epiq Animal Health and Mars Petcare US, Inc. Enter into a Strategic Distribution Agreement
Livestock Health Monitoring Start-Up Barnwell Bio Closes $6M Seed Round
Manhattan’s Federal Animal Disease Lab, NBAF, Now Hiring 150 Local Jobs
Zoetis Launches First Commercial BRD Genetic Predictions to Help Build More Resilient Beef Herds
FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization for Over-the-Counter Injectable Drug to Prevent New World Screwworm in Cattle
KC: Soccer Capital of America
When it comes to soccer, KC is unmatched. From roaring stadiums and high-performing professional clubs to communities cheering on youth teams, KC is a hub for soccer (AKA football, to the rest of the world).

The World Cup Comes to KC
KC is one of only 16 cities selected to be a host city for the FIFA World Cup in 2026. The largest sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup draws millions of in-person fans and billions of broadcast viewers around the globe, and will shine a spotlight on KC as a hotspot for soccer, tourism and more.
Learn more about FIFA World Cup 26™ in Kansas City.

Making History in Women’s Sports
CPKC Stadium is the first in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team. Home to the KC Current, the riverfront venue set new benchmarks for the National Women’s Soccer League — including league-leading attendance and sellout crowds in its inaugural season.
Beyond the action on the pitch, the stadium itself is a statement: the design and construction team was women-led, underscoring Kansas City’s commitment to advancing women in sports, leadership and the built environment.
KC’s Pro Teams

Sporting Kansas City
Major League Soccer
With two MLS Cup and four U.S. Open Cup wins, Sporting KC is Kansas City’s men’s professional soccer club. In addition to their work on the pitch, the club also helps aspiring young players to fall in love with soccer.
Both Sporting KC and its affiliated MLS Next Pro Club, Sporting KC II, are headquartered at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Kansas City Current
National Women’s Soccer League
After making it the National Women’s Soccer League Championship in only their second season, KC Current is making history in women’s sports with CPKC Stadium at Berkeley Riverfront Park.
Meet KC Current’s team captain and starting midfielder, Lo’eau LaBonta.
KC Current II, the team’s affiliated Women’s Premier Soccer League team, is high-performing in their own right, winning the 2022 Midwest Conference Championship in their inaugural season.

Kansas City Comets
Major Arena Soccer League
Enjoy soccer all year ’round in KC Heartland and check out the region’s Major Indoor Soccer League (MASL) team, the Kansas City Comets. Playing out of Cable Dahmer Arena, the KC Comets hosted the first-ever MASL all-star game and are two-time winners of the Central Cup.

From Kids to Coaches
With summer camps, youth leagues and training programs like Sporting KC Youth Soccer, kids can kick off their athletic dreams right away in KC Heartland.
United Soccer Coaches, headquartered in KC’s Union Station, is the largest organization of soccer coaches in the world, boasting more than 30,000 members.
The Heartland Soccer Association, America’s largest soccer league and tournament host, brings together more than 30,000 league players and 40,000 tournament players in levels from recreational to premier.
CERES TAG Expands Consultant Partnerships to Unlock Pasture, Reproductive, and Profit Performance
CERES TAG, a global leader in Animal Health Intelligence, has announced the expansion of its partnership program to include veterinary and production animal consultants, introducing a consultant-led model that turns animal data into measurable economic outcomes for grazing operations.
Despite decades of investment in land, genetics, and animal health, many producers still rely on delayed or anecdotal information to make critical decisions. The result is under-utilised pasture, missed reproductive events, extended calving intervals, preventable losses, and significant profit left unrealised.

CERES TAG Changes That Equation, Turning Animal Behaviour into Economic Insight
CERES TAG delivers continuous, individual-animal intelligence at scale, converting daily behaviour into actionable insights. Producers and advisors gain visibility into pasture feed intake through rumination, grazing, walking, resting, and activity patterns, alongside land and water utilisation, early health indicators, and security and biosecurity alerts.
At the herd level, these insights directly impact feed efficiency, carrying capacity, weight gain, body condition, labour efficiency, operating costs, and risk management during disease or biosecurity events.
Reproductive Intelligence That Pays for Itself
With the recent release of CERES GEN6 in February, CERES TAG adds reproductive insights including estrus alerts in beef cattle, calving alerts, and mounting scores. These tools enable higher conception rates, tighter calving windows, fewer missed heats, and improved lifetime productivity, transforming reproduction from a guessing game into a managed profit lever.
World-First Consultant-Led Adoption Model
CERES TAG has launched its first veterinary consultancy collaboration with Apogee Animal Health Inc. (Kansas), led by President Dr Aaron Schaffer.
“I see producers every day who are not optimising their land, genetics, or animal health – not because they don’t care, but because they don’t have the data,” said Dr Schaffer. “CERES TAG changes the game. Instead of leaving money in the paddock, producers can put it in their bank accounts.”
Under the program, producers who purchase and register 100 CERES TAG devices or more receive a full day of professional guidance from qualified consultants at no cost, ensuring rapid adoption and measurable return on investment.
Built for Scale. Built for ROI.
CERES TAG is satellite-based, requires no infrastructure, applies like a standard ear tag, is reusable, and can be operational in one day with no training required, delivering fast, repeatable ROI for grazing operations.
“There are billions of dollars lost annually across the industry simply because producers don’t know,” said David Smith, Founder & CEO of CERES TAG. “With CERES TAG, that changes. Now you know.”
Smith added that buyers increasingly expect objective performance and reproductive data, rewarding producers who can provide it with confidence, demand, and premiums.
Open to Consultants and Progressive Producers
CERES TAG is inviting veterinary groups, extension specialists, and production consultants to partner in delivering a data-driven, economically grounded future for livestock production. Consultants are remunerated by CERES TAG while strengthening long-term value for their clients.
Enquiries: info@cerestag.com
CERES TAG – Now, You Know. Measure what matters. Turn knowledge into profit.
Vytelle launches commercial, cost-effective methane monitoring at CattleCon that integrates with feed intake monitoring
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vytelle launches commercial, cost-effective methane monitoring at CattleCon that integrates with feed intake monitoring
New system integrates with Vytelle SENSE™ to give cattle producers affordable path to measure sustainability with feed efficiency

NASHVILLE, TN – February 3, 2026 – Vytelle today announced the commercial release of Vytelle SENSE™ Methane Powered by Integrity™, a methane phenotyping system that costs a fraction of available systems and enables concurrent measurement of intake and sustainability. The technology will be featured at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CattleCon in Nashville, where producers can see live demonstrations at booth 1708.
The system addresses a critical gap in livestock sustainability: how to economically identify cattle that convert feed into profitable outputs rather than wasted energy. By integrating methane sensors developed in partnership with Integrity Communications Solutions, Inc. and existing Vytelle SENSE feed intake nodes, producers can now measure individual animal emissions alongside feed efficiency data without requiring additional labor or voluntary animal participation.
“Cattle producers need cost-effective, scalable tools backed by robust data to navigate the sustainability landscape with confidence,” said Dr. Jason Osterstock, Vytelle’s chief science officer. “Field trials of Vytelle SENSE Methane Powered by Integrity have delivered strong results, and we’re rapidly expanding the Vytelle methane database to give producers the information they need to make profitable decisions.”
It’s not just about sustainability of the beef and dairy industries, it’s also about profitability for producers, according to the company’s vice president of global sales.
“Vytelle measures methane emissions in the context of efficiency, which is where profitability starts. These are economically important traits for the world’s beef and dairy producers,” said Lisa Rumsfeld. “Without profitability, we can’t be sustainable. This technology retrofits into existing infrastructure at ten times lower cost than existing tools, allowing producers to capture methane at scale whether they’re meeting supply chain sustainability requirements or regulatory reporting obligations.”
“Vytelle already curates the world’s largest efficiency database, and we’ll rapidly build the world’s largest methane database across more than 30 breeds,” Rumsfeld added.
Field trials in North America throughout 2025 demonstrated that the system can yield accurate phenotypes in 30 days, with animals measured multiple times daily as they consume feed in bunks. The correlation between methane emission concentration and measured feed intake was 0.47, providing the complete biological picture needed to interpret sustainability metrics.
“Methane emitted is energy lost in a cycle that cattlemen don’t get paid for. We need to economically identify cattle that spend their calories on performance and reproduction because those are the areas where we can be profitable,” said Austin Hoff, Vytelle SENSE strategic account manager.
A standard eight-node Vytelle SENSE system can phenotype 384 animals annually at a fraction of the cost of respiration chambers or competing technologies. Unlike systems requiring voluntary animal participation aided by attractants, every animal in a Vytelle SENSE system receives multiple measurements daily through integrated feed bunk monitoring.
International rollout begins June 2026, with units available for purchase to existing Vytelle SENSE system owners and new customer availability to follow.
Producers are encouraged to talk to the Vytelle team at CattleCon next week about this evolution in technology. Vytelle will also feature hands-on opportunities to view grade 1 embryos that are the hallmark of Vytelle’s hormone-free IVF embryo technology and the Vytelle team will be streaming an ovum pickup procedure at their site. [END]
About Vytelle Vytelle is a data-enabled biotechnology company reshaping how cattle producers worldwide optimize their herds. Our solutions reduce uncertainty to help you make your most important mating and reproduction decisions.
Leadership That Advances Our Industry
Leadership in our industry is not conferred by title alone. It is earned through action. True leadership is about showing up, giving time and talent generously, and investing in the people and organizations that move our shared mission of improving animal health and wellbeing forward.
The Corridor is deeply grateful to the many leaders who contribute throughout the year to strengthen our industry across our strategic priorities of workforce, innovation, public policy, and industry engagement. Their collective commitment is what allows our ecosystem to thrive.
Our workforce committee members exemplify this spirit of leadership. In 2024 and 2025, their efforts helped shape a compelling industry brand and campaign designed to attract the next generation of talent. By investing in people today, they are building the foundation for our industry’s future.
Equally impactful are the leaders who serve on our Selection Committee, our Judging Panel, and as Coaches. These individuals stand at the forefront of innovation, supporting innovators and emerging companies as they bring new ideas, technologies, and solutions to life. Their guidance and insight help ensure that innovation remains a driving force within the animal health industry.
Behind the scenes, communications and public relations teams play a vital role by telling the important stories of brands, products, and impact. Their work ensures the world understands the significance of what we do and the role animal health plays in creating a globally safe food supply, preventing the next pandemic, and ensuring our pets live longer, healthier lives.
Our government relations and public policy leaders further extend this impact. Working across federal, state, and local jurisdictions, they help align policies that support healthier animals and a healthier planet. Their leadership ensures our industry’s voice is heard where it matters most.
The Corridor’s Advisory Board is at the tip of the spear in advancing our mission. Each member contributes countless hours of service, strategic guidance, and leadership each year. We are especially thankful for the leadership of our Chair and Vice Chair.
Shannon Kellner, our 2026 Chair, brings 25 years of experience in the animal health industry and currently serves as Vice President of Livestock for Merck Animal Health. His depth of knowledge and steady leadership continue to strengthen the Corridor’s impact.
Fiona Rey, our 2026 Vice Chair, brings more than 20 years of animal health experience and currently serves as Executive Director of U.S. Pet Health Marketing for Elanco Animal Health. Her perspective and leadership further enrich our board and our mission.
We are also grateful for Todd Zion, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Akston Biosciences Corporation, who is serving a three-year term in the Corridor’s entrepreneurial board seat. Recognizing the critical role startups and entrepreneurs play in shaping the future of animal health, the Corridor established the Entrepreneur-in-Residence board seat in 2017. This position ensures emerging and growth-stage companies have a meaningful voice alongside established industry leaders.
Designed to bring a complementary and forward-looking perspective to the Board, this seat reflects the Corridor’s commitment to innovation and industry leadership. With his educational background and experience in scaling companies, Todd brings invaluable insight and energy to an already strong Advisory Board.
To all who lead, serve, and contribute, thank you. Your leadership strengthens the Corridor, advances our industry, and helps ensure a healthier future for animals everywhere.