Start Strong: Setting Your Business & Animals Up for Success in 2026
The new year brings a familiar rhythm to farm and ranch suppliers: the quiet of January gives way to the spring rush, when customers flood through your doors seeking calf milk replacer and chick feeders. Between now and then lies a critical window—your chance to set up your business for its strongest year yet.
Starting strong isn’t about working harder; it’s about working smarter.
From the beginning, the first few hours determine everything—colostrum intake, warmth, strength to thrive. Your business operates the same way. The decisions you make in Q1 set the trajectory for your entire year.
Get the Business Basics Right
The most successful dealers start the year getting the basics right.
• Assess last year’s performance.
Identify what worked, what stalled, and where opportunities exist. Use this insight to sharpen your focus rather than simply repeating last year’s playbook.
• Plan your year (and inventory) with intention.
Align inventory, promotions, education, and customer touchpoints so you are proactive instead of reactive.
• Understand key customers and segments.
Know where you can add the most value, whether that’s cow-calf producers, goat operators, show families, or equine owners.
• Know your margins.
Knowing your margin ensures you’re making money on each sale, not just moving product.
Just as a calf that receives proper colostrum and nutrition in its first 60 days will outperform its peers for life, a business that invests time in planning, inventory management, and preparation during the first months of the year will outperform its competition all season long. In both cases, you can’t go back and fix a weak start—but you can commit to making this year different by starting strong right now.
When your business starts strong—with the right products in stock, knowledgeable staff trained and ready, and systems running smoothly—your customers get what they need to start their animals off strong too. A dealer who has VitaFerm® Sure Start Gel on the shelf when a calf is born, or Backyard Boost® Defense ready when chicks arrive, becomes the partner that helps ensure those critical first hours go right, setting both the animals and their owners up for success. Start Strong!