Category: What’s New

Dealer Spotlight: Hale Feeds LLC, South Dakota

Imagine eating lunch with a local celebrity – it’s kind of like Cheers, except nowhere near Boston. Enning, South Dakota. The local establishment is multipurpose. It is a restaurant/bar, convenience store and post office all in one building. It was a Tuesday in September, and local BioZyme® dealer Tee Hale of Hale Feeds was having lunch with his ASM Brett Tostenson and Marketing Brand Manager – Dealers Shelia Grobosky. Tee was more like a local celebrity, where nearly everyone stopped by to pat his back, shake his hand or just exchange a few good words.

Tee is a well-rounded local guy who has a lot going on. This particular day he took time from his schedule to talk to Brett and Shelia about what he likes about BioZyme, the products and how he works to market them.

As an on-farm dealer who is also a cow-calf producer and has a passion for horses, he understands the needs of his customers. And as a friend and neighbor, he wants those customers to succeed. That is one reason carrying the products with Amaferm® is so important to him. One of his friends built him a small shop on his ranch that Tee finished on the inside to carry small pack products like Vitalize® and Vita Charge® along with some horse supplies and gloves.

“We want to make a living doing what we love. That’s the best part about running cows and feeding the products. I can tell them what I’ve seen with my own eyes. You know what to expect,” he said.

In the heart of cattle country, Tee’s number one seller is VitaFerm® Concept•Aid®. However, the Vitalize products are also growing in popularity. He has formulated his own ration of horse feed that includes Vitalize Equine Free Choice mineral mixed with other ingredients like oats and beet pulp, which is popular with his customers.

Even though Tee is well known in his community, he values the marketing assistance that BioZyme provides the dealer network. He keeps current on the Master Dealer Program. His Facebook page is linked to Promoboxx, he engages with the Quarterly Dealer mailers, and he works with his ASM to provide timely promotions to his customers to promote products that will work for their operations.

With an easy-going spirit and a willingness to try new things, it is easy to see why Tee is successful in his BioZyme dealership. Thanks for showing your customers care that comes full circle, Tee!

#MasterdealerFriday

Congratulations to these outstanding dealers who have completed Chapters 3 & 4 of the Master Dealer Training Program! Way to take your business to the next level! 

Master Dealer Chapter 3:

  • AX Feeds
  • Co Alliance Coop
  • Dynamic Thermographics & Equines
  • Therapeutics, LLC
  • Falling Timber Farm LLC
  • Graham Feed Company
  • Heritage Farm Supply
  • Jared Turnbaugh
  • Norman Bruce
  • Timmons Feed & Farm Supply, Inc
  • TR Livestock Solutions
  • UPCO

Master Dealer Chapter 4:

  • Ag Pro Millersburg
  • Basore Cattle Company
  • Becker Ag
  • Bowman Grain
  • Burgess Farms
  • BWI Companies
  • Cattlelac Farm
  • Central Farm Supply of Kentucky
  • CFC Farm & Home Center
  • CNN Cattle Company
  • Dynamic Thermographics & Equine Therapeutics, LLC
  • Graham Feed Company
  • Hanby Farms
  • Henderson Ranch and Feed
  • Heritage Farm Supply
  • Johnson Grain Inc
  • K Triangle Feed
  • Maryville Vet Clinic, LLC
  • Mid Nebraska Feeds
  • Race Brothers Farm & Home Supply
  • Reynolds Feed & Supply
  • Rockin’ R Show Feeds and Supplies, LLC
  • Saint Jo Farm & Ranch
  • Simme Valley Feed
  • Southern FS
  • Stockmen’s Feed Bunk Inc
  • Stutzman’s Feed & Supply LLC
  • Superior Sales
  • TR Livestock Solutions
  • Travis Ag Supply Wilson Fertilizer & Grain

Two Minutes in October

We’re just wrapping up National 4-H Week (October 2-8), although some celebrate October as 4-H month, the official start of the new 4-H year, much like in the area I live in. I just enrolled my daughter, Lily, for her first year as a Cloverbud. She is excited to be a “real” 4-H member next year where she can join the dog club, take the fishing project and continue showing pigs in the youth and junior shows and not only the open show. 

As I was sharing with Lily why she should want to join 4-H, which seemed like a harder sell than necessary for a 7-year-old, I didn’t dwell on the time in the show ring, the nights before the fair arguing with my mom about the number of cookies to plate for the judge or even about the pages and pages of record books I kept every year. Instead, I focused on the experiences and people that shaped me into the person I am today.  

Chances are a few of you were also involved in 4-H and shared similar experiences. I’d like to reflect on just a few of the memories I shared with Lily that enticed her to join the Alexis All Stars, and I imagine these memories might jar a few of your own. 

  1. Lifetime friendships. Even though I started 4-H in the 80s, two states and over 700 miles away from where I currently live, it was an opportunity to build friendships that I still have. Thanks in part to showing and judging livestock and now working in that industry, I’ve remained in contact with my peers that I competed against and with. My college roommate was even a girl from a neighboring county that I judged against, and she remains one of my closest friends. 
  1. Practical skills and overcoming challenges. I will never forget 1984 – it was the year that Chicken Pox popped out on my face DURING the 4-H public speaking contest, and I was very itchy during that entire four minutes! The Winter Olympics had just happened, and my speech was about the clover and the rings. Did I love giving speeches back then? Not really, but today I am comfortable presenting in front of a crowd and can accept most any obstacle that comes along. 
  1. Goal setting. Thanks to the 4-H program, pushy parents and inspiring leaders, every member of the club had to set goals for each project every year. As a very young person, I would tape or magnet my goals to the refrigerator or bathroom mirror where I could see them daily. Setting goals is something I still do, and I feel it helps me in both my professional and personal life. 

My list is endless. I could continue to discuss decision making, expressing gratitude through writing thank you notes, working with others, keeping records, balancing feed rations, developing a love of photography, getting my first writing gig as the club reporter and more. However, I think in this Two Minutes, you’ve figured out, I’m pretty passionate about 4-H. So are approximately 6 million others who have chosen to join America’s largest youth development organization. I’m excited to officially be a 4-H mom and watch my little progeny gain lifetime experiences and friendships! 

CHANGES COMING IN OCTOBER 2022

MASTER DEALER CHAPTER 4 RELEASED

To continually keep the dealer network educated and provided with the timeliest information available, BioZyme® Inc., strives to provide new content for the Master Dealer Training Program every six months. Chapter 4 provides a focus on product positioning and helping your customers develop a program using the various product lines. It was posted to the Online Dealer Center September 22. Remember, there is no longer a wait time between chapters, so take advantage of this great training tool.

SMALL PACK PRICING CHANGES COMING

Pricing for 2023 on Animal Health (small pack) products will be released in November to give everyone enough time to make necessary adjustments. Please watch for a separate email that will be coming to relay more information about this change that will affect MAP pricing. It is important to stay current on all pricing issues, and email is the quickest, most efficient communication method to reach all dealers.

AWARD-WINNING BACKYARD BOOST® BALLS LAUNCHED

BioZyme launched two new award-winning products in its Backyard Boost® product line in September to continue with its goal to diversify. Chicken owners can now purchase Backyard Boost Busy Balls, a prebiotic treat to help bounce boredom. Furthermore, all bird enthusiasts will have the opportunity to buy a similar product, Backyard Boost Songbird Balls, a tidier alternative to bird feed.
The World Pet Association (WPA) named the Backyard Boost Busy Balls and Songbird Balls the Best New Bird Products during its New Product Showcase at Super Zoo in Las Vegas. Super Zoo is North America’s largest pet industry marketplace with more than 1,000 companies exhibiting and is solely open to retail companies who want to do business.

LUCKY 7 WINNERS STILL COMING FORWARD

Even though summer is officially over, our summer promotion is still taking place. We know that it takes a while for product to go through the distribution channels, but we certainly have enjoyed seeing all the Lucky 7 winners to this point. Be sure to continue to encourage your customers to watch for specially marked bags of products. They might be the next winner! All prizes must be redeemed by Dec. 20, 2022.


Continue to promote the value of Amaferm year-round and care that comes full circle, the reason behind this promotion. Regardless of if your customer finds a token, they and their animals will always be a winner with the Amaferm advantage.
Specially marked bags that could contain a winning token include:

  • VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S HEAT®
  • VitaFerm® HEAT®
  • VitaFerm Conserve® Garlic
  • Gain Smart® Stocker HEAT®
  • VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S with ClariFly®
  • VitaFerm® HEAT® CTC 3G
  • VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® 5/S HEAT® with ClariFly®

Meet the BioZyme Family

Team: Domestic Business Development – Sales

Leader: Bob Burkham, National Manager of Sales

Number of additional people on your team: 12

Key Responsibilities: The Sales TEAM is made of a diverse and knowledgeable group of Area Sales Managers (ASMS) who each sell to and service the existing dealer/distributor network and customer base, identify and cultivate new partnership and growth opportunities, work associated trade shows and events in which participation will help grow the business of the assigned territory. ASMs are multitaskers who work with various customers including the dealers, and include veterinarians, nutritionists, feed mills and producers. Most, if not all of them, have previous or current experience with at least one of the BioZyme® product lines, and all of them understand the importance of production agriculture and working with producers to achieve their goals.

List each team member:

  • Alison Brunner – Missouri
  • Brenen Diesen – Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin
  • Scott Farmer – Southwest Texas, New Mexico
  • Kevin Glaubius – Nebraska
  • Chris Kyle – Arkansas, Louisiana, East Texas
  • Ty McGuire – Kentucky, Tennessee
  • Justin Packard – Oklahoma
  • Steve Patton – Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia
  • Rowdy Pope – Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida
  • Shane Schaake – Kansas
  • Brett Tostenson – North & South Dakota
  • Morgan Weinrich – Colorado, Wyoming, Utah

How does your team help with “care that comes full circle” for BioZyme customers: The ASMs are the boots on the ground for the company, so they are most often the faces and voices associated with BioZyme and the product lines. Not only is it important for our team to be knowledgeable about the products, but it is just as important that they care about the people raising the animals and the animals themselves that are getting the products. The ASMs know a healthy animal is a happy, performing animal, and that is their goal. That is how they deliver care that comes full circle.

Two Minutes in September

Fall will officially kick off later this month, but harvest is already in full swing in many parts of the country. Too many farmers, ranchers and their families fall victim to accidents during harvest that might have been easily prevented with a little extra time and caution, so please stay alert during harvest this year. Slow down, be aware of your surroundings and take a break or trade off with someone if you are starting to feel tired. We all know it is a busy and important time of year, but there is nothing more important than your life. 

Back on the livestock side of things, Rabobank has released its third quarter outlook for 2022. The global beef market remains strong. However, that could change depending on consumers pocketbooks for the rest of the year. Most beef retail prices continued upward in Quarter 2 or remained steady. Although Q2 prices did not increase much compared to the first quarter, most are between 5 and 11 percent higher than Q2 of 2021.   

Due to the widespread drought, calves and feeder cattle have moved into feedlots at a faster pace in the first half this year. The July 1 on-feed inventories were near year-ago levels at 13.4 million head, but reduced supplies outside of feedlots by 1 million head. As a result, Rabobank expects a more noticeable shortfall of market-ready cattle by winter. 

The beef cow herd has liquidated at a record-high pace since early in 2022. Cow slaughter increased to 12.7% for the first half of the year, and the 4 million head forecast for annual slaughter is nearly 500,000 head above last year. By the end of July, 54% of the beef herd was facing moderate to severe drought levels. With a La Nina weather pattern forecast into the winter, the downtrend in cow numbers, feeder cattle supplies and ultimately beef production could mirror the 2014 cycle lows by 2024 or 2025. 

Regardless of if you are weaning calves, fall calving or chopping silage, the BioZyme Family wishes you a safe and happy fall!