Last week, I attended the AFIA Liquid Feed Symposium in Austin, TX. Amongst
the trade shows that I attend on an annual basis, Liquid Feed is my favorite.
The liquid feed industry is a small, but vibrant piece of the US animal feed
industry. While the show was great, one trend was readily apparent: the quantity
of grey hair is rapidly increasing. At 35, I was one of the youngest attendees
at the conference.
Without a doubt, the feed industry is aging. While
the demographics in some markets are younger than the United States, I think it
is fair to say that the global feed industry is facing a shortage of young
talent to replace managers looking to retire.
Age brings experience and
wisdom to an industry; youth brings energy and vitality. As a fairly
conservative industry, we have an established pecking order: senior managers
with experience and wisdom impart the lessons they have learned to their
youthful, energetic colleagues. Much of this comes from our agrarian roots,
where fathers patiently instructed their sons in the business and practice of
farming until they themselves became grandfathers.
As I mature in our
industry, I see fewer and fewer younger people choose the animal feed industry
as a career. I think we have missed this trend, as we have been focused in the
last 10 years on trimming costs amid a landscape of tight margins.
My
biggest fear is that we are creating an experience gap that will be difficult to
fill. As our senior managers and employees retire, they take valuable experience
and knowledge with them; if we don’t have young people to fill the void, that
experience and knowledge may be lost forever.
While I don’t have all the
answers to this looming problem, I would like to present a couple of solutions.
Traditionally, our industry organizations have primarily functioned as lobbying
organizations. Maybe we should ask our industry organizations to increase their
outreach and public relations role. I would bet that most university students
today have no idea of the breadth and scope of the global animal feed industry.
We should also encourage the development of a forum for industry
education and training. Our colleagues in the animal nutrition field have
numerous professional organizations, journals, and accrediting organs that
promote the open transfer of ideas and solutions. Feed millers do not have this
type of professional forum, and yet our knowledge and experience are what brings
the nutritional ideas and concepts to the marketplace.
It would be sad
if much of our collective knowledge and experience were lost to the rapidly
developing age gap. However, if we address this issue now, we can develop tools
and strategies to not only attract, but retain young, vibrant talent to our
rapidly aging industry.
Author: Jared Froetschner
