During this year of online conventions and virtual meetings, the greater public has actually been able to benefit to the increase in resources on the internet. For example, the Animal Agriculture Alliance announced today that session recordings from the first-ever Virtual Stakeholders Summit, held in May 2020, are now publicly available. The 2020 Virtual Summit, themed “Primed & Prepared,” focused on equipping food and agriculture stakeholders with the tools needed to bridge the gap between farm and fork.
“The Alliance’s annual Stakeholders Summit brings together thought leaders in animal agriculture to discuss hot-button issues and out-of-the-box ideas,” says Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “Our 2020 Virtual Summit attracted our largest crowd to date and addressed key topics that impact every link of the food supply chain including sustainability, nutrition, and animal welfare. If you weren’t able to join us live last year, watching the recorded content is a great way to catch up on the valuable conversations and get excited for the 2021 Virtual Summit coming up in May.”
Highlights from the impressive lineup of speakers include:
- Alan Levinovitz, Ph.D., associate professor of religion at James Madison University, who discussed how faith in nature’s goodness may lead to harmful fads, unjust laws, and flawed science.
- Marissa Hake, DVM, Ryan Valk, Tara Vander Dussen, and Michelle Miller, farmers, who talked about being on the frontlines of consumer engagement and how the industry can better help farmers promoting agriculture online.
- Candace Croney, Ph.D., with Purdue University, who discussed how to rethink the way we address animal welfare in consumer conversations.
- Nicole Rodriquez, RDN, Cara Harbstreet, RD, and Allison Webster, Ph.D., RD, registered dietitians, who shared how animal agriculture can stake its claim on the plant-based plate.
- Sara Place, Ph.D., with Elanco Animal Health, who pondered “what’s the beef?” with sustainability and plant-based alternatives.
Session recordings from the 2020 Virtual Summit are available here. To read a condensed overview of insights shared at the event, check out the highlights report.
The 2021 Virtual Summit, themed “Obstacles to Opportunities” is set primarily for May 5-6. Challenging times. Unprecedented times. Uncertain times. We’re all over the clichés. But we’re far from over the impact COVID-19 and 2020 in general have had on agriculture and the food industry. However, there is hope. With the right tools we can ensure the food chain is stronger than ever. We can use this time to hone our messages, fine-tune our strategies and connect, engage and protect like never before. Now is the time to turn the obstacles of 2020 into opportunities for the decades to come, and 2021 Virtual Summit attendees will leave with the right tools and ideas to do just that.
Registration for the 2021 Virtual Summit opens February 1. For more information about the Virtual Summit, visit their website or follow #AAA21 on social media for updates.
