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Advancing dairy innovation with our Accelerator program
A program to grow ag-tech startups
DFA's Accelerator is an immersive program that grows ag-tech startup businesses through mentoring and educational programming. We've been collaborating with startups in the dairy space since 2017.
Our partnership with these businesses often outlives the length of the program. We've built lasting relationships and continue to find ways to work together with the ultimate goal of supporting and benefiting our farmer-owners.
Accelerator in action
We help dairy startups grow their businesses. What might begin as a simple concept can become an integral tool, technology, or process for the dairy industry. Here are just a few of the latest innovations these startups are advancing with the help of DFA mentorship and support.
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Visit Rogue Cattle Co.
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Methane-monitoring smart device
Rogue Cattle Co. has developed a smart device that attaches to the cow’s nose and measures methane output 24/7. With this kind of technology, farms can efficiently monitor their environmental impact at a glance.
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Visit Zero Tolerance
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Targeting, fixing electrical issues
Electrical issues on the farm are not only a safety hazard, but they also impact the comfort and health of its animals. Zero Tolerance aims to mitigate stray voltage and electrical noise in the agricultural landscape.
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Visit Leaftech Ag
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Scanning crop stats in real time
Leaftech Ag has developed a handheld, digital lab scanner that scans crops to compile a comprehensive nutrient profile — in real time.
Join the Accelerator program
We're always looking for companies with ag-tech applications in the dairy industry. However, the application period for 2025 has closed. Email us to find out more about the program. Email us at colab@dfamilk.com.
Past Accelerator participants
Through the years, we've worked with many startups to help take their businesses to the next level. Explore our past participants and how they're shaping the future of the dairy industry.
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Bankbarn
An artificial intelligence-powered agriculture lending platform that leverages novel data sources to increase credit access and enhance debt capacity for farmers. Bankbarn’s digital lending platform also automates the loan lifecycle and enables smart loan monitoring.Metha.ai
Uses artificial intelligence to improve cows’ digestion, helping farmers produce more milk with higher efficiency and significantly, measurably lower methane emissions. Metha.ai calculates the optimal feed additive for each herd based on microbiome samples taken from the cows.OptaHaul
Helping the dairy industry to reduce haulage costs and vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in milk transportation. OptaHaul’s route optimization platform automatically calculates the most cost-efficient route plan for dairy planners and schedulers.Ourobio
A synthetic biology, biomaterials and circular economy company. Ourobio develops fermentation processes to turn industrial byproducts into low-carbon footprint, performance-enhancing biodegradable plastic additives.Windfall Bio
Uses naturally-occurring soil microorganisms to dilute methane emissions and simultaneously pull nitrogen from the atmosphere. Windfall Bio’s technology allows farmers to harvest methane and turn it into products that benefit their bottom lines. -
Cattle Scan
Real-time monitoring technology that measures the biometrics of individual cattle, starting with temperature. Data can be accessed on a cloud-based platform and allows farmers to improve the overall health of their herds.Hago Energetics
Aims to help dairy and cattle farms convert waste, like manure, into fuel-cell-grade hydrogen using a patented carbon negative approach. This hydrogen is expected to sell at a lower cost and have a lower carbon footprint than current methods.Visit the Hago Energetics site
Lemna
Provides a comprehensive nutrient management solution for agricultural wastewater through the use of duckweed (aquatic plants) in a controlled growth system. The duckweed also has the potential to provide farmers with a new revenue stream.Lyras
Developed a UV-light cold pasteurization technology that uses 90% less energy and 60% less water compared to traditional pasteurization.ReproHealth Technologies
An innovative, patent-pending device that brings in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology to the farm. Founders believe the device could potentially double cattle embryo production and reduce reproduction costs.Spylt (previously Smack'd)
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Aims to develop a delicious adult chocolate milk beverage that is high in protein, low in sugar and caffeinated. -
CattleEye
CattleEye is a hands-free way to monitor cows’ welfare and performance through a cloud-based artificial intelligence platform using standard web cameras.Cheeseboard Snacking Bar™
Saga Ventures offers a single-serve cheese snacking bar, called Cheeseboard Snacking Bar™, to provide healthy and satiable fuel between meals.DairyOffice
Built to integrate with herd management software and sensors, the DairyOffice platform serves as a central location for all data sets collected on a farm.H2Ok Innovations
H2Ok Innovations is a contaminant management platform that helps heavy water-using businesses optimize water usage and treatment through predictive diagnostics.Visit the H2Ok Innovations site
Modern Milkman
The Modern Milkman is an online, subscription-based platform that offers fresh, local quality products delivered right to consumers’ doorsteps.Simplifed
SimpliFed provides virtual breastfeeding and baby feeding support fully covered by health plans from pregnancy to weaning.VERI Nano
VERI Nano offers a patent-pending nanotechnology utilized as a bovine teat sealant, disinfectant, antimicrobial coating, skin care and wound care treatment. -
Armenta
Pioneering acoustic technology for the antibiotic-free treatment of bovine mastitis, proven to increase yield, improve quality and reduce culling.Capro-X
An ag-tech spin-off from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., providing a sustainable solution for whey waste from Greek yogurt production.Chank's Grab-N-Go
A handheld snack company featuring pizza cones, Philly cheesesteak cones and more.Good Sport
A sports drink with naturally powerful hydration from the goodness of milk.Livestock Water Recycling (LWR)
Manure treatment technology that reduces the overall volume of manure, concentrates nutrients and delivers a renewable, high-quality water source.Mi Terro
Upcycles excess food into sustainable fibers and packaging.Superfrau
Electrolyte drinks made from upcycling surplus whey. It’s ‘yogurt’s outdoorsy sister’: fresh liquid whey, rescued, upcycled and infused with unique flavors to keep you feeling hydrated and ready to take on your next adventure.Wheyward Spirit
A mission-driven alcohol company that takes excess whey from the dairy industry and turns it into a smoother, better tasting and more sustainable farm-to-flask spirit.Visit the Wheyward Spirit site
YAAR Nordic Quark Bar
Nordic chilled dairy snacks made with fresh quark, a mixture of cow’s milk and natural lactic acid. -
Bezoar Laboratories, LLC
Bezoar’s current innovation is a patent-pending probiotic for cattle that, when paired with nitrate, decreases their methane production by 50%, while providing additional benefits.Brooklyn Buttery
Brooklyn Buttery is reimagining butter for the 21st century as a fun, convenient product for home cooks to turn up the flavor on their dishes using sustainably sourced ingredients.Visit the Brooklyn Buttery site
Healthy Cow Corporation
Healthy Cow is an ag-biotechnology helping dairy farmers to produce more wholesome, natural and nutritious milk while simultaneously reducing their dependence on antibiotics and hormones.Visit the Healthy Cow Corporation site
Labby
Labby is an instant optical milk analyzer on the farm level.Numa
Numa makes all-natural sweet, chewy milk treats with just six natural ingredients and four grams of protein.RifRaf Ricotta Cups
RifRaf offers cool, creamy ricotta cups that are one part cheese and one part unexpectedly delicious flavor. -
Cheddies
Cheddies aims to provide all consumers with a cheese cracker that has added nutritional benefits. These benefits include 10 grams of protein, 12 grams of carbohydrates, no artificial flavors or colors and zero grams of sugar.MoPro
MoPro is the first Greek yogurt infused with CFM Whey Protein Isolate that contains 24 grams of protein per serving and is low in sugar.Pharm Robotics
Pharm Robotics is developing robotic systems to automate administration of animal health products in dairy cows.SomaDetect
SomaDetect is a precision-dairy company that is creating an in-line system for measuring every compound of interest in raw milk, including fat, protein, somatic cells, progesterone and trace antibiotics.Too Cool Chix
Too Cool Chix creates delicious, all-natural ice cream sandwiches free of artificial ingredients and stabilizing gums.Ripe.io
Ripe.io is transforming the food supply chain using blockchain technology to enable data transparency, so we know where our food is from and what has happened to it. -
AgVoice
AgVoice is a mobile voice interaction service designed to enable food and agriculture professionals to capture insights on the go. With AgVoice, agrifood companies can drastically increase the traceability of their food supply chain through the hands-free, complete and accurate collection of data.HerdDogg
HerdDogg delivers simple, straightforward digitized answers to critical animal health needs. Thanks to HerdDogg’s smart ear tags and data, early detection of estrus and illness is possible like never before, saving ranchers time and money, and helping keep animals healthy.My Dairy Dashboard
My Dairy Dashboard connects data to simplify dairy decisions through a visual dashboard of aggregated herd, feed, milk and weather data. My Dairy Dashboard’s cloud-based dashboard solution enables dairy producers and their advisors to view trends and compare their data to benchmarks across other herds.TradeLanes
TradeLanes digitizes and automates the supply chain for shippers, merchants and traders. TradeLanes’ digital document room ensures these handoffs and trades are seamlessly executed with zero errors — thus lowering costs and removing days from the supply chain.