ARLINGTON, VIRGNIA, U.S. — The American Feed Industry Association said on Nov. 10 that its annual Equipment Manufacturers Conference generated a successful turnout. The conference in Palm Springs, California, U.S., Nov. 6-8, focused on "Feeding the World: Challenges and Opportunities."

Attendees kicked off the conference Nov. 6 with a four-person scramble golf tournament and putting contest to raise funds for the Equipment Manufacturers Committee Scholarship Fund. Participants made donations totaling $2,340 through a golf mulligan, putting contest and a raffle for an iPad mini, which was donated by Maxilift. The cash donations, along with meeting proceeds, will be donated to the scholarship fund.

The Equipment Manufacturers Committee Scholarship Fund historically assists students pursuing agricultural degrees at Kansas State University. Within the last year, the fund partnered with the Institute for Feed Education & Research to expand the scholarship program. Four scholarships funds — five years in length — have been paired with universities offering feed related degrees.
 
"The Equipment Manufacturers Committee is very passionate about fundraising for the four agricultural scholarships," said Keith Epperson, AFIA vice-president of manufacturing and training. "The agricultural industry is in need of rising scholars to continue research efforts and feed the growing population."

AFIA President and Chief Executive Officer Joel G. Newman opened the conference presentations with a detailed Washington update and a summary on the re-proposed Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules.
 
"The proposal and now re-proposal have been a huge undertaking for the industry to swallow, but AFIA is determined to support the industry with its staff expertise in the area and continues to address concerns through FSMA seminars, which focus on compliance," said Newman in his presentation.
 
EMC guest speakers included Dr. Frank Mitloehner, University of California; Adel Yusupov, International Feed; Ken Thomas, IFEEDER; Andy Vance, Feedstuffs; Dr. Kim Koch, Northern Crop Institute; and Joel Sparks, Foster Farms. All of the speakers’ presentations correlated with the conference's theme and focused on the issues facing a growing population.

Next year's EMC is slated for Nov. 5-7, 2015, in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.