Month: December 2022

Dealer Spotlight: Darlington Feed, LLC

Show us a dealer with ambition, a wide network of diverse producers and a willingness to use the tools provided, and we’ll show you Darlington Feed, LLC. Matt Weigel at Darlington, Wisconsin, has been a BioZyme dealer for nine years, and says the best thing about the BioZyme products is that they always do what they say they will.

“I’m not selling them anything. I feel like I am helping my customers,” he said. “Whenever I am talking to anyone – in the store or somewhere else, I ask them ‘how are things at the ranch?’. They will always tell you what is wrong, then you know what to offer them to help them. It’s a simple conversation starter to help them.”

Weigel and his staff are helping a diverse group of producers. He said his team does a great job and is always confident selling the BioZyme products, knowing the products will do what they are needed to do.

One of his most popular products is VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S; however, the Vita Charge® Clench Gel is also increasing in demand with the dairies in his area. Dairy producers like to keep 2-3 cases of Clench Gel on hand when calving.

Another event that has grown for Darlington Feed is Chick Days, and Weigel has seen the benefits of putting Backyard Boost® in his chicks’ water.

Not only does he recognize the diversity and quality of products that he gets from BioZyme, but he also appreciates the presence that the marketing and sales staff offers from the tools they provide from signage and training.

“Everything is there for you to use. You just have to use it,” he said.

In 2022, Weigel was able to build his own store, giving customers a brighter, neater shopping experience. He said the investment shows his customers there is security in his business, and he intends to be able to provide them service for the long haul.

In addition to building his own store front, he has partnered with Eastland Feed, who has the ability to manufacture feed for him and adds Amaferm® to rations when customers request it.

BioZyme is proud to have ambitious, young dealers who use the tools that are offered to them to provide care that comes full circle. Thanks, Darlington Feed, for being a BioZyme dealer!

We Aren’t Competing with Santa!

Due to the holidays, there will be no scheduled freight pickups or shipments from BioZyme today (Thursday, December 22) through Monday, December 26.

We will ship again next Tuesday & Wednesday,

To ensure you receive the freshest product, in the timeliest manner, there is also no shipping or pick-up the following days:

  • Thursday, December 29 to Monday, January 2, 2023

We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

Know your Checkbook: It is more Blessed to Give than to Receive

In our household, the second grader regularly reminds her dad and me that “sharing is caring.” This bold statement can be applied to something small like sharing her apples with me while she eats her popcorn on Sunday night or agreeing to fill a few extra shoeboxes for boys and girls during Operation Christmas Child during the holidays. In other words, she enjoys sharing and knows the importance of it.

As we approach the holiday season, it seems like there are numerous opportunities to give. You can give your time, you can give gifts, you can give blood. You can give as an individual, a family or a business. Giving can be a spontaneous gesture like dropping a donation in the red kettle or it can be planned. Any way you give this season, and throughout the year, remember that it is indeed “more blessed to give than receive.”

Not only will you be blessed as you give, giving is healthy. Studies have shown there are several health benefits to giving. They include lower blood pressure, less anxiety and depression and increased self-esteem. Anytime you can do something good for others and improve your own health, that seems like a win-win.

Giving also makes us happy. Research shows that giving both money and time provides humans an emotional surge because feeling good is a product of doing good. It’s built into our neurochemistry. Giving triggers feel-good chemicals like endorphins, dopamine and oxytocin. And it’s true across cultural and economic lines, too, according to a Harvard Business School study.

Who doesn’t want to reduce their stress levels? It turns out that giving also lowers your stress. When we are overall happier, we are less stressed. Studies also show that volunteering and giving to others can help us with improved self-esteem and can reduce cases of depression.

Giving is contagious. Have you heard of paying it forward? It is a real phenomenon. It feels pretty amazing to be in the fast food or coffee line, and when you get to the window to pay, the clerk announces that the car in front of you has paid for your order. Because of your happiness, and the fact that giving is contagious, you will likely pay for the person behind you. It is a true chain reaction.

Giving builds relationships. If you give your money, time or material gifts, you must have a connection to an individual or an organization that you believe in. That contact is someone you can build a relationship with. You never know where that relationship can lead. It could lead to further relationships, a future employee or customer.

As you can see, the benefits of giving are many. Not only are you helping others, but you are also reaping the rewards, too, in terms of better health, less stress and more happiness. It truly is better to give than receive. There are numerous opportunities to give around the holidays. Give where you can.

Know your Customer: Help your Customer Set Goals for the New Year

As we start thinking about closing out this year and preparing for a new one, there isn’t much time to reflect on the past. We need to start looking ahead to what we want to achieve in 2023, and our customers are not any different. They are likely going to rely on you – their feed and supplement dealer – for some good nutrition advice. You know about their program and understand their challenges.

Once you do understand the overarching goals for their program, it is a good idea to ask them if they have planned out their year to see how they can best make progress. A good method to establishing goals

is to make sure that they are S.M.A.R.T. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. Let’s explore how you can help your customers set goals that match this set of criteria.

SPECIFIC

Help your customers define as many details for their goals as possible. Who is involved? Is there a deadline? Where and when will these goals be achieved? For instance, maybe you have a customer who is planning their first production sale. A very specific goal could be to host a production sale in March to sell 40 yearling bulls and average $4,000.

MEASURABLE

Every goal that is set should have a unit of measurement to indicate success. For example, your customer doesn’t just want to breed a majority of his or her cows. The measurable goal would be to have 95% conception rate.

ATTAINABLE

It is great to dream big; however, goals should be set that can be reached. Remember, Rome was not built in a day, and goals likely won’t be achieved overnight either.

RELEVANT

The goals defined should align with the overall goals of the operation. If the operation wants to raise bulls that produce high-performance calves for the feedlot, the owner or manager probably wants to focus on sires that have desirable growth and carcass traits. A goal to have 100% conception rates isn’t relevant if your customer puts one 2-year-old bull out with 50 cows.

TIME-BOUND

Make sure every goal set has a deadline and work ambitiously to meet those deadlines. Take that one step further and expand your goals to include short-term and long-term goals. Perhaps a short-term goal for the operation is to purchase a new a ram before breeding season (within two months). A long-term goal might be to host an on-farm club lamb sale in the spring (within the next year).

Now is a great time to work with your customers to help them set S.M.A.R.T. goals for their next production year. It’s always good to encourage writing down the goals where they will see them on a regular basis and posting deadlines that they can measure on a calendar that they also see regularly. Make sure their goals include a quality nutrition program. They will thank you, and you can watch your business grow.

#MasterDealerMonday

Congratulations to the following for completing advanced levels of the Master Dealer Program in November:

Master Dealer Chapter 3

  • Boyce Feed & Grain Corp
  • Lazy JB Cattle Works

Master Dealer Chapter 4

  • 5 F Feed
  • Circle Z Farms
  • Foxfire Feed LLC
  • Straightway Farm Services
  • Falling Timber Farm LLC
  • Diamond H Land & Cattle
  • Boyce Feed & Grain
  • Renew Ag Supply
  • Sayre Farmers Cooperative Gin Association
  • All Creatures Mobile Clinic
  • Gillespie Feed & Farm Supply

Company Holiday & Shipping Hours

To allow our families to observe the holidays, our offices are closed the following days:

  • Friday, December 23
  • Monday, December 26
  • Monday, January 2, 2023

To ensure you receive the freshest product, in the timeliest manner, there is no shipping or pick-up the following days:

  • Thursday, December 22 to Monday, December 26
  • Thursday, December 29to Monday, January 2, 2023

Effective Action: Care that Comes Full Circle Comes from the Heart

Have you ever wondered about the phrase “care that comes full circle”? It isn’t just a fancy little catch phrase that BioZyme® throws around. It is the company motto that the company and its employees live by each day. Where does the care come from? It comes from the heart.

One of the things that sets BioZyme apart from other companies is this care that comes full circle. It’s in our people. It’s in our products. It’s in our research. President and CEO Lisa Norton compares it to a boomerang that is properly thrown.

“When you throw a boomerang properly, it will always come back to you. If we make supplements at BioZyme that help animals perform to their fullest, then that care we provide to them will ultimately, come full circle and put food on our plate. Now that is care that comes full circle,” Norton said.

Simply put, caring comes from the heart. This is true if you are talking about making nutrition products for a chicken with a with a rather short lifespan or a newborn child who depends on you for its every need.

Caring about what you do and how you do it always starts with the heart. If you start from the inside out – with the heart – not only will your care shine bright, but that care will boomerang back or “come full circle.”

Our research shows care. With more than 100 published studies, BioZyme never introduces a product until it has been carefully and fully researched. Research starts with a team of scientists and continues to real-life scenarios. Our proprietary fermentation processes are backed by 70 years of research – both in the lab and applied.

Our products show care. It’s no secret that the products that we market and sell do what we say they do. With a research-proven prebiotic like Amaferm® that has been studied and used for more than 70 years, you and your customers can rest assured that the products are carefully manufactured. Amaferm is made one place in the world – St. Joseph, Missouri.

Our people show care. Our people care about the products they make, the way they promote them and the people they work with. They are carefully trained in production best practices and safety manufacturing. They keep safety for themselves, others and the product top of mind.

Not only do our people show care about products and people within the BioZyme family, they extend that care into the greater community. They are active in civic organizations, community projects and helping neighbors. They know that care that comes full circle is a boomerang effect.

From the research, products and people, our care that comes full circle starts in the heart. We know that our dealers have heart too. We hope that you never forget your heart and how to give, and receive, that care.

Two Minutes in December

by Shelia Grobosky, Marketing Brand Manager – Dealers & Public Relations

For some, it is the most wonderful time of the year. The holidays are approaching, and a new year is too. But for others, the holidays are not a happy time to navigate. And the year-end is a reminder of bills that are due and deadlines that must be met. 

Agriculture is hard. There are no two ways around it. However, one of the best things about this industry is its people. If you are having a challenging time right now, remember that you are surrounded by some of the greatest people in the business. Not only are the people in agriculture great, but your BioZyme family is here for you too. 

Mental health and happiness are probably not what you were expecting to read about this month. Cattle numbers are short. Tighter regulations are being put down on truckers, and freight is still a concern. But in the grand scheme of this thing called life, the things that matter most are faith, family and YOU! Let’s talk about you for just a few more paragraphs. 

If you are feeling a little down in the dumps this holiday season or anytime of the year, it is ok to reach out. There is always someone there who wants to help you. And if you don’t think so, just contact me or your ASM. I love listening to people, and sometimes that is just what a person needs – an unbiased person to listen. 

Do something for you. Sometimes we get so busy in our daily lives we forget to live. I know this is true for myself. I was going through the motions, and then one day realized my daughter was growing up in front of my eyes. So, I give my time to her from the time she gets off the bus until bedtime. It might mean putting in a few later nights, but those evenings together are so worth it. 

Take up a hobby. Have you always wanted to learn to play the guitar or decorate cakes? You are never too old to learn a talent that can serve as a creative outlet and help you relieve stress at the same time. 

Take a deep breath. Sometimes those deep breaths are just what I need to help clear my mind and help me put things back into perspective. 

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and celebrate this wonderful time of year!