By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA
For January, NEAFA sat down with Alexi Pierce and Danielle Penney-Stroop (past NEAFA President) from NOVUS International, Inc. “I’ve been at NOVUS for five years,” said Pierce. “I work on the global marketing and communications team supporting strategic planning for dairy globally but working with the regional teams in North America and Europe. NOVUS is based out of St. Louis, Missouri.
For many at NEAFA, Penney-Stroop has been a well-known name due to her service on the board of directors and as a past president of NEAFA. “I have been with NOVUS for eight and a half years,” said Penney-Stroop. “I am the East Executive Ruminant Manager. I work with the NOVUS teams from Eastern Canada and in the US from the Dakotas East. I was drawn to NOVUS for two primary reasons: their scientific product portfolio and the C.O.W.S.® Program. I was drawn to the fact that NOVUS strives to be part of the community through collaborating and educating nutritionists and producers to become more viable and economically sustainable for many years to come.”
It’s an important time at NOVUS according to Pierce. “NOVUS is celebrating 40 years of amino acid nutrition,” said Pierce. “That’s where our roots started in the poultry, swine, and dairy industries. Even after 40 years of research, we continue to work at learning more and finding more answers to solve producer challenges. We’re also celebrating 30 years of trace mineral nutrition. Those are the pillars of NOVUS. We’re also continuing to grow in other markets besides the US. In this past year, we expanded into the European Union and India, with Australia coming this year. We see a bright future for the dairy industry; we see a lot of possibilities. It’s exciting to see that even with all of the challenges that we face in the dairy industry, there’s the opportunity to work together globally to see a better future for the industry. NOVUS is investing in that future throughout the world.”
When asking Pierce what she appreciates the most about NOVUS she says, “The first thing is that they’re a science based company. A lot of companies say that, but I get to see every day NOVUS’ dedication to sound, accurate data, and a desire from the company to be part of bettering the industry through that research. They regularly publish in the Journal of Animal Science, the Journal of Dairy Science, and other publications around the world. That helps the industry move forward into a new era of nutrition.”
For NOVUS, NEAFA is an important organization to be a part of. “NOVUS has been extremely generous in supporting NEAFA, not only from a membership and sponsorship standpoint, but also recognizing the value of allowing me to serve on our board as a director, Vice President, President, and now Past President,” said Penney-Stroop. “Our company values coincide and compliment NEAFA’s 3 pillars of Advocacy, Collaboration, and Education. NOVUS prides themselves on being advocates for intelligent nutrition, providing solutions that our producers need instead of just treating problems. They recognize the importance that NEAFA has on the legislative front, advocating for our producers and industry as a whole.”
To learn more about NOVUS,, visit their website at https://www.novusint.com/