Dealer Spotlight: Hale Feeds LLC, South Dakota

Imagine eating lunch with a local celebrity – it’s kind of like Cheers, except nowhere near Boston. Enning, South Dakota. The local establishment is multipurpose. It is a restaurant/bar, convenience store and post office all in one building. It was a Tuesday in September, and local BioZyme® dealer Tee Hale of Hale Feeds was having lunch with his ASM Brett Tostenson and Marketing Brand Manager – Dealers Shelia Grobosky. Tee was more like a local celebrity, where nearly everyone stopped by to pat his back, shake his hand or just exchange a few good words.

Tee is a well-rounded local guy who has a lot going on. This particular day he took time from his schedule to talk to Brett and Shelia about what he likes about BioZyme, the products and how he works to market them.

As an on-farm dealer who is also a cow-calf producer and has a passion for horses, he understands the needs of his customers. And as a friend and neighbor, he wants those customers to succeed. That is one reason carrying the products with Amaferm® is so important to him. One of his friends built him a small shop on his ranch that Tee finished on the inside to carry small pack products like Vitalize® and Vita Charge® along with some horse supplies and gloves.

“We want to make a living doing what we love. That’s the best part about running cows and feeding the products. I can tell them what I’ve seen with my own eyes. You know what to expect,” he said.

In the heart of cattle country, Tee’s number one seller is VitaFerm® Concept•Aid®. However, the Vitalize products are also growing in popularity. He has formulated his own ration of horse feed that includes Vitalize Equine Free Choice mineral mixed with other ingredients like oats and beet pulp, which is popular with his customers.

Even though Tee is well known in his community, he values the marketing assistance that BioZyme provides the dealer network. He keeps current on the Master Dealer Program. His Facebook page is linked to Promoboxx, he engages with the Quarterly Dealer mailers, and he works with his ASM to provide timely promotions to his customers to promote products that will work for their operations.

With an easy-going spirit and a willingness to try new things, it is easy to see why Tee is successful in his BioZyme dealership. Thanks for showing your customers care that comes full circle, Tee!

Know your Checkbook: Adding Value Grows Profits

Who doesn’t love a good deal? There is a reason society is consumed with buy one, get one offers, happy hour at the local burger place and a crowd favorite, Taco Twosday. Adding value to a good or service drives business. Seems simple enough. What can you do to add value to your business?

As a BioZyme® dealer, you already are adding value to your lineup by offering Amaferm® to your customers. But do they really understand the value Amaferm offers? Be sure they know that especially when forage quality is low and grass is scarce, the Amaferm advantage helps stretch their resources the furthest.

Once your customers are seeing the true value of the products and the differences they make, share with them the marketing outlets specifically for Gain Smart® and VitaFerm® fed calves through Superior Livestock. Superior Livestock is an innovator in value-added marketing programs and partnered with BioZyme to offer its first nutrition-based value-added programs nearly six years ago. These programs recognize calves on quality nutrition programs and are recognized by buyers for typically being healthier and higher performing.

Another way to add value is by offering a package of BioZyme products for a specific need. This might include combining Vitalize® Alimend, Equine Gel and the Horse Treats in one kit for equine enthusiasts. Closer to lambing, put together a jug pen nursery kit with Vita Charge®

Neonatal, Vita Charge Gel and Vita Charge Clench, all combined at one price. The cost savings you pass along to the customer might be minimal; however, the convenience of having everything ready to go in one package will show that you care about their time.

Adding value doesn’t have to involve products. You can also add value by sharing your time and expertise. Perhaps partnering with a local veterinarian to talk about bull breeding soundness exams is a good use of your time. This would be a great time to address a captive audience about also feeding VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® to the entire herd.

Working with the local FFA chapter or 4-H group to teach young livestock enthusiasts about show animal care, including nutrition basics, is another way you can add value to your customers and potential customers.

The wonderful thing about adding value is it can be developed in a variety of ways. By adding value, the consumer will feel that you are genuine in your efforts to help them and their animals.  

Adding value will continue to bring your customers back because they feel you care, and when repeat customers return, they are likely to spend more. Continue adding value to what you are doing, and watch your business grow!

Effective Action: How to Plan a Successful Producer Meeting

Keeping your customers and potential customers informed is vital to your company’s success. They like to see that personality shine through, and they want to know how your products can help them succeed. At BioZyme®, we take pride in offering you the tools you need to plan successful producer meetings.  

Schedule the event. 

Once you decide you want to host a producer meeting, contact your Area Sales Manager to coordinate a date that works with both of your schedules, as the ASM will want to be there to engage with your customers and help answer any questions. Once you have determined a date, complete the producer meeting request in the Online Dealer Center to get started with the promotion of your event: go to Marketing > > Marketing Request > Producer Meeting Request. This will start the process of getting your invitations printed and getting your event on our master schedule. 

Invite your guests. 

The BioZyme Marketing Team will help send invitations to your customer list. They do highly recommend submitting the Marketing Request at least four weeks prior to your event to get the invitations printed, mailed and into your potential guests’ hands so they can also get the event on their calendar.  

“Everybody has a busy schedule, but people like to gather, especially with those who have common interests and goals. If we can help you get these invitations out in a timely manner and the potential attendees can get it on their calendars earlier, it should help increase your attendance,” said Shelia Grobosky, Marketing Brand Manager – Dealers & Public Relations. 

Plan your program. 

What kind of budget do you have for this event? Will you serve a meal or have some appetizers and drinks in the late afternoon? Does it make sense to partner with another allied industry partner like a semen company to help share the cost? These are all some questions to consider. You will also want to think about the program. BioZyme has several key staff on its Business Development Team that can address several topics at the producer level, so when you set your date, reach out to one of them if you are interested in having them attend and present information 

Bigger isn’t always best. 

It is acceptable to have several smaller producer meetings, too, especially if you want to target a specific audience or have some potential new customers you want to talk to. What if you have a handful of sheep producers who might be interested in DuraFerm®? You could invite them to a breakfast meeting at the local café and discuss the advantages of the DuraFerm products. They might know you sell a great cattle mineral but have no idea you also carry products for other small ruminants. 

Follow through. 

Finally, if you have people attend your meeting that seem to show the slightest interest in the product, make sure to follow up with them in a timely fashion. Don’t wait for them to go somewhere else to buy their nutritional products. Give them a call or stop by to see them. Producer meetings are great tools to make sales. 

These meetings are great for customer outreach, engagement and product promotion. They are one of many steps toward your success! 

Know your Customer: Help Your Customers Receive Value They Deserve

Just like not all mineral programs are created the same, not all livestock marketing opportunities are equal. However, as it comes time for your customers to sell their cattle, make sure you have provided them with the information they need to make the marketing decisions to garner the most potential profit. 

“If the dealers see themselves as truly invested with their customers and their operations, they will align them with the professionals at Superior Livestock to help them get more money for their calves through one of their programs, especially if they are already feeding Gain Smart® or VitaFerm®,” said John Jeffrey, BioZyme® Beef Business Development Manager. 

Superior Livestock Auction has been a leader in value-added programs since the mid-1990s, and in 2017, BioZyme, became the first-ever nutrition company to partner with Superior on two additional value-added programs. The VitaFerm Raised and Gain Smart Programs were designed to ensure that calves have been on a high-quality nutrition program, an important part of overall health. Calves sold through these Superior programs are either being raised on a cow being fed the VitaFerm mineral, or calves that have been weaned, backgrounded or on grass pasture previously and have been supplemented with Gain Smart. Both minerals contain Amaferm®, a prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply within for maximum performance. 

Jeffrey encourages dealers to work with their customers to connect them with Superior representatives to help them get the most dollars possible. If you are unsure of who your rep is, reach out to your ASM, and he or she can introduce you to the Superior rep in your area. With a variety of programs, the customers could be eligible for more than one. Programs are available for vaccination protocols, natural cattle, GAP, BeefCare and more.  

“Some of those programs do not allow the traditional products that have been used in the past, so keeping Amaferm® in their diets helps keep them healthy while increasing feed efficiency. Since both the Gain Smart and VitaFerm products contain Amaferm, they are on track to a healthier digestive system with the potential to help those cattle on several programs,” Jeffrey said. 

Although cattle marketed through Superior are sold in load lots, Jeffrey said the smaller producer doesn’t need to feel left out. Often, the Superior reps will work with a group of producers in an area who might have 30-50 cows to put together a load. He said mixed lots of steers and heifers can also be put together, if they are similar in weight and kind. In addition to cattle sales, Superior hosts a monthly sheep sale and markets cattle and sheep on its Country Page. They also host horse sales in conjunction with LiveAuctions. 

If your customers are still not convinced they want to sell through a value-added program like Superior offers, many local livestock auctions markets host special feeder calf sales. Encourage your customers to find a special sale date that works for them. As Jeffrey said, most times the auction markets will announce from the block special protocols like health and nutrition that the cattle have been on, and customers become accustomed to buying good cattle with proper health practices from these local sale barns. 

There are multiple ways to help your customers get top dollar when it comes time to help them sell their cattle. The Gain Smart and VitaFerm raised programs are two of the ways to help ensure their calves stay healthy and gain and get your customer the biggest return on their investment. 

#MasterdealerFriday

Congratulations to these outstanding dealers who have completed Chapters 3 & 4 of the Master Dealer Training Program! Way to take your business to the next level! 

Master Dealer Chapter 3:

  • AX Feeds
  • Co Alliance Coop
  • Dynamic Thermographics & Equines
  • Therapeutics, LLC
  • Falling Timber Farm LLC
  • Graham Feed Company
  • Heritage Farm Supply
  • Jared Turnbaugh
  • Norman Bruce
  • Timmons Feed & Farm Supply, Inc
  • TR Livestock Solutions
  • UPCO

Master Dealer Chapter 4:

  • Ag Pro Millersburg
  • Basore Cattle Company
  • Becker Ag
  • Bowman Grain
  • Burgess Farms
  • BWI Companies
  • Cattlelac Farm
  • Central Farm Supply of Kentucky
  • CFC Farm & Home Center
  • CNN Cattle Company
  • Dynamic Thermographics & Equine Therapeutics, LLC
  • Graham Feed Company
  • Hanby Farms
  • Henderson Ranch and Feed
  • Heritage Farm Supply
  • Johnson Grain Inc
  • K Triangle Feed
  • Maryville Vet Clinic, LLC
  • Mid Nebraska Feeds
  • Race Brothers Farm & Home Supply
  • Reynolds Feed & Supply
  • Rockin’ R Show Feeds and Supplies, LLC
  • Saint Jo Farm & Ranch
  • Simme Valley Feed
  • Southern FS
  • Stockmen’s Feed Bunk Inc
  • Stutzman’s Feed & Supply LLC
  • Superior Sales
  • TR Livestock Solutions
  • Travis Ag Supply Wilson Fertilizer & Grain

Two Minutes in October

We’re just wrapping up National 4-H Week (October 2-8), although some celebrate October as 4-H month, the official start of the new 4-H year, much like in the area I live in. I just enrolled my daughter, Lily, for her first year as a Cloverbud. She is excited to be a “real” 4-H member next year where she can join the dog club, take the fishing project and continue showing pigs in the youth and junior shows and not only the open show. 

As I was sharing with Lily why she should want to join 4-H, which seemed like a harder sell than necessary for a 7-year-old, I didn’t dwell on the time in the show ring, the nights before the fair arguing with my mom about the number of cookies to plate for the judge or even about the pages and pages of record books I kept every year. Instead, I focused on the experiences and people that shaped me into the person I am today.  

Chances are a few of you were also involved in 4-H and shared similar experiences. I’d like to reflect on just a few of the memories I shared with Lily that enticed her to join the Alexis All Stars, and I imagine these memories might jar a few of your own. 

  1. Lifetime friendships. Even though I started 4-H in the 80s, two states and over 700 miles away from where I currently live, it was an opportunity to build friendships that I still have. Thanks in part to showing and judging livestock and now working in that industry, I’ve remained in contact with my peers that I competed against and with. My college roommate was even a girl from a neighboring county that I judged against, and she remains one of my closest friends. 
  1. Practical skills and overcoming challenges. I will never forget 1984 – it was the year that Chicken Pox popped out on my face DURING the 4-H public speaking contest, and I was very itchy during that entire four minutes! The Winter Olympics had just happened, and my speech was about the clover and the rings. Did I love giving speeches back then? Not really, but today I am comfortable presenting in front of a crowd and can accept most any obstacle that comes along. 
  1. Goal setting. Thanks to the 4-H program, pushy parents and inspiring leaders, every member of the club had to set goals for each project every year. As a very young person, I would tape or magnet my goals to the refrigerator or bathroom mirror where I could see them daily. Setting goals is something I still do, and I feel it helps me in both my professional and personal life. 

My list is endless. I could continue to discuss decision making, expressing gratitude through writing thank you notes, working with others, keeping records, balancing feed rations, developing a love of photography, getting my first writing gig as the club reporter and more. However, I think in this Two Minutes, you’ve figured out, I’m pretty passionate about 4-H. So are approximately 6 million others who have chosen to join America’s largest youth development organization. I’m excited to officially be a 4-H mom and watch my little progeny gain lifetime experiences and friendships! 

LETTERS FROM LISA – OCTOBER 2022

At our last quarterly national sales meeting each ASM was asked to do a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, threats) analysis on his or her territory. It was very interesting to listen to the recording of each of these presentations. One of the most mentioned threats was copycat products.   

That was a bit bothersome to me, so I did a lot of research and thinking about that, and here is the journey I went on to get more comfortable with what I guess should have made me feel … happy. 

  • Copycats are the norm. 
  • Copycats do not imitate products that aren’t selling. 
  • Copycats are rarely successful in the end. 
  • Copycats are parasitic brands. 
  • If you create great things, people will mimic, steal and copy them. 

Understand that copycats are a fan of what you do, and you should take comfort in the tribute they are paying to you by copying your work. So, relax and say thank you. Accept the compliment (by calling them out publicly) and get back to work! 

You can also ignore the copycats! They don’t add any value to your life so don’t spend your time and energy worrying about them. 

If people are stealing your ideas, content, or approach – that’s okay. What really matters is that people can’t copy your unique experiences. They can’t copy your personality. 

At this point in this copycat journey, I thought I’d ask myself some fair questions:  

What is BioZyme’s personality? 

I would say the traits of BioZyme’s personality are drive, excitement, transparency, competence and faith/belief in the future. 

Within that personality, stay focused on your own growth, customers and the new experiences you are having and forget about rest who are following behind and stealing your moves. Think of it this way, the more copycats you have, the bigger your fan base. 

To fight off the copycats, are we staying focused? 

Focus is tough in business and even more so in these times of unknown costs, insecure timing and not really being able to count on anything. I find staying focused is constantly being challenged with the statement, “since the pandemic ____.” I hate that statement. The impacts of the pandemic are so far out of my control that it just feels like a pathetic excuse.  

Focus is about being able to count on one hand the most critical things you must deliver this year and then doing it, no matter what. We work on this at BioZyme by color coding our 1-page plan in green (must happen), white (would be nice to get it done) and red (ok to let it go). I am going to be honest we are not perfect at staying focused on these priorities, but we work, talk and challenge each other on it in almost every meeting. 

No matter your personality or focus, we humans learn through stories. Stories sell. You can tell your story. Copycats can’t! Which is why you must share stories and open up so widely and so exhaustively since your customers identify with you, your struggles and your success. 

So, Lisa, in this copycat battle, what’s the story? 

For me at this point in the journey of life when I very unexpectedly lost my partner, my favorite friend and my husband I can easily share struggle, but success is also in everything I see almost (just being honest) every day. That success at BioZyme starts in 1951, with a man with so much passion for agriculture that he cold called farm after farm in a motorhome full of VitaFerm steaks which he cooked to prove and share the story of Amaferm. The story continues for over 70 years with a focus on research-driven products that impact the animal exactly as we say. The story takes a turn in 2018 when a crazy woman shows up and convinces the “boss” that big growth is possible. Lots of people work very hard and big growth happens. That growth leads to lots of firsts, including the building of a fermentation plant in 2014 that allows us to invent, make and bring technologies to both animals and humans that will significantly improve their well-being and the future of their food. The story has a theme of staying focused on these opportunities even when the world around us wants to focus on all the negativities. This has never been hard for BioZyme because we believe care that comes full circle never lets you down, may disappoint you now and then, but will never let you down. 

Imitation may be the highest form of flattery, but those copycats don’t have what we have: quite a story, huge amounts of passion and a drive that very few companies can keep up with! What’s your response to your copycats? 

CHANGES COMING IN OCTOBER 2022

MASTER DEALER CHAPTER 4 RELEASED

To continually keep the dealer network educated and provided with the timeliest information available, BioZyme® Inc., strives to provide new content for the Master Dealer Training Program every six months. Chapter 4 provides a focus on product positioning and helping your customers develop a program using the various product lines. It was posted to the Online Dealer Center September 22. Remember, there is no longer a wait time between chapters, so take advantage of this great training tool.

SMALL PACK PRICING CHANGES COMING

Pricing for 2023 on Animal Health (small pack) products will be released in November to give everyone enough time to make necessary adjustments. Please watch for a separate email that will be coming to relay more information about this change that will affect MAP pricing. It is important to stay current on all pricing issues, and email is the quickest, most efficient communication method to reach all dealers.

AWARD-WINNING BACKYARD BOOST® BALLS LAUNCHED

BioZyme launched two new award-winning products in its Backyard Boost® product line in September to continue with its goal to diversify. Chicken owners can now purchase Backyard Boost Busy Balls, a prebiotic treat to help bounce boredom. Furthermore, all bird enthusiasts will have the opportunity to buy a similar product, Backyard Boost Songbird Balls, a tidier alternative to bird feed.
The World Pet Association (WPA) named the Backyard Boost Busy Balls and Songbird Balls the Best New Bird Products during its New Product Showcase at Super Zoo in Las Vegas. Super Zoo is North America’s largest pet industry marketplace with more than 1,000 companies exhibiting and is solely open to retail companies who want to do business.

LUCKY 7 WINNERS STILL COMING FORWARD

Even though summer is officially over, our summer promotion is still taking place. We know that it takes a while for product to go through the distribution channels, but we certainly have enjoyed seeing all the Lucky 7 winners to this point. Be sure to continue to encourage your customers to watch for specially marked bags of products. They might be the next winner! All prizes must be redeemed by Dec. 20, 2022.


Continue to promote the value of Amaferm year-round and care that comes full circle, the reason behind this promotion. Regardless of if your customer finds a token, they and their animals will always be a winner with the Amaferm advantage.
Specially marked bags that could contain a winning token include:

  • VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S HEAT®
  • VitaFerm® HEAT®
  • VitaFerm Conserve® Garlic
  • Gain Smart® Stocker HEAT®
  • VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S with ClariFly®
  • VitaFerm® HEAT® CTC 3G
  • VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S HEAT® with ClariFly®