The two companies announced the deal March 2.

Zoetis will pay $160 million, subject to customary closing adjustments. Neogen had previously announced it planned to divest of this side of its business.

Zoetis said in a news release the acquisition “aligns directly with Zoetis’ strategy to drive future livestock innovation through genomics.”

Neogen serves customers in about 120 countries from five laboratories in the United States, Brazil, Australia, China and the United Kingdom. It also has an office in Canada.

The news release said it is a leader in U.S. beef and dairy genomics and uses cutting-edge technology for highly accurate scalable genetic testing.

WHY IT MATTERS: Genomics has transformed breeding, particularly in the dairy sector, by accelerating genetic gains through trait selection.

Neogen intends to use the sale proceeds for debt reduction and said the genomics business generated about $90 million in sales in fiscal 2025.

“This transaction is part of the company’s strategic portfolio review and allows the company to accelerate de-leveraging and improve profitability going forward,” said chief executive officer Mike Nassif.

“Furthermore, this deal allows us to focus in areas where the company has the most significant competitive advantage and further leverage our core capabilities in food and animal safety. We are committed to a smooth transition for customers, employees and other stakeholders, and believe the business is well positioned to thrive under Zoetis’ ownership.”

Zoetis chief commercial officer Jamie Brannan said the acquisition allows the company to expand its Precision Animal Health business and adds “complementary capabilities that expand predictive insights and individualized care.”

The post Zoetis to acquire Neogen Corp. genomics business appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Canadian beef producers will no longer have to send samples to other countries to have genotyping done.

Read: More Agribition coverage.

GIFS and the Canadian Beef Improvement Network announced a new strategic partnership at Canadian Western Agribition. Funding for the state-of-the-art equipment came from Farm Credit Canada’s accelerated breeding program at GIFS, announced last year, and Prairies Economic Development Canada.

WHY IT MATTERS: Genotyping is expected to play a larger role in breeding improvements as the industry advances. Being able to do the work in Canada will eliminate shipment delays and extended turnaround times for testing.

CBIN’s Sandy Russell said the beef industry has been working on this for years, but in the last seven months everything came together. Until now, the tests and storage of the information have been done in the United States and Australia.

“It’s important we work with our partners around the world, but we need our data and our resources here within Canada to be able to help support Canadian beef producers to keep supporting those world class genetics, world class beef that we’re all used to,” she said.

Russell said producers have been genotyping for a long time and it’s a cost they are used to paying. A Canadian system will create efficiencies and value, she said, but not higher prices.

Genotyping isn’t likely to replace visual appraisal.

“This is one more tool to help us do a better job of predicting the production we’re going to make in the future,” she said.

GIFS chief executive officer Steven Webb agreed.

“When you look at the FCC breeding acceleration program at GIFS, it actually links the genotype or the letters and the DNA with what is actually looked at in the field — how does it perform, whether it’s a plant, a cow, a pig. It complements and augments what the phenotypes are and helps us understand what the genotypes are.”

Understanding both visual appearance and genetic makeup can help make prediction models to drive genetic gain.

GIFS’ role is to bring the technical expertise and turn the data into information producers can actually use to make decisions faster.

“Our role is kind of the trusted honest data broker and data security,” he said.

“The data that we generate can add additional value to the industry participants by being able to have it all in one place, to be able to scale it up and leverage it for new traits and technologies for the industry,” Webb said.

Sarah Van Schothorst, CEO of the Canadian Gelbvieh Association, said the partnership represents innovation that supports producers.

“Our support of CBIN reflects the shared belief that genetic progress is strongest when we work together,” she said.

“Through the strategic partnership with GIFS, CGA has access to high throughput genotyping, sovereign data storage and management and innovative advancements in data analytics.”

This will resonate throughout the sector as breeders, commercial producers and others are able to use accurate credible genetic information, she said.

Van Schothorst said having the information in Canada will eliminate risks and delays associated with cross-border shipments, ensure secure storage and management, improve decision making to align seedstock and commercial customer needs and support long-term breed management goals.

Canadian Simmental Association president Randy Noble said producers are excited about the opportunity.

“We’ve heard all the reasons why it makes sense for Canadian seed stock producers to get involved, and the value that brings us in security of data and not having to experience some of the challenges working with companies outside of Canada,” he said.

“It’s all about helping us make the decisions so that we’re confident the seed stock that we’re producing is the right product for the industry.”

There is increasing emphasis on data and how to manage and use it, and Noble said this is another step in a continuous improvement journey.

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“It was a surprise for sure,” said Laing, who lives with her husband, Smith, on the ranch in the foothills near Nanton.

The Environmental Stewardship Award recognizes exceptional commitment to sustainable ranching practices and contributions to the beef industry.

The couple found out they had won during the Summit event at the Calgary Stampede.

The event was attended by federal and provincial agriculture ministers, as well as Alberta Beef Producers members and representatives from Canadian Cattle.

Smith’s grandfather started the ranch in 1958 and was heavily involved in Herefords. He was the Canadian president of the Hereford Association and ran a test centre in Innisfail. He was also involved in the creation of the Waldron Grazing Co-op. Smith’s parents, Dan and Serena took over the ranch in 1971, and Smith and Laing took it over in 2016. Smith’s mother, Serena, attended the award ceremony along with Smith’s brother, Lloyd.

Smith and Laing are members of the Spruce Grazing Co-op and the Waldron Grazing Co-op. They have Savanna Creek and upper Livingston grazing allotments that are side by side, over a range of mountains. Their ranch, which is named for Plateau mountain, is a habitat for many species, including grizzly and black bears, cougars, bobcats, lynxes, foxes, raptors such as eagles, hawks, owls and even wolves.

“We send 160 to 170 cows to the mountains, and then the balance goes to the Waldron. And we have another couple small, rented pastures down here, where late calvers and stuff that needs a little more attention can stay close to home,” said Smith.

Smith and Laing are running 450 black Angus and black Angus cross cattle. There is still a bit of Hereford influence in some of the animals. They’ve completely switched to black Angus bulls and use Herdtrax to collect data on the cattle.

“That’s really helped as far as treating animals, whenever possible,” said Smith.

Animals are weighed at birth. The weights of the cattle are tracked and kept accurate.

“That really helps with medication and stuff,” he said.

“Working with our vet, we’ve got a full protocol book, and it’s attached to our Herdtrax. So it gives you first and second treatment type protocols,” he said.

Modern ranching practices

Smith and Laing have also been working with Désirée Gellatly, a research scientist at the Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production at Olds College.

The couple has been working on using lidocaine bands with Gellatly. Smith and Laing band their steers at birth.

They have also been practicing tactile stimulation (massage) on their calves as part of the research trials. Smith describes it as like imprinting a colt.

“The way most people tag and the way we used to tag, is to pull up in your side by side, or on your horse, and you leap off it and jump on them and put a couple tags in their ears and then get up and go away. As you can imagine, the animal doesn’t look very favourably at you the next time he runs into you,” he said.

Smith and Laing still put tags on the animals, but after they do this, they spend some time mimicking the cow’s action of licking the calf. They massage the calves, mainly on the hindquarters.

“We’ve kind of found that they like the shoulders and neck stroke too,” he said.

“We’re seeing a lot of improvements in herd health from the tactile stimulation, which is showing improved health because there’s less stress and less stress response when that calf sees a human,” said Laing.

The couple no longer brands their cattle.

“We find that we can have better quality control at vaccination and processing time for the cows rather than branding. It was a tough tradition to kick because we really enjoyed the social side of it, but we’re finding that for our operation, it works well. And we did see a gain in the calves of somewhere between 18 and 21 pounds that first year,” said Laing.

The couple are also taking DNA samples of the animals. As part of their DNA work, they’re participating in an Angus/Hereford genomic study on replacement heifers.

“Getting that parentage back has been great for the massage study, because then you can isolate that sire effect. We’re getting that double band out of the parentage, and then just for our own information — like what bulls are breeding, what bulls are working, and what ones aren’t working,” Smith said.

The couple has fenced off all their creek and riparian areas and put in a wet well watering system.

“We’ve done two zero energy off-the-creek watering systems, plus another solar water system that we’ve got now, and we’ve actually got one more ordered,” said Smith.

Laing and Smith are working on seeding the entire ranch back to grass.

They are looking ahead to the future and would love to get more vegetation on the creek sides they have fenced off. They are working with Ducks Unlimited on this project.

“We’ve definitely spent a lot of time on stockmanship in the environment in which the cattle are, and we’re looking at working with Prairie West to plant some more vegetation and willow to help with bank erosion on our waterways,” said Smith.

Environmental advocacy

Laing and Smith have been part of a grassroots group fighting to stop coal mining in the Eastern Slopes since the provincial government rescinded a decades-old coal policy in 2020. People working in their grassroots group include singer Corb Lund, local residents, organizations like the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, civic leaders and concerned people from across the province.

“That’s the biggest thing from an environmental standpoint. And I think one of the reasons people have spoken about the submission, and it’s kind of controversial, is because we’ve obviously been involved with the coal issue for about five years,” said Laing.

Ranchers are environmentalists, and it shouldn’t be a bad word, she said.

“That’s been a five-year full-time deal for us, and not a lot of fun, polarizing. But we have had success, like the government recently purchased back those leases that were going to be open for coal development in our grazing allotment. Even though it was in our grazing allotment, we weren’t fighting for that reason. We were fighting because we understood what that would mean for many people in their headwaters,” she said.

“I would say, from an environmental standpoint, that is the biggest threat and issue that’s faced this ranch in any generation,” said Laing.

“The coal issue was a big one for us. Trying to make environmentalist into a good word, and working with conservation groups was a positive, to try to change that narrative. As ranchers, we’re at the forefront because we live, work and play here and that’s a tough burden,” she said.

The post Plateau Cattle Co. wins Alberta Beef Producers Environmental Stewardship Award appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The field is called epigenetics, and Antler Bio is one of the first companies to create a testing program to prove management-genetic interactions.

See all of our Ag in Motion coverage at the Western Producer.

Andy Lessey, chief operating officer of Antler Bio, was at Ag in Motion 2025 as part of the Cultivator by Conexus display. Cultivator is a Saskatchewan-based technology accelerator that has a partnership with InnovateUK to have some British tech companies as part of its cohorts.

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Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison announced $3.4 million over four years to the IntegrOmes project on Tuesday.

IntegrOmes (short for Integrated Omics for Sustainable Animal Agriculture and Environmental Stewardship) is a large-scale project to advance genomics research on the University of Saskatchewan campus, including expanding capacity at the university’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, the school wrote in a November article.

Early phases of the project included lab renovations. The third phase is construction of a new “Beef Reprotech” facility, which will allow researchers to collect phenotypic (observable trait) data and genetics samples — and to sequence the entire genome of a beef cow.

The announced funding, which comes through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, will support building of the reprotech facility and the Omics Resource Centre at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

Why beef genomics research?

Genetic testing of beef cattle is limited in Canada, said Lynn Weber, the veterinary school’s association dean of research and graduate studies, in the November article.

It also relies on analysis done in the U.S. by labs that keep genetic sequencing and associated trait information proprietary.

“So we can’t re-probe when new diseases pop up, or [if] we detect problems or just want more information,” Weber said.

With the new facilities, researchers plan to establish a national genomic testing resource for beef producers to give them more better insights into herd genetics. The database would also be an open resource for scientists.

This includes sequencing the beef cattle genome and matching genes to the traits they produce.

What does this mean for producers?

The university noted a gap between how the dairy, pork and chicken sectors have used genetic testing and how it’s been used in the beef sector.

“There is a deep lag in the beef industry in terms of utilizing these genetics and genomic tools,” said Scott Wright, director of the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, in the November article.

The cost of the technologies and complexity of analytical tools was prohibitive, he added.

“We are only now getting to the point where we can analyze these very, very large data sets,” Wright said. “The technology has advanced to the point where we’re within reach of a very practical utilization and application.”

This would mean opportunities to make better choices “based on the entire genetic environment surrounding each animal,” the university said.

This could also lead to animals that are more feed-efficient, thereby requiring less forage and producing less greenhouse gas emissions.

The post Government funding boosts beef cattle genetics research at University of Saskatchewan appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Instead, many went to a local Indiana slaughterhouse for less than $200 each after the Chinese buyer canceled the order within a week of China implementing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in April.

China is one of the biggest importers of American breeding pigs and other livestock genetic material such as cattle semen. These lucrative niche export markets had been growing, but dried up since U.S. President Donald Trump started a trade war with Beijing.

U.S. farmers and exporters said the dispute has already cost them millions of dollars and jeopardized prized trade relationships that took years to develop.

Long-term brand damage

Though Washington and Beijing agreed to pause tariffs last week, exporters said Trump’s unpredictable trade policy has caused their companies long-term damage and could encourage China and other major buyers to turn to foreign rivals like Denmark.

“We’ve got brand damage now. There’s not a week that goes by without clients asking what’s happening with the U.S.,” said Tony Clayton, owner of Clayton Agri-Marketing, a Missouri-based livestock exporting company.

“I don’t know how we can put this back together. This is long-term damage,” he said.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the administration was “working around the clock to secure billions of dollars in even more opportunities with our other trading partners.”

Some farmers raise pigs specifically for breeding, a niche business within the $37 billion U.S. hog industry. Farmers pay top dollar for these specialty pigs, which have favorable genetics to produce lots of healthy piglets that can eventually be processed into tasty, high-quality pork.

Lemmon, an Indiana veterinarian and farm owner, has been selling pigs worldwide for over 30 years. He said he spent more than a year working on the $2.4 million sale of the pedigreed pigs to China. He noted they were carefully bred for good health, litter size and high fat content that leads to richly marbled, tender meat when cooked.

“It’s devastating when it happens,” Lemmon said, referencing the sale he lost.

He said he plans to stay in the breeding business, and is working to rekindle the deal with his Chinese buyer during the tariff pause.

Cattle, pig genetic shipments on pause

Roughly half of the world’s pigs live on Chinese farms. The country has purchased large quantities of breeding pigs from the U.S. since an outbreak of African swine fever, a virus with a near-total fatality rate, wiped out millions of the country’s hogs in 2018.

Shipping livestock is lucrative but time-consuming. Shippers must personally fly with the animals or hire an on-board attendant who can make the rounds to keep their pricey passengers well-hydrated and comfortable during a long flight. When not working, the attendants chat with the flight crew or sometimes lie in sleeping bags next to the animals in the chilly cargo bay, exporters and farmers said.

China has also been the biggest importer of semen from U.S. dairy cows, known for producing large amounts of protein-rich milk. But “Not one unit of semen is going to China right now,” Jay Weiker, president of the National Association of Animal Breeders, said, noting China had been importing one-quarter of all U.S. cattle semen, which they use to artificially inseminate their dairy cows.

The Chinese milk industry began importing large amounts of cattle semen to improve the genetics of domestic dairy cows after a deadly scandal over contaminated milk in 2008, Weiker said. At least six children in China died and nearly 300,000 fell ill after a Chinese manufacturer added melamine, a dangerous chemical, to milk powder to make the protein levels appear higher.

Brittany Scott, owner of SMART Reproduction Services, a sheep and goat genetics company, said several foreign customers had also pulled out of deals. This left many vials of semen sitting in her Arkansas facility, frozen in tanks of liquid nitrogen and waiting for buyers. “They are eager to do their jobs,” Scott said of her male goats and sheep. “They understand the assignment and they do really well.”

However, the work of selling their product has proven harder after Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, and China retaliated.

The lost sales have been “a punch in the gut,” Scott said.

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Getting DNA samples is adding another task to an already exhausting to-do list, but some in the industry argue those samples could bring benefit and may become the norm in the sector.

According to Sydney Tuckwiller and Paige Pratt, the benefits of taking DNA samples are almost countless.

“It’s amazing what we can do with this technology, and especially the information that we can gather from an earlier age,” Tuckwiller says.

Both Tuckwiller and Pratt are genomics experts at Neogen Corporation, a Michigan-based food safety and animal health company. While Neogen serves both companion and performance animals, on the beef side of things they focus on genomics for cow-calf, feedlot and seed stock.

Both decision-making and the producer’s bottom line might be informed by a DNA test, allowing the producer to invest in the animals most likely to give them better bang for their buck.

“If we have a better idea of what that calf is at an earlier age, then we can start making decisions sooner and then not having to spend so much money on the input on those individuals, because at the end of the day, that’s what ends up costing us money,” Tuckwiller said.

“And we don’t want to have to hold on to something that is only going to cost us money in the long run and doesn’t meet our breeding objectives.”

Pratt also noted that, on her own operation, DNA testing allows her to be more confident in her cattle and to know the quality of the animals she is selling.

Sean McGrath is a rancher and consultant in Vermilion. He says implementing DNA testing has been one of the most beneficial things he has done on his operation.

“Especially from a seed stock perspective, the quicker you can figure out with a high degree of certainty the pedigree on that animal, it sets you up to have a good start,” he said.

Sampling logistics

There are multiple ways to get a DNA sample. The most common are a hair sample or tissue sample.

Hair, sourced from the tail, neck or poll, is the easiest to get, but also the most likely to fail. There must be enough root of the hair to test. It also can be more expensive than the tissue sample, because it requires lab technicians to separate the entire hair follicle, which is more labour-intensive.

Experts instead suggest that tissue sampling units (TSUs) are the recommended way to go.

“The TSUs have less fail rate, they speed up the process and… they are easier to take than any other method,” Pratt said.

The unit punches out a sample from the calf’s ear. It’s also not wasted labour. Many applicators have the ability to install an ear tag at the same time.

“I think every seed stock producer should do it if they’re serious about producing genetics for the marketplace,” McGrath said.

The producer advised his fellow farmers to make sure each sample is well labelled, avoiding calf identification mix ups, and sent for testing promptly.

“That sample doesn’t do any good sitting on the desk or sitting in a filing cabinet. So you need to have a system where you’re actually actively sending those things in and getting test results,” he said.

The cost of a DNA sample depends on where you get it and what you want the lab to test. For example, the AllFlex tissue sampling unit can cost around US$30 for a box of 10. NeoGen’s costs around US$20 for a box of 10. Neither includes the price of the applicator.

You will also have to pay to have the DNA samples processed in a lab. However, there are ways to save money.

“You don’t have to test for everything. You might want to do a high-density test and have the genetic evaluation of it more accurate to set EPDs (expected progeny differences) on a calf,” McGrath said. “You might not have to test homo polled or colour until that bull makes your bull sale.”

He says if you already have the sample collected and sent to the lab, you can ask them to test for other things in the future — you don’t have to pull the sample again.

A dry ear is also key, Pratt noted. “If mother’s fluids are still on that calf, we’re going to have cross-contamination…Do not clean it with any disinfectants or cleaners. Just wipe it dry with the towel and then take that sample,” she said.

Producers are also warned against leaving the unit in a truck overnight or in other places where it could freeze or (later in the year) get too hot, increasing failure risk.

When to sample

There is no hard-and-fast deadline for taking a DNA sample, as long as it is early enough in the calf’s life. During calving, however, is a logical choice, because you can tag the calf as you take the DNA sample. Some farmers also sample at weaning.

“Originally, we took them at preconditioning for weaning,” Pratt said of her operation. “And then by weaning we would have the results. We felt like maybe we needed to back that up in our operation to give us even more time to be able to kind of put it all together.”

Producers should give themselves enough time to take the sample, send it into the lab, and allow processing time before they start making decisions about the future of the calf.

Genomic record-keeping

When it comes to the importance of genomic record-keeping, Pratt says it’s becoming more and more widespread across the beef industry.

“You don’t have to do it (keep genomic records), but you do have to compete against the guy down the road that is.”

Dairy, poultry and pork have already been genetic testing for years, and it’s a staple in those industries. The grain industry, too, is constantly improving its technology. Pratt believes it’s time for the beef industry to catch up.

“You can get on the cart, or you can be left behind,” she said.

With more people using genetic testing, technology continues to improve as well.

“The same money you would have spent five years ago or 10 years ago, you’re getting way more powerful tests. And that’s not going to stop, that’s continuing. So, I think that’s pretty exciting,” McGrath says.

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