dsm-firmenich and Bayer Join Forces on Animal Protein Footprinting
dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health and Bayer have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance sustainability in the animal agriculture sector.
This new collaboration will enable the value chain to accurately measure and effectively reduce the environmental footprint of farming by combining Bayer’s expertise in primary crop life cycle assessment (LCA) data with Sustell™—the industry’s leading ISO-assured environmental footprinting solution for animal protein.
“Consumers, retailers, food service providers, processors, and even the finance community increasingly demand transparent and credible environmental reporting,” the companies say in a release. “Animal nutrition, and especially the crops used for feed, play a decisive role in the overall footprint of animal protein. Reliable, primary data from crop to feed to farm to processor is essential for building trust and enabling smarter, sustainability-driven choices.”
Bayer has been supporting companies in measuring the carbon footprint of crops since 2020, offering trusted primary crop data. Sustell, developed by dsm-firmenich, is widely recognized as the most advanced solution for accurate and credible environmental footprint measurement and reporting in animal protein value chains. Sustell enables companies to understand the true impact of their operations and identify the most effective areas for improvement while unlocking significant business value.
“By bringing these two strengths together, the collaboration establishes a new benchmark for transparency and accountability across the entire animal protein value chain—from crop production to processed products,” the companies say.
NOVUS Launch Events for New Swine Book
NOVUS’s latest book, Nutrition and Production Strategies for Today’s Sows, is available for free digital download and the company is hosting in-person events and author meet-and-greets around the world to celebrate.
The book features 12 chapters, carefully curated to serve as a reference guide for the swine industry:
- Genetics of the sow: past, present, and future | Austin Putz, Ph.D., Hendrix Genetics
- Physiology of farrowing and lactation | Teresa Mogas, Ph.D., Autonomous University of Barcelona
- Nutrition requirements of the developing gilt and gestating sow | Laura Greiner, Ph.D., and Dalton Humphrey, Ph.D., Iowa State University
- Fiber-rich raw materials for gestating sow feeds | Ioannis Mavromichalis, Ph.D., and Efstratia Papanikou, Ph.D., Ariston Nutrition Consulting International
- Calcium and phosphorus needs of developing gilts and sows | Hans H. Stein, Ph.D., and Su A Lee, Ph.D., University of Illinois
- A brief history of methionine hydroxy analogue bis-chelates and practical impacts on pig meat produced per inventoried sow lifetime | B. V. Lawrence, Ph.D., NOVUS
- Sow nutrition during heat stress | Bruno A. N. Silva, Ph.D., Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG/ICA)
- Gilt management from a practical perspective | Luis Sanjoaquin, DVM, Sigmavet/ThinkinPig
- Management practices on the bookend of the reproductive cycle of breeding and farrowing to optimize the modern sows’ productive potential | Timothy Safranski, Ph.D., University of Missouri
- New group housing - implications for sows | Déborah Temple, Ph.D., Eva Mainau, Ph.D., Pol Llonch, Ph.D., Xavier Manteca, Ph.D., Animal Welfare Education Centre - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
- Sow mortality: a practical point of view | Antonio Palomo Yagüe, Ph.D., Archer Daniels Midland Company
- Understanding the modern sow through data | Carlos Piñeiro, Ph.D., Animal Data Analytics SL and Yuzo Koketsu, Ph.D., Meiji University
While anyone can now download the digital version for free at novusint.com, Marisol Castillo, NOVUS executive manager for global swine solutions and book coordinator, says in-person events offer those in the industry the opportunity to get more from the book.
“The authors have put so much information into their chapters, but there’s always more to discuss and new insights to share,” she says. “These events give life to the book, and ultimately help those in the swine industry optimize sow performance.”
Search Launched for Women’s Legacies
For generations, the women of the agricultural community/industry have shared their knowledge and commitment to their family farms, their rural communities and to their legacies, both prior generations and subsequent generations that will carry on their remarkable family legacy. Illinois Agri-Women are seeking these unique families of women, who find joy in the work they do and have committed their lives to agriculture for three or more generations. The organization has established the “Generations of Women in Agriculture Across America” event and awards.
This nation-wide initiative will honor three families involved in production agriculture and the agriculture industry for three or more generations. Monetary awards of $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000 have been established to recognize the remarkable family legacy of the best three families respectively based on their application scores. Family member applicants will be guests of the Illinois Agri-Women at the “Generations of Women in Agriculture Across America” (GoAg3) educational/professional development event and celebration luncheon August 21, 2026.
The Illinois Agri-Women is seeking your help to find these women who have persevered and exhibited in their everyday lives their strength and willingness to encourage the next generation of young women to find joy in their agricultural careers. Penny Lauritzen had witnessed her own mother’s commitment to the family farm and strong business acumen when she saw a need for a catering business in their home community in the 1970’s. She initiated the Farm to Fork concept as a reality in the Bureau County area before the term had even been coined. Penny, a retired farm manager on northwest Illinois, finds joy in the legacy that the women in her family have established with her daughter Jenny now active on their family farm in central Illinois and her granddaughter Libby having received her FFA American Degree and now a student in the agriculture program at Western Illinois University.
This legacy has encouraged Penny to support the Illinois Agri-Women’s search for these exceptional multi-generational families, whose women have encouraged their daughters, nieces, sisters, sisters-in-law, and granddaughters to find their joy in production agriculture and the agriculture industry. The specifics for the project can be found on the Illinois Agri-Women’s website (https://illinoisagri-women.org). The application for multiple family members to access and complete information will be available on or before September 1, 2025. The celebration of those receiving the awards will be held on August 21, 2026 in Normal, Illinois, at the luncheon at Destihl Brewery during the “Generations of Women in Agriculture Across America” educational/professional development seminar.
