Elanco Animal Health announced it has closed its acquisition of AHV International, a Dutch innovator in farm animal health. The acquisition advances Elanco’s presence into the growing global dairy market, offering dairy producers an expanded portfolio of products that support transition cow health, well-being and improve productivity.
“The AHV addition is a strategic fit for Elanco by providing innovative tools for producers and veterinarians to improve the well-being of dairy cows. AHV’s portfolio meaningfully expands our solutions for sustainability, animal welfare and transition cow health, as well as for retail packaged goods. Together with our dedicated scientific and technical Elanco team, the integration will unite the strengths of both organizations to deliver a comprehensive solution portfolio for our customers,” said Dr. Ramiro M. Cabral, Executive Vice President of Elanco International.
While consumer demand for milk and dairy products continues to rise globally, dairy producers worldwide face significant challenges. Increasing accessibility and affordability of dairy products hinges on healthy and productive cows. The World Organization for Animal Health reports 20% of livestock productivity is lost to death and disease annually, impacting global food security and producer profitability.
This acquisition allows Elanco to offer more proactive nutritional health interventions that can be tailored to the individual health of each cow to meet their health and disease prevention needs when they’re most susceptible. For example:
Elanco aims to enhance global accessibility of these innovations. By combining Elanco’s scientific rigor, technical teams and strong distribution experience, these have the potential to become essential tools for the dairy industry, leading to improved animal well-being and further reducing the need for antibiotics on farms.
To learn more about this expanded portfolio of solutions, visit the AHV website.
Company’s platform technology will introduce genetic tools to improve nitrogen use efficiency
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Novin AgriTech, a startup whose platform combines agricultural expertise and biotechnology to develop novel traits for cereal crops, has received an eight-month, $174,906 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Mohsen Mohammadi, co-founder of Novin AgriTech, is the wheat breeder and an associate professor of plant breeding and genetics in Purdue University’s Department of Agronomy in the College of Agriculture. He leads Purdue’s soft red winter wheat breeding program, with research focused on improving grain yield, enhancing resistance to Fusarium head blight and dissecting the genetics of sustainability traits.
Mohammadi developed two patented cereal transformation platforms: InPACT, Novin AgriTech’s core platform, and a nanoparticle-assisted ultrasound gene delivery system. They enable direct genetic manipulation of elite wheat germplasm. He and his colleagues will use the SBIR funding to develop the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) trait and introduce it into elite wheat cultivars.
“The project will reinforce Novin AgriTech’s positioning as a platform company,” he said. “Our mission is to empower the cereal crop ecosystem with practical, scalable and future-ready solutions that tackle the evolving challenges of food security, health, resource efficiency, and crop resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses.”
Benefits of the funded project
Mohammadi said the eight-month SBIR-funded project will culminate in several strategic advantages for Novin AgriTech.
“In summary, completion of this project will transform the technology from technology demonstration into a high-value product by validating real-world nitrogen efficiency gains; reducing adoption risk; and strengthening Novin AgriTech’s positioning for Phase II funding, industry partnerships and market entry,” Mohammadi said.
Other Novin AgriTech milestones
Mohammadi said Novin AgriTech recently established a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the USDA. He said InPACT has been advanced in part through this collaboration.
“This CRADA milestone provides us (a) strong collaborative USDA-Agricultural Research Service environment, further advancing the technology to mutually shared objectives such as gene editing techniques,” he said.
In 2023, the Purdue Innovates Trask Innovation Fund awarded Mohammadi $47,773 to support the research that led to InPACT technology and the subsequent launch of Novin AgriTech.
“The funding helped my colleagues and I to strengthen InPACT with more molecular data,” he said.
Mohammadi disclosed his inventions to the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), which applied for patents to protect the intellectual property. OTC licensed the technologies to Novin AgriTech.
CountryMark Cooperative Holding Corp. has announced it intends to return $52 million in cash patronage and equity redemptions to its owners in June of 2026, as approved by the Board of Directors. This distribution will return profits for cooperative member business from 2025 purchases in gasoline, diesel, lubricants, and equipment.
CountryMark’s owners are 14 member cooperatives based in Indiana and Ohio, who serve customers in Indiana and the surrounding states.
“We are pleased to have the ability to return profits to our owners,” said Matt Smorch, President & CEO of CountryMark. “CountryMark serves our owners by supplying the fuels and lubricants they need, while operating our assets in a safe, reliable and compliant manner to enable future success.”
The company saw many challenges in 2025 that limited profitability. CountryMark’s refinery undertook a major scheduled maintenance turnaround in the summer, with many process units idled or at minimum rates for over 40 days. Additionally, CountryMark invested $100M to expand diesel production capabilities and improve diesel fuel quality, which added the ability for CountryMark to co-process soybean oil to produce renewable diesel. In the fall, further downtime was planned for maintenance and improvements.
“The culmination of the investments made for the future and a weaker margin environment in 2025 actually reduced our income to a break-even in 2025,” said Smorch. “However, CountryMark was awarded retroactive Small Refinery Exemptions, as the EPA addressed outstanding petitions for the industry. Recouping some of our compliance cost from 2023 and 2024 was the sole driver of our ability to distribute earnings this year.”
In August of 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it was acting on the backlog of 175 Small Refinery Exemptions (SRE) from 38 small refineries for 2016-2024 compliance years. “In consultation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), EPA reviewed and considered information submitted by each petitioning small refinery. EPA then evaluated each SRE petition consistent with the Clean Air Act and case law,” according to a press release issued by the EPA Press Office.
CountryMark continues to support more clarity on the RFS program for small refiners. Currently H.R. 1346 is being considered by the House, which CountryMark strongly supports. The amendments in H.R. 1346 allow year-round E-15 sales, remove current restrictions and is positive for the farm community. Additionally, this bill removes the uncertainty of the RFS and future compliance cost for many small refining companies like CountryMark.
“CountryMark has a long history of providing biodiesel and ethanol-blended fuels to the market,” said Smorch. “Nearly all gasoline we supply contains ethanol, and biodiesel blends are available at all CountryMark terminals. Even so, we continue to incur substantial annual RFS compliance costs.”
CountryMark is headquartered in Indianapolis, operates an oil refinery in Mt. Vernon, IN, along with crude and refined product pipelines and terminals throughout Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. CountryMark products include PLUS gasoline, Advantage Lubricants, and it’s well known flagship diesel product Premium Dieselex-4 with ISO Technology. For more information, visit countrymark.com.
New brand builds upon century-long legacy, reflects ambition to advance science to feed and fuel the world
INDIANAPOLIS, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Corteva (NYSE: CTVA) announced today that the company that will comprise its current advanced seed and genetics business, previously referred to as “SpinCo,” will be branded Vylor, Inc. Corteva’s planned separation remains on track for the fourth quarter of 2026.
With more than 4,000 germplasm patents and more than 2,000 biotechnology patents, Vylor’s innovation engine will be anchored in the industry’s most elite germplasm and transformative biotechnology, including a world-class pipeline that includes gamechangers like proprietary hybrid wheat, leadership in gene editing, multi-disease resistance corn and next-generation biofuels. The company will leverage its next generation scientific expertise to further strengthen its core business while exploring opportunities to expand to new row crops – and potentially beyond – to help farmers feed and fuel the world.
The new brand reflects this vision. For example, the stylized “l” in the brand represents the negative space formed by a single chromosome, reflecting the role genetics has played and will continue to play in advancing agriculture. The use of green, maroon and blue in its expanded color palette is a nod to its Pioneer, Brevant, Hogemeyer and Corteva heritage. The name itself is derived from the word “valor,” honoring the valor of the generations of employees and farmers whose hard work helped feed the world. It’s also a nod to the mindset of the new company: vying for every opportunity.
“Vylor traces its roots back a century, to a single idea: that innovation could transform agriculture, and with it, the world. This belief – in the power of science to advance agriculture and help farmers feed and fuel a growing population – remains our North Star,” said future Vylor CEO Chuck Magro. “From food security to energy security, powered by groundbreaking technology, elite germplasm and an advanced product portfolio, Vylor will be uniquely positioned to help solve some of the world’s toughest challenges. The new brand reflects both this ambition and the determination to achieve it.”
Vylor will launch from a position of strength, with the largest seed production network in the world, world-record yields in corn and soybeans and industry leading route-to-market. The globally recognized brands that will comprise Vylor have earned a #1 and #2 market share position for key crops in almost every region they serve.
Watch this video to learn more about Vylor.
Last week Governor Mike Braun today announced IN AI, a new statewide initiative focused on helping businesses grow, create jobs, and increase wages through the practical application of human-centered artificial intelligence. The initiative will be executed by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and will work directly with employers across the state to accelerate AI adoption in ways that strengthen businesses and expand opportunity for Hoosiers.
Joining us this week is Ting Gootee, CICP’s EVP of Digital Adoption and Managing Director of Crossroads Health Ventures. She talks agbioscience, AI adoption and finding the one thing businesses need to solve for – not the dire need to launch a full-blown digital strategy right out of the gate.
Highlights include:
(Washington, D.C., April 30, 2026) — Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services mission area announced its intention to introduce the Food and Nutrition Administration. This shift will include a reorganization and relocation, all to move program leadership and staff from Washington, D.C. to hub and program compliance locations across the U.S. This shift in customer service will not disrupt program execution nor any endeavor to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse across USDA’s 16 nutrition assistance programs.
“On my first day leading the People’s Department, I shared several commitments to our state, tribal, territory, and local government partners, including prioritizing customer service and infusing each nutrition program with new energy and vision,” said Secretary Brooke L. Rollins. “This reorganization is designed with those commitments in mind. I look forward to working with our partners as we continue to nourish children and families in need through nutrition programs that not only are provided by America’s farm families, but programs that pave a pathway to better health and economic stability.”
“This reorganization is long overdue,” said Deputy Secretary Stephen A. Vaden. “The Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services mission area has not had a Senate-confirmed Under Secretary in nearly two decades, and the shift to the Food and Nutrition Administration will better align with other benefit programs administered across the federal government. This reorganization also reduces duplicative management and complexity within the agency, better prioritizes State service and participant needs, and expands the Department’s presence to fight fraud, waste, and abuse.”
“As part of this reorganization, we are changing our structure from regional offices to Hubs that will offer improved program support across the nation,” said Deputy Under Secretary Patrick Penn. “This new structure will enhance our customer service to the millions of families reliant on these programs and allow for greater employee and partner collaboration.”
As part of this effort, the FNA Administrator will remain in Washington, D.C., along with a small footprint to be responsive to Congress, interagency needs, regulatory work, and policy coordination.
Programmatically, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will be relocated to Indianapolis, IN; the Child Nutrition Programs will be relocated to Dallas, TX; the Supplemental Nutrition and Safety Programs will be relocated to Kansas City, MO; and research programs will be relocated to Raleigh, NC. The fifth Hub in Denver, CO, will serve as the Emergency Management and Continuity of Operations location. Lastly, retailer operations and compliance will be across four offices: Atlanta, GA; Los Angeles, CA; Dallas, TX; and New York, NY.
These actions will realign the Department’s focus to the States who administer USDA nutrition programs, the households who benefit from them, and the taxpayers who fund them.
Action Prepares Veterinarians and Livestock Producers with Prevention and Treatment Options Prior to Fly Being Detected in the U.S.
Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) announced it has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Negasunt Powder (coumaphos, propoxur, sulfanilamide topical powder) and a Section 18 Emergency Exemption from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Tanidil (coumaphos, propoxur) for the prevention and treatment of New World screwworm infestations in a variety of livestock species.
With confirmed cases of New World screwworm detected as close as 62 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico borderi, these authorizations ensure veterinarians and livestock producers have a ready-now treatment option for various livestock species should the fly enter the U.S.
Negasunt Powder and Tanidil will be available only through the U.S. Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) and its National Veterinary Stockpile. They will be distributed in coordination with state animal health officials and federally recognized tribal agencies. In the near future, APHIS will share additional information about the requirements for use, including tracking and reporting requirements and required safety and personal protective equipment.
With more than 70 years of on-farm experience, Elanco is standing alongside livestock producers and regulators during this challenging time by providing New World screwworm options for prevention and treatment of New World screwworm infestations, education and science-based resources if the fly enters the U.S.
“We appreciate our federal agencies’ swift review of the scientific data demonstrating that these products may be effective in prevention and treatment against New World screwworm infestations,” said Dr. Ellen de Brabander, Executive Vice President of Research & Development at Elanco. “We’re committed to working alongside state and federal regulatory authorities to provide our support and scientific expertise. These emergency authorizations provide new, science-based solutions and treatment options to livestock producers, veterinarians, and other animal health industry stakeholders at a time when they need them most.”
Effective Parasite Protection is Paramount
Elanco now offers producers and veterinarians several key products that can help prevent and treat New World screwworm infestations in a variety of livestock species. In addition to the EUA for Negasunt Powder and the Section 18 Emergency Exemption for Tanidil, the company also offers Catron IV – one of the few EPA registered products labeled for treatment against screwworm in a variety of livestock species. This screwworm and ear tick spray can help producers kill and control screwworm flies and maggots on beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, hogs and horses.
“The most important thing producers can do is self-education. They should be learning more about New World screwworm from credible sources, staying current with treatment protocol recommendations, and knowing where active cases are located,” said Dr. M. Wayne Ayers, Elanco Sr. Technical Consultant and veterinarian. “The second most important part of preventing losses from New World screwworm is for producers to keep their ‘eyes on livestock.’ Looking over livestock as frequently as possible will allow early detection and treatment of infestation. Early intervention is key to minimizing tissue damage, decreasing mortality, and reducing the risk to the area by preventing the fly’s potential offspring from completing their lifecycle.”
Preventing Wound-Causing Parasites Also Essential
According to APHIS, an important way to prevent New World screwworm infestation is to protect livestock from other wound-causing parasites such as biting flies and ticks.ii
“Some of the surgical and care procedures we perform for livestock could result in potential sites for the female screwworm to deposit her eggs,” said Dr. Ayers. “Wounds as small as fly and tick bites are potential areas to watch for as well. Therefore, treating open wounds, including those from surgical sites, and instituting a good fly and tick prevention program will play an important role in reducing the number of infestations we may see.”
Elanco offers several EPA registered products to help control flies and ticks on livestock in the forms of pour-on liquids, sprays, dusts and ear tags.
Elanco recommends that livestock producers and veterinarians review the latest resources available from the USDA and FDA and consider the additional resources below in advance of the potential entry of New World screwworm into the United States.
To learn more about New World screwworm (NWS) using the following resources:
The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, is accepting online applications from entrepreneurs for the 2027 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge through June 5. Now in its 13th year, this national business competition showcases U.S. startup companies developing innovative solutions to challenges faced by America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities.
The overall winner of the competition will receive $100,000 in startup funds, the runner-up will be awarded $25,000 and two additional business owners who advance to the final four round will receive $10,000.
“Encouraging innovation is essential to keeping American agriculture strong,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “If you’re building a business that can help farmers and rural communities thrive, don’t wait, apply today.”
Farm Bureau is offering a total of $145,000 in startup funds throughout the course of the competition. After the application period closes on June 5, 10 semi-finalist teams will be selected and announced on Sept. 2. Next, the 10 semi-finalist teams will pitch virtually to compete for a spot in the final four round of the contest.
The final four teams will be awarded $10,000 each and participate in a live pitch competition in front of Farm Bureau members, investors and industry representatives at the AFBF Convention in January 2027 in Charlotte, North Carolina, to win:
Farm Bureau is proud to recognize these innovative businesses, in partnership with sponsors Farm Credit, Bayer, John Deere, Farm Bureau Bank, Farm Bureau Financial Services, ClearPath and T-Mobile.
Recent winners of the Ag Innovation Challenge include FarmMind (2026), a company that unifies farm workflows from GIS to compliance and agronomic insights, and Gripp (2025), a company that provides an operator‑focused tool for asset tracking and team communication. Other examples of successful Ag Innovation Challenge participants, as well as detailed eligibility guidelines and the competition timeline, can be found at fb.org/challenge.
Entrepreneurs must be members of a county or parish Farm Bureau within their state of residence to qualify as top 10 semi-finalists. Applicants who are not Farm Bureau members can visit https://www.fb.org/about/get-involved to learn about becoming a member.
Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on June 5.
