WASHINGTON—MAY 19, 2026—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced a $7.5 million investment to expand Americans’ access to high-quality protein, strengthen nutrition security, and reduce food waste nationwide. Through a new agreement with HATCH for Hunger, HHS will support a national initiative to redirect surplus protein to families in need, improve health outcomes, and help reduce the burden of chronic disease. This effort aligns with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), which emphasize the importance of protein-rich foods like meats, eggs, and dairy as part of a healthy diet.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also announced its intent to fund a competitive grant program to strengthen cold chain infrastructure for emergency food assistance operations, including faith-based partners who serve communities in need. USDA will provide up to $7.5 million to help eligible nonprofit organizations safely distribute nutrient-dense proteins such as meat, eggs, seafood, and dairy to Americans in need. Additional information will be forthcoming from the Department.
“Access to real, nutritious food is one of the foundations of good health,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “This investment will expand access to high-quality protein, reduce food waste, and help food banks deliver the nutrition families need to prevent chronic disease and live healthier lives. Under President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, we are putting nutrition back at the center of public health.”
“The 2025 DGAs encourage Americans to Eat Real Food—including nourishing foods harvested and raised by America’s farmers and ranchers,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “With this investment, USDA is strengthening the infrastructure that ensures our fresh, high-quality food reaches Americans in need. By expanding cold storage and distribution capacity, we are supporting our producers, reducing food waste, and delivering nutritious food consistent with the Make America Healthy Again agenda.”
“Charitable food networks face an estimated 800-million-pound protein gap every year, driven largely by infrastructure and logistics challenges,” said Jeff Simmons, CEO of Elanco Animal Health and Board Chairman of HATCH for Hunger. “I’m incredibly grateful to HHS and USDA for their efforts to improve accessibility, as well as America’s farmers and the U.S. protein industry for rallying behind this cause.”
Through this joint effort, HHS and USDA are aligning agriculture, nutrition, and public health policy to expand access to fresh, high-quality protein for American families, help prevent chronic disease, and Make America Healthy Again.
Phased launch of new anti-IL-31 monoclonal antibody is now underway, with product being used by select Early Experience Program veterinarians in clinics today
Befrena is effective for the treatment of dogs against allergic dermatitis and canine atopic dermatitis with no age or weight restrictions, and lasts 6 to 8 weeks, compared to the 4 to 8 weeks of the current market incumbent, lokivetmab
Starts controlling itch within 24 hours and is given as an in-clinic injection
Select Early Experience Program veterinarians are already using Befrena in clinical practice and seeing positive outcomes
Meet Beaux, Penelope and Zephyr, the first early experience patients to receive Befrena and follow their journeys to itch relief
Befrena is Elanco’s second monoclonal antibody to launch in the U.S. pet health market, joining Trutect™, the first and only approved therapeutic solution to treat canine parvovirus and has been shown to be effective for passive immunity
INDIANAPOLIS, May 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (NYSE: ELAN) today announced the phased launch of Befrena™ (tirnovetmab), a new anti-IL-31 monoclonal antibody (mAb) injection for treatment of canine allergic and atopic dermatitis. The launch comes at a key time, with a longer and more intense allergy season anticipated across the country this year.i With nearly 2 in 3 itchy dogs experiencing worse itch during allergy seasonii, Befrena expands Elanco’s dermatology portfolio by offering a new treatment option that starts controlling allergic itch within 24 hours. By neutralizing IL-31, a key cytokine involved in sending itch signals to the brain, Befrena offers a differentiated 6 to 8 weeks dosing interval, providing veterinarians and pet owners with a new level of convenience and efficacy.
Beaux, a 6-year-old Yorkie from Austin, TX before receiving his first Befrena injection on March 31st, 2026
Beaux, a 6-year-old Yorkie from Austin, TX on April 21st, 2026, just 3 weeks after receiving his first Befrena injection
Benefits of Befrena:
Offers at least 6 to 8 weeks of itch relief, in contrast to the 4 to 8 weeks of the current market incumbent, lokivetmab
Starts controlling itch within 24 hours
Given as an in-clinic injection administered by, or under the supervision of, a licensed veterinarian
Elanco received approval of Befrena from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December 2025, making it the company’s second dermatology product, alongside Zenrelia™ (ilunocitinib tablets), to be approved and launched in the past two years.
Elanco is also now the only pet health company with two USDA approved mAb products – Befrena and Trutect. Trutect is the first and only approved therapeutic solution to treat canine parvovirus.
“The commercial launch of Befrena into the $1.3 billion U.S. canine dermatology marketiii is another exciting milestone in our innovation journey,” said Bobby Modi, Executive Vice President, U.S. Pet Health and Global Digital Transformation. “We are seeing positive results from our Early Experience Program veterinarians who have started using Befrena in their clinics and will continue to increase supply of this new monoclonal antibody, as we scale our bioreactors with the anticipated manufacturing ramp-up.”
Make Best Friends Better – Meet the First Dogs Treated with Befrena
Nearly 9 in 10 dogs in the U.S. are “itchy dogs” according to their pet owners, having experienced symptoms of itch at any point throughout the yearii. Data in Elanco’s America’s Itchy Dogs Report also found that veterinarians say that itchy dog owners wait too long before bringing in their dog, resulting in raw and infected skin and an irritated dog owner who wants their dog to experience relief quickly.ii
As a part of the Befrena Early Experience Program, select veterinarians and veterinary dermatologists have already started using Befrena in their clinics and seen initial improvements in itchy dogs.
Beaux from Austin, TX was the first dog treated with Befrena after experiencing significant hair loss due to his constant itch.
According to Dr. Matt Lane at Liberty Animal Hospital at Beaux’s 3-week checkup appointment, “Beaux is doing amazing, and his owner is excited to see his hair growing back. He stopped itching within 24 hours of receiving the injection and his owner and I are extremely pleased with the results.”
Penelope and Zephyr were also treated with Befrena at Gigi’s Animal Shelter in Columbus, OH. Both dogs experience seasonal allergies that impact their behavior and quality of life and after discussing with their veterinarian both owners chose Befrena to control their dogs’ itch.
“We want to get these dogs relief and make sure they have the most comfortable experience as possible, and I think Befrena shows some real promise for that,” said Dr. Meghan Herron, Senior Director of Behavior, Research, and Education at Gigi’s.
Zephyr’s owner is also a licensed veterinary technician at Gigi’s and helped administer Zephyr’s injection. You can follow along their journey below.
“I have been involved with two clinical trials and the Early Experience Program which has shown Befrena to be a highly safe and effective product,” said Dr. Tom Lewis, veterinary dermatologist and founder of Dermatology for Animals, a group of veterinary dermatology clinics committed to caring for pets with allergies. “This will become a very important treatment option for many allergic dogs and I am excited to use Befrena in my clinic.”*
“I’ve used Befrena in a few patients so far and while it’s still relatively early, I’m very optimistic and excited about what’s going to happen with these cases,” said Dr. Jason Pieper, veterinary dermatologist and tenured associate professor of dermatology at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “I’ve had several patients respond very well including one unique case that has failed multiple other treatments for atopic dermatitis. And so far, two weeks after receiving Befrena, this dog’s doing quite well, it’s wonderful.”*
Learn more about Befrena and sign up for future news and webinars at www.befrenaforvets.com.
*Drs. Pieper and Lewis are consultants for Elanco.
New regional identity showcases the state’s ability to invent, make and move breakthroughs across human
health, animal health and plant science, positioning Indiana to compete globally for bioscience investment,
innovation and talent.
INDIANAPOLIS (May 19, 2026) — Today, regional leaders introduced BioHeartland, a new shared identity designed to unify and elevate Indiana’s bioscience ecosystem across human health, animal health and plant science.
Developed through a collaborative effort led by the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and its branded initiatives, BioCrossroads and AgriNovus Indiana, in partnership with the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority, BioHeartland was created to give Indiana a more cohesive and unified way to share the state’s story with investors, companies, researchers and talent around the world. For more than a century, Indiana has steadily helped shape global health through leadership in research, development, manufacturing and logistics – inventing, making and moving bioscience solutions at global scale. Today, the state’s bioscience industry generates more than $125 billion in direct economic impact, ranks first in the nation for pharmaceutical and life sciences exports and continues to attract companies, talent and investment at an accelerating pace.
As Indiana competes globally for the next generation of bioscience jobs, companies and innovation, leaders across industry, academia and economic development are coming together around a unified identity for the region’s bioscience ecosystem.
“Indiana is a powerhouse in human, animal and plant biosciences, but our story has not been told with the clarity, consistency or urgency it deserves,” said Melina Kennedy, CEO of the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership. “What makes this region different is not just that we make bioscience solutions, we are also a hotbed of invention and discovery, with the manufacturing strength, logistics infrastructure and collaborative spirit to move innovations into the world. BioHeartland gives us a shared identity to help investors, companies and talent understand the full value of what Indiana offers.”
“Indiana’s life sciences sector has reached a remarkable level of scale because of decades of collaboration across industry, academia, government, philanthropy and investors,” said Vince Wong, president and CEO of BioCrossroads. “BioHeartland helps connect that story across research,
development, manufacturing, talent and entrepreneurship, and gives us a clearer way to show how Indiana’s life sciences ecosystem is producing real results for people here and around the world.”
“Indiana is home to global leaders in human, animal and plant health – a powerful intersection for innovation and our competitive advantage,” said Christy Wright, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana. “BioHeartland tells our connected story, showing the state’s ability to bring new solutions to market that address critical needs for farmers, consumers and communities across the world.”
Indiana’s bioscience industry generates more than $125 billion in direct economic impact. The state ranks first in the nation for pharmaceutical and life science exports, and Hoosier inventors have patented more than 13,000 inventions since 2010, nearly three times the national average. Governor Mike Braun has also committed $1 billion over the next decade to grow high wage jobs in agriculture and life sciences, further strengthening Indiana’s position in plant, animal and human health.
“Governor Braun’s $1 billion commitment to creating 100,000 new jobs is a statement to the world: Indiana is planting a flag in the ground as the place for human, animal and plant health,” said David Adams. “The assets are already here — from discovery to delivery — across one connected region. With this announcement, Central Indiana has a unified voice and a stronger platform to compete globally for investment, companies and talent. Now it’s time to tell the BioHeartland story to the world.” The BioHeartland launch also builds on the state’s broader regional growth strategy, including Governor Braun’s designation of CIRDA to help lead and coordinate the next phase of bioscience growth across Indiana.
That economic strength is rooted in a rare concentration of expertise. Indiana is one of the few places in the world where human health, animal health and plant science all operate at scale in the same region. Global companies including Eli Lilly and Company, Elanco and Corteva are headquartered or deeply rooted in Indiana, alongside a growing network of startups, research institutions and advanced manufacturing operations.
“Indiana’s bioscience strength is the result of decades of investment, collaboration, and innovation operating in close proximity,” said David A. Ricks, chair and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company. “Lilly has been a proud part of the BioHeartland story for 150 years, and we’re just getting started.” “Creating BioHeartland further advances the efforts to make Indiana a premiere destination for life sciences talent and innovation,” said Jeff Simmons, president and CEO of Elanco. “We believe BioHeartland will accelerate efforts to build an ecosystem where the next generation of life-changing bioscience innovation will be created. We look forward to contributing to and thriving within this exciting new chapter.”
Indiana’s research universities are also central to BioHeartland’s ecosystem, producing and attracting the talent that powers the region’s innovation pipeline while advancing discoveries that reach patients, farmers and communities around the world. The state is home to four R1 research universities, including the largest medical school in the country.
“BioHeartland reflects Indiana’s extraordinary capacity to develop and deliver bioscience solutions at scale,” said IU President Pamela Whitten. “From our nine campuses to initiatives like the IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences, Indiana University is proud to contribute to that leadership ecosystem
through research and innovation that’s improving lives and driving economic opportunity across our state.”
“With our strengths in human, animal and plant health research and innovation, Purdue University is deeply connected to this ecosystem,” said Mung Chiang, president of Purdue University. “BioHeartland gives that work a shared identity and a platform to further accelerate innovation in this space in central Indiana.”
The BioHeartland identity also reflects the growing network of innovation districts and bioscience hubs across Central Indiana, including 16 Tech Innovation District, the LEAP Innovation District, the OneHealth Innovation District, and the Fishers Life Sciences and Innovation District. Together, those districts form a connected constellation designed to help ideas move faster from discovery to commercialization by bringing together research, talent, manufacturing capacity and infrastructure.
“Communities across Indiana have spent years investing in life sciences infrastructure and innovation,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, chair of the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority. “BioHeartland gives the entire region a unified way to tell our story to position ourselves as a life science destination that can compete globally.”
BioHeartland will make its international debut at the BIO International Convention in San Diego, June 22 through 25, where Indiana leaders will introduce the identity to global investors, companies and bioscience partners.
Brand assets, messaging guidance and partner resources are available at INBioHeartland.com
The development and creation of startups and new companies is what allows an innovation ecosystem to thrive. Alloy Partners launched to co-create advantaged startups and venture studios in partnerships corporations and entrepreneurs, melding a future of collaboration between the two. This week, we are joined by One Health Studio Director Ben Lewis to talk market challenges, the studio model and what he sees ahead for the One Health opportunity. Highlights include:
The unique work Ben leads to enable company creation at Alloy Partners
Ben’s personal story that led him to this point – tracing back to his time as an Olympic athlete
Gaps identified in the market that led to the studio’s creation
Alloy’s model and its differentiation from traditional corporate innovation programs
How the process works: spinning a new coming with the Alloy One Health Studio
Biggest challenges facing company creation in the One Health space
Indiana as a breeding ground for quality partnerships and being structured to succeed when it comes to One Health innovation
How Ben sees public-private partnerships evolving and the next steps in that process
Balancing scientific depth with speed and urgency of startup life when working to create new companies
How Ben’s past experience as an entrepreneur has prepared him well for this role
One Health trends that are emerging that have Ben most excited for the next five to ten years
What Alloy Partners is working on right now that has Ben most excited
Governor Mike Braun today celebrated a major economic development win as Corteva selected Indianapolis as the global headquarters for its new market-leading crop protection and nature-inspired technologies company, choosing Indiana over multiple competing states. The decision, tied to Corteva’s planned separation into two public companies later this year, deepens an Indiana presence that traces back to 1989.
“Indiana is a global leader in agbioscience – and today’s announcement is just more proof,” said Gov. Braun. “Corteva’s decision to base its global headquarters here reinforces our national reputation as an innovation corridor, nurturing a world-leading bioscience industry that supports hundreds of thousands of Hoosier jobs and generates billions of dollars for the state’s economy. Indiana continues its winning streak.”
Corteva announced last year it would split into two public companies, with the crop protection business retaining the Corteva name. That company, anchored in Indiana, will continue to be a Fortune 500 company with a world-class team of scientists and capabilities, helping farmers solve some of their toughest challenges.
By headquartering in Indianapolis, Corteva taps the full power of Indiana’s biosciences ecosystem, talent, partners and infrastructure, supporting innovation from discovery to delivery. Indiana’s bioscience sector contributes more than $125 billion to the state’s economy. Corteva has publicly stated its future strategy will be built around operational excellence and differentiated innovation, particularly biologicals. Indiana delivers both and now stands at the leading edge of natural and microbial crop innovation worldwide.
“Indianapolis continues to prove we are a city where innovative companies can grow and lead,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Corteva’s continued investment builds on that momentum and reflects the strength of the City’s partnership with the company, our deep talent base and our growing agriculture and innovation ecosystem. We are proud Corteva calls Indianapolis home and proud of what this announcement represents for our city’s future.”
“Corteva has long, proud roots in the state of Indiana, and the employees and management team are pleased to continue to be able to call Indiana home for their groundbreaking innovation,” said Corteva Chair Greg Page, who will also chair the new Corteva after separation. “The Hoosier state is an established leader in global biosciences innovation and the Corteva headquarters will serve as the company’s core research and development hub, driving its impressive pipeline of synthetic, biological, and natural product innovation, while also anchoring Corteva Catalyst, its investment and collaboration platform.”
Corteva’s decision builds on Gov. Braun’s recently announced $1 billion, 10-year life sciences initiative focused on creating 100,000 new jobs within plant, animal and human health.
Community Support:
U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) “I am grateful for Corteva’s continued investment in Indiana and its skilled Hoosier workforce. With today’s exciting announcement, Corteva will remain at the forefront of innovation, drive new research to improve lives, and further demonstrate that our state is a national leader in biosciences.”
Don Lamb, State Director, Indiana Department of Agriculture “Corteva’s decision to reaffirm Indiana as its global headquarters is a tremendous vote of confidence in our state’s workforce, our research ecosystem, and our long-standing leadership in agriculture and agbioscience. We’re proud that Indiana will continue to be the home base for a company shaping the future of food and farming worldwide. ISDA looks forward to supporting Corteva as it grows, innovates, and continues investing in the communities that make this partnership possible.”
Andrea Richter-Garry, Interim CEO & President, Indy Economic Development “When a best-in-class global company continues to choose Indianapolis, it says something powerful about who we are and where we are headed. This announcement reflects the strength of a long-standing partnership, the momentum of our growing agriculture and innovation ecosystem, and the confidence global companies continue to place in Indy. Corteva’s decision also reaffirms the strength of our life sciences workforce and the top-tier quality of life Indy provides to retain global talent.”
Christy Wright, President & CEO, AgriNovus Indiana “Corteva chose Indiana—again. A world leader in crop protection and biologicals is doubling down on this state and its ecosystem to build the natural-products frontier that will define the industry’s next chapter.”
Matt Mindrum, President & CEO, Indy Chamber “Corteva’s decision to keep and grow its headquarters in Indianapolis is a powerful affirmation of Indy’s position as a global leader in bioscience innovation. This investment reflects the strength of our talent, the depth of our business ecosystem, and the collaborative momentum driving our region forward. Global companies choose to grow where innovation can accelerate, and today’s announcement reinforces that the Indy region is built for bold moves and long-term success.”
Food is health is a growing conversation across the agbioscience landscape and research is moving the conceptual to tangible solutions. Dr. Lavanya Reddivari from Purdue University joins this week to talk groundbreaking food science research, advancing discovery through the innovation pipeline and how her family roots are making something old new again.
Highlights include:
A high level overview of her research at Purdue and its impact on food is health
How Lavanya views food is health from a modern, scientific research perspective
Her team’s recent findings of a compound in blueberries that aids people with digestive diseases; the discovery process and how it informed follow up
Nutrition as a support function for chronic illnesses that are critically impacting the U.S. population and her team’s “aha” moment where the gut microbiome was the foundation to overall health
A grant Lavanya’s team received through the Heartland Children’s Nutrition Collaborative and what it has enabled their research to do
How the right partnerships have enabled them to move through different stages of their exploration
Lavanya’s family roots and how this story is personal for her
Applying her team’s findings and putting them into practice
How Lavanya wants to see this research make an impact on the world and the health of its people
What she believes are our biggest opportunities to advance Food is Health, given our strengths in Indiana
What’s ahead with her laboratory team that has her most excited
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:
StopLac is designed to reduce milk production in dairy cows during the dry-off process at the end of a lactation cycle.
Additionally, AHV’s Quorum Sensing Technology, based on plant-derived extracts disrupts biofilm formation, exposing pathogens to the animal’s natural immune system. Helping the animal’s own immune system better fight disease reduces the need for antibiotics.
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.
Technical validation of core platform. “Successful delivery will demonstrate our genotype-independent, tissue culture-free transformation platform can be applied to a commercially critical trait: NUE and farm-ready cultivars,” Mohammadi said. “This major proof point will show the platform is fast, trait-relevant and scalable across elite wheat varieties.”
Platform expansion to other traits and crops. “Once validated for NUE, the same workflow can be rapidly extended to other complex traits like abiotic stress and disease resistance, and other crops like barley, oat and sorghum,” he said.
Acceleration toward commercialization. “By identifying the promising early-generation plants within eight months, the project significantly de-risks downstream development and shortens timelines to field trials and regulatory positioning, especially in gene-editing-friendly markets like the United States,” he said.
Strengthened partnering and investment positions. “Demonstrating NUE improvements in wheat, the most widely cultivated food crop in the world, provides compelling validation for strategic partnerships with ag biotech companies and nondilutive funding including additional grants from the federal government and venture investors,” Mohammadi said. “The project also directly supports discussions with other companies by providing data-backed credibility.
“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.
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.
