Product Focus: Vita Charge® and IGR Minerals

Tag’ Em, Vita Charge Em’

Calving season provides an excellent opportunity to capitalize on Vita Charge sales. Calving is stressful on both the cows and calves, and we all know that stress can negatively affect the digestive system. Vita Charge comes in seven different formulas giving producers the opportunity to select the product that is most convenient to administer and suited for the animal.

Vita Charge®

Key Selling Points:

  • Combines essential vitamins, organic trace mineral and Amaferm® to support microbial health
  • Creates measurable improvement in appetite and health
  • Has no interaction with antibiotics

Fly Control – Start Early

An early start is the key to a successful horn fly control program. It is estimated that horn flies cost North American cattle producers more than $1 billion each year. Fortunately, BioZyme offers a variety of products that contain Altosid® IGR Feed-Thru. This additive disrupts the life cycle of horn fly larvae in manure.

Horn flies can cause “blind quarters” and reduce milk intake by beef calves because horn flies may carry S. aureus, a major cause of mastitis. Research at Louisiana State University and the University of Georgia indicates that 75 percent of all heifers have mastitis before they have a calf.

The irritation and reduced milk intake from horn fly infestation can cause 20-25 pounds lower weaning weights as compared to cows treated with Altosid®. With calf prices at $200/cwt. the lost weight can dramatically decrease the income of cow/calf producers.

There is also an impact on these weaned calves as they grow. Horn flies can reduce gains on yearlings grazed on pasture by 30-35 pounds per season. With feeder cattle prices in the $170/cwt. range, reducing horn flies in 2016 can result in an extra $50 to $60 per head while the additional cost of feeding an IGR VitaFerm® mineral with Altosid® is only about $8 per head more than a general VitaFerm mineral.

Q. HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE A HORN FLY PROBLEM?

A. Horn flies are an ectoparasite and tend to stay on the backs and sides of animals throughout the day. Despite their name, horn flies do not congregate on the horn and head area. Horn flies are about half the size of the common housefly and lay eggs exclusively in fresh manure.

Q. WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO CONTROL HORN FLIES?

A. Most horn fly control strategies require you to either gather cattle on a regular basis for treatment or replenish the various systems that dispense products for horn fly control (dust bags, backrubbers, etc.). While these methods are labor-intensive, an insect growth regulator (IGR) allows you to provide horn fly control right in your feed or minerals, letting cattle do the work.

Q. WHEN SHOULD I BEGIN USING AN IGR PRODUCT, AND WHEN WILL I SEE RESULTS?

A. It depends on where you live, but 30 days prior to the last frost is the standard recommendation. You can start later, but you will definitely need to incorporate a knock down spray to kill adults that will be present if you choose to start later in the fly season. To effectively break the horn fly life cycle, a feed-through program utilizing Altosid® IGR Feed-Thru requires three to four weeks for significant reduction in adult horn fly numbers.

Q. I USE THE PRODUCT BUT I STILL SEE A LOT OF FLIES. WHY?

A. What you may be seeing are fly species other than the horn fly. The horn fly will only lay its eggs in fresh manure patties. Other fly species such as the common house fly, face fly and stable fly will lay eggs in any damp, decaying material such as sewage, near stagnant water or in old silage. Another reason might be lack of (mineral) consumption. Don’t let your mineral feeders run out! It only takes a few days without Altosid® for the level in the manure to drop below effective levels.

Q. HOW DOES ALTOSID® IGR FEED-THRU WORK?

A. Horn flies lay eggs in manure. After the eggs hatch, larvae (maggots) must molt as they grow. During molting, insects produce biochemicals to aid in the growth process. As the final growth stage, the pupal stage, occurs, the IGR provides a jolt of extra biochemical that interrupts the growth process. As a result, adult flies never develop from the pupal stage.

Q. IF I’M USING ALTOSID® BUT MY NEIGHBOR ISN’T, WILL I STILL GET  FLY CONTROL?

A. The horn fly will not migrate. The female only leaves the host animal to travel a very short distance to the fresh cow patty, lay her eggs, and immediately return to the animal. Therefore, there is little opportunity for your neighbor’s horn fly population to cross over to your herd. Obviously, if there is shared shade or water along the fence line, there will be some cross over, but not significant.

Q. CAN I USE AN IGR WITH OTHER HORN FLY CONTROL PRODUCTS?

A. Yes. A complete program should include face fly control, along with adulticide products, depending on the level of initial infestation.

Q. HOW DOES THE VETERINARY FEED DIRECTIVE AFFECT IGR?

A. Products that contain antibiotics such as CTC (Chlortetracycline) are regulated by the FDA. In January 2017 all products that contain an antibiotic will require a prescription under the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). Since, many of our stock products contain CTC and IGR these products will require a VFD. Those products that do not contain an antibiotic, but do contain IGR will NOT fall under the VFD, but they will have to be registered with a state before product can be sold into that state. BioZyme is working on this process and will have more information in the coming months.

Q. WHAT STOCK PRODUCTS DOES BIOZYME OFFER WITH IGR?

A.   VitaFerm Cattlemen’s Blend IGR & CTC 1.4G
       VitaFerm Concept•Aid® 5/S IGR & CTC 1.4G

Product Focus: IGR Minerals and New Concept•Aid® Power Tub

The key to a successful horn fly control program is starting early. BioZyme® offers two in-stock minerals with IGR: Concept•Aid® 5/S IGR + CTC 1.4G and Cattlemen’s Blend IGR + CTC 1.4G. No matter which product you choose, it is important to start feeding IGR 30 days prior to the last frost for the product to be most effective.

Concept•Aid® 5/s igr + CTC 1.4G
Key Selling Points

  • Highly fortified vitamin, mineral and organic trace mineral formula
  • Targets early cycling, egg production, conception and bull fertility
  • Contains a high level of vitamins to help the reproductive tract heal after calving
  • Nutrient dense to compliment low to good quality forage
  • Should be fed a minimum of 30 days prior to calving through breeding season

VITAFERM® CATTLEMEN’S BLENDTM + IGR + CTC 1.4G
Key Selling Points

  • Economical solution to provide ample mineral and vitamin fortification to compliment a wide variety of forages
  • Contains organic copper to support immune function in the presence of antagonists

We are very excited about the newest addition to the VitaFerm Concept•Aid Power Product line.

The 50 lb. Concept•Aid Power Tub offers all of the benefits of the larger 200 lb. Concept•Aid Power Tub, but in a much more convenient size.

50 lb Concept•Aid® Power Tub
Key Selling Points

  • The smaller size is more convenient for moving and lifting
  • With a 5-15 head per tub feeding rate, this product is better suited for smaller groups of cattle
  • Contains 20% natural protein in addition to Concept•Aid mineral. When using this product, your cows get their daily mineral requirement in addition to a high quality protein
  • Feeds like a 54% protein product due to Amaferm®’s research proven increase in the natural protein produced by the cow (microbial protein) by an average of 34%.

Great Taste Matters

A product must appeal to the senses to encourage one to eat it. Humans can be convinced verbally that something is good for them to eat even if it doesn’t taste so good. However, livestock can be very selective about what they decide to eat, and we can’t talk them into anything.

There are two potentially different perceptions of palatability, one being that of the producer or owner and the second being that of the animal. Owners tend to focus on smell and looks, while animals focus more on smell and taste.

Simply put, if the animal won’t eat the product, it doesn’t do the animal, the owner, the dealer or BioZyme® any good. As a BioZyme dealer, you should feel confident that you are representing products that have been tested and evaluated on an on-going basis for palatability and consumption.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of BioZyme’s testing of product palatability and consumption occurs at the company’s research farm, Winding River. Since its purchase in 2012, we have been able to utilize our own cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and goats to test products. This allows us to see first-hand how animals react to our products before they go into the field.

This type of testing is going on right now with the Concept•Aid® Goat mineral. After receiving some feedback about low consumption, our team reformulated the product. Simultaneously, the Farm purchased a small herd of goats. The new formulation is now being fed to each goat, and consumption is being tracked daily. After three weeks we will either know the new formulation’s consumption is on track, or we will need to reformulate and start the test over again. Either way, the product won’t go into the field until it passes the Farm test. While testing does take some time to accomplish, we believe it is time well spent.

The next way consumption and palatability are monitored comes straight from the field. All of our Area Sales Managers submit weekly call logs that report the details of each call they make. In these logs, product information is routinely reported back to us from dealers and producers. The nutrition team reads these reports each week looking for any palatability or consumption issues. We take these findings very seriously and follow all up with a phone call if there is any concern or education needed. In addition, a company database houses these call logs. This allows our nutritionist team to search for key words in the database like consumption, intake and palatability in a six-month period to look for any trends that might need to be addressed.

When it comes to making a palatable product, the company does have a few trade secrets. We reserve space in the product formulas for specie specific palatability. Sheep, goats and swine do not like dried distillers grains but cattle love DDGs. So, we use dried distillers grains for cattle formulas, and for sheep, we use soybean meal and extruded soy.

Salt is a dynamic ingredient for palatability in sheep, goats and cattle. We also use high-intensity sweeteners to change and mask bitter flavors. Licorice is a good example of a flavor that will entice the animal away from green grass and lead the animal to consume mineral. Swine and equine products are more commonly hand-fed so we might use fruit, berry and vanilla flavors to make the product more palatable for them.

The bottom line is that BioZyme focuses on palatability. No matter what, the animal still has to want to eat it or there’s no point in putting the product in the feeder. When you open a bag, jar or container you have to like the smell. The animal wants the same thing.

Product Focus: Sure Champ® + Vita Charge®

With countless supplements available to customers to meet an animal’s nutritional requirements, developing a proper feeding program for livestock can be nothing short of overwhelming. For this reason, BioZyme® has made it our mission to supply your customers with high-quality products to aid in meeting the nutritional needs for livestock in any production scenario. In addition, we are dedicated to improving an animal’s general health and well-being. Sure Champ has been the foundation of achieving this goal in show livestock. For the best results, use Vita Charge in conjunction with Sure Champ.

Sure Champ® is a natural top-dress that should be incorporated into a daily feeding regimen as a proactive approach to digestive health, increased appetite and added growth and muscle development.

Remind your staff to highlight these points when talking to customers:

  • Sure Champ is a complete vitamin and mineral supplement. No additional vitamin and mineral products need to be fed.
  • Sure Champ is one of the most inexpensive top-dress supplements on the market.
  • Sure Champ should be fed for a minimum of 30 days to see the full effect.

In addition to Sure Champ Cattle, Sure Champ is available in a pelleted form for goats and sheep, and a pelleted or meal form for pigs.

vita charge® liquid boost can be used as a convenient and effective product for livestock recovering from stressors such as calving, weaning, processing, hauling, showing and sickness.

Liquid Boost is unique as it is administered through waterers, drench and/or medicators. Typically when an animal is under stress and goes off feed, they will continue to drink. Because of this, there is a huge benefit to the liquid application and being able to provide the nutrients they need during times of stress.

Vita Charge is also available in other forms that include: 6-gram boluses, gel caps, drench, gel, dispersible powder, and stress tub.