Feed & Grain magazine is celebrating its 55th anniversary in 2024. Although its origins officially date back to 1957, the first edition of Feed & Grain Times — a tabloid-sized publication — was published in May 1969.
Prior to 1969, the magazine was known as Feed, Grain & Farm Equipment, owned by Johnson Hill Press (JHP), based in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. That all changed when Jonathan Pellegrin joined JHP, his father’s business, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1967. After diligently studying the magazine’s readership, Pellegrin concluded the magazine served two distinct markets and split it into two titles. Feed & Grain Times’ sister publication became Farm Equipment, owned today by Brookfield, Wisconsin-based Lessiter Media. Both titles went on to experience nearly six decades of success independently.
To commemorate this milestone throughout the year, each edition of Feed & Grain will look at the issue’s theme through the lens of 1969.
U.S. feed industry in 1969:
- The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) was named the American Feed Manufacturers Association (AFMA) and based in Illinois
- The AFMA’s International Feed Expo (IFE) celebrated its 20th anniversary
- Today’s International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta was known then as the International Poultry Expo (IPE), hosted by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPEA)
- IPE marked its 22nd year
- The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) revised the Model Feed Law, with input from AFMA, to incorporate federal good manufacturing practices (GMP)
- AAFCO approved collective terms for ingredient identification in mixed feeds, grouping ingredients into seven categories, which allowed feed manufacturers to fully utilize least-cost formulation
- The White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health (WHC) took place — a landmark conference that influenced federal nutrition programs for decades until the introduction of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
As we celebrate Feed & Grain's rich history and evolution, we honor the industry's resilience and continuous innovation, looking ahead to the next chapter of progress in the years to come.
