Last week, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) escorted a group of five pet food nutritionists from Latin America (LTA) to attend Petfood Forum 2025 in Kansas City, MO and explore the benefits of adding U.S. sorghum into pet diets.
“LTA has accounted for 45 percent of the global increase in pet populations since the COVID-19 pandemic, with ownership expected to continue to rise by 2.2 percent annually,” said Angélica Ríos, USGC LTA marketing specialist. “By capitalizing on this market shift through initiatives emphasizing training in nutrition, handling and sourcing, the Council can help enhance U.S. sorghum exports to the region.”
As the only exclusively pet food-focused convention in the country, Petfood Forum has been the leading event for feed industry professionals and marketers for more than 30 years.
Ríos led the delegation to the conference, where a number of expert speakers and panellists discussed topics including the environmental footprint of pet food, economic impacts on pet ownership trends, pet nutrition at various life stages and more.
After the forum, the team travelled to Manhattan, KS to visit Kansas State University’s International Grain Program (KSU’s IGP) for a series of presentations about the production and use applications of U.S. sorghum.
Representatives comprised key Council partners and members including the United Sorghum Checkoff (USCP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s ARS), Nu Life Market, the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission and the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
Following the educational seminars, the group toured KSU’s feed milling and extrusion center for a walkthrough of how sorghum can be integrated into pet food.
“Sorghum’s high energy content, rich fiber and essential proteins and minerals make it a valuable component in pet diets and this program helped position U.S. sorghum at the forefront of the industry in LTA,” Ríos said. “Continuing to leverage market growth and promote innovative nutritional practices will create healthier lifestyles for pets and drive export demand for U.S. sorghum farmers.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in Latin America here.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.