Vytelle and Growsafe combine to create leader in bovine biotechnology
Wheatsheaf Group portfolio companies Vytelle IVF – the industry leading beef and dairy reproductive technology business – and GrowSafe Systems Ltd, which develops advanced data acquisition platforms for animal agriculture systems, increasing their efficiency and sustainability, have combined to form a bovine biotechnology operation.
The new company brings together genetic evaluation and reproduction technologies into a single, streamlined process, enabling producers to convert individual animal data into genetic advancement, matching traits to optimal outcomes, more quickly.
The companies will operate as a single precision livestock company under the Vytelle brand to drive its mission to meet the global demands for producing more high-quality protein, more sustainably, with increased commercial benefit for cattle producers.
“By uniting two of the most forward-thinking businesses in the cattle industry, we will help ensure that meat and milk are viable and competitive food choices for generations to come,” commented Dr. Alan Barton, Operating Advisor for Wheatsheaf Group – which invests in food and agriculture businesses and is part of the Grosvenor Estate – and Chairman of the Board for Vytelle.
Kerryann Kocher has been named Vytelle’s new Chief Executive Officer, bringing decades of experience in animal health, feed ingredients, and protein production to the company.
“With the world literally hungry for protein, and the recognition that our industry must meet rising food demand while reducing resource intensity, there is a clear need to integrate precision livestock technologies and support our customers in their production of sustainably sourced meat and milk.”
Kerryann Kocher
CEO, Vytelle
Kerryann Kocher
CEO, Vytelle
Linking genetic insights available only through GrowSafe’s proprietary efficiency database with breakthrough IVF technology, Vytelle’s customers around the world will be able to shorten the interval between elite animal identification and optimal marketing of those genetics within the beef and dairy value streams.
“Identifying resource-efficient animals is a key challenge for cattle producers, and breeding to perpetuate resource-efficient traits in a far shorter timespan than traditional methods improves producer profitability and sustainability,” Kocher continued. “Our goal at the new Vytelle is to close the feedback loop between genotype and phenotype, helping beef and dairy producers fast-forward generational advances by matching genetic traits to optimal outcomes for our customers and the environment; developing new capabilities to make this a reality is the major focus of our R&D programme.”