Eye of the Beholder

Welcome to the Januay 2018 issue of Feed & Grain! The one we’ve dubbed in our office “The Poultry Show Issue.” That’s because we’ve been exhibiting at what’s now called the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) for nearly 35 years, and for the majority of those years, we’ve dedicated our January issue to this important annual event.

This year is no different, as you’ll see in our special IPPE Preview on pgs. 14-29, featuring an exclusive interview with Sarah Novak, American Feed Industry Association’s vice president of membership and public relations, and more than five pages of equipment, product and service information from exhibitors that will be attending the show.

The expo has come a long way from its inception, becoming one of the fastest growing international trade shows in the country. Today, the IPPE is a collaboration among the AFIA’s International Feed Expo, the American Meat Institute’s International Meat Expo and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s International Poultry Expo.

With more than 30,000 attendees expected to attend from nations all over the world and across three different industries, it’s easy to see there are many reasons one might attend IPPE. There you’ll see all walks of life from feed and pet food manufacturers to poultry and livestock producers to quality control specialists and processing plant managers.

With that said, we are interested to hear why you, our readers, are attending IPPE. We encourage you to document your personal show experience on social media using the hashtag #MYIPPE. Tell us what you think of the educational sessions, workshops, networking opportunities, and trade show booths that make up your IPPE experience. We’ll be doing the same, covering the show with videos, pictures and real-time updates from the host associations, exhibitors and attendees at the show all week using the #MYIPPE hashtag.

And don’t forget to stop by our booth, No. B6532, to get to know our staff and for a photo opportunity. Not only does this build a sense of community, but you could be entered to win a $50 Visa gift card, and our favorite tweets and posts will be shared in our new eNewsletter, Industry Watch: IPPE Daily.

For those exhibitors and attendees who have made the rounds to our booth annually over the years, sadly there will be one fixture missing. Vicki Roth, media production representative, has retired from Feed & Grain after 17 years. She will be missed immensely by our staff and advertisers, who worked closely with her on a regular basis. Thank you, Vicki, for your unwavering dedication to your team members, the magazine and the industry!

— Elise Schafer