More than 2,000 delegates
from 60 countries have gathered for “What If?” the 30th Annual Alltech
International Symposium, which is taking place in downtown Lexington, Ky., USA
today until May 21. The Symposium opened with a welcome address from Alltech
founder and president Dr. Pearse Lyons who posed the question of “what would
you do with $10,000” to the gathered audience who were eager to discover more
about what lies ahead for the agri-business industry. Lyons founded Alltech in
1980 with $10,000 capital, and the company has grown to annual sales of $1
billion.
Lyons posed several “What
If?” scenarios in the opening plenary session of the Alltech Symposium
including asking delegates what type of legacy they will leave behind for
future generations.
“It is hard to believe
that I hosted the Alltech’s inaugural Symposium 30 years ago,” said Dr. Lyons
“Since then, my company has become a scientific leader in the field of
agribusiness, and we are now in our fourth decade of improving the health and
performance of people, animals and plants through our ground-breaking
scientific innovations.”
Evoking curiosity with its
theme, “What If,” the Alltech Symposium will focus on the areas of Crop Science,
Life Sciences, Africa, Modern Farming, The Algae Opportunity, and Business and
Technology – all primary topics of focus, featuring notable, expert speakers
from around the world.
During the opening plenary
session, Dr. Karl Dawson, Alltech vice president and chief scientific officer
of research, presented on the six big visions that promise to radically change
the global supply chain:
- The face of agriculture is changing towards urban and vertical production
- Big data will provide new opportunities - such as new analytical tools
- New predictive models will drive precision agricultural systems
- New nutritional approaches will change the way we eat
- New standards will be used for nutritional management
- Traceability will drive the food chain and control waste
The most significant
challenge being to feed the world in 2050 when the global population is set to
reach nine billion.
“Science and technology
will continue to change the way we produce food” said Dawson. “We can now
understand our livestock with the aid of molecular tools, which provide us with
billions of observations while big data presents us with new opportunities.”
Dr. Lyons shared Alltech’s
passionate commitment to scientific innovation and told the audience it was
about “TIP” – Transformation, Inspiration and Passion.
“With passion you can move
mountains and bring people with you,” said Dr. Lyons.
The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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