April 9 2018 09:05 AM

Early registration rates for Animal Agriculture Alliance Summit end April 10

The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.
Randall Singer, PhD, will share his research findings on the potential impact on animal welfare resulting from no antibiotics ever policies at the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2018 Stakeholders Summit set for May 3-4 at the Renaissance Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Va. Discounted early registration fees are available through tomorrow. To register, visit http://animalagalliance.org/summit.

Singer is a professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine. He received his DVM and MPVM from UC Davis in 1995 and his PhD in epidemiology from UC Davis in 1999. Singer’s research and educational program has focused on predicting the emergence, spread and persistence of infectious diseases. In 2000 he was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by President Clinton for his work on antibiotic resistance.


Since that time, he has devoted most of his research program to this topic. Between 2006 and 2010 he served on the U.S. Delegation to the CODEX Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance and is now serving again on the U.S. Delegation to this renewed Task Force that held its first meeting in November 2017. He has spoken twice to the U.S. House of Representatives on this topic and currently serves as a voting member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.


Singer, along with a team of other experts including Dan Thomson, DVM, PhD, of Kansas State University and Jennifer Wishnie, DVM, of California Polytechnic State University are surveying veterinarians and farmers to identify the impact of “Raised Without Antibiotics” or “No Antibiotics Ever” production on farm animal welfare. Once complete, the resulting report will provide food companies with additional information about the tradeoffs and ramifications (in particular on animal welfare) as they consider potential policies. The research will be presented for the first time at the 2018 Summit.


“With some food brands adopting policies restricting or eliminating the ability to use antibiotics to manage animal health, it is vital to understand any potential drawbacks to ensure both the animals and the sustainability of the food industry are not negatively impacted,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “We are excited to have this research shared for the very first time at Summit with all of our attendees.”


The room block at the Summit hotel is sold out. A room block is available directly across the street at the Marriott Courtyard Arlington Crystal City/Reagan National Airport, 2899 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, Va. Rooms are available for a discounted rate of $229/night. A limited quantity of rooms is available until April 20 or sold out so book soon! Book on the hotel website or call 800-676-3015 and ask for the Animal Agriculture Alliance room block.


Be sure to check the Summit website for the most up-to-date Summit information. You can also follow the hashtags #AAA18 and #ProtectYourRoots for periodic updates about the event. For general questions about the Summit please contact summit@animalagalliance.org or call (703) 562-5160.


Get involved:

Show your support for the Alliance’s outreach efforts by becoming an official Summit sponsor today! For a complete listing of the 2017 Summit sponsors or to see the 2018 sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.animalagalliance.org/summit. For more information, contact Allyson Jones-Brimmer at ajonesbrimmer@animalagalliance.org.


Thank you to our 2018 Summit sponsors: Watt Global Media, Farm Journal Media, Meatingplace, National Pork Producers Council, American Feed Industry Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Board, United Soybean Board, Elanco, Council for Biotechnology Information, DairyMAX/Western Dairy Association, Farm Credit Council, National Turkey Federation, Summit Livestock Facilities, United Egg Producers, Cobb-Vantress Inc., National Biodiesel Board, Protect the Harvest, The Mosaic Company, Agri Beef, American Veal Association, BPI Technology, Inc., Food Industry Environmental Network, Fur Commission USA, Kemin, National Chicken Council, Vivayic, American Farm Bureau Federation, Kglobal, North Carolina Farm Bureau, Eggland’s Best and Brakke Consulting, Inc.


The Alliance also thanks the following members for their continued support of Summit and other Alliance programs: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, Merck Animal Health, Charleston|Orwig, Diamond V, Zoetis, Alltech, Inc., Aviagen Group, Bayer HealthCare Animal Health, Cargill, Cattle Empire, LLC, Genus PLC - PIC/ABS, Hendrix Genetics, Hy-Line North America LLC, National Turkey Federation, Nutrien, Provimi North America, Inc., Seaboard Foods LLC, Smithfield Hog Production and Iowa Soybean Board.


About the Alliance:
The Animal Agriculture Alliance is an industry-united, nonprofit organization that helps bridge the communication gap between farm and fork. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation.