VitaFerm® Sure Start Gel launches this month. This neonatal gel supports calves’ immune function and overall health during the critical post-birth period.
Sure Start Gel contains AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, a prebiotic research proven to support digestibility by stimulating beneficial microbes. It delivers IgY antibodies derived from Salmonella, E. coli, bovine rotavirus, bovine coronavirus, and Clostridium. It also includes MOS for broad support of the immune system.
HYDRABOOST RTU DISCONTINUED
Due to decreased demand, HydraBoost RTU has been discontinued. HydraBoost Concentrate will still be available via special order.
To comply with all state and federal regulations, all VitaFerm labels that contain CTC or medication have been updated from Feeding Directions to include “Mixing and Feeding Directions.” These new labels will be implemented as soon as new products are produced. We also added a caution statement to the Gain Smart® Balancer RU1600.
Under our commitment to continuous improvement, we recently considered flavor enhancements to the Vitalize Equine Protein Pellet, Vitalize Equine High Performance, Vitalize Equine Digest More Plus and Vitalize Equine Vitamin and Mineral Supplement. After thorough palatability testing of each formula, enhancements were implemented for the above products. You may notice an increased flavor profile in these products beginning in January.
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM UPDATE IN 2025
In December, we ceased using Promoboxx as our social media platform provider. Our team has been working diligently and will roll out our own Social Media Toolbox in the Dealer Center this month, providing you the collateral you need to share social media posts that align with BioZyme’s national campaigns. Watch the Dealer Center and the BioZyme Dealers Facebook Group for more information and updates.
LABEL UPDATES MADE IN VITAFERM® LINE
To comply with all state and federal regulations, all VitaFerm labels that contain CTC or medication have been updated from Feeding Directions to include “Mixing and Feeding Directions.” These new labels will be implemented as soon as new products are produced. We also added a caution statement to the Gain Smart® Balancer RU1600.
VITAFERM® HEAT® TRANSITIONS TO TECHNOLOGY
To streamline the VitaFerm brands, we will shift HEAT into a technology and away from its own product line. This will make it more efficient for dealers to market the Good, Better, Best model with three primary lines: VitaFerm ONE, VitaFerm Concept•Aid® and VitaFerm ReproMaxx™.
Don’t worry! Products with the HEAT technology will still be in our lineup. Much like we did with Vita Charge in early 2024, we are simply moving HEAT to a technology. For example, VitaFerm HEAT customers can make an easy transition to VitaFerm ONE HEAT. We will also be adding some new products with HEAT technology to our offering during Q1 of 2025. Watch for more dealer communications as we make these transitions.
IT’S TIME TO REDEEM DEALER REWARD POINTS
Now is the time to redeem your Dealer Reward Points. You can redeem those in the Online Dealer Center for caps, shirts, jackets, gloves and more! These items make great employee or customer appreciation gifts, just in time for the holidays. All Dealer Reward Points for 2024 must be redeemed by January 31, 2025.
To streamline the VitaFerm brands, we will shift HEAT into a technology and away from its own product line. This will make it more efficient for dealers to market the Good, Better, Best model with three primary lines: VitaFerm ONE, VitaFerm Concept•Aid® and VitaFerm ReproMaxx™.
Don’t worry! Products with the HEAT technology will still be in our lineup. Much like we did with Vita Charge in early 2024, we are simply moving HEAT to a technology. For example, VitaFerm HEAT customers can make an easy transition to VitaFerm ONE HEAT. We will also be adding some new products with HEAT technology to our offering during Q1 of 2025. Watch for more dealer communications as we make these transitions.
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM UPDATE IN 2025
On December 4, 2024, we will start the transition from Promoboxx to our own Social Media Toolbox in the Dealer Center. You will no longer have access to BioZyme-branded social media content or have access to login to Promoboxx after that date.
Watch the Dealer Center and the BioZyme Dealers Facebook Group for more information and updates for the new BioZyme Social Media Toolbox to launch January 2025.
DON’T FORGET TO SUBMIT YOUR ACTION AWARD POINTS
Now is the time to submit your 2024 Action Award Points. Any actions taken this year can be turned in to receive redeemable awards points. Submit your actionable items to earn those points by December 31, 2024 to Jen Miller. Points can be earned for hosting trainings and meetings, making displays and more.
You can redeem your points in the Online Dealer Center for caps, shirts, jackets, gloves and several more items! These items make great employee or customer appreciation gifts, just in time for the holidays. All Dealer Reward Points for 2024 must be redeemed by January 31, 2025.
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS
The BioZyme plant and its offices will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 24-25 in observance of Christmas, and on Wednesday, January 1. We wish you and your family a safe and healthy holiday! Watch the BioZyme Dealers Facebook Group for any updates on shipping or picking up due to holidays or adverse weather.
TINA GRAHAM RELIES ON PAST EXPERIENCES TO GROW BUSINESS
“My goal was to grow my business 10%. Right now, I’m about three times that amount from where I started with just my barn for storage. That’s with no storefront,” said Tina Graham, BioZyme® dealer from Rozet, Wyoming.
Tina was named the first-ever Rookie Dealer of the Year at this year’s BioZyme Dealer Retreat. She was also one of the elite recipients of the inaugural Live It, Love It, Lead It awards. These 13 dealers exemplified leadership and passion within their businesses by making gains in four key focus areas – action, engagement, growth and sales.
Getting Started
Tina has an extensive background in ranching and horsemanship. About five years ago, during yet another drought in eastern Wyoming, she sought a cattle mineral to help with the heat. That’s when she discovered the VitaFerm® HEAT® mineral.
A former schoolmate of hers, Cheri Irvin, was her “closest” dealer – a mere 80 miles away. Although she was discouraged from becoming a dealer herself due to the proximity of her ranch to Cheri and the big country in between, Tina loved the products. Toward the end of 2022, Cheri no longer wanted to sell supplements, and she offered Tina the chance to take over her dealership.
Today, Tina covers about a 100-mile radius in northeast Wyoming into the southern portion of Montana to get her customers the BioZyme products they love. She sells primarily VitaFerm and Vitalize®, with some DuraFerm® and Sure Champ® added to the mix. One customer shared this on Tina’s Facebook page, tagging both Tina and VitaFerm: “Making a change to our mineral program looks to be a good thing. Our mommas are keeping up with milk production letting calves respectively grow and gain where they should be or more, and the coats on the whole herd look like black silk! I’m looking forward to seeing how our breed ups go this fall! Tina has went over the top keeping us supplied with mineral and the right kind of mineral for every changing season, wavering grazing grasses and weather conditions.”
Tina uses her ranching and equine experiences to suggest a mineral program to her customers. She contacts them as the seasons and production cycles change to make sure they have what they need readily accessible.
“I help them transition to the next season, and they seem to appreciate getting those text messages. We have mineral available at several price levels so we can fit in at all budget levels,” Tina said.
Jenette Masarie, ASM for Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, describes Tina as hardworking and determined.
“She wants the best for all of her customers and knows truly how our program can positively impact your operation, as she uses a variety of products on her family ranch. I’m excited to see her future growth,” Jenette said.
Tina is the primary salesperson, marketer and bookkeeper of the BioZyme business. However, she appreciates everyone in her family for their support. Her son helps unload orders. Her dad offers to make deliveries, and her daughter assists with social marketing.
“I’m very blessed with a family who supports what I do.”
Selling the cattle and horse products came easy for Tina, who uses Promoboxx and makes her own posts on Facebook using pictures she takes when making deliveries or putting out products. She said social media is one way to keep her overhead costs down and has a large reach amongst her customer base.
Final Advice
She might be a new BioZyme dealer, but Tina has embraced care that comes full circle.
“Keep it simple. Listen to your customers’ needs,” she advises others.
We like that advice, Tina, and we appreciate your efforts to share the care that comes full circle!
BioZyme®’s Stockyards location has earned the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and Feedstuffs 2024 Feed Facility of the Year honor. This prestigious award is presented annually to a feed facility that demonstrates an outstanding commitment to quality, safety, productivity, regulatory compliance, employee development and customer relations. Additionally, BioZyme received the highest productivity and efficiency score.
“I am very proud of our team’s shift to a data-minded, continuously improving production facility. We make continuous improvement for our customers a priority every single day,” said BioZyme president and CEO Lisa Norton.
This has been more than a decade-long goal of Norton, who said AFIA positioned the program as a recognition as well as a benchmarking opportunity to enhance continuous improvement.
“We put in a lot of effort through the pandemic and over the last several years to change our culture and data use to be considered,” she said.
One of the items that Norton is most proud of is that the entire production team is PCQI (preventative control qualified individual) certified. Although the requirements are that one team member receives this certification, the BioZyme leadership ensured everyone on the production team received certification. The team certification helps ensure the production of safe, accurate product that moves through the plant daily.
BioZyme, an animal nutrition and fermentation company, has been driving innovation since 1951. Founded by Larry Ehlert, BioZyme began as Ehlert’s Guaranteed Feeds with just a $2,500 loan and a small feed store in the St. Joseph Stockyards. Today, BioZyme’s product line includes high-quality vitamin, mineral and protein supplements enhanced with AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, a prebiotic. The Stockyards plant produces 31,000 tons of supplements annually.
“We were extremely impressed with the BioZyme Stockyards facility, as it is evident that the company and its staff exemplify the core values of the Feed Facility of the Year program,” said Gary Huddleston, AFIA’s director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs. “The plant is a shining example of manufacturing excellence in the animal food industry.”
The lengthy application of nearly 180 questions gave employees the opportunity to increase their already high standards in areas such as occupational and safety hazards, sustainability, and utility usage, according to Jill Vanover, Vice President of Quality and Regulatory. She recalls a previous FAMI-QS auditor commenting on BioZyme’s commitment to quality from the top down and noted it as the best he had ever seen.
“This award is possible because of the tremendous pride that all our employees demonstrate throughout the company. They have a love for animals, a belief in the products and understand the importance in the roles they are playing to make safe, accurate products,” Vanover said.
The AFIA has been recognizing excellent feed manufacturing facilities through the Feed Facility of the Year program since 1985. While the program has undergone some changes to how the award is given, a key reason for participation is that facilities receive comprehensive benchmarking reports following their entry that provide valuable insights into how their facility compares to others so that they may work on continuous improvement.
BioZyme hosted a special event with employees, customers and special guests on October 31 to celebrate the achievement.
As the year is coming to an end, now is a great time to redeem your Dealer Reward Points. You can redeem those in the Online Dealer Center for caps, shirts, jackets, gloves and more! These items make great employee or customer appreciation gifts, just in time for the holidays.
Don’t forget to submit your actionable items to earn those Dealer Reward Points by December 31, 2024, to Jen Miller. You can earn points for hosting trainings and meetings, making displays and more.
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM UPDATE IN 2025
Beginning December 4, 2024, we will be ending our subscription with Promoboxx, the digital marketing platform that we have utilized for the past few years. Please note: You will not be able to access BioZyme branded social media content after that date.
At the start of the new year, we will have the same top-notch social media content available for you to access through your Online Dealer Center account through our own Social Media Toolbox. Watch the Dealer Center, e-mail and the BioZyme Dealers Facebook group for more communication with this transition.
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS
The BioZyme plant and its offices will be closed on Thursday & Friday, November 28-29 in observance of Thanksgiving. We are thankful for you and your business during the year! Watch the BioZyme Dealers Facebook Group for any updates on shipping or picking due to holidays or adverse weather.
BioZyme®, makers of animal health and nutrition products, have partnered with the historic Four Sixes Ranch™ to create research-proven and ranch-tested beef cattle nutritional supplements under the VitaFerm® brand. The Four Sixes x VitaFerm collaboration is a legendary one that brings to market supplements that are powered by VitaFerm’s 75 years of cattle nutrition research and rigorously tested by the Four Sixes Ranch. The products combine the best of both brands’ expertise to provide comprehensive nutritional solutions designed to enhance the health and productivity of resilient commercial cattle herds.
As its flagship product, the collaboration has first launched a Legendary Nutrition Protein Tub that features:
Industry-leading organic copper and zinc that deliver real-world results
20% natural protein to help overcome deficiencies in the diet
“The collaboration makes perfect sense for cattle producers across the country and for the two companies, who have been doing business together for a long time. We are so pleased to partner with the Sixes on the Legendary Nutrition line,” said John Tucker, BioZyme Large Beef Accounts Manager. “With industry-leading organic trace minerals, 20% protein, and Amaferm, the tub is a great and convenient option for operations of all sizes.”
“I wanted BioZyme to develop a product that works in the real world, not just on an improved small pasture. It has to work in a big pasture. It has got to work in big country. There are still a lot of places in the United States that have ranches that you can’t drive to every corner. You have to have something that works for that,” said Joe Leathers, General Manager at the Four Sixes.
Ranch-Tested
The Four Sixes have relied on VitaFerm vitamin and mineral supplements for decades on their cattle operation. When fully stocked, they run between 6,000 to 7,000 cows. On big country, relying on grass, the mineral tubs make perfect sense.
“We fed cubes for years and years, and I liked that because we could see the cattle well. But cubes cause the cattle to bunch up, and they don’t utilize the country well. By using the tubs, we are able to keep our cows scattered out and use a lot more of the country through the winter than they normally do,” Leathers said. He added that the cows appear healthier and perform better on VitaFerm.
Forage utilization is vital to the ranch, which depends on the grasses to feed all 7,000 cows. Amaferm, the key ingredient in every VitaFerm product, helps cattle get the most out of it. Amaferm is a prebiotic research-proven to enhance digestibility and increase the energy available to the animal.
“We’re grass farmers with a cow problem… This tub is another tool in our toolbox to give us the ability to take care of our country. To scatter our cows so we don’t overgraze any one area of our country, so we don’t beat it out, so invasive species don’t come in, all the while maintaining the health and nutritional needs of our cattle,” Leathers said.
Research-Proven
At BioZyme, research is a core value. It’s been this way for more than seven decades. Why? Because of our motto: care that comes full circle. We believe that every animal that we take care of ultimately takes care of us in return. Doing what’s right for our animals, our land, and our producers, comes back around in the end.
Developed using the latest research in animal nutrition, the Four Sixes x VitaFerm Legendary Nutrition product line provides quality nutrition to deliver real-world results. The flagship protein tub combines essential vitamins, minerals, and organic trace minerals that are crucial for the overall health, growth, and reproductive performance of cattle.
The new Four Sixes™ x VitaFerm® Legendary Protein Tub is being introduced this month. Powered by BioZyme’s 75 years of nutrition research, and rigorously tested by the historic Four Sixes Ranch, this exciting collaboration will allow producers everywhere to feed the same quality protein tub that we’ve been making for the Four Sixes.
MASTER DEALER 5 AVAILABLE IN OCTOBER
Knowledge is power. We are excited to announce Master Dealer 5 is now available. Four new learning modules will be available for dealers to strengthen their knowledge. Content areas include:
• Good, Better, Best Model • Research Behind Organic Trace Minerals • BioZyme’s Commitment to Quality • What Customers Expect from You
Log into the Online Dealer Center, beginning October 1 to complete Master Dealer 5. Earn Action Points, strengthen your knowledge and watch your business grow!
VITAFERM® 30-13% PROTEIN TUB MOVES TO CONSERVE LINE
The VitaFerm Conserve® 30-13% Protein Tub has officially moved to the Conserve line. Formerly, a stand-alone product, the 30-13% protein tub is now part of the Conserve line.
The BioZyme Team wants your next producer meeting to be a success. Follow this guide as you plan your next meeting this fall or winter.
1. Set a Date
Setting a date can be the biggest challenge, as you want to work around your customers’ schedules of calving, harvest, pulling cattle off of government managed ground and other tasks. Work with your Area Sales Manager and set a date at least 60 days out that works best for your schedule.
2. Submit a Marketing Request
At least 60 days before your producer meeting, submit a Marketing Request through the Online Dealer Center to let your ASM and the Marketing Team know that you are planning a Producer Meeting, along with all the pertinent information. The Marketing Team will send invitations on your behalf, provide you with literature and arrange one of the BioZyme experts to speak at your event, if you so choose.
“Use the BioZyme Marketing Team. They are a talented, creative group, so let them help you,” said Keith Micke, K Triangle Feed. Micke hosts at least one successful meeting annually.
3. Update your Customer List
Once you have your Marketing Request submitted, you will want to get an updated customer mailing list submitted to the Marketing Team. Make sure this includes customers and potential customers that you want to invite to your meeting.
Make sure your list is relevant; if you have customers out of state, no need to invite them. If you are focusing on cow-calf nutrition, should you invite customers who only buy dog supplements?
Make Local Arrangements
Decide on what you need locally for your meeting. Are you providing a meal or heavy appetizers? Secure the caterer or work with a local church group or producer’s group to do the cooking. Make sure you have adequate tables, chairs, plates and utensils. If you are having a speaker, you will need a screen and an LCD projector.
5. Follow Up with Phone Calls
Micke advises following up the printed invitation with a friendly phone call. Although the postcard invitation is professional and looks nice, so many of his customers get lots of mail. He said the phone call is a nice reminder for people who might otherwise forget about the meeting.
6. Host the Producer Meeting
On the day or evening of the meeting, make sure you have everything you need. Micke said the best piece of literature he offers attendees is the Product Guide.
“I used to flood them with too much literature. Now we just go through the Product Guide to let them know we have products for every animal and even humans. I will usually sell Baxyl at every meeting,” Micke said. “The other piece of literature that is important is the Amaferm booklet. It all starts with Amaferm, and they need to see how it works.”
He adds that his customers really appreciate seeing someone from BioZyme like Chris Cassady or John Jeffrey at the meeting, as they do a great job explaining and showing care that comes full circle.
7. Close the Sale
At the end of the meeting, follow up with the attendees to gather any orders, especially if you are offering a one-time discount. Follow up with potential customers who you might have met at the meeting within a few days to answer any questions.
The ASM will collect contact cards. A thank you email will be sent on yours and the ASMs behalf. Producer meetings are a great way for outreach, marketing and sales. Reach out to your ASM or the Marketing Team if you have questions on how to make your next producer meeting a success!
“Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.”
This quote from entrepreneur Walt Disney aligns perfectly with the values of BioZyme®. With a mission to show care that comes full circle to all animals and caretakers of those animals, our team is continually focused on making positive changes for the future.
One of BioZyme’s more recent changes and improvements comes from forming a key partnership with Zinpro®, a world leader in trace minerals. We are excited to kick off this partnership that allows us to introduce a new organic trace mineral (OTM) technology.
“Absorption is key. Present research shows that using an amino acid complex opens multiple doors for absorption and increases mineral retention rate, providing for maximum utilization. Zinpro Performance Minerals also utilize amino acid transporters for uptake into the bloodstream,” said Chris Cassady, Ph.D., BioZyme Director of Beef Technical Sales.
Zinpro amino acid complexes have four primary benefits outlined here:
1. Soluble
Soluble simply means being capable of being dissolved in a liquid. Since we know that the animal’s body is primarily made of water, if a mineral is not soluble, it won’t be available.
Mineral absorption is water based, and all Zinpro Performance Minerals have high solubility to improve efficacy and absorption into the enterocyte (small intestinal cell).
2. Stable
The stability of the organic trace mineral is primarily based on the bond between the mineral (metal) and the amino acid it is “complexed” to.
Varying bond strengths and pH changes throughout the GI tract cause a lot of OTMs to break apart and become less usable. The rumen is 6.7-7.0, the abomasum is around 2, the duodenum starts to increase back to 5, so it has to be strong enough to make it through this gauntlet of pHs. All Zinpro Performance Minerals are bound to an amino acid ligand with a stability constant between 2-7.4 pH.
Stability requires a balance, tight enough to stay together, but not so tight that it can’t let go when needed.
Cassady compares stability to a dating relationship.
“Stability is a really good girlfriend. If you find this person, you should marry them.”
“A crazy (too strong bond) clings, clings, clings to you and never lets go when you need it to,” he explains. “Alternatively, the weak girlfriend kind of holds your hand, but lets go and leaves you hanging when younger, more attractive guys show up to the party (antagonists in the rumen),” he said.
3. Absorbable
For an OTM to be absorbable, it is able to easily enter the bloodstream. Obviously, for trace minerals to be used by the animal, they must be absorbed and distributed through the bloodstream to organs, tissues and enzyme systems.
Zinpro Performance Minerals are manufactured to create a molecule that the animal can absorb and put to good use. Inorganics and some other organics are inadequately absorbed or not absorbed at all. If they aren’t absorbed, they aren’t used, and are excreted into the environment.
Zinpro has the data and science to prove that their amino acid complexes are absorbed through the amino acid transporters. So, the receptor on the enterocyte essentially recognizes the specific amino acid it is targeting and “pulls it in”. The Availa Zn, Mn and Cu we are now using have these minerals complexed to multiple amino acids instead of just
one glycine molecule like we had in the past. This increases the affinity and “opens more doors” for the complex minerals to be absorbed compared to the technology we used in the past.
4. Metabolically Available
Metabolically available amino acids are in the body, available for immediate use and help animals reach their full genetic potential more efficiently and effectively. Zinpro Performance Minerals are research-proven to provide greater efficiency to reach target organs, tissue, and enzyme systems. These OTMs give us the opportunity to consistently increase the amount of minerals that are available and usable in the animal.
As you can see, the primary benefits of the Zinpro Availa organic trace minerals are increased health, performance and absorption for the animals. The producers should see more efficiency, a reduced cost and more gain.
At BioZyme, we know that continuously improving is important to the animals, the customers and you, the dealers. If our products don’t get better, we don’t get better. We hope that you and your customers appreciate these enhanced OTMs the progress we are making to improve our products every day.
