Trouw Nutrition receives 2016 Feed Facility of the Year award
2016 Feed Facility of the Year winner Trouw Nutrition, represented by Doug Vanjoff (middle), shows off both category and overall awards. Also pictured: Sarah Muirhead, Feedstuffs (left), and Gary Huddleston, AFIA (right).
Photo courtesy of AFIA.
 
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. —The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is now accepting applications for the 2017Feed Facility of the Yearbenchmarking program. The program, sponsored by the AFIA and Feedstuffs, is designed to be a world-class benchmarking program for the animal food industry. It recognizes overall excellence in feed manufacturing operations, emphasizing safety, quality, regulatory compliance, employee development and overall operating efficiencies.

The former Feed Mill of the Year award program was redesigned in 2016 to be more industry-inclusive. Now in its second year, Feed Facility of the Year has been expanded to include non-AFIA members in the benchmarking portion of the program. Non-members will be ineligible for the awards portion of the program, but they will receive all of the benefits of the benchmarking program.

“Many facilities in our industry want to know how their operations compare to others in the industry,” said Gary Huddleston, director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs at the AFIA. “This program gives companies the opportunity to access important and anonymous benchmarking information as well as the chance of public industry recognition.”

To keep benchmarking information relative, five award categories, with category-specific applications, are considered: commercial dry livestock feed, integrator, liquid feed, pet food and premix manufacturing. The AFIA will recognize the winners in each category and the overall Feed Facility of the Year winner at the 2018 International Production & Processing Expo.

Applications are due by Sept. 1, along with an application fee of $50 for AFIA members and $250 for non-members.