The American Feed Industry Association's 2013 Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference drew 535 attendees from the petfood, animal feed and livestock industries to the two-day event, which concluded March 14 Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

The conference offered opportunities to learn about the current state of the animal feed industry, providing market analyses, perspectives, hot topics and other information. Topics for the 2013 conference included social media’s influence on the feed industry, communicating with customers and outlooks on grain, the food supply and ethanol.

The conference opened March 13 with a speech from logger and motivational speaker, Bruce Vincent, who suggested those from the agriculture industry should spend an hour a week toward activism, including testifying, writing editorials and making school visits to build a bridge with the younger generation.

Following Vincent, Dr. Nevil Speer, Western Kentucky University, and Sarah Muirhead, Feedstuffs , both addressed how consumers are influencing the industry. Richard Brock, Brock Associates, provided his annual grain outlook. Dr. Michael Johll, The Johll Consulting Group, followed with a presentation on communicating and maximizing impact with customers. The keynote address was given by economist and futurist, Dr. Jay Lehr.

The next Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference will be hosted March 12-14, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.