The National Institute for Animal Agriculture recently welcomed members and guests to Kansas City, Mo., for the 2024 Annual Conference, The Next Generation of Animal Agriculture. More than 120 guests joined the conference to connect with fellow animal-agriculture leaders to explore and discuss gaps in animal-agriculture technology and innovation and solutions to encourage continuous improvement in today’s food system. Additionally, industry leaders were honored, and new directors were elected.

Animal agriculture benefits from those who consistently go above and beyond for the industry. Each year at Annual Conference, NIAA recognizes those outstanding professionals. The Chairman’s and President’s Awards recognize animal-agriculture leaders who have been especially supportive, inspiring and trusted by leaders within NIAA and have contributed significantly to its success. Animal agriculture advocates use their voice and platforms to push animal agriculture forward. The Meritorious Service Award is presented to animal-agriculture leaders who have invested their career to advancing the sector and is the longest standing award, first presented in 1965. The 2024 honorees were:

• Chairman’s Award - Dr. Michael Short, animal industry director - Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• President’s Award - Dr. Heather Fowler, director of producer and public health - National Pork Board
• Advocate for Animal Agriculture Award - Animal Agriculture Alliance
• Meritorious Service Award - Dr. Karen Jordan, large animal veterinarian and dairy owner - Dairy Farmers of America

NIAA confirmed the following new board members during the annual membership meeting:

• Polly Ruhland, agriculture consultant
• Dr. Jack Shere, USDA - APHIS
• Dr. Stephanie Ward, North Carolina State University

NIAA’s Annual Conference sessions featured keynotes exploring innovation, leaders from the second Cohort of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders, council meetings with topical speakers and an update and roundtable from industry experts about H5N1. 

The speaker and panelist list included:

• Keynotes
  • Dr. Bill Weldon, WCW Animal Health Consulting LLC
  • Daniel Foy, AgriGates
• HPAI (H5N1) Roundtable
  • Dr. Megin Nichols, The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
  • Dr. Justin Smith, Kansas Department of Agriculture
  • Dr. Brandon Treichler, consulting veterinarian
• Equine Working Group
  • American Horse Council
• Animal Agriculture Innovation & Investment Working Group
  • Paul Koffman, Merck Animal Health
  • Connie Bowen, Farmhand Ventures
  • Kimberly Young, KC Animal Health Corridor
• Animal Disease Issues & Emergency Management Council
  • Dr. Isadora Machado, Iowa State University
  • Dr. David Renter, Kansas State University
  • Dr. Chang-Won Lee, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, USDA
  • Dr. Jayme Souza-Neto, Kansas State University
• Sustainability Council
  • Austin Gellings, Association of Equipment Manufacturers
  • Deke Alkire, sustainability consultant
  • Jill Brokaw, National Pork Board
• Animal Identification & Information Systems Council
  • Alex Acheson, U.S. CattleTrace
• Antibiotics Council
  • Discussed upcoming Antibiotics Symposium

The Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders Capstone Project topics included:

• Pre-Competitive Environments
• Politics of the Minority
• Organizational Excellence
• Protein Co-Existence

To learn more about the award honorees or board members, visit www.AnimalAgriculture.org or contact Morgan Young, director of communications and outreach for NIAA, at morgan.young@animalagriculture.org.

Source: NIAA