What’s Inside:
Deep Dive - Agscent Raises A$5M at A$26.9M Valuation to Expand Livestock Breath Sensing Beyond Methane
Cargill Ventures Returns to Active Dealmaking With Two Unannounced Bets After Portfolio Reset
Pilgrim's Pride Q2 Net Income Falls Sharply as Jumbo Cutouts Drop Over 25 Percent
SHIC and FFAR Commit $719,415 Across Six Swine Disease Monitoring Projects
Elanco 2025 Impact Report Puts $892 Million on Recent Innovation and 1.4 Million Cattle in Carbon Programs
Deep Dive - Agscent Raises A$5M at A$26.9M Valuation to Expand Livestock Breath Sensing Beyond Methane
Agscent, a Canberra deeptech founded in 2018 by farmer-economist Bronwyn Darlington, closed A$5 million from Scale Investors, Tundra Capital, and farmer family offices after more than doubling its valuation in 18 months. The company already reports over A$2.8 million in methane-measurement revenue and is running U.S. validation with Dairy Farmers of America and Merck Animal Health on pregnancy and disease reads from breath. Watch whether those programs convert into commercial contracts by 2027; without them the raise funds a feature Zoetis or GEA can absorb.
Cargill Ventures Returns to Active Dealmaking With Two Unannounced Bets After Portfolio Reset
Erin VanLanduit, head of Cargill Ventures, told AgFunderNews the arm made two still-undisclosed investments, one in a global fund and one in next-gen food and feed, after two quieter years. Since 2020 the group has completed about 20 investments across a portfolio of early stage companies, targeting Series A and B names where Cargill can add scale and customers. Disclosed target names in the next two quarters will show whether capital is returning to animal nutrition or still parking in broader foodtech optionality.
Pilgrim's Pride Q2 Net Income Falls Sharply as Jumbo Cutouts Drop Over 25 Percent
Pilgrim's posted $4.6 billion in net sales and a 1.4 percent consolidated GAAP operating margin as U.S. chicken supply outran demand, with adjusted EBITDA at $360 million or 7.8 percent versus 14.4 percent a year earlier. Management cited counter-seasonal jumbo cutout weakness of more than 25 percent year over year even as Just Bare retail sales rose over 30 percent and Ellijay deboning capacity targets small-bird customers. If Tyson and peer bird placements stay heavy through year-end, only processors finishing the branded prepared-foods shift protect 2026 earnings power.
SHIC and FFAR Commit $719,415 Across Six Swine Disease Monitoring Projects
The Swine Health Information Center and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research announced July 28 a $719,415 co-funded slate covering data integration, airborne pathogen controls, ASF recombinant diagnostics, and wastewater surveillance at labs in the U.S. and Canada. Pork Checkoff dollars are matched one-for-one by FFAR, extending the public-private model previously used on larger H5N1 swine risk programs. Packers should treat the next 12 months of project outputs as the real signal, especially new ASF sample-type tools if a foreign animal disease scare forces faster surveillance.
Elanco 2025 Impact Report Puts $892 Million on Recent Innovation and 1.4 Million Cattle in Carbon Programs
Elanco's July 31 report attributed $892 million of 2025 revenue to recent innovation led by Credelio Quattro, Zenrelia, Experior, and AdTab, and said carbon-reduction programs covered more than 1.4 million cattle with over 200,000 metric tons of CO2e. Farm-side callouts include Bovaer, Experior, Rumensin, and emergency screwworm authorizations spanning livestock and companion animals. The August 5 Q2 earnings print is the conversion test: Experior and Bovaer attach must appear in the numbers, or this stays marketing in a still-competitive fight with Zoetis and Merck.