Equipment manufacturers committee adds a new scholarship beneficiary
Author: Mike Schuster, Vice President—Sales, Laidig Systems, Inc.
Student walking through a poultry house with feed. (Photo by David Ammon)
The Equipment Manufacturers Committee (EMC) of the American Feed Industry Association recently announced that Mississippi State University (MSU) has been awarded a $5,000 annual scholarship to support undergraduate students pursuing careers in the animal food industry. With this award, MSU becomes the eighth educational recipient in the EMC scholarship program.
This announcement follows additional exciting developments in Starkville. On May 7, the university held a groundbreaking ceremony on a new poultry feed mill. This facility will provide students with hands-on training in feed manufacturing and strengthen collaboration with industry partners.
"Having a fully functional feed mill on campus will be an invaluable tool to help prepare students for a career in the animal food industry," said Gary Huddleston, AFIA's senior director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs. "I have enjoyed establishing a partnership with the Mississippi State poultry science department. Dr. Kelly Wamsley has become an active academic advisor for both the Production Compliance Committee and EMC."
AFIA's membership includes a diverse group of professionals committed to securing a safe, sustainable and stable animal food supply. One of the strengths of the AFIA is the significant contributions of its committees. The EMC represents the interests of equipment manufacturer members and works to efficiently serve and support the needs of the animal food industry, including ensuring regulatory, environmental and safety compliance.
A key priority for EMC is funding scholarships for grain and feed science students. Although the scholarship program has a long history, the fund remained stagnant at approximately $28,000 for many years, with annual awards totaling $1,500. In 2007, the committee committed to expanding the program and launched several fundraising initiatives that led to sustained growth.
In recent years, the EMC has developed valuable partnerships with the Production Compliance Committee and the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) In addition to administrating the scholarship program, IFEEDER collaborates with the EMC on fund growth and makes an annual contribution of $10,000. In 2024, the Production Compliance Committee restructured the Feed Facility of the Year program to direct all proceeds to the scholarship fund. As the EMC continues growing the scholarship and awarding deserving students, another valuable partner is you.
Since then, the EMC scholarship program has expanded significantly and now awards eight annual $5,000 scholarships to institutions with relationships with the AFIA. In addition to MSU, the current educational partners include Auburn University, California Polytechnic State University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, North Carolina State University, North Dakota State University and West Virginia University.
"The EMC is thrilled to be able to expand the scholarship program through the hard work of the committee members and AFIA staff," said current EMC Chair Jonathan Cowles, vice president of sales for WL Port-Land Systems. "We are also proud to say that $320,000 in scholarships has been awarded throughout the history of the program. These scholarships help reduce the financial burden on deserving students who will become future leaders in the industry."
Date: 2026-06-24
