Congratulations to these outstanding dealers for completing MD Chapter 3 in July!
Darlington Feed LLC
Southern FS
Southern Oregon Feed & Mineral Solutions
Wilson Fertilizer & Grain
Fayette Ag Services Inc
Peculiar Farm Supply
High Hill Supplements
Burgess Farms
By Shelia Grobosky – Marketing Brand Manager – Dealers & Public Relations
Depending on where you are located geographically this month, your news will likely vary. If parts of the U.S., like where I live, you’re probably like me – thankful for the rainfall, but tired of dumping the rain gauge. And yet, we are praying fervently for our friends that are drought-stricken, fighting fires and wondering if they need to sell cows now, wean early and start feeding hay with hopes that rain is on its way.
In agriculture, we are taught the value of doing hard things. I was reminded this earlier today when I had to take my parents’ 11-year-old dog to the vet to be euthanized. This was not how I envisioned using vacation time as an adult, but as he was the link to my dad, who passed last summer, I couldn’t expect my mom to take care of this blind, deaf diaper-wearing house dog who no longer had a quality of life. Thankfully, my dad had raised me to take care of animals, and do the right thing, and I knew that putting this dog out of his misery was the proper thing for him and my mom.
So, this month, I decided instead of recapping the news, because I’m sure most of you are aware of the rising input costs, midterm elections and the basketball player who wanted to share her “agricultural” habits with our Russian friends, I would encourage you and challenge you.
Edgar A. Guest wrote one of my favorite poems a century ago. Perhaps you had a former 4-H leader, FFA advisor or coach share this. But in today’s ag world, I thought it would be fitting to share too. Don’t worry. I’m not going to share poetry every month. But in light of the state of the world, I wanted to take two minutes this month to encourage you all with the following. Have a great month!
Don’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, but the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many failures turn about
When we might have won had we stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
You can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
In the northern part of North Dakota, there is a BioZyme® dealer who doesn’t let any grass grow under his feet. He raises livestock, works for the local school district, sells and rents a variety of equipment, and he sells BioZyme products. Greg Maddock, owner of Maddock Sales, said VitaFerm® is his number one seller and with results that a customers can see with their own eyes, it’s easy to sell.
Greg’s involvement with the BioZyme products all started with a family friend, Dorothy Orts, former BioZyme ASM whose husband was also the ag teacher in Maddock, North Dakota, where Greg and his wife, Marla, live. Greg recalls that they were experiencing a bad drought, and he had started feeding his cows large, square hay bales. Dorothy had encouraged him to try the VitaFerm mineral, and he gave in, buying 10 bags. He knew exactly what his cows had been eating.
“When I started them on the VitaFerm mineral, they cut down on their consumption. The cows did well on the mineral; they looked good on it. I was sold,” Greg said. “There were no dealers in our area, and Dorothy convinced me to become a dealer. If you know Dorothy, you knew she bled VitaFerm.”
Believing in the product and sharing the results is the most effective sales tactic that Greg employs. He shares his business on his Facebook page and also has a website. For newer dealers, he encourages them to try the products first so they can see the benefits for themselves, and if they don’t have livestock, he suggests having a neighbor try the products and watching their livestock change and improve.
“It’s an easy product to believe in, and it sells itself. BioZyme has a great line-up for the whole season from conception to fly control to weaning time,” he said.
And just as the product line is diverse, so are Greg’s other livelihoods. He is a bus driver and maintains all the buses for the Maddock School District. He also runs about 100 Angus cows and backgrounds their calves. His herd also includes 35 Bison cows. He has developed a niche market for the Bison meat and offers trophy hunts for the older bulls ever few years. And yes, the Bison also get the VitaFerm.
“I’m a big believer in diversification and specialty farms and ranches,” he said.
We’re glad you’re a big believer in BioZyme and its product lines, Greg. It’s always good to hear from one of Dorothy’s friends who turned into a dealer. That’s the care that comes full circle.
VITA CHARGE CATTLE DRENCH NOW AVAILABLE IN SMALLER SIZE
Vita Charge® Cattle Drench is now available on the Price List in a 32 oz. size, making it more convenient for customers with show livestock, smaller herds or those who need to promote feed and water intake in more remote areas. Both Vita Charge Cattle Drench sizes have a shelf-life that has been extended to 24 months.
NEW TRIXSYN PRODUCT LAUNCHED THIS MONTH
Trixsyn® Canine Performance is now available to assist active dogs with joint health and exercise recovery. This new innovative product will include the same concentration of proven MHB3 Hyaluronan with the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin. This launch will also coincide with an overhaul of the look and feel of the entire Trixsyn family. This will include new and improved labels as well as a pump for ease of application.
SHELF LIFE EXTENDED ON SMALL PACK LIQUID AND GEL PRODUCTS
Upon completion of extensive shelf life testing, the shelf life of Vitalize®, Vita Charge®, Sure Champ® and Backyard Boost® liquid and gel products is now being extended to 24 months from the manufacturing date of the product. This process started in July and will continue through the Fall as product inventory runs low and new inventory for each product is produced with updated labels.
PROMOTE YOUR LUCKY 7 WINNERS
All of the “Lucky 7” promotion tokens have been placed in specially marked bags, and some of our end-users have been fortunate enough to cash in on this promotion. Continue to promote the value of Amaferm year-round and care that comes full circle, the reason behind this promotion, by showcasing any of your customers who win and by continuing to market the promotion.
Specially-marked that could contain a winning token include:
All prizes must be redeemed by Dec. 20, 2022.
Congratulations to these dealers who completed Chapter 3 in June! Be watching for information coming out on Chapter 4 that will be released in September! Information will be coming out soon!
Mid-year Outlook
Livestock producers are in the mid-year quandary. Do they hold onto their cows in hopes for some late summer rains for fall grass? Or do they ship them to town now, potentially taking a loss but not spending excess resources on feed? More producers are shipping cows due to widespread drought; however, if forecasts for both weather and markets remain where they are currently, cow-calf producers will potentially make a profit at fall weaning time if they can hang on that long.
Everyone continues to be a little bullish about the fed cattle market as we move in the third quarter. According to Darrell Peel, Oklahoma State University,” Reduced fed slaughter for the remainder of the year implies reduced feedlot marketing rates. Feedlots, as of June 1, had record inventories of cattle on feed which seems to be at odds with the idea of reduced marketings in the coming months. However, feedlots have been placing larger numbers of lightweight cattle which leads to more days on feed and slower turnover rates… in other words, slower marketing rates.”
In other markets, sheep appear to be trading slightly lower, with Colorado feedlot inventory up over the same period as last year at this time. If you’ve been to the supermarket lately, you’ve likely noticed the egg market remains high on extra-large and large, lower on medium, steady on the balance. Supplies of extra-large are very light. Retail demand is good. The highly pathogenic avian flu incidences have decreased; however, the implications of that are still evident from both egg and poultry prices at the retail levels.
Hay production is also down this year, either due to drought, lack of fertilizer or a combination of factors. This is a great time to promote minerals with Amaferm® so producers can get the most out of their existing forages and feedstuffs.
Freight Issues Continue
According to Trains.com, Foster Farms, the largest chicken producer in the western U.S., asked federal regulators to issue an emergency service order last week that would direct Union Pacific to prioritize corn shipments that thousands of dairy cattle and millions of chickens and turkeys depend upon.
”The point has been reached when millions of chickens will be killed and other livestock will suffer because of UP’s service failures,” Foster Farms wrote in its request to the Surface Transportation Board.
Team: Regulatory
Leader: Susan Day
Number of people on the team: 2
Key Responsibilities: Ensure formulation and labeling of new and existing products sold in the United States are safe and accurate. Work with International Sales Team and consultants to acquire all information and documentation to legally, safely and accurately create and export products to over 30 countries.
List of each team member and role they play at BioZyme:
Susan Day – Senior Manager of Formulation & Regulatory: Formulates rations and products that maximize animal performance and health, with emphasis on safety and accuracy. Works with Regulatory Product Manager on international registration of products.
Melinda Sylvester – Regulatory Product Manager: Assists in acquisition and organization of information required for registration of products internationally and domestically. Responsible for registration of products in the United States, including products containing pesticides.
How does your team deliver “Care that comes full circle” for BioZyme customers: We provide safe and accurate products for all customers. We also work to ensure that legal documentation for shipping and sales internationally to over 30 countries occurs, and that proper marketing and advertising of products meets state and federal government regulations. Most of all, we enable BioZyme to provide the benefits of Amaferm® world-wide.
LUCKY 7 PROMOTION CONTINUES
The BioZyme leadership introduced the Lucky 7 Promotion in early June as a way to give back to the producers facing multiple challenges in production agriculture, and therefore demonstrating “care that comes full circle.” For seven weeks this summer, the 7 products below will have a special “Lucky 7” sticker on the outside of the bag. These specially-marked bags may contain a winning token:
For each of 7 weeks this summer, 77 winning tokens will randomly be placed into bags of product manufactured in the Saint Joseph, Missouri-plant. The “lucky” winners will receive prizes that range from caps to gift cards to $777 cash. Seven weeks x 77 tokens each week means 539 prizes. The tokens are biodegradable and will not hurt the livestock if ingested or the environment if not found when pouring out the mineral.
Winning tokens must be claimed via the Lucky 7 website https://biozymeinc.com/lucky7 to receive a prize. Each winning token depicts the specific prize won and the corresponding prize number. All prizes must be redeemed by Dec. 20, 2022.
SHELF LIFE EXTENDED ON SMALL PACK LIQUID AND GEL PRODUCTS
Due to comprehensive shelf life testing that does not impact the quality of the products, the shelf life of Vitalize®, Vita Charge®, Sure Champ® and Backyard Boost® liquid and gel products is now being extended to 24 months from the manufacturing date of the product. This process will be continual starting in July and move through the Fall as product inventory runs low and new inventory for each product is produced with updated labels.
VITA CHARGE CATTLE DRENCH TEST MARKET
Beginning in June, a 32 oz. Vita Charge® Cattle Drench became available through select Sullivan’s Supply mobile locations. We intend to use the next couple months and the Junior Nationals and state fairs to test this product in the show market and adjust, as necessary. If the sales support it, the product will be added to the price list later this summer.
Seeing is believing. And that is exactly what happened in 2010, when Beth Blevins, DVM, and her daughter Michaela experienced their first BioZyme® products at the National Junior Angus Show in Denver. Michaela had hauled a steer and heifer two states south of her native Montana and as luck would have it, her steer decided to quit eating.
“Dennis Delaney was working the BioZyme booth and gave us some Vita Charge® capsules to try on him. He went back on feed and started drinking. We saw some impressive results. That fall Dennis came to Montana for some meetings, and we decided to sign up as dealers,” Beth said.
Beth and her husband own and operate a registered Angus ranch near Ronan, Montana, and Beth is also a veterinarian, owning All Creatures Mobile Veterinary Clinic. She specializes as a large animal veterinarian and says that the precision nutrition that BioZyme offers helps her help her clients.
“VitaFerm ® Concept•Aid® is totally amazing at helping cows get bunched up at breeding time, and calves will start eating it when they are about a week old, so it helps prevent scours in them. I sell a lot of DuraFerm® to goat and sheep producers and am actually getting more meat goat breeders all the time. And the Vita Charge Clench gel is one of the best products to help with diarrhea,” she said.
Although she specializes in large animals, she said her ranch clients have ranch dogs that have taken to the Vitalize® K9 products, and she has also helped a Husky owner whose pups suffered long-term diarrhea until she treated them and got their stomachs back to normal with the Vitalize Dog Gel.
She said the litter of three pups had suffered from diarrhea for most of their first four months of life with no break. Beth treated them with a five-day fenbendazole deworming treatment accompanied with the Vitalize Dog Gel to restore the normal gut flora. She said that particular owner is now a Vitalize believer too.
Additionally, Beth said that although dog is often man or woman’s best friend, their nutritional needs are often neglected. Ranch dogs are notorious for munching on the placentas after calving, which can cause stomach upset, and she often suggests Vitalize Dog Gel for ranch dogs who aren’t feeling their best. She also said many of her equine clients have seen amazing results with the Vitalize Alimend® and have also tried the Vitalize Alimed K9 for their dogs. She has personally experienced great results with the dog food with Amaferm®.
“We have two pugs, and when I switched their feed, gave them the same amount that I was giving them before. They gained five pounds in three weeks! I had to cut their portions down by one-third. I have a friend with labs, and she said with the larger dogs, to cut their food down in half to prevent weight gain,” Beth said. “Their coats are shinier. The coats are the window to what is going on inside of the body.”
Regardless of if Beth is selling VitaFerm mineral for cows, Sure Champ ® for a show customer or Vitalize Dog Gel to a small animal that has had too much afterbirth, she said word of mouth is often her best marketing tool. She said the products generally sell themselves once people see the results, just like they did for her and Michaela more than a decade ago.
“You sell the first bag of mineral, and the cows will sell the rest,” she said.
She has taken advantage of other marketing tools BioZyme offers and encourages others dealers to as well. She has had clients buy products after receiving the quarterly post card in the mail. She also shares the Promoboxx content and likes that it is available for her to use on her own social media.
As a vet, she said a quality nutrition program and a good vaccination program go a long way in keeping animals healthy and being proactive is best.
Thanks Beth for being a long-time dealer and sharing care that comes full circle!
