As agriculture faces evolving challenges, the future relies on effective education and workforce development. Lara Moody from IFEEDER discusses the challenges and opportunities in bridging academia with industry to create a sustainable and skilled workforce for the feed sector.

Lara Moody
Executive Director, IFEEDER

Established in 2009 by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) as a charitable organization, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) is currently led by Executive Director Lara Moody, who brings a unique combination of technical expertise, strategic insight, and a passion for sustainability and education. “Our mission is to advance understanding and trust in a sustainable animal feed and pet food supply chain,” Moody explains. In this exclusive interview, she shares how IFEEDER’s role has evolved from a research-focused initiative to a key driver of industry-wide education and workforce development.

She highlights the institute’s efforts to engage younger generations, provide practical sustainability tools, and build stronger connections between academia and industry. With initiatives such as scholarships, digital resources, and data reports that support student research, IFEEDER is helping shape the talent pipeline while supporting today’s professionals.

We thank Lara Moody for taking the time to speak with Feed Planet for this special feature, which aligns with our May cover story on agriculture and education. From classroom engagement and strategic sustainability tools to workforce development and student support, Moody offers a clear picture of IFEEDER’s evolving impact—and how the feed industry can take a more active role in shaping its educational ecosystem.

Could you kindly introduce yourself and share your journey leading to your role as Executive Director of IFEEDER?

My name is Lara Moody. With a background in agricultural engineering, animal agriculture and sustainability, I began the role as executive director in April 2021. Prior to joining the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), my roles included managing a research and extension program focused on animal manure management at Iowa State University and leading a research and outreach initiative on fertilizer best management practices and sustainability efforts at The Fertilizer Institute. The skills and networks I developed in those roles have greatly benefited my work at IFEEDER.

Could you briefly introduce IFEEDER, its founding purpose, and its relationship with AFIA?

IFEEDER was established as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in 2009 by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA). It was established to pursue research and education efforts to support the needs of the animal food industry. While the AFIA is a member-based trade association, IFEEDER is not a membership organization. The work we undertake is funded by industry member contributions, stakeholder support and awarded grants. Through IFEEDER’s research and education committees and its board of trustees, we pursue efforts that support the animal food industry, oftentimes mutually beneficial for the AFIA and industry as a whole.

BRIDGING ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY

How would you define IFEEDER’s core mission today? In what ways has it evolved since its establishment?

IFEEDER’s mission today is to: advance understanding and trust in a sustainable animal feed and pet food supply chain through timely research and education. This includes supporting sustainability efforts of the animal food industry and its customers, as well as pursuing research and education initiatives that support the industry’s long-term viability. IFEEDER’s work has always served the animal feed and pet food industry’s needs, but now, a clearly defined mission gives us intentional direction.

In your view, what are the most pressing challenges facing agricultural education today, both in the U.S. and globally?

Agricultural education has audiences on many fronts, and it’s not just in our schools where efforts are needed. IFEEDER’s education efforts focus on bringing new people into the animal feed and pet food industry through university student scholarships, creating resources industry members can use to advance their organization’s internal sustainability efforts, informing downstream stakeholders about the animal food industry’s sustainability efforts, and engaging and supporting entities like the CLEAR Center at the University of California, Davis, and the Protein PACT, which have public-facing outreach efforts.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

What skills and competencies do you believe will be most critical for the next generation of agricultural professionals?

Coming out of two- and four-year degree programs, many professionals who are new to the workforce emerge with strong knowledge in specific areas. The willingness and ability to broaden their scope and find connections and opportunities between ever-expanding supply chains and networks is something not usually taught in universities but can be extremely beneficial.

How can the agricultural and feed industries collaborate more effectively with educational institutions to better align training with workforce needs?

IFEEDER partners with AFIA’s Equipment Manufacturers Committee to raise money and provide funding to university students with animal nutrition or animal food-specific programs. Collectively, the efforts fund scholarships at seven universities, one of which directly supports a student working at the university’s feed mill. These scholarships provide an opportunity for industry members to interact with those directly who will be joining our future workforce.

Could you highlight some key projects, initiatives, or partnerships that IFEEDER is currently supporting or planning to launch to advance agricultural education?

In 2023, IFEEDER launched its Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit to provide over 30 resources animal feed and pet food industry members can use to support efforts within their own organizations. We’ve made those resources available to university faculty for use within their own programs upon request, and we continue to add new items to the toolkit based on identified needs. We’ve also recently released updated versions of our feed ingredient consumption report and pet food consumption report, both of which are used by the industry. The significant data sets within them have also been used for student research projects.

YOUNGER GENERATION CONNECTS WITH ANIMATIONS AND QUICK VIDEOS

From your perspective, how can the agricultural sector make careers in feed and food production more attractive to younger generations?

The industry should do more to engage young professionals on a variety of communications channels in a fun and interactive way. I will give you two examples of this. First, some of IFEEDER’s recent data, particularly around circularity, has been turned into animations and quick videos that the AFIA just launched and plans to share with both domestic and international audiences, including with members and university partners. We must remember that people learn in various ways and engage with content in such a different way than when I was in school, so the industry should be taking note of those generational changes and looking for opportunities to engage. Another thing I have found useful is to talk to young professionals at the many in-person events I attend. They often yearn for seasoned professionals to reach out to them to build their networks. We can all play a role in showing the next generation the way.

ONLINE LEARNING OPENS DOORS TO VALUABLE EXPERIENCES

How do you foresee agricultural education evolving over the next decade? Are there global trends that educators and industry leaders should particularly pay attention to?

One great thing that came as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is the improvement in virtual communication technology and our ability to use it. That has opened doors for external engagement in the classroom. Some university faculty, whom IFEEDER partners with, have invited me to provide remote lectures to their students. This provides the industry an opportunity to share insights about who we are and for the students to learn about career roles they may not be familiar with. Being able to give the occasional remote lecture makes it easier for me to say “yes” to a request than if I have to travel half across the country to do so.

MEDIA SUPPORT IS MORE THAN WELCOME

Finally, how can industry media like Feed Planet better support organizations like IFEEDER in promoting agricultural education and workforce development?

IFEEDER will continue to create resources to support the animal food industry and those resources likely provide valuable content for agricultural education. Whether its access to industry data through the various reports we curate or educational content on sustainability, the content is meant to help educate the industry and our stakeholders. Creating awareness of IFEEDER’s mission and resources is a continuous goal of ours, and Feed Planet can help by finding ways to share our content. All of it is available at www.ifeeder.org.