Category: Business Resources

Making a Premium Product with the Same Amaferm® Advantage

Progress. We define progress “to grow or develop, advance,” and at BioZyme®, we work daily to progress in the products that we offer to the animals that we serve. That’s why you’ll likely notice a change in the feed-through pesticide that we are including in our cattle products. Instead of the traditional Altosid IGR that has been in the BioZyme brands, you will now notice ClariFly® is now included in several of our product names.

ClariFly is now found in the following products: VitaFerm® HEAT® with ClariFly®, VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S with ClariFly®, VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S HEAT® with ClariFly® and VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S CTC 3G with ClariFly®, Products with ClariFly are labeled for limited for sale in specific states.

ClariFly is a four-fly larvicide that prevents house flies, stable flies, face flies and horn flies from developing in and emerging from the manure of treated cattle. ClariFly interrupts the lifecycle of the fly through the active ingredient Diflubenzuron that inhibits the synthesis of chitin, according to Casey White, Director of Product Development at Central Life Sciences.

“Chitin is a major component of the exoskeleton of an insect, and as an insect grows and will molt, it will have to reform their exoskeleton. One component is that they deposit chitin to be able to form that exoskeleton. Without a properly formed exoskeleton, that insect immature or not fully mature, will die,” he explained.

The primary benefit of the ClariFly compared to the Altosid is the fourfly versus the one-fly claim for the two products. Altosid was labeled to protect only against horn flies and their larvae. White said it is not economically feasible to increase the dosage of Altosid to obtain a claim to control the other pest fly species. ClariFly includes added claims against face flies, stable files and house flies.

White explained that different fly species become pests in different management scenarios. Horn flies and face flies are typically bigger nuisances in the pasture because they seek out fresh, undisturbed manure piles to lay and hatch eggs in. Conversely, house and stable flies are peskier in confinement areas like pens, corrals or barns, where manure build up exists and wet organic matter like feed or hay is available to lay eggs in and hatch.

Feeding a supplement with ClariFly is very similar to feeding Altosid, from a timing approach, as you want to prevent the larvae from developing. White suggests the 30/30 approach to feeding the supplements with Clarifly. Start feeding the supplement in the spring 30 days before your last hard freeze before the temperatures warm up to the mid-60s. Continue to feed ClariFly all summer long and 30 days past the first freeze in the fall. Feeding to that end point in the fall will actually help with fly control in the spring of the following year.

Adding ClariFly to the VitaFerm HEAT and VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT makes two of our products even better for producers, eliminating even more stressors. Provide your customers the best vitamin and mineral supplements available this summer. Provide them with the HEAT package and ClariFly to take away their summer stress!

Position Concept•Aid as a Mineral Program Not Just a Product

When it comes to nutrition, you don’t want your customers to cut any corners. Sure, everyone is trying to cut costs and reduce their inputs, but a quality nutrition program is an investment in health, and healthy animals lead to increased conception rates, more pounds of gain and more dollars at sale time.

Maximizing nutrition within the herd will maximize your customers’ bottom line. That is why it is important for you to market VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® as a program, not just a breeding time mineral.

You already know the benefits that Concept•Aid offers in addition to Amaferm®, which impacts intakes, feed digestibility and nutrient absorption for optimum health and performance:

  • 2.5X NRC for quicker impact
  • High levels of Vitamin E for reproductive tract repair
  • Organic trace minerals for more stability and higher bioavailability.

With nutritional advantages like those and a variety of formulas to meet a multitude of management styles and feed resources, it only makes sense to encourage VitaFerm Concept•Aid be part of a year-round mineral program.

Enter VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT® and VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT® with ClariFly®. Now, cattle producers can get the same high-quality mineral package they have come to know and expect during breeding season during the heat of the summer. There is no more trying to “guess” when they should switch from Concept•Aid to HEAT, especially for those breeding for spring calving herds.

“I was so excited when they came out with VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S HEAT® because for us in the upper Midwest, you wanted to feed Concept•Aid and get your cows bred back up, so you couldn’t feed the HEAT mineral. It was like tugging strings, which one was going to be better for you? So, by being able to have the two in one, it really helped us out up here because we breed our cows in the heat in the summer. It is a very beneficial product. Concept•Aid 5/S is our staple mineral. I was pretty excited about the 5/S with the HEAT. We spent most of the summer months on the 5/S HEAT. You’re still going to have some flies, but it does reduce them drastically. It helps keep the cows spread out more and grazing more,” said Justin Maus, Maus Angus Ranch, North Dakota.

As Maus said, the primary advantages of the VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT and the new product with ClariFly is that producers will be confident that they are getting the best vitamins and minerals for their herds as a critical production time and still benefitting from the HEAT package. The new VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT with ClariFly should keep even more flies away from the cattle, with a four-fly claim, and keep those cattle more comfortable than ever before.

Take your marketing mindset from a product to a program. With the variety of Concept•Aid formulas including those with HEAT, your producers will be glad that they don’t have to make choices anymore when it comes to a summer grazing mineral. Sell them the mineral that helps get their cows bred, keeps them bred and keeps them cool while out in the summer heat. Then, watch your business grow.

Letters From Lisa – April 2021

Don’t let Summer Stress You or Your Business

Just because some beef producers think that green grass means less need for supplementation (this is totally not true), doesn’t mean your business needs to slow down in the summer. Here are some ideas to make the summer work for you instead of against you.

Find other ways to bring in revenue
Your sales don’t have to grind to a complete halt during the off-season. Diversify your business offerings and see if you can sell related or complementary products and services. Determine the other needs of your customers and find ways to fulfill them even when your main business isn’t in season. May I note that most horse owners love to supplement their “pet” all year long, so please consider the Vitalize® brand. We’ve been through this diversification drill in these letters before; note, I won’t give up on helping us all remember to do this.

Build your community
Social media gives you tons of opportunities to connect with people all year, so keep your blog and social accounts active. Keep publishing blog posts and posting updates on all of the channels your customers follow. Use your downtime to come up with great content that can educate your customers. Doing so helps you build authority, strengthens your community and ensures that people will remember you when it comes time to do business again in the fall.

Reach out to the media
Publications usually plan their articles months in advance, so if you want to land a magazine feature just in time for the peak season, you’ll have to reach out NOW.

Attend networking and educational events
Use the slow months to broaden your knowledge and network. Virtual conferences and even local business events can help you gain new partnerships and skills that you can use in your business, so don’t pass up the chance to attend them.

Get feedback
The off-season could be the perfect time to get feedback and reviews from your customers. Consider getting in touch with people who purchased from you and ask them what they thought of your products.

Business may be seasonal, but your commitment to it shouldn’t be. Put these tips into action and find ways to thrive. I find summer to be one of the most inspiring times of year. It’s a great time to allow yourself to create things you might not normally create—or make progress in directions you wouldn’t otherwise prioritize. For me, summer has always been about picking goals that are less directly correlated with professional success, and more about self. It’s my way of maintaining some sort of connection to that child-like feeling of “summer vacation.”

Dealer Spotlight: National Roper Supply and Shawnee Milling

Equine Enthusiasts Share Passion for Products

This month we shine the spotlight on two individuals who represent themselves and their respective dealerships as outstanding ambassadors for the Vitalize® line. Later in March, you will have the opportunity to hear from these men as they share their passion for the Vitalize products, how they position the products to their customers and some of the benefits their customers like too.

James Smith has been involved in agriculture his entire life, starting from a very young age. He grew up in Washington state, Oklahoma and Texas, where he graduated from high school.

Horses have always been a part of his life, and he started roping calves and team roping when he was 15. He learned to shoe horses as a way to pay his rodeo entry fees and to help finance his way through college. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1984 with a bachelor’s in Agriculture. He was a member of the OSU rodeo team and was the team captain his senior year.

After graduation, he began his start in the feed business, working as a salesman in central Oklahoma for ACCO Feeds, selling equine, swine, cow-calf and stocker feed; however, his emphasis was working with dealers and the dairy industry. He started his career with Shawnee Milling in 1994 as territory manager, covering Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle and still sells dairy, cow-calf, stocker and equine nutritional products.

Horses remain a passion for James. His wife Dawn’s parents are heavily involved in the Quarter horse breeding business with Belle Mere Farm in Norman, Oklahoma, standing great stallions like Easy Jet, Bully Bullion, Mr. Eye Opener, Marthas Six Moon and many more. They often breed as many as 1,200 mares a year.

James and Dawn live in Dibble, Oklahoma, where he still sells feed and enjoys team roping. He says he has three of the best horses he has ever ridden. They also own a commercial cow-calf operation, using Angus, SimAngus and Hereford Bulls. Their family includes two grown and married daughters, one granddaughter and one more on the way.

Jason Brooks is the Vice President of Marketing for the National Roper Supply, headquartered in Decatur, Texas. A Texas native, Jason attended Texas Tech University where he received his Master’s of Business Administration and bachelor’s in Finance and Business Economics.

Jason started working at NRS in 2007 as the Head of the NRS Buying Team before moving into his role as VP of Marketing.

Growing up, his family ran a purebred cow-calf operation in Texas where he developed his passion not only for the cattle industry but the equine industry as well. While at Texas Tech, Jason trained saddle horses and team roped; to this day he is currently still a competitive team roper.

Jason and his family reside in Krum, Texas, where they are actively involved in all aspects of the animal agricultural industry. He is a proud stock show dad and thinks there is no better place to raise his family than on the back of a horse and in the showring.

Be sure to tune in, March 18 to learn more about Jason and James, their enthusiasm for the equine industry and how they market and position the Vitalize products to their customers. We are blessed to have industry professionals that use and understand the products that work as dealers in our network, providing care that comes full circle.

Different Brand Name, Same Amaferm® Advantage

We’ve encouraged diversification because it does work.

Amaferm® is the key component that sets our products apart from other nutrition products and is found across all product lines The Amaferm advantage has been proven across all species. Are you trying to increase your conception rates or shorten your calving window? Amaferm in the VitaFerm works. Have a flock of ewes that you want to breed, have them carry those lambs to term and then once the lambs are born, make sure those lambs have more vigor? The Amaferm in the DuraFerm® works. Are you trying to keep high-dollar show animals on feed and water through times of stress? Amaferm in Sure Champ and Vita Charge works. How about giving your high-performance horses a good gut feeling? Amaferm in the Vitalize works!

In addition to the research that Amaferm has been a part of, livestock producers and horse and dog enthusiasts provide countless testimonials to our staff that prove that Amaferm is working – doing what it says it will do, in every animal across species. That’s diversification, and that is why it is important that our customers know that we offer products that fit the need across all animal species, especially if they are already familiar with the Amaferm advantage in one product line.

Vitalize® ambassador and 2019 world-champion tie-down roper Haven Meged, Miles City, Montana, and his family are a perfect example. The Meged family’s relationship with BioZyme ® began when their son, Haven, started using Vitalize and saw results.

Haven gives his horses Vitalize Alimend® twice a day to help ensure they maintain a good gut feeling to help keep them healthy and performing while he’s traveling up and down the road.

“These two-lanes roads are rough. The Vitalize® Alimend® is going to help keep my horses’ guts feeling good because when we are traveling day in and day out, getting in and out of the trailer, that is the hardest part on the horse. When they are in the trailer that is when they get ulcers the worst. I want my horses to stay slick and shiny and feeling their best. That is my number one priority out here; making sure my horses look good and feel good. If they don’t feel good, they aren’t going to perform to their best. It’s all about making them feel good,” he said.

After witnessing Haven’s experience with Vitalize and having known about the VitaFerm® brand for a while, his dad, Bart decided to try the VitaFerm mineral on his cow herd.

Bart has seen great results with his herd, feeding both VitaFerm Concept•Aid® and Conserve™.

“Bart said that he is glad that he had the nudge from his son, as he has heard and known of the quality of Amaferm and VitaFerm as being the best,” said John Tucker, Large Beef Account Specialist.

It is common for the younger generation to get the older generation involved in a new product line. That is often the case with the Sure Champ® line. Once young exhibitors use the Sure Champ or Vita Charge® products on their show livestock, regardless of species, it is easy to open up a conversation with their parents about the product lines that exist. This could be VitaFerm for the cow herd, DuraFerm for the flock or Vitalize for the horses.

Diversification is everywhere! And it is your success story just waiting to be written.

BioZyme Helps Dealers Achieve Success with Marketing Campaigns

Success doesn’t happen overnight. Success is a collaborative effort that takes time, effort, some failures along the way and an army of people working toward a common goal. Our goal is to help you position and market the products that we make so we all succeed.

When it comes to the Vitalize® equine line, we’ve spent time diversifying our efforts, both in the audiences we reach and the methods that we use to reach them. Vitalize is such a unique product because it can be used by such a variety of end-users: hobby riders, professional athletes in the English discipline and in rodeo and by those who use their horses for work like ranchers. We’ve partnered with relevant ambassadors across all disciplines to help promote the benefits of Vitalize and the #goodgutfeeling, regardless of if it is jumping, trying to be a tenth of a second faster around a barrel pattern or even keeping your horses fresh and healthy when on the open range.

During the recent National Finals Rodeo, the BioZyme team branched out to do more than ever before to get the Vitalize name in front of the rodeo audience. For the second year, two Vitalize ambassadors competed in the finals – barrel racer, Emily Miller-Beisel and 2019 world-champion tie-down roper Haven Meged. Much of the Vitalize social media content was focused on these two rodeo athletes.

In addition, a Vitalize television commercial aired every other night during the performance on the two channels that televised the NFR. On the Cowboy Channel and RFD websites and mobile apps during December, Vitalize had three banner ads, a feature story with a special pop up as one of the rotations highlighting our story on the website and mobile app, and a 10-second commercial spot on the Cowboy Channel official NFR Experience page and app.

We ran a sponsored carousel ad on Team Roping Journal social pages during the second week of the NFR. BioZyme participated in the NFR Blitz with National Roper Supply and did some doorbuster giveaways during the two weeks of the NFR, and also conducted numerous in-store displays and promos with dealers.

What does this mean to you?

With every advertisement commercial and story, there is a place for the viewer to click on the website and ultimately “find a dealer.” That is our goal. According to Hayley Keck, Marketing Brand Coordinator, in the month of December 2020, www.vitalizeeq.com had the most visitors in its history. 12,861 unique users in 14,396 total sessions visited the website, when the site typically get 4,000 to 6,000 visitors per month!

In addition to web traffic, social media sites were also busier than normal during December. Between the NFR promotions like “Greatness is in your Horse” and the ambassador stocking stuffer giveaways, social media proved to be another fantastic way to spread the Vitalize message in a timely manner. It also helps when you can show videos of Miller-Beisel and Meged winning rounds at the NFR wearing brand patches.

Once the potential customers find a dealer – you – we know that our marketing has been successful. Will all 12,000 plus reach out to a dealer? No. But some will. Will they reach out at once? No. But they will remember that they visited a website about a good gut feeling next time their horse is colicky or isn’t feeling its best. Will Emily’s and Haven’s rodeo friends ask them about how they keep their horses healthy hauling them all over the country? Yes, they will, and both the cowboy and cowgirl are believers in Vitalize Alimend and Vitalize Recovery Gel.

Success. It comes one day at a time. One collaboration at a time and one marketing strategy at a time.

Opening the Conversation to Diversification

In her letter this month, Lisa challenged every dealer to diversify to ensure their success. Sure, that might sound easy. And guess what? It is going to be easier than you think!

At BioZyme®, we offer a variety of supplement lines to cover a multitude of species from cattle, sheep and goats to swine, poultry and companion animals of horses, dogs and cats. Chances are that a majority of your customers own more than just one of those species. A recent statistic shows that 53% of American households own a dog. That’s more than half of your customers. Have you approached half of your customers about the Vitalize® canine line yet?

Perhaps the easiest way to open the conversation about a new product line to an already existing customer is to talk about something you are both familiar with – Amaferm®. For instance, if you have a cow-calf producer, who is feeding the VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® mineral, they probably understand one of the primary benefits is Amaferm, and how it works in their herd’s diet. But now you find out they also have four or five horses. Wouldn’t it be great to get them on Amaferm too?

“Multiple product lines open up more opportunity that can lead to additional sales. We have to get comfortable with having those conversations even if they aren’t in our wheelhouse. One thing that we are all comfortable with, or should be, is Amaferm and that is really what our products are about. That should be the very first thing that we are talking about when discussing our products. If we understand how Amaferm works, the rest of the conversation will take care of itself. In addition, the Vitalize products are designed to make the dealer more money than some of our other brands,” said Justin O’Flaherty, Area Sales Manager for the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virgina.

Chris Kyle, ASM for Arkansas and Louisiana, agrees that once people are hooked Amaferm in a product like VitaFerm, it should be easier to open the conversation on another line of product that BioZyme offers.

“Ask them if they liked the products on their other animals (cattle, sheep, goat) then they might be interested in what Amaferm could do for their horses also,” Kyle suggests.

O’Flaherty said another way to open up a conversation about the Vitalize line with someone who feeds another product line is to offer a sample, like the Vitalize Equine Recovery Gel. This quick-response, product could be a great conversation starter that leads to a long-term diverse customer who now orders Vitalize in addition to his or her VitaFerm each month, and it offers a great ROI.

Next, ask specific questions about your customer’s horse’s current nutritional needs and what feed they are feeding.

“This can usually open up a dialogue about what each specific horse’s needs are and/or if they feel they are buying hay constantly, the Vitalize® Digest More® Plus pellets can help them cut back a little on that,” O’Flaherty said.

Her last piece of advice was to keep the process simple and relevant.

“Dip your toe into the discipline that is most prevalent where your dealership is located. It doesn’t make sense to try to target dressage riders if you have an arena down the road that has nightly ropings. Just don’t overcomplicate it and don’t be afraid to ask for help,” she encourages.

Kyle agrees that keeping things simple is the best step for product diversification and sales success.

“Our products work, they will see it, and they will be glad that you, the dealer recommended the product. You just need to believe, and you will look like a pro for recommending them,” he said.

Start the conversation. Ask questions. Recommend a new line. Diversify, and watch your business grow.

Letters From Lisa – March 2021

Diversification is important for long-term success

In business, diversification means branching out into other product categories or industries. While this strategy does present some risks, diversification is often viewed as a safety net against downturns in a single industry or a way to grow your business by improving its sales and increasing its clientele.

If successful, diversification has many benefits, which is why it is considered essential for the growth of every business. There are a variety of ways in which you can diversify your products. These ways can include the following methods.

Expansion
An example of expansion could be a company that produces fashionable children’s shoes and diversifies its business to incorporate children’s toys. The two products have nothing in common, but as long as they are both in demand by the same consumer market, the company is sure to earn more sales.

Ancillary Services
To grow a business through diversification, companies often add additional services to existing products. For instance, a car manufacturing company can offer car maintenance and repairs. The concept of goods and services alongside one another can help create steady revenue. In our industry, the service we offer is hay testing to help properly determine the protein level that needs to be supplemented based on where the herd is in the stages of production.

Brand Extension
A brand extension also becomes easier with the help of diversification. Famous brands and established businesses can extend the range of products to gain more customers. Brand expansion is often quite profitable if the same standard and quality of the goods are maintained because brands usually have many loyal customers who will buy every product they introduce into the market. If you sell VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® mineral, then brand extension is easy with the tubs and with Cattleman’s Blend™ or Conserve™ in times of lower nutritional needs.

Addition of a New Line
Some businesses prefer to diversify by adding new lines. These lines may bring in a different type of customer or the same customer for another reason. The Backyard Boost® line fits the bill by bringing in most all of the public. Apparently, when times are tough, people want chickens. Chick sales go up during stock market downturns and in presidential election years.

The Vita Charge® line also fits. Vita Charge addresses specific challenges, and usually during a challenge people are more likely to spend money so having all of the products in this line readily available provides significant diversification.

Many of your customers likely own multiple species. If they have cattle, they probably have horses. If they have horses, they could also have dogs. Have you thought about how you can introduce Vitalize® to these customers? Read further into this issue for more ideas.

Just Do It
Considering the number of ways in which diversification can be used to expand and grow a business, it becomes clear that every booming business must eventually opt for diversification to survive and prosper.

Dealer Spotlight: Weiss Milling

You wouldn’t feed your friends and neighbors something you had never tried before, would you? That was the sentiment that long-time family-owned-and-operated feed mill shared when approached about selling Amaferm® and the BioZyme® product lines several years ago. However, they decided to give Amaferm a try on their own livestock and soon after became BioZyme dealers. That’s been four years ago, and they are pleased with their decision.

“We had been hearing a lot of good things about Amaferm for a long time in the industry and it was presented to us as an option. So, we tried it out for ourselves, and it is one of those products where we actually saw results. A lot of the products we try promise good results, but you don’t actually notice it; that’s one of the things we noticed and liked about Amaferm is that you see results,” said Abby Shoen, who works with her dad, Dean Weiss, and also raises cattle and goats.

Dean and Kathy Weiss purchased the local feed mill in 1987. Today, Dean runs the business with his daughter Abby and son-in-law Jake Shoen. Weiss Milling provides animal feed and nutrition to all species from cattle and goats, sheep, hogs, horses and poultry, with an emphasis on providing high-quality products and high-quality customer service.

“What is important to us is dealing with a very competitive market, and people come to us for the highest quality products and knowledge, and that is what we provide,” Abby said. “What VitaFerm has helped us provide is the highest quality products and the best knowledge as far as the industry and animal health.”

One unique service that Weiss Milling provides its customers is ordering chicks during the spring, a service Dean has offered for 34 years. Abby said she coordinates the customers’ orders in May, so the chicks are delivered to the mill for pick up, but they don’t actually stay there for any length of time. Then, the customers can also purchase any feed and supplies they will need such as feeders or waterers for their chicks, making Weiss Milling a one-stop shop. Since COVID-19, she has seen a significant increase in the demand for chicks.

“Especially after last year there is an increase in interest for people raising their own food as well as having projects for their kids to get involved in. It was extremely hard to order chickens this last summer, especially with the pandemic,” she said.

With the number of backyard poultry producers on the rise, and a larger percentage of them in urban areas, Abby said many of them are focused on providing their chickens optimum health and nutrition, not just a generic product. A product like Backyard Boost®, with the Amaferm advantage should help these new-age protein producers reach their goals.

“This new generation is really looking at what is going into their feed products and how they can care for the health of their animals. They are looking into how to increase production by giving them the healthiest products. They are looking into mineral programs. It’s not so much price anymore; they want the healthiest animal they can get,” Abby said.

That’s good news for BioZyme and its newest line of poultry supplements. And it’s good news for progressive dealers like Weiss Milling who has its customers’ best interest at heart and is always looking for a way to keep their customers’ animals productive and healthy. Thanks for showing that care comes full circle!

Help Us Share the News About Backyard Boost®

A new challenge is always full of emotions: fun, excitement and exhilaration! Sometimes new things can be a little intimidating. But there is safety in numbers. That’s why we are confident as a company and specifically as a sales and marketing team that Backyard Boost is going to be a smashing success with those who raise backyard poultry. Figures in 2019 show that more than 13 million households have taken to raising these feathery friends. That was before COVID-19 had everyone staying home last year and spiked interest in raising in raising backyard poultry.

In an effort to share our products with you and the end-users, we will have three platforms where we can share information: a website, Facebook and Instagram. Initially, we will rely heavily on you, our dealers, to help us generate customer testimonials and feedback from the end-users to add to these sites.

www.backyardboost.co

This website will be the portal for all educational and product information as it becomes available. As with all of our product lines, we want to become a place where our users and dealers can come for premium products and for education. We plan to include education about feeding and nutrition, flock health and stress, coops and housing, egg production and more. In addition, we look forward to posting customer testimonials here once backyard poultry enthusiasts start using the products.

BioZyme uses social media like Facebook and Instagram to keep our dealers and end-users updated regularly with the latest and greatest product information, education and testimonials. These platforms will be where we really need you to speak up and share your end-user results or encourage your customers to do so.

We also use social media to engage with our customers for promotions, contests, to find out what they like, what they would like to see more of in the future. Social media is a great way for us to interact with customers of all levels in all corners (and backyards) of the country.

Every challenge is exciting! And this one is no different. We are excited to launch Backyard Boost this month, and we’re excited to launch three new communication platforms where we can engage with customers. We hope you’ll come along with us on this journey!