Merriam-Webster recently selected ‘vaccine’ as its 2021 Word of the Year. Considering nearly 195 million Americans were administered the COVID-19 vaccine last year, it’s no wonder online searches for the word were up 600% from 2020.
The announcement made me wonder what the most searched word in the feed and grain industries was in 2021. Sustainability would have to be a top contender – right up there with biosecurity and cybersecurity, terms which have become as significant to feed and grain managers as ‘vaccine’ is to the rest of Americans.
While sustainability has been a main driver for years in other industries, like energy and auto, we’ve reached the point now where customers are asking grain and feed suppliers, “What is your company’s definition of sustainability?”
If you struggle – as many do – to demonstrate or explain what your organization is doing to optimize its use of natural resources and reduce environmental impact while providing a safe supply of nutritious food for farm animals, pets or people, then it may be time to prioritize your sustainability efforts. After all, it’s better to be proactive than reactive when facing this issue.
Setting a sustainability initiative can be as easy as creating individual facility benchmarks and goals. Start by creating a baseline of how much electricity or water, for example, is used at each of your grain elevators or feed mills. Then set benchmarks for reducing usage of those resources over the next five and 10 years. Change doesn’t have to happen overnight to be part of your sustainability plan. But think of the impact these changes will have on your future facility!
As the intertwining roles of sustainability, efficiency and security (bio and cyber) continue to grow, so will industry leaders’ need for information on these topics. That’s why Feed Strategy and Feed & Grain have launched Feed Mill of the Future, a monthly digital supplement providing animal feed industry stakeholders forward-looking content, market analysis and information on the leading-edge technologies shaping the global feed industry.
You won’t have to search for the meaning of emergent challenges or opportunities with insights from Feed Mill of the Future’s exclusive articles, recorded expert interviews and related product showcases. Go to feedandgrain.com/subscribe to get the latest information on issues impacting the Feed Mill of the Future, delivered right to your inbox.
