Category: Dealers Like You

Dealer Spotlight: Spring Canyon Feeds

Customer service isn’t just a catch phrase for Spring Canyon Feeds. It is a family value passed from one generation to the next. Kari Schultz, along with her brother and dad, Tyson Mann and Bruce Mann, own Spring Canyon Feeds, serving farmers and ranchers in the community surrounding Kirk, Colo., where she grew up.

“We’re not just selling a product. We strive to provide. It’s in our blood,” Kari said. “Even growing up, if we had something pressing to get done today, and a neighbor called and needed help, my dad would stop what he was doing and put everyone else first.”

That is the kind of service that Kari and Spring Canyon has provided and continues to provide since the dealership started in 2014. Kari is engaged with her customers, understands their livelihoods, and works with the resources available to her through BioZyme® to help her customers thrive.

Kari started feeding the VitaFerm® products in 2014, but with no local dealer former ASM Brad Hill convinced her it would be a good little “side business” to go along with her farming and cow-calf enterprise.

About the same time the Spring Canyon dealership started, Megan Douthit-Downey, Saint Francis, Kan., had heard about VitaFerm products from her veterinarian. Although 50 miles away, Kari was still the closest dealer who offered all the product lines Megan was looking for, but more importantly provided her great services.

“Kari is a rock star,” Megan said. “She comes out and we tell her where our hay piles are and what cuttings they are from. She core samples everything and submits samples to Dr. [Susan] Day, and Dr. Day puts rations together for us. For us, it’s about getting the most bang for our buck. The products are not always the cheapest, and not always the most expensive, but customer service goes a long way.”

As a cattle producer, Kari understand the value of forage sampling and supplementing nutrition when and where needed. She appreciates the services that BioZyme provides its customers, and more of her customers are learning to appreciate those services too.

“We believe whole-heartedly that if you don’t know what you’re feeding your cattle, you don’t know what they need. We need to make sure what they are eating is actually meeting their requirements for them to perform at their highest potential, it is necessary to know what they are lacking and provide them with those nutrients,” Kari said. “BioZyme is great at providing that service to us. I really enjoy Susan’s frankness. She lets us know what we need or what we don’t need in our rations.”

Kari said many of the more seasoned producers in her area, who at one time didn’t think their cattle needed a mineral package, are started to see the value in the products she sells, especially with the Amaferm® advantage. She said they understand that Amaferm helps their cattle put on more pounds through increased intake, digestibility and absorption, and to the producers, more pounds equal more dollars.

“Kari’s product knowledge is incredible,” said Jake Warntjes, ASM who covers Eastern Colorado, Western Kansas and Western Oklahoma. “She studies the nutrition side of things, what Amaferm will do for the animals and knows the research that backs it.”

Jake is also complimentary of her customer service skills, saying Kari is good at getting customers connected to the resources they need, such as himself or Susan for nutrition needs.

In December 2017, Kari had the opportunity to expand those services even further. She, her dad and brother purchased the feed store in their small community, and her “side business” has turned into full-time business and a service for the ranchers of Yuma County, where cows out-number people.

At the store, which is open 6 days a week, Kari sells most everything for livestock, including the BioZyme product lines, tags, sorting sticks, medicine, gloves, boots, rodent and pest control. She also carries some pet foods and small pet items. And she is expanding the services her store provides.

She has worked closely with a veterinarian to get some prescription medicines on-hand so if a rancher needs something, the vet can work through her to get one animal treated. She is also working with a Genex rep and A.I. tech to promote her services in the area. She hopes to eventually add marketing services to her store.

Keeping animals healthy and growing and keeping customers happy and returning are ways that Spring Canyon Feeds stays engaged with their customers.

Dealer Spotlight: YOU!

We know that Amaferm® is the heart of each of product that BioZyme® makes and markets, but it is the extensive network of dealers that is the true heart of our business. Without dealers our products would not be able to get into the hands of so many customers and make such a large impact on the animal nutrition industry.

With nearly 1,000 dealers spread across the country, surely there is a dealer close enough to help a cow-calf producer, an equine enthusiast or even the young person getting started with his or her first junior livestock project. The dealer network is one of our best assets, and without YOUR dedication, drive and direct relationships with so many end-users, we’d be just another supplement company.

As dealers you are the ones who have built strong relationships with our customers. You know their families, their operations, and their needs. We hope you always feel comfortable talking to us about new needs we haven’t thought about or ways to improve our products based on what the customers need and want.

Dealers provide personalized service. Yes, we strive to provide customer service every day. However, we can’t be everywhere at once. With dealers like you to provide service prior to and after the sale, you make a difference, and provide more than just a product. The service might be educating the customer about what is the right supplement to meet his or her goals. You might pull forage samples to have tested, or you might offer local community support through a cattlemen’s organization or the local youth rodeo. Local dealer support is important to you as a dealer and to us as a company, but we can’t do it alone.

Dealers are truly the heart of our business, but they are also the faces of our company. When your local customers think about ordering a pallet of Concept•Aid® or picking up some Sure Champ®, they aren’t thinking about the scientists who initiated fermentation of the Amaferm or the person who loaded that pallet back in Saint Joseph, Mo., they are thinking about you – their trusted BioZyme dealer who they have a relationship with.

It is our goal to make sure our dealers are as much as part of the company as anyone. That is why we are continually looking for ways to provide you services and information to make you more efficient in your businesses. From tools like this newsletter to the Online Dealer Center to your Area Sales Manager and the Master Dealer Training Program, we hope you take advantage of all the resources provided to you.

Dealer Spotlight: Kennel Supply LLC

Like all dealers, Jon Stidham believes in the products he sells, and he has used them first-hand for more years than he’s sold them. However, Stidham, owner at Kennel Supply LLC, is a specialized dealer that carries one product line – Vitalize® Canine Products.

Kennel Supply is a specialty business that started 10 years ago and became a BioZyme® dealer at the same time. The company sells to tracks, kennels, zoos, cat complexes and circuses, and pet owners with a majority of their business consisting of raw meat that they ship across the nation to customers for their animals.

“Ninety percent of my business is selling raw meat into the dog racing world and people who want to feed raw meat to their pets and animals, and of course if you’re going to feed raw meat, you need a product like Vitalize to help break down and absorb the nutrients in the meat,” Stidham said. “Vitalize is an important part of my business so I can upsell when people get on the raw diet.”

Stidham, who is also a dog breeder, explains that there has been a movement in the past few years to move away from processed dog food and start feeding dogs more raw meat.

“People are seeing their pets live longer and happier lives on a raw diet as opposed to cooked, processed dog food that has additives and things that are not natural to their diet,” he said.

Since carnivores eat raw meat in the wild rather than grazing in fields or eating vegetables, more people have grasped the concept. And Kennel Supply has capitalized on the opportunities that exist to supply a product that is in high demand.

As only one of a few raw meat distributors in the country, Kennel Supply gets its meat from a plant in Redgranite, Wis., that primarily harvests older dairy cows that would be undesirable for human consumption. Stidman explains that the meat is still safe for animal consumption and tested regularly by the USDA. The meat is packaged in smaller tubes for smaller operations, or in 30-pound slabs for bigger kennels, accommodating their customers’ various needs.

Stidham told of race tracks that order by the semi-truckload, or about 42,000 pounds, of raw meat every 4-6 weeks, noting why complete nutrition is so important when feeding several thousand dogs per day.

“The gut is important for nutrition absorption and adding the Vitalize optimizes the absorption of nutrients from the meat. The meat promotes muscle development, especially in the puppies and the dogs working at the track. Vitalize is a part of the complete diet for puppies, juveniles and adults. The only time our dogs don’t get it is when puppies are nursing, and their eyes aren’t open yet,” he said.

The product speaks for itself, according to Stidham, and he has never had any product complaints from his customers.

“People know and expect what they are getting with Vitalize. I have a very loyal following of customers who use the product, and large breeders who use the product comprehend the importance of nutrition, so they get the importance of Vitalize as part of the raw diet,” Stidham said.

For more information about Kennel Supply, visit kennelsupplyllc.com.

Dealer Spotlight: Gro-Tex Supply

Relationships Grow this Texas Dealer

Building relationships and knowing how to best help their customers has been the system for success at Gro-Tex Supply in Groesbeck, Texas. The family-owned BioZyme® dealership that includes brothers Ty and Cody deCordova and their cousin Keith Rand, have formed a partnership that has sold 246 tons in their first six months of business.

Ty had seen Alan Lee, Director of National Sales – South, at some Superior Livestock sales in the spring and early summer. Alan tried to convince Ty to become a BioZyme dealer or at least try a few of the products. But, Ty, already busier than he wanted to be, said he did not have time to add one more “job.”

“That’s when my cousin Keith started talking to me about the products and said he was interested in being a dealer,” Ty said. “My brother and I know a lot of people in the cattle business, and Keith does a lot of the leg work, so we make a great partnership.”

The deCordova family also owns and operates the sale barn in Buffalo. Ty is a rep for Superior Livestock Auction, and he said his family helps market a majority of their BioZyme customers’ calves. Never having used the products before mid-2017, Ty said they are now big believers in VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® and HEAT®, and have their cow herd on those products during the appropriate seasons. 

Due to their hectic schedules and size of customers, marketing to those herds that have 500-2500 cows, Gro-Tex relies heavily on customer testimonials and word-of-mouth to help sell the products. They also don’t have to control inventory because they have none on hand. Most of their orders are for truckloads of product going directly to one customer at a time.

“There might come a day when we keep some products around, but for now, this is the more efficient way for us to do business.  Some of our customers are a little way away from us, so having them order a large quantity at a time is good for them and us,” Ty said.

Ty said their biggest seller has been Concept•Aid, and customers have been pleased with the results. One Brahman operation jumped their conception rates from 70% to 92% after making the switch to Concept•Aid. Although they have primarily focused on the cattle sector, he said there are several large horse operations in the area, and their goal is to start marketing Vitalize® to those horse enthusiasts.

“The easiest way to sell the product is to know the people you are dealing with. It all comes back to relationships. Know who to target. Know how to help them, and know who will accept your help,” he said.

Featured Dealer: R&L Feeds

Adolescence can be a scary time in a young person’s life. High school is busy with homework, FFA and cheerleading. Serving as the Northeast Kansas FFA Vice-president, Kansas Angus Association Ambassador, working cattle with family and going to shows takes up a lot of time. Those activities might seem like enough to keep a junior in high school busy, but add in a BioZyme® dealership, and you’ve got the life of 16-year-old Eva Hinrichsen of R&L Feeds near Westmoreland, Kan.

Eva, whose parents, Ron and Lynne, have been BioZyme dealers for nearly five years, decided she would like to take over the dealership and make it her FFA SAE (Supervised Agriculture Experience).  She had total support from both her parents and her FFA advisor.

“My dad has been in sales pretty much his whole career and I always thought it was interesting,” Eva said. “I wanted to develop more sales skills and help with my business management skills and this is a different way to get an opportunity to do that.”

While it was slightly daunting for her at first, Eva said the positives definitely outweigh the bad. She has honed in on her sales skills and increased her product knowledge, which was the biggest challenge she faced.

“I was a little nervous at first because I was so young to be doing this,” she said. “I didn’t know how it was going to work out trying to talk to producers about changing their mineral. It was a little nerve-wracking. I just try to convince them to spend a little more money so they have a better return on their investment, and I think I’ve been pretty successful at that. It’s been a great opportunity, and it’s been fun to do that.”

Eva has set goals for both R&L Feeds and her SAE. For her business, she wants to increase the total tonnage she sells on annual basis and expand her product line. For her SAE, she wants the project to be successful and show some revenue. She said there is a lot of records to keep with both.

Initially nervous, Eva says she now talks to producers with ease, and that they have been pretty friendly. She takes advantage of the weekends and evenings to do most of her work for the dealership, and makes contact with a lot of her customers at the cattle shows she and her family compete at on weekends. One of her highlights so far, has been attending a new dealer orientation.

“Getting the knowledge has been beneficial to me owning cattle myself.  I went to Saint Joe and went to a class with other dealers, and I learned about the Amaferm® advantage and how that can increase the digestibility, and how gut health increases immunity. All that helps increase genetic potential. So that has been helpful for me when developing my own feed rations,” she said.

Eva encourages others who are interested in starting a business or becoming a dealer to find the courage to do so.

“It’s a little scary at first because you know you aren’t going to be as good as the trained, older dealers, but it is fun, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to do this.”

Featured Dealer: Dailey Ag

Mike and Nancy Dailey weren’t initially looking to get into the farm store business. Nearly eight years later, the farm couple from Oskaloosa, Kan.,
has built a successful farm store that carries everything from fertilizer
and fencing supplies to fuel and feed, including a complete line of
BioZyme® products.

“Our old co-op went out of business and we bought it so we’d still have access to fertilizer and the other resources we needed to continue farming,” said Nancy Dailey. “And the business just kept growing bigger.”

The family-owned and operated business also includes two daughters, one a student at Kansas State and another in high school that both help as their schedules allow; a son who farms and helps as he can, and a future daughter-in-law, who also works at the store. In addition to the family members who help as they can, Nancy said she has a great team of employees who live by the store motto, “Ag is a Dailey Job.”

“I enjoy seeing my children interested in our business. We want to
continue to build a business that we can be proud to leave them
someday,” Nancy said.

As the Daileys see a need in their rural community, they try to fill it. When the local gas station closed, the Daileys bought those tanks and started offering both off- and on-road diesel. And the same can be said about the BioZyme products. A local livestock producer inquired at Dailey Ag about VitaFerm® HEAT®, and so the Daileys did the research and became dealers
to meet their customers’ needs.

“We didn’t have to do too much advertising. I put on our sign out front that we were VitaFerm dealers, and people would come into me and make their requests. We started with HEAT, and then added Vita Charge® Stress Tubs and now carry a full line,” Nancy said.

Nancy says they have seen tremendous growth in the sales of the BioZyme products since they became dealers in 2016. One advantage she says their dealership has is they can keep their prices lower and pass that cost savings to their customers since they are located about an hour from St. Joseph, and often send their own semis to pick up orders.

She has also taken the opportunity to work with ASM John Jeffrey to learn from him and use him as a resource. At a producer meeting Dailey Ag hosted in August, Jeffrey took the time to talk to customers and potential customers to educate them on the benefits of BioZyme products and to answer their questions individually. Nancy said she appreciated the information as well, and at least two customers told her it was the best meeting they have been to where information, rather than a pushy sales talk, was presented.

“People are familiar with the BioZyme products and they like them. If there is something they need or want they will come in, and we will get the product for them,” Nancy said.

With a customer-service attitude like that, Dailey Ag is sure to be a business to thrive for generations. For more information about Dailey Ag, visit www.daileyag.net.

Featured Dealer: Fayette AG Services

Fayette AG Services Finds Opportunities for Growth

It’s no surprise that Fayette AG Services has operated successfully for 43 years in Northwest Alabama. Although its name has changed during the years, the full-service farm store listens to its customer’s needs and wants, provides follow through and works to become knowledgeable about the products they offer.

Mike Renfroe, a salesman at Fayette AG, located at Fayette, Ala., was one of the first BioZyme® dealers to complete the new Master Dealer Training Program that launched in June.

“I just wanted to know more about the products so we can better help our customers,” Renfroe said. “The Master Dealer training has helped me distinguish what mineral customers need for their programs at given times of year.”

Renfroe added that other employees are hoping to complete the Master Dealer Training, as soon as all computer challenges are solved and will allow more than one person per dealership to participate. In the meantime, their staff is appreciative of the support and education that BioZyme provides.

“We get on the website pretty often to read up on products and learn more about the products we don’t know as much about,” Renfroe said. “BioZyme is a really good company when it comes to training and providing information. They are one of the better companies that we’ve dealt with.”

And although Fayette AG has a long history, their tenure as a BioZyme dealer is relatively short – just starting to sell the products in February of this year. Renfroe said they had customers who called and asked them about the BioZyme products. After doing some research and talking to ASM Rowdy Pope, Renfroe said they decided the products would be a good fit for their store.

The store carries a complete line of products, and has had satisfied customers feed each product line from Vitalize® equine to the VitaFerm® HEAT®.

“Once a customer tries one of these products, they rarely swap out and go back to another mineral program,” Renfroe said.

Their sales have reached nearly 100 ton since February, and their ultimate goal is to reach VIP Dealer status. Programs like the Master Dealer Training are helping them meet their goals so they can better equip themselves to sell the products their producers need.

Featured Dealer: W.T. Carnes

W.T. Carnes Grows His Business with Sub-dealers

In the heart of the Ozarks, there’s a BioZyme® dealer enthusiastic about the product he sells and the people he works with. W.T. Carnes said he’d been feeding the products to his dairy cattle for several years, and in the fall of 2013, decided to become a dealer.

He has taken initiative to grow his business, and says his sales have doubled every year since he started selling products. As an on-farm dealer, he embraces a basic business principle – making a sale is as much about who you know as it is the products you’re selling.

“People buy from people they know,” Carnes said. “My sub-dealers know more people than just the people I know. They can help me move more tonnage.”

Carnes currently works with five sub-dealers, friends that he said used and believed in the products, just as he did. Two of them live within 30 miles of him, but the others are quite a distance from him, expanding his network and opportunity for growth even more.

“The products really sell themselves. Once a producer hears about the products and tries them, they are usually hooked,” he said.

Carnes said he didn’t always have a network of sub-dealers, but his former ASM, and now Key Accounts Manager, Ken Gillig suggested sub-dealers would be a good way for him to grow his business after being a dealer for almost two years.

Carnes, who recently completed the Master Dealer Training Program, said another valuable tool to growing sales is hosting a producer meeting. He hosted his first meeting last fall, and sold a semi-load of mineral that night. He said that everyone that attended the meeting became a customer or has continued buying from him. The producers appreciated hearing from Mike Wadle, Director of National Sales – North, and being able to ask questions to further understand the products.

Currently, VitaFerm® HEAT®, Concept•Aid® and Gain Smart® Stocker mineral are his best-selling products. He offers two pieces of advice to newer dealers and their sub-dealers looking to grow their business, “If you can get producers to try the product, it will sell itself.” And he suggests keeping inventory low to promote freshness of the product.

A sub-dealer network has helped W.T. continue to grow his sales the past few years by multiplying his efforts and his reach all because of relationships he had with others who use and believe in the products. Are you ready to expand? Perhaps creating a sub-dealer system is the next step for you. For more information about reaching out and working with sub-dealers, contact your ASM.

Featured Dealer: Erv & Del Farms

Cliff Linder has the passion to help young people succeed.

Caring for livestock and people are two things that Cliff Linder knows about and is really good at. One way he has cared for his own cattle is by feeding them VitaFerm® for the last 20 years. Therefore, when the opportunity to become a BioZyme® dealer presented itself nearly seven years ago, it was an easy decision for Cliff, who also owns Erv & Del Farms near Louisville, Ohio. A driving force behind his success thus far is that he truly enjoys helping his youngest customers learn and develop their own interest in the livestock industry.

“It is my passion to see kids succeed with their projects,” Cliff said. “Success isn’t always about winning, but I want them to learn how to raise and care for livestock and enjoy it along the way.”

Cliff makes himself available to his customers, young and old, throughout the year, and they know he is just one phone call away. He said if they have a challenge or a question about their project he will help them to the best of his ability. If he can’t answer the question, he will call his ASM, Lindsey Grimes, or someone else in St. Joseph to find an answer, and he appreciates the speed at which his phone calls are returned.

In addition to being accessible on the phone, Cliff makes sure he and his wife, Julie, visit their customers during the spring and summer to make sure all the show stock is eating and gaining. They also make sure they attend a day at the county fairs to support their young customers.

“I enjoy going to the fairs and watching the kids show,” Cliff said. “And they like to see a familiar face. Having a hands-on approach and having them know we support them means a lot, and will make our business stronger.”

Cliff said his love for the county fair spans nearly six decades, as he and his brother started showing at the Stark County Fair in Canton 57 years ago. Last year was his daughter’s last year showing, and there has been just one year in those 57 years, none of his immediate family exhibited livestock at the fair.

Cliff makes sure all the young exhibitors and their animals are ready for the fair by hosting and presenting various clinics and field days that cover nutrition and health for multiple species in the area. He conducted a sheep clinic in mid-March, and typically works with other surrounding counties to teach young people and their parents the importance of a good nutrition program. He also attends spring jackpot shows to display products and discuss the benefits of the BioZyme products.

“If you have animals, you want them to perform. An ounce of preventative maintenance will save you on a vet bill if your animals get sick or go off feed,” Cliff said.

Not only does Cliff work directly with his younger members showing livestock, he works to provide service and answer questions to all his customers, and just hosted his annual dealer meeting this spring. More than 100 customers and potential customers attended the meeting where he and Grimes represented BioZyme, while the Umbarger ASM was also on hand to answer questions since Cliff is also an Umbarger dealer. He said the attendees had a chance to ask questions, learn about new products and everyone left with a door prize and full belly.

As Cliff continues to grow his business, he continues to see more success with his junior customers. Success in and out of the show ring is one thing he is passionate about. With a willing attitude and a passion for the future, Cliff’s business is sure to thrive as well.

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Featured Dealer: Salem Veterinary Services

Family Business Grows with Passion and Success

Although relatively new to the BioZyme® family, Salem Veterinary Services in Salem, South Dakota, has seen tremendous success since joining the network of dealers in the fall of 2016. What started as a small order to sell some Vita Charge® boluses in the family-owned vet clinic has grown to moving into their garage, and now a 48×60 foot building is under construction to serve as a warehouse for their products to meet the producer demands in their area.

“I was concerned when Dennis Delaney told me we had to buy a pallet of product at a time. I thought 50 bags is a lot,” said Carie Stiefvater, who manages the BioZyme dealership.

The Stiefvater family raises a variety of animals including Angus and Hereford cattle, sheep, goats, chickens and horses. They don’t sell anything to the customers in the vet clinic that they haven’t used and seen positive results with.

“Our clients like to see us use a product first. We will typically use a vaccine for three years before we will sell it,” Carie said.

Last fall, their two oldest daughters ran a trial using the VitaFerm® Sure Start® Weaning Program. Since the Stiefvater family calves in May, after most of their clients are done calving, they typically wean October 1. Last fall, they separated eight head – four Angus and four Herefords – of the same age for a feeding trial that ultimately finished in the top three in the state FFA science fair project for seventh grader Ella. She will find out in late April if her project garnered the first prize and will move on to national competition.

Ella and her older sister, Hadley, a freshman, conducted the month-long trial with two groups – one that was introduced to the Amaferm® advantage, and a control group, without Amaferm. The animals were randomly sorted the first day of the trial by which animal came down the chute. Every other one was tagged with an orange tag and would be part of the Amaferm group and received the Vita Charge Drench; the green-tagged calves were in the control group.

Animals were kept in individual pens, and hay and feed were weighed out individually twice daily with all animals eating the same diet, except for the orange-tagged animals, which had the Stress Tubs in their pens. Each week the animals were weighed, and their growth was recorded. And at the end of the study, the four animals that had Amaferm in their diets outweighed the control group by a total of 90 pounds combined. Although Ella had extra expenses in separate pens and individual tubs, she calculated that after expenses, she put $22 more profit per calf in her pocket from the calves fed Amaferm.

This is just one example of a feeding trial that the family has conducted, with plans to conduct more in the future. The trials work great for this home-schooled family, which also includes brother Colton, a fourth grader, and littlest sister, Skylar, who is four. Carie said they can incorporate the trials into several areas of curriculum including math, where they calculate break-evens, rate-of-gain and net worth; science, where they learn about microorganisms and the purpose of vitamins and minerals for both humans and livestock; and English, where the students must write papers and learn public speaking.

As an example, Ella presented her study findings to vet-clinic customers in the winter months following the trial. During the two-week period leading up to the state FFA competition, Carie said she would give her presentation 2-3 times a day.

“It is a great sales tool while teaching my kids about public speaking. She would present to producers, breeders, fellow veterinarians, Extension agents and anyone who would listen,” Carie said.

And the kids also help out at the vet clinic, where their dad Mike is the solo practitioner. In addition to three employees who are like family, Salem Vet is truly a family operation.

As the kids were learning more about BioZyme and its products, they also became aware of the Action Awards. Carie said a Vita Charge show box caught their attention immediately, as they are currently using a wooden show box that belonged to Carie in her younger days. She said they need 4,000 points to earn the show box, and though she hasn’t looked lately, she was almost certain they were nearly to the half-way mark, only in the fourth month of the year.

“A show box they earn will have a lot more value in it from the experiences they have gained.” Carie said, noting one of their next big marketing pushes will be to promote Sure Champ® to all the young exhibitors in their area.

Until then, the Stiefvater family will continue to use the products, test the products and tell others about the great success they have seen.