U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), refocusing its core operations to better align with its founding mission of supporting American farming, ranching, and forestry.
Over the last four years, USDA’s workforce grew by 8%, and employees’ salaries increased by 14.5% – including hiring thousands of employees with no sustainable way to pay them. This all occurred without any tangible increase in service to USDA’s core constituencies across the agricultural sector. USDA’s footprint in the National Capital Region (NCR) is underutilized and redundant, plagued by rampant overspending and decades of mismanagement and costly deferred maintenance. President Trump has made it clear government needs to be scrutinized, and after this thorough review of USDA, the results show a bloated, expensive, and unsustainable organization.
To be clear, all critical functions of the Department will continue uninterrupted. For example, we are at the height of fire season, and to date, have not only exceeded hiring goals, but have preserved the ability to continue to hire. Earlier this year, Secretary Rollins issued a Secretarial Memorandum exempting National Security and Public Safety positions from the federal hiring freeze. These 52 position classifications carry out functions that are critical to the safety and security of the American people, our national forests, and the inspection and safety of the Nation’s agriculture and food supply system. These positions will not be eliminated. However, employees may be subject to relocation.
“American agriculture feeds, clothes, and fuels this nation and the world, and it is long past time the Department better serve the great and patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers we are mandated to support. President Trump was elected to make real change in Washington, and we are doing just that by moving our key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country,” said Secretary Rollins. “We will do so through a transparent and common-sense process that preserves USDA’s critical health and public safety services the American public relies on. We will do right by the great American people who we serve and with respect to the thousands of hardworking USDA employees who so nobly serve their country.”
The reorganization consists of four pillars:
Ensure the size of USDA’s workforce aligns with available financial resources and agricultural priorities
Bring USDA closer to its customers
Eliminate management layers and bureaucracy
Consolidate redundant support functions
To bring USDA closer to the people it serves while also providing a more affordable cost of living for USDA employees, USDA has developed a phased plan to relocate much of its Agency headquarters and NCR staff out of the Washington, D.C. area to five hub locations. The Department currently has approximately 4,600 employees within the National Capital Region (NCR). This Region has one of the highest costs of living in the country, with a federal salary locality rate of 33.94%. In selecting its hub locations, USDA considered where existing concentrations of USDA employees are located and factored in the cost of living. Washington, D.C. will still hold functions for every mission area of USDA at the conclusion of this reorganization, but USDA expects no more than 2,000 employees will remain in the NCR.
USDA will vacate and return to the General Services Administration the South Building, Braddock Place, and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, and revisit utilization and functions in the USDA Whitten Building, Yates Building, and the National Agricultural Library. The George Washington Carver Center will also be utilized until space optimization activities are completed. These buildings have a backlog of costly deferred maintenance and currently are occupied below the minimum set by law. For example, the South Building has approximately $1.3 billion in deferred maintenance and has an average daily occupancy of less than 1,900 individuals for a building that can house over 6,000 employees.
USDA’s five hub locations and current Federal locality rates are:
This is only the first phase of a multi-month process. Over the next month and where applicable, USDA senior leadership will notify offices with more information on relocation to one of the regional hubs.
To make certain USDA can afford its workforce, this reorganization is another step of the Department’s process of reducing its workforce. Much of this reduction was through voluntary retirements and the Deferred Retirement Program (DRP), a completely voluntary tool. As of today, 15,364 individuals voluntarily elected deferred resignation.
CountryMark, a farmer-owned cooperative that operates in oil production, refining and marketing, marked a major milestone today with the completion of more than $100M in refinery upgrades that will improve its diesel fuel quality and increase its diesel fuel production capabilities. CountryMark’s refinery investments utilize ISO dewaxing and co-processing technology.
“ISO dewaxing is the process of rearranging molecules so more of the heavier molecules can be used for diesel production,” said CountryMark President and CEO Matt Smorch. “Using these heavier molecules gives the fuel exceptional power and high cetane without sacrificing winter performance capabilities of the fuel.”
Co-processed renewable diesel is fuel produced by combining renewable feedstocks, like soybean oil, with conventional diesel.
“This approach, which we have taken, will allow CountryMark to produce renewable fuel, reduce the carbon intensity of our fuel and do so in the most cost-effective manner possible by utilizing existing refining assets and expertise,” said Smorch.
CountryMark’s diesel expansion project included a new reactor, catalysts, and soybean oil offloading rack and storage. As a result of these investments, CountryMark will have the potential to use up to 20 million gallons of refined, bleached and deodorized soybean oil per year.
“It is important to understand that renewable diesel differs from biodiesel in several ways,” said Smorch. “Renewable diesel meets ASTM D975 diesel specifications, is stable in long-term storage, and has a low cloud point, while biodiesel does not have those characteristics.”
CountryMark broke ground last fall on its diesel expansion project, following several years of engineering development. Milestones included delivery of a new reactor in February, successful turnaround and startup in June, and initial technology validation in July. Expansion of the crude unit will take place in August to increase diesel fuel production, and co-processing will begin in September to validate co-processing technology.
Recognized through a ribbon cutting ceremony held at its Mt. Vernon, Indiana-based refinery, company leadership, government officials and community stakeholders were in attendance to recognize the successful completion of one of the largest undertakings in company history. Following the ceremony, CountryMark hosted attendees on a refinery tour to see the investments made.
CountryMark expressed gratitude to its board, employees, safety teams, member cooperatives, Mt. Vernon community and agricultural allies including Indiana Farm Bureau and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture for their involvement and support of the company’s diesel expansion project
CountryMark’s investment in renewable diesel production brings to the Midwest high-quality, reliable, affordable and cleaner-burning fuel. While renewable diesel fuel blends have been available on America’s West Coast since 2010, CountryMark is Indiana’s first commercially available renewable diesel fuel production facility.
AgriNovus Indiana, a nonprofit coalition focused on growing Indiana’s agbioscience economy, announced today changes to its board of directors.
The board unanimously approved the addition of Craig Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Ag Alumni Seed, Dr. Robert Pepper, president of Huntington University and Eric Young, chief financial officer at BiomEdit, to replace outgoing directors.
“To execute a bold vision, you must have great leaders in place,” said Karen Plaut, executive vice president for research at Purdue University and chair of the AgriNovus Indiana Board of Directors. “The additions of Craig, Robert and Eric bring a varied background of skills, perspectives and experiences to our Board that will be critical to our shared vision of growing this agbioscience economy.”
Andersonis the president and chief executive officer of The Ag Alumni Seed Improvement Association of Romney, or Ag Alumni Seed, a non-profit focused on the research, development and marketing of popcorn seed for domestic and international markets. He most recently served as chief operating officer of Dryland Genetics and has also held several key leadership roles, including chief operating officer, for AgReliant Genetics.
Pepper is the fourteenth president of Huntington University, a non-profit university operating three locations including its home campus in Huntington, Ind. and two others in Fort Wayne, Ind. and Peoria, Ariz. Prior, he was the executive director and assistant to the president for innovation and university partnerships at Messiah University, an institution where he served in roles of increasing responsibility since 1993.
Young serves as chief financial officer at BiomEdit, Inc., an animal health microbial biotechnology company leveraging the power of the microbiome and synthetic biology to develop next-generation solutions for livestock and pet health. He previously led business development strategic growth ventures at Elanco Animal Health and spent 20 years at Eli Lilly and Company across a variety of leadership positions in corporate finance and business development. Eric has served on the Investment Committee Board for the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute.
The AgriNovus Indiana Board of Directors is comprised of leaders from industry, academia and government. Learn more about our members here.
These changes come as the organization continues a national search for its next President and CEO, a process that is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2025. Updates to the search can be found here.
The words talent and shortage come packaged together in nearly every sentence across almost every industry these days. It’s a widespread challenge that raises a bigger question for agbioscience companies. Do our hurdles look like the same as other industries? If not, what do we do next? This week, we are joined by Vivayic’s Agriculture Practice Lead, Blaze Currie. We get into:
His high-level take on the current market overview for talent relative to the workforce needs of other industries
The headwinds facing the agbioscience industry that are uniquely their own when it comes to talent and leadership
A history lesson on how agbioscience got here – and the generational waves that have created the talent disparity we are facing today
How companies will need to adapt in the future to fill their talent needs
Executive and senior leadership positions aging out of the workforce, how those positions will need to be developed and what organizations need to do today to prepare for tomorrow
How Blaze sees the next 10-15 years of talent evolution shaking out in agbioscience – and it looks a lot different than is has in the past
What’s ahead for Vivayic
Poultry industry’s first engineered probiotic biologic moves into final development and regulatory stages for USDA conditional licensure and commercial scale-up
BiomEdit, a pioneering animal health biotechnology company, today announced a significant milestone in the development of BE-101, its lead candidate for the prevention of mortality associated with necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens. The product has entered the final phase of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) conditional licensure process and is advancing toward commercialization, expected in 2026.
BE-101, which will assume the brand name “Optavant™” upon full licensure, is the first-of-its-kind probiotic vectored antibody (pvAb™) product designed to neutralize Clostridium perfringens toxins – the major cause of NE associated productivity losses, disease and mortality, offering poultry producers a powerful, non-antibiotic solution to a disease that causes an estimated $6 billion in annual losses worldwide.
Recent progress includes:
Completion and USDA approval of all required laboratory safety studies.
Approval of pivotal efficacy study to establish a “reasonable expectation of effectiveness” for USDA conditional licensure.
Acceptance of the Summary Information Format (SIF) and Risk Assessment, and start of the Federal Register Notice process, which precedes the field safety study.
Completion of large floor pen NE challenge trials designed to simulate commercial conditions which demonstrated significant mortality reduction, feed conversion benefits and weight gain, showing BE-101’s potential to address mortality and performance simultaneously.
To support upcoming commercialization, BiomEdit has selected Diamond Animal Health as its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). Commercial scale-up activities are in progress.
“These approvals and study results represent a major inflection point for BE-101 and the entire BiomEdit platform,” said Aaron Schacht, CEO of BiomEdit. “We’re pleased to work closely with USDA to bring this novel solution to producers and to secure the right partner in Diamond Animal Health for commercial readiness.”
“We’re proud to support BiomEdit in the advancement of this truly innovative biologic platform,” said Dean Warras, CEO of Diamond Animal Health. “The development of BE-101 represents the future of animal health solutions and will be a game changer for the poultry industry. At Diamond, we bring decades of experience in biologics development and manufacturing, and we’re excited to apply that expertise to help bring Optavant™ to market at scale. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to working with leaders in innovation and to accelerating next-generation products that improve animal health and producer outcomes.”
BiomEdit also announced the successful close of its Series B financing, led by Anterra Capital, with follow-on investment from Nutreco and new participation from AgriZeroNZ, Indiana’s Elevate Ventures, and Betagro Ventures among others. The oversubscribed round (~$18.4M) provides sufficient capital to fund BiomEdit through conditional licensure and into the commercial launch of BE-101.
In support of this next phase, BiomEdit has added two seasoned animal health industry executives:
Kristin Bloink, DVM, MPH, has joined as Vice President of Development.
Andrew Carlson has joined as Chief Commercial Officer.
In parallel, BiomEdit continues to build momentum across its broader pipeline. The company has secured over $1.7 million in new non-dilutive grants to support ongoing and new research programs, including:
A USDA grant targeting Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) with a novel biologic approach.
A National Institutes of Health (NIH) award for early research into a human therapeutic application based on BiomEdit technology.
A Global Methane Hub grant to investigate genetic systems in the rumen. This grant complements the previously awarded Gates Foundation grant of $4.5M received in 2023.
BiomEdit’s methane-reduction platform is also advancing, with its first feed additive candidate now in in vivo evaluation for reducing enteric methane emissions while enhancing cattle productivity.
“We’re pleased to invest in BiomEdit to accelerate the development of an effective methane mitigation solution for grazing cattle in New Zealand and around the world,” said Wayne McNee, Chief Executive of AgriZeroNZ. “BiomEdit’s poultry health product proves its unique, world-leading approach works, and our investment will support them to leverage this expertise to help farmers reduce methane emissions without compromising productivity and profitability.”
“This is an exciting chapter for BiomEdit,” said Schacht. “We are bringing a transformational poultry solution to U.S. broiler producers and pushing the frontiers of sustainable livestock production. In just three years since our founding, we are poised to deliver products to market, with new financing and investor support, as well as additional leadership well-suited for the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
The food ingredients market is expected to grow to $97 billion by 2029. That’s an annual growth rate of just over 6.5%. Central to that growth is the voice of the consumer seeking options to improve their health and ingredients that contribute to their overall wellness. One company has been innovating in this space for generations. Ed Fish, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Varietal Solutions at Bay State Milling, joins guest host Jarrod Sutton from Purdue DIAL Ventures to discuss the market’s rapid change — from consumer demands to regulatory pressures and beyond. We get into:
The overall ingredients market and the perspective on how consumer health is creating new opportunities
Who Bay State Milling aims to serve through innovation, the company’s 125-year family-owned legacy and its growing portfolio
Unique differentiation, being nimble and knowing how to connect food to agriculture
Leveraging their Rothwell Grain Essential Center to work with customers on refining and troubleshooting products – and how their customers participate in the process
New products being rolled out by Bay State Milling in the food is health space, including HealthSense™ (a high-fiber wheat flour) and SowNaked Oats™ (a higher-protein oat)
How the relationships work for Bay State Milling across the value chain – farmers to food companies
How Ed believes the winners of tomorrow are innovating today
What’s ahead for Bay State Milling
GeniPhys, a medtech innovator specializing in next-generation regenerative collagen polymeric biomaterials, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its flagship product, Collymer Self-Assembling Scaffold (SAS).
This regulatory milestone paves the way for commercial launch and introduces a novel solution in the wound care market.
“This is a momentous event for GeniPhys and I’m incredibly proud of our team effort in reaching this goal,” said Andy Eibling, president and CEO of GeniPhys. “Achieving this objective supports our current fundraising efforts that will enable commercialization of Collymer SAS.”
Collymer SAS is a two-part, flowable wound management device composed of a highly purified collagen solution and a self-assembly reagent. When combined, the solutions initiate in situ collagen self-assembly, forming a scaffold that supports cellular infiltration and vascularization.
“It’s deeply rewarding to see this technology move closer to clinical use, where it has the potential to address critical unmet needs for millions of patients,” said Sherry Harbin, founder and chief technology officer of GeniPhys. “Our collagen polymer platform was developed to overcome limitations associated with conventional implantable materials, and its ability to adapt to complex wound geometries marks a meaningful advancement for both patients and clinicians.”
Collymer SAS is indicated for the management of a wide variety of wound types, including partial- and full-thickness wounds, skin ulcers (pressure, venous, diabetic and chronic vascular), tunneled or undermined wounds, surgical wounds (donor sites, grafts, post-Mohs, post-laser, podiatric and wound dehiscence), trauma wounds (abrasions, lacerations, second-degree burns and skin tears), and draining wounds. The Collymer platform anchors a growing intellectual property portfolio with nearly 20 issued or pending patents.
Harbin, a professor of biomedical engineering and courtesy professor of basic medical sciences at Purdue University, led the development of the Collymer platform in collaboration with her research team. The technology is exclusively licensed to GeniPhys through the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization and is backed by more than a decade of peer-reviewed research that documents the self-assembling behavior and distinctive “regenerative remodeling” of the collagen material in various preclinical models.
GeniPhys is raising capital to support commercialization, including final manufacturing qualification, process validation and scale-up through in-house and contract manufacturing. The company is also pursuing strategic partnerships to accelerate product launch and adoption in the advanced wound care market.
We are excited to announce The Pantheon has been awarded a $15,550 community grant from the Community Collaboration Fund (CCF) powered by Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC).
In an effort to fuel business growth in Knox County, The Pantheon is introducing an 8-week workshop series called Blueprint to Business. The workshops are built for business owners who are tired of the chaos, struggle to stay ahead of the competition, and are ready to fine-tune key parts of their operation to scale smarter.
“We found that a lot of entrepreneurs in our community are struggling with the feeling that they don’t own their business, their business owns them,” said Nichole Like, CEO of The Pantheon. “This program isn’t about starting over. It’s about getting back in the driver’s seat. We want to help make sure that your business works for you.”
Blueprint to Business is one of 28 community-led projects that is being powered by IEDC and will feature workshops on brand identity, financial literacy, profitable pricing, and more. Each workshop is free and open to the public and participants are welcome to attend all eight or choose which will benefit their businesses the most.
“These community projects will ensure that current and future entrepreneurs across the state have access to the programming, resources and support needed to start and scale a business right here in Indiana,” said Secretary of Commerce David Adams.
GeniPhys, a medtech innovator specializing in next-generation regenerative collagen polymeric biomaterials, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its flagship product, Collymer Self-Assembling Scaffold (SAS).
This regulatory milestone paves the way for commercial launch and introduces a novel solution in the wound care market.
“This is a momentous event for GeniPhys and I’m incredibly proud of our team effort in reaching this goal,” said Andy Eibling, president and CEO of GeniPhys. “Achieving this objective supports our current fundraising efforts that will enable commercialization of Collymer SAS.”
Collymer SAS is a two-part, flowable wound management device composed of a highly purified collagen solution and a self-assembly reagent. When combined, the solutions initiate in situ collagen self-assembly, forming a scaffold that supports cellular infiltration and vascularization.
“It’s deeply rewarding to see this technology move closer to clinical use, where it has the potential to address critical unmet needs for millions of patients,” said Sherry Harbin, founder and chief technology officer of GeniPhys. “Our collagen polymer platform was developed to overcome limitations associated with conventional implantable materials, and its ability to adapt to complex wound geometries marks a meaningful advancement for both patients and clinicians.”
Collymer SAS is indicated for the management of a wide variety of wound types, including partial- and full-thickness wounds, skin ulcers (pressure, venous, diabetic and chronic vascular), tunneled or undermined wounds, surgical wounds (donor sites, grafts, post-Mohs, post-laser, podiatric and wound dehiscence), trauma wounds (abrasions, lacerations, second-degree burns and skin tears), and draining wounds. The Collymer platform anchors a growing intellectual property portfolio with nearly 20 issued or pending patents.
Harbin, a professor of biomedical engineering and courtesy professor of basic medical sciences at Purdue University, led the development of the Collymer platform in collaboration with her research team. The technology is exclusively licensed to GeniPhys through the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization and is backed by more than a decade of peer-reviewed research that documents the self-assembling behavior and distinctive “regenerative remodeling” of the collagen material in various preclinical models.
GeniPhys is raising capital to support commercialization, including final manufacturing qualification, process validation and scale-up through in-house and contract manufacturing. The company is also pursuing strategic partnerships to accelerate product launch and adoption in the advanced wound care market.
