DSM-Firmenich’s €2.2bn ANH exit underscores ‘barbell’ reality in animal health investment
Divestment to CVC highlights how volatility is reshaping capital allocation in animal nutrition, while specialist investors continue to see upside in value‑add animal health plays
DSM‑Firmenich’s decision to sell its Animal Nutrition & Health (ANH) division to private‑equity group CVC Capital Partners for an enterprise value of around €2.2 billion marks a strategically important moment in the evolving investibility of the animal health sector.
The deal is the company’s clearest statement yet that commoditised feed inputs like vitamins, amino acids, premixes have become increasingly exposed to global supply gluts and weaker feed demand – conditions have intensified earnings volatility for major suppliers. Exiting most of this portfolio allows DSM‑Firmenich to streamline its balance sheet and sharpen its focus on higher‑growth consumer markets such as human nutrition, health and beauty.
‘Things are not good,’ Rabobank analyst gives the U.S. ag economy a pulse check
The U.S. farm economy continues to navigate a complex set of challenges in 2026, but do not count the country’s ag sector out just yet
U.S. farmers are bracing for another challenging year, as many issues from 2025 — trade uncertainty, tariffs, and global competition — spill into 2026, as many growers struggle to break even, Stephen Nicholson, North America head of crops at Rabobank, told AgTechNavigator.
The consensus is that “the farmer is in really bad shape,” and “things are not good,” Nicholson explained. However, those who own their land are faring better than those who are renting, he noted.
McCain unveils UK ‘Farm of the Future’ to accelerate regenerative agriculture amid global onboarding drop
New research hub aims to fast‑track regenerative practices across McCain’s 4,400‑farm global network as latest data shows progress slipping from 71% to 69%
McCain Foods is set to launch its new Farm of the Future UK in North Yorkshire – home to its GB headquarters for more than 50 years – marking the company’s third commercial‑scale regenerative agriculture research site after Canada and South Africa.
Developed in partnership with the University of Leeds, the 202‑hectare site is designed to test, validate and scale regenerative practices under real‑world farm conditions.
Bayer readies Stryax herbicide launch, following EPA dicamba registration
Ag stakeholders welcomed the EPA’s registration of dicamba, despite environmental groups raising drift and volatilisation concerns
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reauthorized the use of dicamba herbicides on dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans, laying the way for chemical giant Bayer to release an herbicide for the 2026 growing season.
Bayer’s Stryax is a dicamba herbicide that works with XtendFlex and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans and XtendFlex cotton, designed to address glyphosate-resistant broadleaf weeds and other weeds, the company shared in a press release. The herbicide provides up to two weeks of soil activity on specific broadleaf weeds and can be applied seven days pre-harvest in XtendFlex cotton and up to R1 in XtendFlex soybeans, the company added.
SP Ventures hits $50m milestone for third fund, after ‘watershed year’ in 2025
SP Ventures is attracting global investors into its third fund – a tough fund for venture capitalists
São Paulo-based SP Ventures nears the closure of its third fund, AgVentures III (AGV III), after raising $50 million from a group of global impact and agribusiness investors, as the venture capital firm capitalises on AI trends and technology to address the climate crisis.
As part of AGV III, the venture capital firm received investments from the Inter-American Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, sugar and ethanol producer Grupo Colorado, and Colombian agro-industrial Grupo Manuelita, according to a Feb. 10 press release. This follows a $8 million investment from the Soros Economic Development Fund made the previous week.
Can agtech fulfill its promise? World Agri-Tech explores opportunities, challenges for the future
The role agtech can play in the future of agriculture will largely depend on investor appetite, farm economics, and government policy
The agtech ecosystem is at an inflection point — with the massive potential of innovative technologies running against capital constraints and a troubled ag economy that is stressing farmers to the breaking point.
On the funding side, 2025 was another challenging year for start-ups seeking to raise money, as investors sought safety in later-stage companies and venture capital (VC) shifted its focus from biologicals to robotics, amid broader AI interest, as AgTechNavigator shared in a state of funding report.
What the U.S. farm bill could mean for the future of precision agriculture
The draft of the 2026 farm bill includes a provision to develop a precision agriculture standard, but will that be enough to boost adoption?
The House Agriculture Committee released a draft of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (the farm bill) on Feb. 13, which features a suite of proposals designed to support farmers, shore up markets, and ensure that the U.S. advances the deployment of precision agriculture solutions through the development of an industry standard.
As outlined under Section 6302, the Secretary of Agriculture will work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal Communications Commission to develop a set of voluntary industry-led precision agriculture standards “that will promote economies of scale and ease the burden of the adoption,” the bill stated.
Wildfarmed’s Andy Cato: ‘Regenerative farming isn’t idealism – it’s inevitable’
Former Groove Armada star turned farmer Andy Cato explains how Wildfarmed is building a scalable economic model for regenerative agriculture – winning over retailers, policymakers and growers while backing its claims with hard data
For all farming’s strife these days – from a deteriorating climate to the seeming impossibility of making a profit – Andy Cato wants to remind people there is still reason for positivity.
“What I wish came up more often was what an amazingly hopeful story this is,” he says. “That’s definitely what I’d like to shout about.”
Cato is referring to his business, Wildfarmed, now one of the UK’s most closely watched regenerative food ventures, supplying wheat and flour to the likes of Tesco, Greggs and Nando’s.
UK backs next wave of low-emission farming tech with £1.34m innovation boost
DEFRA and Innovate UK target methane-cutting feed, climate-smart crops, biochar fertilisers and advanced waste-to-energy solutions across 15 projects
The UK government has injected £1.34 million into a host of cutting‑edge projects aiming to slash emissions, strengthen domestic supply chains, and accelerate precision-bred crop development. Delivered through DEFRA’s Farming Innovation Programme in partnership with Innovate UK, the funding supports 15 low‑emission farming and precision breeding projects spanning feed innovation, soil health, regenerative systems, and climate‑resilient crops.
EU launches world’s first voluntary standard for permanent carbon removals in push to scale climate tech
The European Commission has adopted the world’s first voluntary certification methodologies for permanent carbon removals, setting a global benchmark aimed at accelerating the deployment and scaling of carbon-removal technologies – and opening new commercial opportunities across the agtech sector
The decision marks the first major implementation step under the EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation, establishing clear rules for certifying technologies that permanently extract CO₂ from the atmosphere. By creating regulatory certainty and a trusted EU‑level standard, Brussels hopes to unlock investment, spur innovation and give credibility to a market long criticised for inconsistent quality and greenwashing.