Ralco is pleased to announce two employees, Megan Gross and Melissa VanWesten, were selected to the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) Young Leaders Under 30 Program in Atlanta, Georgia last week.
IPPE is the world’s largest annual display of technology, equipment, supplies and services used in the production and processing of eggs, meat, and poultry and those involved in feed manufacturing. Every year IPPE invests in 30 young adults from across the U.S. to recognize their professional leadership qualities and invite them to attend IPPE and participate in education programs to assist in their leadership development.
Program applicants must write a 200-word essay answering the question, “What do you think the primary challenges will be to the poultry industry in the next 5 years and how should the industry address them?”
“When I was given the prompt to write my essay, the first word that came to mind was traceability,” said Gross. Traceability is the ability and opportunity to review the product flow throughout a manufacturing and supply chain. “At Ralco we’re addressing the issue head on with strict quality assurance and quality control programs in place to ensure all of our ingredients are traced from start to finish for our producers.” Gross stated that as labeling concerns on poultry products continues, the demand for traceability will only grow.
“For my essay topic, I chose greenhouse gas emissions,” said VanWesten. Greenhouse gases have been a growing concern in the agriculture industry for several years with added pressure from consumers. “Recently, Ralco has conducted outside research on natural technologies in feed additives that help reduce ruminal menthane gas emissions by 15% for producers. Additionally, my team and I now have access to a new gas production system that will further our internal research on greenhouse gas reduction,” said VanWesten. She will oversee all research using this new equipment.
VanWesten said her biggest takeaway from the program was a quote, “Leaders serve the people they lead.” To her, this was a great reminder that looking out for those you work with and encouraging them can have a huge impact on your team and your company.
“Ralco is a company that believes our greatest assets are our people, especially young leaders like Megan and Melissa, that will help shape our future in natural technologies,” said Brian Knochenmus CEO and President of Ralco. “We’re honored to have these two young leaders on our team, and we’re excited to see where they’ll take us.”
Ralco is a third-generation family-owned multinational company with distribution in more than 40 countries. Ralco is a leading global provider of natural solutions that maximize nutrient conversion in both plants and animals. Learn more at https://ralcoagriculture.com/ or call
1-800-533-5306.