NEW PRODUCT ALERT: Vita Charge HydraBoost Concentrate

Vita Charge HydraBoost Concentrate is now available in the product center. HydraBoost Concentrate is a unique, nutrient rich liquid supplement for commercial swine and poultry that increases water and feed intake and maintains gut immunity, thereby increasing overall health and rapidly restoring digestive balance.

HydraBoost Concentrate is available by the case (4 – 1 gallon jugs per case).

Feeding Rate: 1 gallon mixed with 4 gallons of water then 1:128 through medicator.

Dealer Spotlight: Taylor Goering

Taylor Goering has Ambitious Goals

Ambitious. Webster defines it as “having a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous; having a desire to achieve a particular goal; aspiring.” These are words that best describe Taylor Goering of McPherson, Kan. The 19-year-old is a sophomore at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. She also manages a boutique three days out of the week, cares for a string of at least half-a-dozen show heifers, helps her parents on their farm and is a BioZyme® dealer.

Taylor has been showing cattle for about 12 years. She shows multiple breeds, and likes to lead anything into the ring, “as long as it’s a good one.” Although, Simmentals are her favorite. She gives her parents Greg and Tammy a lot of credit and appreciation for their support in her show career and her start as a BioZyme dealer.

“My dad always said, ‘I like to get you in the ring as many times as possible.’ Without his support I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Taylor said.

And it was at one of the many junior nationals that the Goering family attends each summer where mom Tammy first learned about Sure Champ®. Tammy was looking through the trade show and came back with Sure Champ information and suggested the family might want to investigate it. The father-daughter duo were busy with cattle. Taylor said her mom went back and bought a bag of Sure Champ, and they have been hooked ever since.

“We noticed a difference in our cattle’s hair coat and appetite right away,” Taylor said. They began their on-farm dealership in 2012.

Taylor has made a personal connection with many of her customers because she is also a cow-calf producer and has traveled the U.S. going to shows and understands what her customers are looking for in a supplement.

“I can relate to a lot of my customers because we are all looking for success in our herds – either the benefits from relieving stress from show calves traveling or increasing fertility/conception rates in their herds. The best part of the products are the results. You can see the results. I really like the personal testimonies because every person has a different product they believe in,” she said.

Although the dealership started as a family affair, Taylor has taken on most of the responsibility since her parents are busy with other endeavors. Much of her customer base has been built from word-of-mouth, and people continue to call and ask about products.

Taylor said the best part of being a young dealer is the satisfaction of succeeding at such a young age and getting a head start on her future. Goerings reached VIP Status in 2015, and Taylor said it is her goal to reach that milestone again in the future. “Dreams don’t work unless you do,” is her motto.

“It’s not scary at all. I love being as young as I am, and having goals set for me within this company. It is rewarding to become a dealer because if you have a question, someone is always there to answer.  You might wonder, will anyone buy from me? But our biggest response to the product has been word-of-mouth. People will drive by our pasture, and see the orange tubs, and want to know where we get those from,” she said.

She added that as a younger person who recently “aged out” of 4-H, it is important to her to give back to the local youth programs. She said she will sponsor awards or shows that help benefit local youth with livestock projects. This is also another great way to share the BioZyme message.

Ultimately, Taylor would like to earn her bachelor’s degree in General Business, expand her dealership to a store front, and achieve the VIP Dealer Status again. Those might seem to be lofty goals to most 19-year-olds. But with the ambition that Taylor has, she knows how to convert goals into accomplishments.

Ways to Support Youth Projects

“The youth is the hope of our future.” – Jose Rizal

More than 6 million youth are involved in 4-H and FFA. And while not all these young people are involved in livestock projects, all of these young people are consumers and do want a safe, nutritious eating experience. That’s why it is important for BioZyme® dealers to support youth projects and events. While the support of the project or event is beneficial to the young people involved, as supporters, we often get to share our story; telling everyone that our products are all-natural and will only continue to help the animals feel good, stay healthy and perform to their upmost potential.

There are many ways to support the youth – or the future – of our industry. Remember, every time we give, we are making an investment.

Show sponsorships.
It is easy to write a check to group or an organization for a show sponsorship. But have you ever considered sponsorship in the form of product? Many shows are looking for “new and exciting” awards or ways to make winning the show seem more appealing. What is more exciting or appealing than winning a bag or bucket of Sure Champ Extreme with Climate Control? Be sure to include your contact information along with a product brochure. Those winners just might be your newest customers.

Educational Workshops.
Giving our time to young people is vital. And in youth projects, there are so many things to learn – feeding, fitting, showing, judging, skin and hair care. As a dealer, you are likely an expert in at least one of these areas or know someone who is. Take the time to host a day or 1/2-day workshop or work with another company to co-host an educational workshop. You don’t have to tackle every subject or every species all at once. And, at the end of the day, have a drawing for a bag or tub of product.

One example of an educational workshop was a roping clinic recently conducted by Vitalize Ambassador Whitney DeSalvo. Each participant received a tube of Vitalize® Equine Recovery Gel and a Vitalize cap. A bag of Vitalize product was rewarded to one of the young participants based on merit. Giving away product might cost you initially, but it might also gain you a lifetime customer, and you will see the ROI mount over time.

Make Stall Cards.
Offer to make stall cards for your customers prior to the county or district fair. Don Bush with Powell Feed & Milling in Arkansas, said Powell makes its own line of show feeds, with the assistance of Dr. Susan Day. Last year, Powell feed provided stall cards to its Powell Show Feed customers to use at the area fairs, to recognize their customers, and help the young people have a more professional and neater looking display at the fair. Bush said the youth appreciated the added gesture, and he anticipates this is a program that Powell’s will continue.

Simply Give Back.
With many stores in many counties, Bush said it was going to be nearly impossible to support each Powell customer. Kirk Powell, the company owner, said he would rather donate back the profit margin from show feeds to all the youth than buy just one kid’s animal. And that is what he did. At the end of the summer, Powell Feeds calculates the profits from its show feed sales and divides it among all the youth who buy feed from their various stores. Then, the kids get a certificate worth a specified amount to use at any of the Powell stores.

“We can buy one animal, spend $3,000 and impact one child, or we can take all the profit from our show feed business and spread it amongst every one of them. And some of those kids who don’t win, it means more to them than the kids who do win,” Bush said.

Remember, youth are the future. They are future leaders, future decision makers and future customers. The decisions you make today to support youth will impact them and your business now and in the future.

Today’s Young People are Future Customers

For years grandpa and dad made all the purchasing decisions around the farm or ranch. They decided which color of tractor to drive, which bulls to breed the cows to and even which minerals to feed. But as the years go by, the next generation of customers – my generation –  is starting to make buying decisions. And as a millennial, I might need you to reach out to me just a little differently than dad and grandpa did.

Being classified as a millennial means I’m in an age group with other 18 to 34-year-olds. That’s a wide age range of potential and future customers, and we make our decisions a little differently than grandpa did. Here are a few pointers on grabbing my attention and converting me from a potential customer to a repeat customer:

Reach out to me early on. As part of the millennial generation, I might already be a customer of yours, especially with show livestock and performance horse product lines such as Sure Champ® and Vitalize®. But just because I’m young, doesn’t mean I’m not interested in other product lines. Keep the lines of communication open, and make sure I know how to reach you when I do need to buy more products for my growing livestock operations. For example, I might be buying Sure Champ for my show animals now, but as I develop my herd or take over my family’s herd, I will want to learn more about the VitaFerm line of products and how they will keep my cattle healthy, performing and help increase profitability.

Show us results. My generation thrives on instant gratification. We like to see results and we like to see them quickly. Share research summaries with us that describe the results we might see with your products. We also like to hear from others who have had great experiences. Providing a sample of a quick-response product like Vita Charge Gel is a good idea, too. These kinds of samples are great door openers to conversations about other products and one of the best investments you can make.

Be innovative and stay connected with us. Our generation has technology at our fingertips. We get news from social platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and if we are going to learn about your products and services, you’re likely going to have to promote them on social media as well. That connectivity is a two-way street. “Word of mouth” is still the most powerful marketing tool, but instead of us setting around the local feed store or coffee shop, we comment and share on social media. We like to share positive comments on our experiences, so look for those as we engage with you on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

Have a conversation with us. Millennials like to be engaged. We don’t want you to give us a sales pitch. We want you to talk to us and include us in the conversation, so we feel like part of the solution. Start the conversation with questions to discover our goals and priorities and give us options.

Be authentic. Because technology is so easily accessible, the ability to find answers to our questions usually is too. We will do our own research and find out in a heartbeat if you have clouded over anything just to make a sale.

Times are changing, but thanks to the foresight and leadership of my dad and grandpa, I’m ready to start making decisions about our operation. Just remember, I make decisions a little bit differently than the generations before me, but keep your conversations real, show me results and work with me, and this potential customer will become your regular customer. Keep connecting with me in innovative ways as technology changes and evolves, and watch your business grow.

Youth Project Opens Doors

For 25 years Don Bush, Powell Feed & Milling, knew Ken Gillig and competed against him in the world of animal nutrition. Gillig, the BioZyme® Key Accounts Manager since 2016, was formerly an ASM, and Bush had been selling Purina through Powell Feed & Milling in various stores in Northern Arkansas.

However, at the 2014 Missouri State Fair, the friendship between Gillig and Bush became even more important when Bush’s daughter’s ram got very sick in the breeding sheep barn. Bush recalls that Gillig told him he had something he wanted him to try.

“Ken brought back a half-dozen Vita Charge® Gel tubes with a note on how to give them to our ram,” Bush said. “I told my daughter, ‘I don’t know what this foo-foo dust is, but it’s better than having a dead ram.’ Two days later he won the open sheep show.”

After that experience with his daughter’s prize-winning sheep projects, Bush knew there was something about the BioZyme products that worked. He helped Gillig get some supplements to producers down around him and told his boss he wanted to introduce the products into the Powell Feed Stores. Skeptical about the price of the products, he agreed. And Powell Feed & Milling has watched its BioZyme product sales grow, all while reaching VIP Dealer status each year.

“I knew it worked for us. I knew it would work for others,” Bush said.

Bush’s situation is a perfect example of why reaching out to young livestock exhibitors and sharing products are effective ways of promoting the products. If Gillig hadn’t shared the Vita Charge products with him, his daughter might have had a dead ram. And furthermore, BioZyme might have one less VIP dealer who has helped the health and performance of many producers in a large part of Northern Arkansas.

Don’t discount the youth exhibitor. They might buy a bag or a bucket of Sure Champ® products. Or maybe a young equestrian uses the Vitalize® products. However, those youth likely have parents who own livestock or a business who could be positively impacted by the BioZyme products as well.

Potential opportunities are everywhere. Ken Gillig seized the opportunity to help a young sheep exhibitor at the Missouri State Fair. But what he ultimately did was help grow business and change the lives of many livestock producers for years into the future.

How to Handle your Show Stock in Summer Heat

Summer heat can be tough on show livestock – or any livestock for that matter. Heat stress causes increased respiration rate, suppressed appetite, fatigue and dehydration, all signs of a lowered immune response. When we think about these traits and the way they impact production, it becomes very evident that the strenuous expectations we put on show livestock to perform at the highest level and look exceptional while doing so clearly becomes a challenge.

We typically think about heat stress in extreme temperatures; however, the reality is that anytime the temperature exceeds 70 degrees livestock are adversely affected. It is imperative to follow best practices and implement some simple, but important steps to ensure fewer setbacks due to heat stress and in turn, experience greater success with our show livestock projects.

Be proactive. Watch the weather and make wise decisions. It is a lot harder to bring down livestock’s body temperature once they are hot than it is to manage it before it rises.

Manage your facility to make sure it is comfortable for your animals. Be sure your animals can get to shade. Whether your facility at home has fans, misters, or even an elaborate cooler, controlling airflow is crucial. Keeping bedding wet down and misting water in the air will also help cool the air that fans push through your facility.

Modify your feeding program to accommodate cooler periods. Just like humans, livestock don’t want to eat when it is extremely hot. Feed earlier in the mornings so they have a chance to eat and be moved into the barn before it gets hot. Also pay attention to the location of their water supply. Smaller troughs provide more water flow and result in cooler water. Make sure lines that serve as water sources are not exposed to sun and heat resulting in the water in the lines to get extremely hot.

Rinse animals with cool water to help drop their core temperature. When rinsing, focus on cooling their underline and head as it will help cool them faster. Don’t just get them wet but allow cool water to run over them a while to help drop their body temperature. In extreme heat, rinse multiple times daily.

Plan ahead. It doesn’t take long for livestock to feel the impact of heat stress when they are removed from the comforts of a temperature-controlled environment. It is essential to think about this prior to leaving for a show. For cattle that have been kept in a cooler it is very important to raise the temperature of the cooler a week to 10 days ahead, every day slowly increasing the thermostat to help them acclimate. Taking them straight from a cooler to a hot show will cause extreme stress which will ruin your opportunity for success.

Use Supplements. Sure Champ® has developed products to help your animals regulate their body temperatures, naturally. Sure Champ Extreme with Climate Control is a daily top-dress supplement that is formulated for cattle, hogs, sheep and goats and designed to help eliminate heat stress in the animals due to increased temperatures, high humidity or extreme shifts in temperatures or climate. In addition to Amaferm®, a natural prebiotic that helps maximize the nutritional value of feed, it contains plant extracts that support the animal’s ability to maintain normal body temperatures. Extreme also contains garlic, a natural insect repellent.

Vita Charge® Climate Control Gel helps all show livestock species handle heat stress by lowering the animal’s body temperature in a safe, fast and natural way. We suggest starting the gel a week to 10 days before a show and keeping livestock on the gel through the show to keep them more relaxed, cool and comfortable, resulting in better appetite and higher energy levels allowing them to look their best on show day.

Strategically plan when you haul to shows. Hauling at night is the most ideal to help reduce the time they will be exposed to the heat of a trailer. Make sure you have adjusted ventilation on trailer to allow for adequate air flow while traveling.

Once you arrive to the show it’s critical to maintain the same schedule of caring for your stock. Continue to feed early and maintain body temperature by keeping animals rinsed regularly and under fans. Heat stress can be a challenge at shows but can be turned into an advantage for those who prepare properly. Stay positive, stay cool and prep to win!

May 2018 – Letters from Lisa

Young = Unproven = Fresh = IMPACT

Not to sound too girly, but for about two weeks I had needed to get my nails done (this new job just doesn’t allow time for such necessities).  Finally, I found a spot I could go and called to get in; no availability.  Seems it is “prom season” in St. Joseph and my offers for large tips for availability purposes got trumped. Thinking of the prom dynamic brought back many memories of the good ol’ days when I was not afraid of looking in the mirror, and my youthfulness allowed me to do many things that are not just glimpses of memories that I watch rotate by on my photo frame.

Why is youth so amazing? In my opinion, the greatest thing about young people is that they are unproven. I have never heard an 18-year-old say, “we already tried that, it didn’t work.” Or “that’s how we have always done things.”  Not having a past is a huge attribute, and one that all of us in business should embrace. Want to get futuristic insight or even today’s insight on anything – ask a young person. One warning: after asking you must listen and make change based on these suggestions. And you cannot say to yourself, that will never work, we have already tried that. I am serious, you must think “unproven.”  Ailee Langdon came to BioZyme as an intern last summer and impressed us so much with her work ethic and fresh ideas that we snatched her right up as a full-time employee so we could keep her freshness on our team.

This unproven characteristic allows young people to bring fresh ideas and fresh perspectives. Youth means a new way of thinking. Millennials (18 to 34) now outnumber boomers (51 to 69). Fast Company research suggests 68% of millennials say creating change is a personal goal, while only 42% of boomers do. There’s that word people hate, change. Young people are change agents. Embrace that. No matter whether they are customers, employees, interns or visiting for the day; we all need to think about how amazing “fresh” corn on the cob is.  Young people are even better. Cody Jensen came to BioZyme after being the President of the National Junior Hereford Association Board.  He had many fresh ideas on how we could better support show cattle and ended up driving the development of Sure Champ® Climate Control – a product that took the show world by storm last summer.

In all these scenarios there was impact. This impact does not come without commitment on the part of the Company. Training must be a part of your modus operandi as well as having processes that allow for the time to discuss, not just do. However, with that little bit of effort and if we embrace the incredible value of our youth, we will see significant IMPACT!  At BioZyme youth is a part of everything we do, not because it is easier (change is not easy) but because we are looking for care that comes full circle as our IMPACT!

Win the future – think youth!