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Science is always evolving, and the science of equine nutrition is no exception. Thanks to research and developments in equine nutrition, we know that many byproducts contain nutrient levels or attributes that make them better feed ingredients for horses than the initial grain or primary end-product of the processing. The list of byproducts that provide advantages in horse diets is long – and some you may even be surprised to see on the list – but an important one is wheat middlings (or midds).

Alfalfa is one of the world’s oldest domesticated crops, and today, it is grown on over 20 million acres from coast to coast, making it the nation’s fourth largest acreage crop after corn, soybeans and wheat. The alfalfa plant is not often thought to be used for more than just feeding animals, but it is extremely useful to our environment, with a wide range of benefits, such as rewards to crop rotations, wildlife habitat, soil health and more!

Last week, the American Feed Industry Association’s Board of Directors participated in a “fireside chat” with senior Food and Drug Administration officials about challenges facing the regulatory agency and steps it’s taking to work with stakeholders to solve problems and prepare for future innovation.

On Tuesday, the American Feed Industry Association’s Louise Calderwood participated in a listening session at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine on the regulation of animal foods with certain claims. This issue is one the AFIA has been following for quite some time (see related blog posts here and here), given its hindrance to getting products to the marketplace that would help the U.S. get one step closer to meeting its food security and climate goals.

As we previously reported, the American Feed Industry Association has been working to promote U.S. feed additives in the Chinese market. Over the past few months, with the use of funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Market Access Program (MAP), the AFIA has been working with a communications/media firm in China to distribute informational articles on ag-media websites and social media platforms.

Remember the opening scene from the iconic television series, Star Trek? You know the one, where the Starship Enterprise glides by as the narrator exclaims that her intrepid crew will “boldly go where no man has gone before!” What the average viewer might not know is that the fictional craft USS Enterprise’s inaugural voyage started in 2245 and by the time her third pilot, the illustrious James T. Kirk, manned her helm in 2264, she had been engaged in interplanetary exploration for 19 years. Almost as long as the American Feed Industry Association has been urging the Food and Drug Administration to modernize its approach to the use of marketing claims for innovative animal food additives with proven efficacy and safety!

This week, the American Feed Industry Association’s President and CEO Constance Cullman penned an op-ed in The Hill on the Food and Drug Administration’s “archaic” policy for reviewing environmentally beneficial animal feed and feed ingredients, which has put U.S. farmers at a competitive disadvantage globally. She said it is time for the agency to develop a solution that allows these products to come to market quickly so that farmers can use them now.

Twice a year, those interested in the animal food regulatory space make the trek to attend the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) meetings. Sometimes those treks require patience while traveling through blizzards in the winter. Sometimes, it requires fortitude to handle being in business clothes instead of in shorts watching a baseball game during the summer. For both meetings, it requires preparation from all parties to make sure the AAFCO business gets due consideration and discussion. Your American Feed Industry Association staff are there on your behalf and are busy preparing for the upcoming AAFCO annual meeting, happening Aug. 3-6 in St. Louis, Mo.