From Concept to Commercialization: The Journey of Our Dairy Trials

As we celebrate Native’s ten-year anniversary, we’re reflecting on our path from fledgling microbiologists to a commercial animal science company grounded in cutting-edge microbial biotechnology. 

Our early years were devoted almost entirely to discovery science. Enabled by a new generation of scientific tools, including genome-scale metabolic modeling, systems biology, advanced data analysis and next-generation sequencing, we conducted comprehensive de novo sequencing surveys of thousands of rumen samples to identify rumen microorganisms associated with better feed efficiency and milk production. The next steps were particularly challenging, as many of the microbes we uncovered had never been characterized let alone cultured before. With no existing culture collections to draw from, we had to build our own by isolating strains directly from rumen content of healthy dairy cows ourselves. That effort led to the creation of a proprietary culture collection comprised of thousands of microbial strains representing more than 500 unique axenic genus species. 

Isolating the right strains was only half the battle... the next major hurdle was biomanufacturing: how do you produce strict anaerobes (microbes that can’t tolerate oxygen) in a way that’s shelf-stable, scalable, and ready for real-world use on farms? Through rigorous triaging of our culture collection, we identified four key strains that were not only highly efficacious, but also manufacturable at scale outside of the rumen environment: Ruminococcus bovis, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Clostridium beijerinckii, and Pichia kudriavzevii. Ensuring viability while preserving efficacy required several iterations, including failed in vivo performance trials and the development of custom preservation, encapsulation, and biomanufacturing processes. Eventually, we had a shelf-stable product that was both scientifically novel and commercially viable. Once this was achieved, we were finally ready to bring our product to the field and put it to the test in large-scale animal performance trials as explained below. 

2020: The First Large In-Feed Trials Begin 

Although we had completed a few cannula and smaller in-feed trials between 2015 and 2020, we initiated our first wave of university-led in vivo performance trials in 2020 & 2021. We didn’t know what to expect. These trials were independently run, statistically powered, and designed to reflect real-world dairy conditions & regionally-relevant diets. We focused on evaluating key production-related outcomes like milk flow, milk components, and feed efficiency. While results varied across sites, the formulation consistently showed biological activity—and in many cases, measurable improvements. Just as importantly, this was the first time we began to observe patterns in response, including a potential interaction with days in milk (DIM) and time on product (all trials lactating Holstein cows unless otherwise noted):

DairyExperts (CA) with Dr. Alfonso Lago (DIM at enrollment: 50 (41-61); n=60): This was our longest continuous trial – by week 39, cows in the treatment group were producing nearly 12 lbs. more ECM/d than the control group.	39 weeks, Galaxis Frontier vs. Control:  ECM increased by +8 lbs./d*,  milk fat by +0.3 lbs./d*,  intake by +2.8 lbs./d* and  feed efficiency (FE) by +0.04 pts*
University of Illinois with Dr. James Drackley (DIM at enrollment: 83 (43-145); n=46): This was the first clear signal of a DIM-dependent response—cows earlier in lactation responded more strongly than late-lactation cows.	20 weeks, Galaxis Frontier vs. Control:  ECM increased by +3.7 lbs./d*,  milk fat by +0.09 lbs./d*,  intake by –5.1 lbs./d* and  FE by +0.21 pts*.
Michigan State University with Dr. Mike Vandehaar (DIM at enrollment: 92 (70-160); n=90): This trial gave us our first mechanistic insights into energy partitioning, with treatment cows tending to have lowered concentrations of insulin in their plasma compared to control cows.	16 weeks, Galaxis Frontier vs. Control:  ECM decreased by –0.9 lbs./d,  milk fat by -0.02 lbs./d,  intake by –1.8 lbs./d and  FE by +0.04 pts*.
University of Florida with Dr. Jose Santos (DIM at enrollment: 61 (31-87); n=79): This trial also measured milk fatty acids and found increased preformed fatty acids in milk fat—asdflasd. Rumen VFAs.	20 weeks, Galaxis Frontier vs. Control:  ECM increased by +4.4 lbs./d*,  milk fat by +0.2 lbs./d*,  intake by +0.4 lbs./d* and  FE by +0.08 pts*.
Cornell University with Dr. Tom Overton (DIM at enrollment: 105 (47-160); n=10 pens): In our only academic pen trial, 152 cows were blocked into 5 pairs of pens based on starting days in milk (DIM). Despite modest overall results, the pen with cows that started in early lactation (DIM <75) showed a directional positive response, further reinforcing the DIM effect.	20 weeks, Galaxis Frontier vs. Control:  ECM decreased by –0.7 lbs./d,  milk fat by +0.2 lbs./d,  intake by -1.1 lbs./d and  FE by +0.03 pts.

*Indicates statistically significant improvements 

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2021–2024: Exploring Mechanisms & Expanding Scope 

The initial trials illuminated a consistent pattern: early-lactation cows starting on product showed stronger performance improvements over the course of their lactation cycle. Cows starting product during mid- and late-lactation often showed improvements in feed efficiency, but milk flow gains were less pronounced. 

To better understand this response profile and explore broader physiological effects, we expanded our research with a series of targeted studies: 

• South Dakota State University Transition Cow Study with Dr. Johan Osorio (DIM: -21; n=56): Cows were supplemented 3 weeks prior to calving, and 16 weeks into lactation. Overall, ECM increased by +3.7 lbs./d*, milk fat by +0.11 lbs./d*, intake by +1.1 lbs./d* and FE by +0.14pts*. During the post-fresh period, cows saw even larger improvements in milk yield (+9 lbs./d*) and FE (+0.18pts*). Cows fed Galaxis Frontier showed higher ruminal butyrate alongside metabolic shifts including lower plasma glucose, higher BHB, and slight increase in inflammation markers. 
  

• DairyExperts Jersey Cow Trial with Dr. Alfonso Lago (DIM: 59 (46-74); n=48): In a 16-week trial, lactating Jersey cows’ ECM increased by +4.65 lbs./d*, milk fat by +0.2 lbs./d*, intake by -0.3 lbs./d* and FE by +0.12pts*. This study also measured enteric methane emissions and found a tendency to reduce methane intensity (6.3% reduction per kg ECM across the entire trial period). 
  

• Multi-site Commercial Validation: We’ve run 28 on-farm matched pen control vs. treatment trials in 8 states on Holstein, Jersey, and Cross commercial herds. This dataset consists of 53,012 trial cows (161,400 total head) fed Galaxis Frontier for an average of 23-weeks. Meta-analysis shows +4.1 lb./d* milk flow, +4.54 lb./d* ECM, and +0.08% fat. This data corroborates the response observed in an academic setting and proves that production benefits are repeatable on farm across a variety of management styles, diets, regions, and breed. 

2024–2025: From Rumen Focus to Holobiome Reality 

With multiple university trials and field validations, a clear pattern had emerged: Galaxis Frontier delivered the strongest performance benefits in cows starting on product early in lactation. In 2024 and 2025, we focused on confirming these results across more commercial settings, while expanding into new regions, breeds, and management systems to test the product’s broader applicability. We also began identifying product impacts on animal health: 

• University of Wisconsin Madison Periparturient Study with Dr. Jimena Laporta (DIM: -17 or 1; n=60): In a periparturient study at UW-Madison, cows supplemented before calving showed improvements in colostrum volume and early lactation milk components. Cows supplemented both pre- and post- calving showed biological evidence of enhanced mammary development. Manuscript still under review. 

  
  

• Multi-site Commercial Validation: Continuation of multi-site commercial validations in matched treatment vs. control pen trials during this period reinforced earlier production trends and revealed additional benefits, including improved health in diverse herd types. We’ve measured a 28% reduction in early culls, 13% reduction in overall culls, and a 27% reduction in metabolic disease (ketosis, milk fever, metritis, and lameness). When fed to close-ups, we’ve also measured a +2.5 lb./d* increase in colostrum with no dilution of IgG.  

Lessons Learned 

Our journey underscores several key learnings: 

1. Stage of Lactation Matters: Cows starting on Galaxis Frontier during early lactation show the most consistent and largest product responses. This aligns with mammary development data from the UW–Madison study, suggesting that early supplementation may support enhanced lactogenesis when mammary tissue is still rapidly developing. Mid-lactation cows tend to benefit primarily through improved feed efficiency, with some herds also seeing modest gains in ECM. 
   

2. Beyond Milk: Galaxis Frontier influences health, promotes mammary gland development, supports immune system responsiveness, and improves resilience against metabolic disease—broadening the use case beyond production alone. 
   

3. Real-World Trials Are Indispensable: Controlled academic studies gave us our first read on efficacy, but it was the multi-site commercial validations across differing breeds, regions, and feeding systems that revealed the practical nuances of Galaxis Frontier’s performance. These trials helped fine-tune our guidance on timing, herd fit, and management compatibility. 

Looking Ahead 

We’re now building on what we’ve learned, expanding both the scientific foundation and the practical implementation of rumen microbes on commercial dairies. Key areas of focus include: 

• Identifying the Mechanism Behind Systemic Responses: Although the rumen microbiome is tightly associated with fermentation and digestibility, we have been unable to measure consistent improvements in digestibility across trials. This points to a different, systemic mechanism driving the production and health effects we've seen.
  

  • Mammary Tissue Remodeling: Biopsies from the UW–Madison study revealed enhanced development of mammary epithelial and alveolar cells in supplemented cows, suggesting the product influences mammary function and not just rumen fermentation. 

  
  

  • Whether these changes are hormone-mediated, metabolite-driven, or a combination of both is still under investigation. Understanding this pathway is a major focus of our ongoing R&D. 

• Understanding Diet Interactions: As Galaxis Frontier is adopted across more regions and feeding systems, we’re actively studying how diet modulates response, including interactions with starch level, fiber digestibility, fats, and sugars. These insights will help us deliver more tailored recommendations for different nutritional strategies. 
  

• Advancing Methane & Sustainability Goals: Methane intensity per kg ECM is reduced by up to 15% with Galaxis Frontier. We’re now working to further reduce emissions by pairing Galaxis Frontier with feed-based methane inhibitors, with the goal of delivering additive or synergistic effects on enteric methane reduction. 

Conclusion

The past decade has not been easy but has been very rewarding. We’ve made mistakes, but that comes with the territory when you’re starting a business that’s attempting to pioneer a new space. We’ve learned a ton along the way. When we began, the rumen was a black box – a massive ecosystem of microbes that was poorly understood. We set a goal to develop a product that would significantly improve cow efficiency and productivity, and we now know that optimizing the microbial composition of the rumen improves performance and health, allowing cows to stay in the herd longer and make dairymen more profit. Our curiosity will never be satiated. We will continue to innovate to improve animal health, performance, and sustainability.