A number of K&R principals are set to attend the upcoming Animal Agtech Innovation Summit in March, including Jared Spader, Jon Leafstedt, Gary Weihs, Christophe Dumont and Aidan Connolly. While attending, Managing Director Aidan Connolly will also be facilitating a round table discussion with other industry experts.
Sharing his predictions for the animal agriculture industry, Aidan noted several key points that he anticipates will shape 2023 in a recent blogpost by Animal AgTech: climate clashes, disease and maximizing technology.
Leadership across the livestock sector needs to lead the discussion on sustainability with real plans and timelines for action to reassure investors and stakeholders and ensure the industry is not the scapegoat for a failure to control greenhouse gases.
Avian influenza, African Swine Fever, for example, are impacting global protein availability. The shortage of turkey at Thanksgiving, eggs and the dramatic decrease in China’s swine population need innovative solutions and contingencies.
Leaders need to have digital literacy to ensure digital solutions are implemented quickly and effectively to transform the consumer experience. Ensuring transparency, traceability, and trust between producers, processors, and consumers is critical, role data and digital technologies need to play.
And while each of these are factors in the coming year, one overarching theme is also present: leadership. Aidan highlights how critical addressing the industry leadership deficit will be in 2023.
“The impact of absent or ineffective leadership in any sector is staggering,” Aidan said. “The needs of the animal agriculture industry are multifaceted, requiring leadership that embraces and encourages change to ensure innovative solutions can be developed and commercialized.”
While innovation may be the new constant, it will not advance as quickly, efficiently, or profitably as necessary unless strong leaders are in place to guide its progress. Identifying adaptive leaders who can navigate complex industries with confidence, who embrace disruption and are willing to take risks is crucial to the success of animal agriculture organizations in 2023 and beyond.
Find additional predictions by other industry experts in the full article Animal AgTech posted here.
