Adapting Together

As I sat down to pen this column, I had a startling realization: This issue marks my 10-year anniversary with Feed & Grain. Wow! Has it really been that long since I started as an editorial intern? It seems impossible that much time has passed.

I remember some parts of the first day I walked into our former office building like they were yesterday. I was wide-eyed and eager to tackle any assignment my new bosses gave me, but without an agriculture background, it was intimidating having to learn the feed and grain industry.

Through my first task — sourcing news for our weekly e-newsletter — I began to understand which current events impact the profitability and growth of feed and grain businesses.

A sampling of the biggest headlines from summer 2007 include “Introducing DDGS: the Solution to Your Corn Supply Woes,” “Ethanol Demand for Corn Drives Grain Prices Higher,” “China’s Economic Boom Boosts Feed Grains Demand” and “Extreme Weather Contributing to Global Food Price Crisis.”

What a difference 10 years makes! Any subscriber of our now daily e-newsletter, Feed & Grain Industry Watch (which I hope all of you are), knows the news of day is dominated by the historically low corn prices, the global grain glut and the new President’s controversial views on trade.

But as they say “change is constant,” and in 10 years we’ll be looking back at today, highlighting the transformations we’ll have seen since these politically turbulent times of 2017.

I’ve changed and learned a lot in the last decade, too. Through trade shows, conferences and facility visits, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge on regulations, grain handling best practices, feed manufacturing equipment and more!

One thing that hasn’t changed over my career here with Feed & Grain is the resilience of the people involved in the industry, who are constantly seeking opportunities in challenging times — ways to improve their risk management or grain handling strategies to better position themselves in the market.

This positive attitude from our readers and advertisers is something I’ve come to count on, as we adapt to the changes we experience over time — together.