall health and viability of this vibrant industry. 

I invite you all to read our latest state of the industry report.

READ THE REPORT