The American Feed Industry Association recently created iFeeder, the Institute for Feed Education and Research. To learn more about it I spoke with AFIA President/CEO, Joel Newman. He says the mission of the foundation is “To sustain the future of food and feed production through education and research.” He describes the challenge faced by the feed industry which is summed up on their website:

Today the average U.S. farmer feeds 144 people. In 1940 that number was only 19 people. We’ve made great progress but we have a long way to go. Today 1 acre feeds 1.6 people. By 2050 1 acre must feed 4 people. To feed the world in 2050, investment in agriculture must reach $83 billion per year. This equals a 50% increase in investment from current levels. The U.S. feed industry is a critical part of this chain.

Only through education and scientific based research done today will our future generations be able to support the increased world food demand.

Joel says that one of the things the foundation will work on is communication to audiences outside of the industry including the consuming public to help them better understand the safety of the food they eat. Of course social communications plays a role in that!

You can listen to my interview with Joel here: Interview With Joel Newman

2011 International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo Photo Album

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