Weekly Livestock-Equine News: April 14, 2025

AgBoost secures $500K investment, announces licensing deal

AgBoost – developer of technology for cattle producers to optimize genomic data for breeding, health and nutrition management – announced the closing of a $500,000 investment round and the signing of a licensing agreement with MedIrAlis, an animal health company in Australia. AgBoost says the licensing agreement will allow it to expand its integration with other systems and improve its ability to ingest and analyze genetic and phenotypic information from diverse sources.

Research on equine wearable biometric sensor underway

More than 700 two-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses are now wearing a biometric sensor as part of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP)’s research project to determine the effectiveness of sensors in injury detection. Data will only be collected during weekly high-speed workouts. Participating manufacturers are Alogo Analysis, Arioneo, Equibase/Stable Analytics, Equimetrics, Garmin and StrideSafe.

Senate bill a rebuke to California Proposition 12

Republican senators introduced The Food Security and Farm Protection Act, which would prohibit any state or local government from interfering with commerce and agricultural practices in a state outside their jurisdiction. The bill would protect against “dangerous and arbitrary overregulation,” they said, referring to California’s Proposition 12, which mandates that Californians have access to food that is sourced from humanely and sustainably raised animals, regardless of where they were raised.

Financial constraints major factor for horse owners

Horse owners’ ability to financially tolerate an unexpected expense will limit their ability to access healthcare for their horses, according to a study by the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Annual vaccinations and routine lameness exams align reasonably well with what surveyed horse owners expect, but treatment for colic stood out. Only about 14% of survey respondents maintain a dedicated savings account for medical emergencies and close to 80% do not insure their horses.

Cal-Maine Foods reports Q3 2025 financial and operational results

Egg producer Cal-Maine Foods reported Q3 2025 net sales of $1.4 billion and net income of $508.5 million. The company reported “significant progress” on addressing the tight egg supply situation across the country, including a 14% increase in the average number of layer hens during the quarter. Cal-Maine expects its proposed acquisition of Echo Lake Foods to close by the end of fiscal 2025.

Hormel announces leadership change in supply chain

Hormel Foods Corp. announced that Steve Lykken, group vice president of supply chain, will leave the company to pursue another opportunity. Kevin Myers, PhD, has been appointed interim group vice president of supply chain. Myers joined Hormel in 2001 and subsequently was appointed SVP of research & development and quality control, overseeing product development, packaging, food safety sciences and lab services.