Representatives from Petfood Industry magazine have announced Jackie McClaskey, PhD, Secretary of Agriculture for the state of Kansas, will make a Petfood Forum premiere as a keynote speaker on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, at the 24th edition of the conference. Petfood Forum 2016 is to be held April 18-20, 2016, in the heart of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
McClaskey will explain how state and municipal governments can work with and support pet food businesses, and how the pet food industry can serve as a model for other state-industry initiatives. She was appointed Secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture by Gov. Sam Brownback in December 2013. Prior to joining the Department of Agriculture, McClaskey served as an assistant dean for the College of Agriculture at KSU for 13 years.
Also helping put the spotlight on Kansas facilities is the Petfood Innovation Workshop, the interactive and unique 1-day workshop opener for the annual Petfood Forum conference and exhibition. The Petfood Innovation Workshop: Meat & Novel Proteins will debut on Monday, April 18, 2016, at the Kansas State University-Olathe Food Innovation Accelerator Lab. The new workshop will feature a themed program focused on the functionality, sustainability and safety challenges pet food businesses face in creating successful high impact meat and novel protein products.
“With the lineup of notable speakers selected for Petfood Forum 2016, such as Jackie McClaskey, and Evelia Davis from PetSmart, and dozens more, we are hoping to provide the audience with the right combination of enriching educational presentations valuable for everyone that attend,” said Debbie Phillips Donaldson, editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry. “The Petfood Innovation Workshop and Kansas State University partnership continue to grow each year and produce a very unique type of learning experience that participants can take back to their offices and immediately apply in their work environment to help their businesses grow.”
Petfood Forum and Petfood Innovation Workshop provide show visitors with opportunities to network with industry peers, learn from leading petfood experts, consultants and technical experts, visit with suppliers, and of course transact business with one another.
The Pet Food Program at Kansas State University was started in 2012 and has established degree programs, short courses, and research concerning pet food and nutrition. Kansas State University is a public teaching and research institution founded in 1863 and located in Manhattan, Kansas, USA.
