From Science to Scale: Reflecting on 2025 and looking to 2026                                      A Summary from our Founders

As we close the door on 2025, we (Phil and Peter) have been taking a moment to look back at what has arguably been the most pivotal year in Cibo Labs’ history. If 2024 was about building the engine, 2025 was the year we truly put it to work. 

A few achievements stand out: 

• A Leap Forward in Pasture Modelling: We successfully rolled out our new TSDM (Total Standing Dry Matter) model. This represents a significant improvement in the accuracy and reliability of our biomass estimates, ensuring that producers make decisions based on the best possible science. 

• Pasture Key Evolution: Alongside the model upgrades, we released Pasture Key Version 2, featuring fully automated onboarding and payments. Watching the system on-board themselves and handle the load of tens of millions of hectares every week—while keeping our cloud costs efficient—has been a technical triumph. 

• Strategic Partnerships We’ve:  

• • Solidified relationships with major financial institutions (CBA, Westpac, NAB) to help them understand natural capital risk in partnership with their customers. 

• • Commenced the next phase of development for improved monitoring of pastoral landscape productivity and trends in the rangelands in partnership with Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), Hewitt Agribusiness (Hewitts), Australian Country Choice (ACC) and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA). This work will generate paddock-level insights over 15 million hectares in the next year and underpin ongoing services the the extensive grazing industry.  

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing to say the least... scaling a deep-tech company comes with "growing pains" like we are sure all business experience.. 

We’ve had to refine how we communicate complex satellite models to grazing families and navigate the friction between rigorous science and commercial timelines. But our commitment to ground-truthing —whether it’s validating biomass in a paddock or refining our persistent green layers—remains non-negotiable. 

We have also seen major delays in implementation of emerging market access frameworks including the European Union Deforestation-Free (EUDR) Regulations and Accountability Framework Initiative (AFi) following several years of preparation to support producers meet these new requirements. One thing is clear – these new market requirements are coming, and Australian Livestock Producers are not only able to meet the requirements, but also in a position to take global market share from countries that cannot meet the requirements. They are an opportunity, not a threat to the reputable and solid livestock industry we have in Australia. 

Looking ahead to January, the energy is high!

Here is what is on the radar for Cibo Labs in 2026: 

• Major Industry Initiatives: We have a significant industry proposal to accelerate implementation of emerging market access frameworks involving retailers, processor and banks over thousands of farms to ensure Australian beef meets global deforestation standards - with the farm owners in full control of their data. 

• Global Ambitions: We are exploring the applicability of our models beyond Australia, with active testing looking promising for the USA, South America and parts of Africa. 

• Scaling in Partnerships: We are launching third-party integrations with several leading Agtech’s to increase ease of access and value to our customers. 

• Empowering Decisions: We aren't just providing data; we are building tools for decision-making. Expect to see the launch of our new Forage Insights Tool early in the year, designed to help producers forecast with confidence. 

We want to thank our incredible team including our collaborators — who have weathered big transitions and worked tirelessly on everything from backend database loads to frontend user experience. 

Lastly a huge shout out our customers - who drive our enthusiasm and trust us to analyse their land and pastures, helping them make resilient and profitable decisions. 

Peter Scarth and Phil Tickle

Founders, Cibo Labs