Funding announced for new livestock carbon marketplace
Rumen boluses with new capabilities are making headlines
New carbon credit marketplace startup receives investment funds from established player
Startup carbon credit marketplace Athian recently announced an investment from Newtrient, an environment and technical resource company that is supported by leading dairy co-ops, processors and associations. Among other services, Newtrient currently evaluates manure handling technologies to assist farmers in making informed decisions on how to manage their manure.
“Along with other leaders in the livestock value chain, Newtrient is excited to have a seat at the table to help Athian build a carbon marketplace that best represents dairy farmers who are looking to quantify their carbon reduction potential and to monetize those reductions,” said Chris Kopman, general manager at Newtrient.
Athian’s says its key mission will be to help ensure the cattle industry captures and claims carbon credits earned through sustainability efforts where possible, primarily by validating and certifying GHG reductions and carbon capture. The company plans to aggregate data for producers of all sizes and then work to create a carbon credit marketplace to monetize and capture value from sustainability efforts.
“We are pleased to partner with Newtrient to provide practical environmental solutions that give farmers new revenue streams and help companies deliver on sustainability commitments throughout their value chain,” stated Athian CEO and co founder Paul Myer. “We believe that no single company can solve this problem. This partnership is an example of how the industry must work together to move the needle on climate change.”
Athian’s platform is an industry-based analytics tool that enables the livestock industry to make good on its sustainability commitments by providing carbon credits. Its carbon credit marketplace provides quality greenhouse gas credits that fund livestock producers’ sustainability measures.
The startup is a based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is currently raising a seed funding round led by Elanco Animal Health.
WDMC registration deadline is Monday
The premier large-herd conference for dairies in the West is coming up at the end of the month, and the early registration deadline is Monday. The Western Dairy Management Conference will be held Feb. 28-March 2 in Reno, Nevada.
The pre-conference seminars on Feb. 28 always feature some interesting cow tech presentations. Check out what’s scheduled:
Large Herd Monitoring Success
Comparing the Accuracy of On-Farm PCR to Microbiological Culture for Detecting Mycoplasma
Carbon Bank Sustainable Financing
Methane Emissions and Dairy Nutrition
Collaborative Computer Vision in Dairy
The Future of Herd Management
Leaping the Hurdles in Dairy Production
The Genetic Fingerprint of Efficient Feed Conversion
See the full conference agenda here.
Company announces rumen bolus to measure methane
A Korean startup claims it has successfully developed a bolus that is capable of measuring enteric methane and carbon dioxide levels generated during rumination in the rumen of a cow. The device can collect data for up to two years in the rumen. The company aims to export more than 1 million of the boluses in 2023.
Read more here.
Chinese clone their own Holstein cows
Chinese authorities recently announced they had cloned three high-producing dairy cows. China still imports large numbers of dairy cattle for its growing dairy industry. Cloning dairy cows might give them another option besides purchasing them on the open market. To date, China has shown less reluctance when it comes to ethical issues surrounding technology use.
Will the country and its consumers be OK with drinking milk from cloned cattle?
Read more here.
Rumen bolus now reports a cow’s water intake
In addition to temperature and rumination, rumen bolus provider smaXtec reports its product can now measure the amount of water consumed by an individual cow. The company claims having such data can ensure consistent milk yield, optimized care around time of calving and help detect diseases even earlier.
Read more here.
Animal health company announces results of consumer survey about traceability
Two thirds of consumers say transparency in where their animal protein comes from is extremely or very important, according to a recent survey by Merck Animal Health.
“The survey results indicate consumers want more information than ever in order to make informed decisions about the food they put on their dinner tables,” said Allison Flinn, DVM, executive director of value chain and consumer affairs, Merck Animal Health.
More than 50 percent of surveyed consumers were willing to pay a 5 percent premium for a transparency label about where the livestock they consume come from. Those concerned about transparency who were willing to pay more were typically millennial, non-caucasian educated males with children who live in urban areas. The survey revealed these consumers also do the family’s grocery shopping for animal protein.
Read more here.
Cattle Eye announces global distribution partnership with GEA
Machine vision and AI company Cattle Eye recently announced a distribution partnership with GEA. GEA customers can now purchase the company’s camera system and software to detect lameness through their GEA country sales organizations.
Read more here.