Latest news with #AFIA
South Wales Argus
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Welsh Mothers' Union leader meets Duchess of Edinburgh
Welsh provincial president Sue Rivers was invited to the palace's garden party, hosted by The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, to honour individuals and organisations for their contributions to communities. During the event, Ms Rivers spent time with The Duchess of Edinburgh, the recently announced royal patron of the Mothers' Union, where she discussed the joy and appreciation for the Duchess' new role. The discussion also included Ms Rivers' work with initiatives such as Away From It All (AFIA) and the domestic abuse campaign in Wales. Ms Rivers said: "It was a delight to meet HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh. "She showed great interest in my work as a member and my long-standing commitment to the organisation." With 45 years of dedication to Mothers' Union, Ms Rivers' has spearheaded key initiatives, like the 'Behind Closed Doors' exhibition to raise domestic abuse awareness, and the church guide to addressing domestic abuse, thus emphasising her leadership abilities and initiative.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
IFEEDER Releases New Animal Feed Consumption Data
Total Animal Feed Consumption in 2023 The Demand for Animal Food Is Strong Arlington, Va, Feb. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), in collaboration with the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and North American Renderers Association's (NARA) research arm the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation (FPRF), announced today that quantifies the amount of feed consumed by America's major livestock, poultry and aquaculture species. In 2023, U.S. livestock, poultry and farmed aquaculture consumed approximately 283.6 million tons of feed, according to the IFEEDER report. 'The new IFEEDER feed consumption data demonstrates the vital role that feed mills, ingredient suppliers, liquid feed manufacturers, renderers and row crop farmers play in keeping animals fed throughout their lives, which, in turn, provides Americans with nutritious meat, milk and eggs,' said Lara Moody, IFEEDER's executive director. 'On behalf of our project partners AFIA and FPRF, IFEEDER is pleased to make this data readily available as part of its ongoing mission to advance understanding and trust in a sustainable animal feed supply chain.' The project, conducted by researchers at , which has conducted similar studies in the past for IFEEDER, used a ration cost optimization model to quantify the consumption of feed ingredients for the major animal species. Excluding harvested forages and roughages, the study found that in 2023, beef cattle consumed the most feed at 76.7 million tons, followed by broilers at 61.5 million tons, hogs at 60.9 million tons, dairy cattle at 48.7 million tons, egg-laying hens at 17.7 million tons, turkeys at 10.9 million tons, horses at 5.3 million tons, sheep and goats at 1.2 million tons, and aquaculture at 615,800 tons. The report primarily examined nearly 70 unique feed ingredients used among the studied species, finding that by weight, corn tops the list at 159.4 million tons, followed by soybean meal at 35.4 million tons, corn distillers' dried grains at 32.6 million tons, wheat middlings at 5.6 million tons, and canola meal at 5.2 million tons. Recognizing that feed often complements harvested forages and roughages (e.g., corn silage, alfalfa hay, other hay, legume silage, corn stalks, sorghum silage, and wheat straw) in ruminant diets, DIS calculated that dairy and beef cattle, sheep, goats and horses consumed 267.4 million tons of those ingredients. The report also found that an astonishing 37% of total feed consumption (excluding harvested forages and roughages) came from 'circular' ingredients, which are coproducts or byproducts from the human food industry or other industrial processes that might otherwise go to landfill. 'Many Americans may be surprised to learn that U.S. feed mills and rendering facilities work closely with their local bakeries, food processors and ethanol facilities to capture nutritious ingredients, some of which might otherwise go to waste, and through a highly regulated process, safely feed them to animals,' said Moody. 'With more than one-third of production animal diets' consisting of circular ingredients, our industry is doing its part to reduce waste.' Five states topped the list in the tonnage of feed ingredients fed to animals in 2023, including Iowa at 29.1 million tons (primarily to hogs, beef cattle and egg-layers), Texas at 24.4 million tons (primarily to beef cattle, dairy cattle and broilers), Nebraska at 17.3 million tons (primarily to beef cattle and hogs), North Carolina at 15.5 million tons (primarily to hogs, broilers and turkeys), and Kansas at 15.3 million tons (primarily to beef cattle, hogs and dairy cattle). The full report, along with infographics and a multimedia map that allows users to search by species, state or ingredient, are available at . IFEEDER thanks ED&F Man Commodities, the National Corn Growers Association and Westway Feed Products for providing financial contributions to support this research project. One hundred percent of IFEEDER donations support funding for research, education and sustainability initiatives on behalf of the U.S. animal food industry. Learn more about IFEEDER at . Attachments Total Animal Feed Consumption in 2023 The Demand for Animal Food Is Strong CONTACT: Victoria Broehm - AFIA Senior Director of Communications Institute for Feed Education and Research (703) 558-3579 vbroehm@ in to access your portfolio
CNN
12-02-2025
- General
- CNN
Where do Valentine's Day roses come from?
More than chocolates in a heart-shaped box, more than dinner reservations and bright red teddy bears, it's roses that have really come to symbolize Valentine's Day. The most popular flower of the holiday — which is for some, the only day a year they resolve to purchase a flower bouquet — roses have maintained their status as a favorite among Americans. A whopping 83% of flowers purchased for Valentine's in 2022 were roses, according to the Society of American Florists — and about two-thirds were specifically of the red variety. While there was a time when the US grew the majority of these roses itself, largely in California, today the country is home to less than 20 commercial-level rose growers, thanks to federal investment in countries in South America, according to Certified American Grown CEO & Ambassador Camron King. But regardless of where they're grown, the demand for roses is high. Nearly one billion rose stems are now — and by the time you're reading this, have likely already been — imported into the US just in time for Valentine's Day, according to Christine Boldt, executive vice president of the Association of Floral Importers of America. And as soon as these flowers are cut, the race against time begins. Here's how your sweet, heady bouquet of roses made the incredible journey from South America to you and your loved ones at home. These days, most roses shipped to the US come from Colombia (a top exporter of all cut flowers to the US, not just roses) and Ecuador, according to the AFIA. For farmers in the region, planning for the big day starts months before the actual holiday, when they decide how much of their rose crop to 'pinch' — or cut back — so it blooms on time for February 14, said Boldt. Flowers are living things, she said, and pinching too early means the blooms might not last until the big day. The amount matters, too. How much of your crop should you bank for the holiday? Do you want to pinch 60%? Or just 40%? If your crop is primarily red roses, pinching a majority for Valentine's Day might be in your best interests, Boldt explained, since red roses may not pull as high of a price other times in the year. Once bloomed, harvesting 60% of a crop is serious business. Farms often hire extra staff to handle the massive volume, she said — way more than they would have otherwise been dealing with on a normal week. Once harvested, the roses are then organized into bouquets and bunches, and packed into boxes and coolers. Then, they're on a plane and off to Miami. At other times of the year, flowers are typically brought into the country by plane seven times a day, six days a week. But just before Valentine's Day, those numbers leap. In the two weeks leading up to February 14, there are more than 14 flights of flowers a day, seven days a week. Those one billion rose stems aren't going to ship themselves, after all, and importers still need to bring in their usual shipments, Boldt said. 'There's no way that we could ship, in one day, all of the flowers from all of the farms, to come in, to get processed, and then get on trucks and go to the supermarkets, all at the same time,' she said. 'The stuff has to come in waves, day by day.' Once the flowers land at Miami International Airport, usually just hours after being cut, their journey isn't over. Customs and border inspectors check the flowers, Boldt said. Once complete, flower importers and distributors pick up the precious cargo and take it to warehouses and distribution centers — where many flowers are then trimmed and kept hydrated, she said, so supermarkets can easily set them out for sale. USA Bouquet Company, a national flower manufacturer and distributor, moves its flowers right from the Miami airport to a processing center. The company distributes approximately 10 million rose stems just for Valentine's Day, said Scott Hill, vice president of sales and marketing — about five times its usual volume. At this point, your bouquet has traveled across at least two different continents, in multiple trucks and an airplane. Everyone along the supply chain process — from farms, to customs inspectors, to processing centers — has to hire extra people for the holiday, Boldt said. Flowers are perishable; they can't sit on a shelf for months like greeting cards or chocolate. Everything has to be kept refrigerated and moved as quickly as possible through the supply chain. And of course, just because it's Valentine's Day doesn't mean the world stops. There's still births, funerals and other reasons to buy bouquets, too. 'Every single day, you're moving your normal flowers, but then you have this extra volume that's there for that one day holiday,' Boldt said. 'It takes a lot of logistics, it takes a lot of planning, and it takes a lot of people and resources in order to get everything to where it needs to be.' Once the roses have left the airport and have been taken to distribution and processing centers, trucks then pick the roses up for delivery to retail locations across the US. Large supermarkets and retail centers might have their own trucks that come to the warehouses, get the flowers, and bring them back to their own supermarket distribution centers, Boldt said, before being sent to individual stores all over the country. All of this requires refrigeration to ensure the flowers stay fresh. There's refrigeration at the farms, the warehouses, the trucks. And sometimes, like with any supply chain, there can be problems: A February snowstorm might mean trucks can't get to supermarket distribution centers, or to individual stores, delaying or potentially halting the roses' journey. There are concerns about the journey. Some environmental advocates have noted that buying imported flowers, which almost all roses are, is a drain on the environment, particularly because of the refrigeration requirements and the long distances traveled. Some argue that customers should seek out locally grown bundles from local florists or farmers markets instead, eliminating the long supply chain and resulting in a fresher bouquet overall. The blooms may not be the classic roses you're used to, but the joy in receiving flowers is still there. Either way, the end result is the same: The customer walks into a store and is greeted with bursting displays of pink, red and white bouquets. You know the rest. You trim the stems, fill your favorite vase with water, and spend the next week ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the blooms — roses or not.
CNN
12-02-2025
- General
- CNN
About 1 billion roses will cross borders for Valentine's Day. Here's how they get to you
More than chocolates in a heart-shaped box, more than dinner reservations and bright red teddy bears, it's roses that have really come to symbolize Valentine's Day. The most popular flower of the holiday — which is for some, the only day a year they resolve to purchase a flower bouquet — roses have maintained their status as a favorite among Americans. A whopping 83% of flowers purchased for Valentine's in 2022 were roses, according to the Society of American Florists — and about two-thirds were specifically of the red variety. While there was a time when the US grew the majority of these roses itself, largely in California, today the country is home to less than 20 commercial-level rose growers, thanks to federal investment in countries in South America, according to Certified American Grown CEO & Ambassador Camron King. But regardless of where they're grown, the demand for roses is high. Nearly one billion rose stems are now — and by the time you're reading this, have likely already been — imported into the US just in time for Valentine's Day, according to Christine Boldt, executive vice president of the Association of Floral Importers of America. And as soon as these flowers are cut, the race against time begins. Here's how your sweet, heady bouquet of roses made the incredible journey from South America to you and your loved ones at home. These days, most roses shipped to the US come from Colombia (a top exporter of all cut flowers to the US, not just roses) and Ecuador, according to the AFIA. For farmers in the region, planning for the big day starts months before the actual holiday, when they decide how much of their rose crop to 'pinch' — or cut back — so it blooms on time for February 14, said Boldt. Flowers are living things, she said, and pinching too early means the blooms might not last until the big day. The amount matters, too. How much of your crop should you bank for the holiday? Do you want to pinch 60%? Or just 40%? If your crop is primarily red roses, pinching a majority for Valentine's Day might be in your best interests, Boldt explained, since red roses may not pull as high of a price other times in the year. Once bloomed, harvesting 60% of a crop is serious business. Farms often hire extra staff to handle the massive volume, she said — way more than they would have otherwise been dealing with on a normal week. Once harvested, the roses are then organized into bouquets and bunches, and packed into boxes and coolers. Then, they're on a plane and off to Miami. At other times of the year, flowers are typically brought into the country by plane seven times a day, six days a week. But just before Valentine's Day, those numbers leap. In the two weeks leading up to February 14, there are more than 14 flights of flowers a day, seven days a week. Those one billion rose stems aren't going to ship themselves, after all, and importers still need to bring in their usual shipments, Boldt said. 'There's no way that we could ship, in one day, all of the flowers from all of the farms, to come in, to get processed, and then get on trucks and go to the supermarkets, all at the same time,' she said. 'The stuff has to come in waves, day by day.' Once the flowers land at Miami International Airport, usually just hours after being cut, their journey isn't over. Customs and border inspectors check the flowers, Boldt said. Once complete, flower importers and distributors pick up the precious cargo and take it to warehouses and distribution centers — where many flowers are then trimmed and kept hydrated, she said, so supermarkets can easily set them out for sale. USA Bouquet Company, a national flower manufacturer and distributor, moves its flowers right from the Miami airport to a processing center. The company distributes approximately 10 million rose stems just for Valentine's Day, said Scott Hill, vice president of sales and marketing — about five times its usual volume. At this point, your bouquet has traveled across at least two different continents, in multiple trucks and an airplane. Everyone along the supply chain process — from farms, to customs inspectors, to processing centers — has to hire extra people for the holiday, Boldt said. Flowers are perishable; they can't sit on a shelf for months like greeting cards or chocolate. Everything has to be kept refrigerated and moved as quickly as possible through the supply chain. And of course, just because it's Valentine's Day doesn't mean the world stops. There's still births, funerals and other reasons to buy bouquets, too. 'Every single day, you're moving your normal flowers, but then you have this extra volume that's there for that one day holiday,' Boldt said. 'It takes a lot of logistics, it takes a lot of planning, and it takes a lot of people and resources in order to get everything to where it needs to be.' Once the roses have left the airport and have been taken to distribution and processing centers, trucks then pick the roses up for delivery to retail locations across the US. Large supermarkets and retail centers might have their own trucks that come to the warehouses, get the flowers, and bring them back to their own supermarket distribution centers, Boldt said, before being sent to individual stores all over the country. All of this requires refrigeration to ensure the flowers stay fresh. There's refrigeration at the farms, the warehouses, the trucks. And sometimes, like with any supply chain, there can be problems: A February snowstorm might mean trucks can't get to supermarket distribution centers, or to individual stores, delaying or potentially halting the roses' journey. There are concerns about the journey. Some environmental advocates have noted that buying imported flowers, which almost all roses are, is a drain on the environment, particularly because of the refrigeration requirements and the long distances traveled. Some argue that customers should seek out locally grown bundles from local florists or farmers markets instead, eliminating the long supply chain and resulting in a fresher bouquet overall. The blooms may not be the classic roses you're used to, but the joy in receiving flowers is still there. Either way, the end result is the same: The customer walks into a store and is greeted with bursting displays of pink, red and white bouquets. You know the rest. You trim the stems, fill your favorite vase with water, and spend the next week ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the blooms — roses or not.
CNN
12-02-2025
- General
- CNN
About 1 billion roses will cross borders for Valentine's Day. Here's how they get to you
More than chocolates in a heart-shaped box, more than dinner reservations and bright red teddy bears, it's roses that have really come to symbolize Valentine's Day. The most popular flower of the holiday — which is for some, the only day a year they resolve to purchase a flower bouquet — roses have maintained their status as a favorite among Americans. A whopping 83% of flowers purchased for Valentine's in 2022 were roses, according to the Society of American Florists — and about two-thirds were specifically of the red variety. While there was a time when the US grew the majority of these roses itself, largely in California, today the country is home to less than 20 commercial-level rose growers, thanks to federal investment in countries in South America, according to Certified American Grown CEO & Ambassador Camron King. But regardless of where they're grown, the demand for roses is high. Nearly one billion rose stems are now — and by the time you're reading this, have likely already been — imported into the US just in time for Valentine's Day, according to Christine Boldt, executive vice president of the Association of Floral Importers of America. And as soon as these flowers are cut, the race against time begins. Here's how your sweet, heady bouquet of roses made the incredible journey from South America to you and your loved ones at home. These days, most roses shipped to the US come from Colombia (a top exporter of all cut flowers to the US, not just roses) and Ecuador, according to the AFIA. For farmers in the region, planning for the big day starts months before the actual holiday, when they decide how much of their rose crop to 'pinch' — or cut back — so it blooms on time for February 14, said Boldt. Flowers are living things, she said, and pinching too early means the blooms might not last until the big day. The amount matters, too. How much of your crop should you bank for the holiday? Do you want to pinch 60%? Or just 40%? If your crop is primarily red roses, pinching a majority for Valentine's Day might be in your best interests, Boldt explained, since red roses may not pull as high of a price other times in the year. Once bloomed, harvesting 60% of a crop is serious business. Farms often hire extra staff to handle the massive volume, she said — way more than they would have otherwise been dealing with on a normal week. Once harvested, the roses are then organized into bouquets and bunches, and packed into boxes and coolers. Then, they're on a plane and off to Miami. At other times of the year, flowers are typically brought into the country by plane seven times a day, six days a week. But just before Valentine's Day, those numbers leap. In the two weeks leading up to February 14, there are more than 14 flights of flowers a day, seven days a week. Those one billion rose stems aren't going to ship themselves, after all, and importers still need to bring in their usual shipments, Boldt said. 'There's no way that we could ship, in one day, all of the flowers from all of the farms, to come in, to get processed, and then get on trucks and go to the supermarkets, all at the same time,' she said. 'The stuff has to come in waves, day by day.' Once the flowers land at Miami International Airport, usually just hours after being cut, their journey isn't over. Customs and border inspectors check the flowers, Boldt said. Once complete, flower importers and distributors pick up the precious cargo and take it to warehouses and distribution centers — where many flowers are then trimmed and kept hydrated, she said, so supermarkets can easily set them out for sale. USA Bouquet Company, a national flower manufacturer and distributor, moves its flowers right from the Miami airport to a processing center. The company distributes approximately 10 million rose stems just for Valentine's Day, said Scott Hill, vice president of sales and marketing — about five times its usual volume. At this point, your bouquet has traveled across at least two different continents, in multiple trucks and an airplane. Everyone along the supply chain process — from farms, to customs inspectors, to processing centers — has to hire extra people for the holiday, Boldt said. Flowers are perishable; they can't sit on a shelf for months like greeting cards or chocolate. Everything has to be kept refrigerated and moved as quickly as possible through the supply chain. And of course, just because it's Valentine's Day doesn't mean the world stops. There's still births, funerals and other reasons to buy bouquets, too. 'Every single day, you're moving your normal flowers, but then you have this extra volume that's there for that one day holiday,' Boldt said. 'It takes a lot of logistics, it takes a lot of planning, and it takes a lot of people and resources in order to get everything to where it needs to be.' Once the roses have left the airport and have been taken to distribution and processing centers, trucks then pick the roses up for delivery to retail locations across the US. Large supermarkets and retail centers might have their own trucks that come to the warehouses, get the flowers, and bring them back to their own supermarket distribution centers, Boldt said, before being sent to individual stores all over the country. All of this requires refrigeration to ensure the flowers stay fresh. There's refrigeration at the farms, the warehouses, the trucks. And sometimes, like with any supply chain, there can be problems: A February snowstorm might mean trucks can't get to supermarket distribution centers, or to individual stores, delaying or potentially halting the roses' journey. There are concerns about the journey. Some environmental advocates have noted that buying imported flowers, which almost all roses are, is a drain on the environment, particularly because of the refrigeration requirements and the long distances traveled. Some argue that customers should seek out locally grown bundles from local florists or farmers markets instead, eliminating the long supply chain and resulting in a fresher bouquet overall. The blooms may not be the classic roses you're used to, but the joy in receiving flowers is still there. Either way, the end result is the same: The customer walks into a store and is greeted with bursting displays of pink, red and white bouquets. You know the rest. You trim the stems, fill your favorite vase with water, and spend the next week ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the blooms — roses or not.
