Animal Agriculture Leaders Gather for Industry Preservation

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Kansas City, Mo. (April 14, 2025) – Last week, the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) hosted the 2025 Annual Conference – Securing Our Future: Don’t Just Talk…Act! in Kansas City, Missouri. More than 110 attendees focused on the future of animal agriculture and how to maintain trust throughout the value chain. Additionally, industry leaders were honored and new directors were elected to the NIAA board.

Animal agriculture benefits from those who consistently go above and beyond for the industry. NIAA recognizes those outstanding professionals each year at Annual Conference. 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 our sector and is the longest standing award – first presented in 1965. The 2024 honorees were:

  • Chairman’s Award:
    – Dr. Eric Moore, Director of Technical Services – Norbrook, Inc.
  • President’s Award
    – Dr. Kaitlyn Briggs, Dairy Welfare Lead – fairlife, LLC
  • Advocate for Animal Agriculture Award
    – U.S. Agriculture Partnership Fund
  • Meritorious Service Award
    – Polly Ruhland, Senior Managing Director – FTI Consulting.

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

  • Pierce Bennett, Michigan Farm Bureau
  • Dr. Nathan Voris, Zoetis
  • Dr. Mark Roozen, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
  • Dr. Steve Strubberg, Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Jared Wareham – Horizon Venture Management, Kelly Loganbill – Bader Rutter, and Paul Koffman – Merck Animal Health were reconfirmed for their second term to the NIAA board of directors.

NIAA’s Annual Conference program began on Monday, April 7 with capstone presentations from Cohort 3 of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders. The presentation topics included Data Collection for a Healthier World, Responsible Use of Technology, Globalization in Animal Agriculture, and The Future of Animal Agriculture. Following the capstone presentations, NIAA Councils and Working Groups met with members to discuss the coming year and hosted speakers. Council meeting speakers included:

  • Animal Disease Issues & Emergency Management
    − Dr. Kate Dion, Iowa State University
    Identifying biosecurity hazards through disease outbreak investigations
    − Dr. Julia Herman, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
    Enhanced biosecurity planning resources for foot-and-mouth disease preparedness for cattle veterinarians & producers
    − Dr. Megan Niederwerder, Swine Health Information Center
    SHIC Update on Japanese Encephalitis Virus Prevention and Preparedness for the US Swine Industry
    − Dr. Jason Lombard, Colorado State University
    WALK, RUN , CRAWL- H5N1, what we have learned in dairy cattle this past year
    − Dr. Jennifer Siembieda, USDA – APHIS
    Overview of HPAI in Dairy Cattle

  • Animal Identification & Information Systems

− Garrett Girk, Kansas Department of Agriculture
A State’s Perspective on EID
− Callahan Grund, U.S. CattleTrace
The Progression of ID and Technology: How we can accomplish an Animal Disease Traceability System for the US Beef Cattle Industry.

Andy Curliss, National Pork Producers Council opened the agenda on Tuesday, April 8 with a fascinating review of the ballot initiatives across the U.S. and the efforts from activist groups campaigning against animal agriculture.

Danette Amstein from Midan Marketing shared the latest consumer insights from the protein sector, including the different types of consumers and their unique buying habits.

Julie Broadway from the American Horse Council led a License to Operate panel that included experiences and expertise from

  • Rick Stott, Superior Farms
  • Dr. Jim Heird, Texas A&M University
  • Matt Durian, The American Royal
  • J.J. Jones, NIAA

NIAA Board Chair, Chelsea Good moderated the Ag Legislation panel featuring association executives. Topics included upcoming association policy priorities, trade, tariffs, and the farm bill. The speakers featured, were:

  • Michael Schumpp, The Meat Institute
  • Julie Broadway, American Horse Council
  • Andy Curlis, National Pork Producers Council
  • Zach Helder, Kansas City Agricultural Business Council
  • Justina Graff, U.S. House of Agriculture Committee.

Dr. Kaitlyn Briggs, fairlife, moderated a conversation with board members from the U.S. Ag Partnership Fund:

  • Collin Peterson, Former Chairman of the US House Agriculture Committee
  • Randy Russell, President of the Russell Group and former USDA Chief of Staff
  • Lisa Van Doren, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives Vice President and Chief of Staff.

Joel Leftwich from Kansas Farm Bureau and the U.S. Agriculture Partnership Fund closed the day’s program with a closing challenge to the audience on how to move forward and get ahead of activist initiatives.

Two additional sessions were held on April 9. The American Sheep Industry Association hosted What’s Next After Scrapie Eradication? to discuss the next steps once Scrapie is declared eradicated in the U.S. NIAA hosted a meeting for awardees and stakeholders of the USDA National Animal Disease Preparedness & Response Program (NADPRP). After discussing the survey results from their project, NIAA hosted a panel featuring Dr. Tiffany Lee, Clemens Food Group, Dr. Julia Herman, NCBA, and Dr. Cheryl Eia, Iowa State University reviewing their experiences with program successes and opportunities.

Learn more about the award honorees, board members, the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders, and upcoming NIAA events at  www.animalagriculture.org/.

NIAA Selects Fourth Leadership Class

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Sixteen leaders have been selected for the 4th Cohort of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders Program


The fourth class participating in the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s (NIAA) Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders has been selected and will convene for their first session in Washington, D.C. in March 2025.

The Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders furthers NIAA’s mission to foster collaboration throughout the industry. NIAA established the leadership program in 2021 to provide an opportunity for animal agriculture leaders to gain next-level leadership and professional development training. What makes the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders unique is that its curriculum and experience is co-designed by the leadership cohort and is specifically designed for the animal agriculture segment of the industry.

The Fourth Cohort is comprised of 16 leaders spanning the agricultural sectors and contributing to animal agriculture’s role in today’s food system. NIAA welcomes:

  • Melissa Davis, Where Food Comes From
  • Amber DeWitt, Fulcrum Global Capital
  • Alexandra Eckhoff, New Mexico Livestock Board
  • Miguel Gonzalez, USAID, USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service
  • Haley Grimes, American Humane
  • Meggan Hain, CROPP Cooperative/Organic Valley
  • Ben Hopkins, DSM-Firmenich
  • Nicki Humphrey, California Department of Food and Agriculture
  • Darrin Karcher, Purdue University
  • Hollie Kremer, Cooper Farms
  • Sarah Metzler, Cattleman’s Beef Board, Beef Checkoff
  • Claire Mulligan, ABS Global
  • Elena Myhre, International Poultry Welfare Alliance/US-Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry and Eggs
  • Brittany Shonka-Martin, ABS Global
  • Ryan Sorensen, United Producers, Inc.
  • Charlotte Talbott, Rabobank

The 16-month program receives support from Farm Credit and was created by NIAA to empower professionals in the early to midpart of their careers to build on previous leadership development experiences and collaborate with peers across the industry. The cohort attends five in-person meetings with additional monthly virtual working sessions to focus on four areas of development: critical thinking, leadership development, connecting and relating skills, and operational excellence. Leaders are also tasked with a group capstone project presented to NIAA’s board to complete their leadership training.

“It is refreshing to see professionals from very diverse backgrounds, with different roles, from varying geographical areas come together to problem solve, discuss, and work together for the betterment of animal agriculture as a whole,” said Jessie Wadle, NIAA manager of education and the supervisor of the leadership program. “This program is a true testament to the idea that we are so much better and can affect positive change when we come together. The participants in the program are making connections and friends that they can call on for advice and collaboration for the rest of their lives.”

NIAA is excited to welcome these new leaders to the leadership program and to the organization. To learn more about the program, it’s sponsors and how to participate in the next cohort, visit https://www.animalagriculture.org/leadership-program/. Email Jessie Wadle at Jessie.Wadle@animalagriculture.org if you are interested in participating or nominating for a future cohort.

 

Cohort 3 Leaders Tour Denver Agriculture Institutions

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Animal Agriculture Leaders Discuss Antimicrobial Resistance in Atlanta, GA

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Leaders across the food animal system met with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) convened animal agriculture leaders in Atlanta, Georgia to meet with human and animal health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This latest convening built on previous meetings that began in 2018. This discussion was timely, given the upcoming UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance on September 26, 2024, in New York City.

The multi-day One Health discussion spanned animal agriculture priorities, foodborne illnesses, waterborne transmission, H5N1 updates and preparedness, fungal pathogens, worker safety, tours of CDC enteric pathogen laboratories, and more.

Through ongoing discussions and experiential learning tours with public health leaders, animal agriculture leaders identify opportunities to concretely improve One Health outcomes, like decreased occurrences of foodborne illness and decreased emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. During a similar convening in 2022, leaders identified joint research opportunities to foster greater understanding of potential transmission routes of Salmonella.

Conversations during this most recent engagement identified opportunities to better communicate One Health topics with a more unified voice. Additionally, farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians provided context about on-farm and ranch practices to increase CDC scientists’ understanding to enhance investigations of foodborne, waterborne, and environmental disease outbreaks.

“Participating in this latest convening not only demonstrated NIAA’s mission in action but more importantly fostered relationships that will continuously improve our food system through a true One Health approach. Since NIAA’s inception, we have been the convener for ‘hard conversations’ and a space where those who do not usually interact come together to explore, discuss, learn, and develop shared knowledge. It is extremely rewarding to see first-hand the growing collaboration between animal agriculture leaders and public health leaders,” shared NIAA executive director, J.J. Jones.

Leaders from the following organizations participated in the late August convening:

  • Animal Agriculture Alliance
  • American Horse Council
  • American Sheep Industry Association
  • American Veterinary Medical Association
  • Cattlemen’s Beef Board
  • Meat Institute
  • National Institute for Animal Agriculture
  • National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research & Education (NIAMRRE)
  • National Pork Board
  • United States Animal Health Association (USAHA)
  • U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

“By sharing our respective priorities and challenges with animal agriculture leaders, we hope to demonstrate that CDC is eager to collaborate and further efforts to advance human, environmental and animal health and address the threat of antimicrobial resistance,” said Alexandra Medley DVM, MPH, who serves as Associate Director for Antimicrobial Resistance for CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. Medley also serves as NIAA’s Antibiotics Council co-chair. “We appreciate the organizations that shared their perspectives and priorities, and listened to ours, to foster discussion about how we can work collectively to fight antimicrobial resistance with a true One Health approach.”

NIAA will convene One Health leaders during the 14th Annual NIAA Antibiotics Symposium in Denver, Colorado, from November 19 – 21, 2024. To learn more about the Symposium and register to attend, visit AnimalAgriculture.org.

 

 

Public Health and Animal Agriculture Leaders Convene for One Health

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The National Pork Board (NPB) partnered with the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) to convene a group of public health, animal health and swine professionals in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to build relationships and explore opportunities for One Health collaborations. The event was sponsored by the Pork Checkoff with the support of several state pork associations and producers from Minnesota and South Dakota.

The One Health farm to fork experience spanned all phases of swine production, a feed mill, truck wash and processing plants in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa. The educational tour focused on biosecurity, animal wellbeing and sustainability to create a dialogue between human health, animal health and food safety professionals.

“This Checkoff investment is evidence of our holistic approach to connecting directly with our colleagues in the public health sector,” said Heather Fowler VMD PhD MPH DACVPM, director of producer and public health at NPB. “The We Care® Ethical Principles and Pork Quality Assurance® Plus training our producers abide by are proof that we are committed to people, pigs and the planet. It was inspiring to talk directly with the event attendees about how on-farm practices contribute to a healthy community and the health of the people we are proud to feed.”

The following organizations were represented:

  •        Association for State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
  •        The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  •        FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine
  •        Illinois Department of Public Health
  •        Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
  •        Iowa Pork Producers Association
  •        Minnesota Department of Health
  •        Minnesota Pork Board
  •        National Pork Board (host)
  •        NIAA
  •        PIPESTONE
  •        South Dakota Department of Health
  •        South Dakota Pork Producers Council
  •        U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  •       Wisconsin Department of Health Services

“Observing and learning about swine production from farrow to finish highlighted the need of these systems to have the highest rigor of biosecurity and production practices to protect herd health,” said Alexandra Medley DVM MPH, Associate Director for Antimicrobial Resistance for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. “In turn, we learned how maintaining a healthy herd can directly and indirectly affect animal, crop, and public health, including enhancing food safety and preventing, within their part of the One Health spectrum, the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AR).”

Next month, animal agriculture leaders from multiple species sectors will host a reversal of the previous farm tour experience with a meeting in Atlanta at the CDC campus. This meeting will support CDC delegates as they provide informed One Health information including perspectives and practical applications from experts and professionals in the animal agriculture sector.

“By sharing our respective priorities and challenges as swine producers and public health scientists, we hope that the takeaway is that CDC is eager to collaborate on identifying and furthering efforts to advance human, environmental and animal health and address the threat of AR,” continued Medley. “We are grateful to the producers and companies that graciously brought us into their world to foster learning and discussion across a diversity of topics.”

Meet the two new Antibiotics Council co-chairs

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The National Institute of Animal Agriculture recently welcomed two new co-chairs to the Antibiotics Council: Dr. Heather Fowler from the National Pork Board and Dr. Alexandra Medley from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Photo of Alexandra Medley and Heather Fowler

Since NIAA’s inception in 1916, its mission has been to convene leaders regarding important and developing topics. Councils were developed to collaborate, learn, and discuss current and emerging topics to provide platforms to exchange scientific information, find common ground, and seek resolutions across species segments. Participation in NIAA’s Councils is open to animal agriculture stakeholders. The purpose of the Antibiotics Council is to seek to enhance an animal agriculture industry that is aligned with judicious antibiotic use policies and practices.

Dr. Heather Fowler is the Director of Producer and Public Health at the National Pork Board where she oversees public health as well as occupational safety and health issues as they relate to swine production in the United States. She completed her Veterinary Medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2010, a Master in Public Health in Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health in 2011, and a PhD in Environmental and Occupational Hygiene from the University of Washington School of Public Health in 2017. She is board certified in veterinary preventive medicine and has expertise in the areas of zoonotic disease, public health, worker safety and health, and One Health application.

Dr. Alexandra Medley is a veterinary epidemiologist currently serving as the Associate Director for Antimicrobial Resistance within the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She received both her Master in Public Health and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University and her Bachelor of Music from Oberlin College.

The Antibiotics Council also hosts annual Antibiotics Symposium. Co-chairs have selected the planning committee and are currently planning 14th Annual Antibiotics Symposium in Denver, Colorado from November 19-21, 2024. Symposium topics will include an industry report on the current state of antibiotic stewardship, information on the latest antimicrobial stewardship and resistance research, regulatory updates, One Health collaborations, and more.

To register for the 14th Annual Antibiotics Symposium please visit www.AnimalAgriculture.org. For assistance with media registration, please contact Morgan Young, Director of Communications and Outreach for the National Institute for Animal Agriculture at morgan.young@animalagriculture.org.

NIAA to Open Application Period for Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders

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Participants can apply for the 4th Cohort of NIAA’s leadership program beginning September 1

 The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) will begin accepting nominations for the fourth Cohort of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders. Nominations are due November 17.

The 16-month leadership program blends in-person and virtual working sessions to focus on four areas of development: critical thinking, leadership development, connecting and relating skills, and operational excellence. Members of the program work together on applied-learning, small-group capstone projects, which will incorporate topics of interest in animal agriculture.

“It’s been a true gift to learn from and collaborate with the other commodity groups, organizations and associations represented within this leadership cohort,” said Sarah Coleman, Kentucky Horse Council and member of Cohort 3. “To learn more about so many things within the ag space is incredible – and to know that each of us, in our own way, is facing the same struggles, whether that is engaging youth, locating workforce, adopting new technology or facing animal rights action groups, is reassuring that there are so many of us who are working to ensure that agriculture is sustainable, in every facet of the word.”

In 2021, NIAA launched the program to provide emerging leaders a new opportunity to gain next-level leadership and professional development training specifically focused on the animal agriculture segment of the industry. Since then, the program has represented a wide range of agricultural sectors. The program empowers professionals in the early to midpoint of their careers to build on previous leadership development experiences and collaborate with peers across the industry to advance animal agriculture’s role in today’s food system.

The United Soybean Board serves as the founding sponsor of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders program, with additional financial support provided by Farm Credit, NIAA and its members and partners. Participant investment for the leadership program is $2,500. With sponsor and participant investments, the leadership program provides an estimated $10,000 in training, resources,  and NIAA membership during the length of the program.

If you or someone you know is interested in the applying for NIAA’s leadership program, please reach out to Jessie Wadle at Jessie.Wadle@animalagriculture.org to express your interest. More information about how to nominate or apply for the program is available at www.animalagriculture.org/leadership-program/.

Animal Agriculture Leaders Empower One Health Discussions Ahead of UN General Assembly

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White papers, farm tours, and One Health leader collaborations to inform U.S. leaders for UN General Assembly meetings on AMR and stewardship in animal agriculture

Kansas City, Mo. (June 12, 2024) — The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) has released the white paper from the 13th Annual Antibiotics Symposium – Thriving in a Changing Landscape. The White Paper provides a summary of the science-based information presented regarding the use of antibiotics in food-animals, public and environmental health implications, and the next steps of stewardship. Though antibiotic stewardship in human and livestock medicine will continue to play an important role, other focus areas emerged throughout the symposium. The intimate relationship between people and their pets presents an ideal opportunity to transfer antimicrobial resistance between animals and humans. These intimate relationships also build strong bonds, often resulting in the pursuit of medical interventions that mirror human medicine, including the use of high-powered antibiotics.

Symposium topics included an industry report on the current state of antibiotic stewardship from producer to processor to grocer, information on the latest antimicrobial stewardship and resistance research, the multi-dimensional aspects of antibiotic stewardship and AMR, regulatory updates, and One Health collaborations. True to the NIAA mission, the Symposium convened animal agriculture experts and allies in a collaborative setting to explore, discuss, learn, and develop knowledge that fosters interdisciplinary cooperation for the improvement and continuous progress of animal agriculture. The closing keynote, Dr. Karen Smith, speaker and independent consultant with decades of public health experience, left the attendees with this point to ponder, “The best and most effective policies are built through collaboration with those who will be most affected by the policy.”

NIAA serves as a contractor to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Antibiotics Symposium is made possible in part by the Beef Checkoff. The 2023 Symposium program set the stage for two other collaborative efforts from NIAA happening in 2024. The Pork Checkoff is supporting a One Health pork tour in Minnesota that will convene veterinary, public health, and  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) leaders on a tour to multiple swine facilities to learn about biosecurity, stewardship practices, and more. The second convening will connect farmers and ranchers with CDC officials in Atlanta, GA prior to the UN General Assembly meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This meeting will support CDC delegates as they provide informed One Health information that includes perspectives and practical applications from experts and professionals in the animal agriculture sector.

To learn more about the upcoming 14th Annual Antibiotics Symposium to be held in Denver, CO at the Colorado State University SPUR Campus, November 19-21, 2024 or any of the One Health convenings, please contact Morgan Young, Director of Communications and Outreach for the National Institute for Animal Agriculture at morgan.young@animalagriculture.org.

 

 

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About NIAA
NIAA is the leading resource for the animal agriculture industry and provides value to all stakeholders involved in providing safe and healthy food for the world. NIAA is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing programs to work towards providing solutions for disease, while promoting a safe and wholesome food supply and the best practices of environmental stewardship, animal health and well-being.

 

About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national Checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

 

Dates and Location of 14th Annual Antibiotics Symposium Announced

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