During the last week of March, USSEC participated in the XIIIth international conference, “The Quality And Safety Of Mixed Feeds - The Basis Of Animal Health And Productivity: Problems And Solutions” (“Mixed Feeds 2019”), one of the main feed industry events organized by the International Industrial Academy in conjunction with the Russian Feed Manufacturers Union and All-Russian Research Institute of the Compound Feed Industry. About 150 people attended the conference. Participants and guests of the conference included top managers from regional livestock and agricultural integrations, chief engineers, production managers, specialists from integrated and independent companies, engineering companies, university professors, research institutes, feed and livestock industries associations and agricultural media from 19 regions from the Russian Federation and 6 foreign countries: Germany, France, the United States, UK, Romania, and the Netherlands. The conference was held with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, and the National Associations of Swine, Poultry, and Beef producers.

In the take home message, Dr. Chihaia emphasized several aspects related to soy differentiation and quality: nutritionists and feeding managers should express the need for lower feed cost, efficient animal performance, and optimum profitability of the enterprise. Purchasing managers should source the highest value products with value measured in terms of nutrient density and feeding value. Production managers should be offering animals rations that meet animal nutrient requirements to deliver efficient performance. Nutritionists should formulate with accurate ingredient nutrient profiles and precise nutrient specifications to properly utilize the superior value of U.S. soybean meal. Ownership should understand that increased profit will occur if U.S. soybean meal is used.

The event was an excellent venue for the USSEC consultants to meet old industry friends and establish new contacts with technical people from industry suppliers and feed manufacturers. As such, the meeting with Dr. Ivan Panin, Director of KormoResource company, the guru of feed formulation in Russia, helped to better understand how to provide education for Russian nutritionists in differentiating soybean meals by origins.

Beside the on-site interactions, Mixed Feeds 2019 conference speakers and participants were promoted through several media presented at the event: the agency “SoyaNews,” and industry magazines: Feed, Feed Production, Animal Husbandry of Russia, Pig Breeding, Tsenovik, Perfect Agriculture, Effective Animal Husbandry, and Veterinary Medicine and Feeding, among others.

Presentations made by Russian ag and other authorities helped participants to better understand the current status of the feed and livestock industries and the Russian Federation, along with the goals and challenges ahead. Dr. Valery Afanasyev, president of the Russian Feed Manufacturers Union, presented an outlook. His speech gained the attention of the conference participants on the modern development trends of the feed industry. Soybean meal is of strategic importance to the feed production of the Russian Federation. According to estimates of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, the Russia’s demand for soybeans in 2019 is 7.713 million tons, which is far behind the local production of 4 million tons. The compound feed production over the last few years in Russia has growing 7 to 10 percent or more each year. All forecasts confirm that the growth will continue. According to the Alltech feed survey, with a total of 39.2 million tons of feed manufactured in 2018, the Russian Federation is in the top 8 countries in the world.
Due to its growing food demand, as a global power with about 147 million potential customers and a vast array of agricultural resources, the Russian Federation remains an interesting market for all international vegetable protein suppliers.
USSEC’s participation at the Mixed Feed Conference facilitated interactions and helped in maintaining relationship with Russian soy customers, which should play an important role in facilitating business interactions with the local feed and livestock industries.