Category: What’s New

Changes Happening in April 2022

Update from the President:

In March we experienced significant cost increases in just about everything. Trying not to be political (yes, this is Lisa) the impacts of our world hit us solidly in the head at BioZyme. Tubs, bags, grains, vitamins, sulfates and even water all went up in price. Add logistic fuel surcharges like we have never seen before in our company’s history along with utility increases just as high and we, despite my giving it my all since March 2020, had to increase our prices across the board. I promise to continue to work hard to keep this from continually occurring, but please PRAY for our country.

PRODUCT UPDATES

A new & improved formula to enhance palatability has been created, tested and implemented for DuraFerm® Sheep Concept•Aid® HEAT®

LTL: Capacity continues to be stressed

  • COVID-19 Omicron variant is causing elevated absenteeism at carrier terminals; expect delays into April as a result
  • Expect persistent delays in LTL carrier networks from the backlogs
  • With capacity already constrained, multiple LTL carriers are now implementing freight embargoes at various locations across the country
  • Rates are projected to stay 35.8% higher than the 2018 baseline – but remain level with Q4/2021

LTL Calculator

  • This tool and its results are for estimation purposes only. There are no guarantees these rates will be accurate when a shipment is rated and booked. If the carrier has Interline on the calculator this could take an additional 6 days or more to receive your order. The Logistics Team usually picks the lowest cost unless it is Interline. If you would like to keep the lowest rate on freight and would like to go interline, please reach out to Ashley Jones at ajones@biozymeinc.com.
  • (interline- a shipment that is transferred between two or more carriers for movement to final destination)

GET TIMELY INFORMATION

  • Enhancements have been made to the Online Dealer Center to make sure that dealers are getting the most current information possible. Login to the Dealer Center regularly or check out the Dealer Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/biozymedealer for timely information.

EMPLOYEE CHANGES

  • Katie Williams has transitioned from the Outreach & Customer Support Center to the Marketing Brand Manager-Regional and will be assisting dealers with their marketing needs.
  • Kenny Voboril is now the Outreach Support Dealer Coordinator-UMW
  • New Area Sales Managers include Brenen Diesen, covering Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin; and Steve Patton, representing Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
  • Lori Lawrence is now the Show and Small Livestock Business Development Manager.
  • Bob Burkham is the National Manager of Supplement Sales.
  • Wyatt Marshall is the Event Manager and Texas Equine Sales Specialist.

BACKYARD BOOST® IS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL CHICK DAYS

Depending on your location, the ever-popular “Chick Days” will be here before we know it, and products like Backyard Boost® will help these young flocks flourish! We encourage you to work with your ASM or reach out to Shelia Grobosky, the Dealer Brand Manager, to help you promote these natural products that are designed to support the health, wellbeing and productivity of poultry.

Backyard Boost Daily Essentials

Backyard Boost Daily Essentials is a pelleted, natural protein supplement fully fortified with the precision prebiotic Amaferm®, vitamins, minerals and organic trace minerals to maximize growth and egg production and support overall flock health. Amaferm is research-proven to increase digestion and absorption of nutrients to help maximize egg production and quality. In addition, Daily Essentials contains additional protein to support growth, feather quality and egg production and calcium and other nutrients for natural improvement of eggshell and yolk quality.

  • 2.5 lb. or 10 lb. resealable bag.
  • Fed at a rate of 0.5 oz/chick/day.
  • For a 6-bird flock, 2.5 lbs. will last 2 weeks, and 10 lbs. will last 8 weeks.
  • Feed daily, either in the feeder or scattered in the pen.
  • Intended as a supplement, not a complete feed

Backyard Boost Defense

Backyard Boost Defense is a liquid supplement that promotes feed and water intake during times of stress and recovery to help support digestive health and a healthy inflammatory response. With natural products like the prebiotic Amaferm that helps combat the negative effects of stress and gets your hens back to producing eggs faster, and MOS to trap and expel unwanted disease-causing pathogens, limiting their ability to do harm, Defense promotes feed and water intake. It also contains electrolytes to support proper hydration and works with antibiotics to improve health and recovery.

  • 16 oz and a NEW 8 oz twin neck bottle with dosing chamber.
  • Added to water at the rate of 1 oz per gallon.
  • Mix daily to best freshness.
  • Designed for intermittent feeding during stress/recovery; can be fed at same time as Daily Essentials.
  • Maximizes the effectiveness of antibiotics.

SMART STRATEGIES FOR SELLING BACKYARD BOOST

Upselling and cross-selling are marketing tools that will help both you and your customer. They help your customers succeed in their feeding and production endeavors, and they help you meet your sales goals. When you combine the two and work them together, your business will experience even more growth.

Upselling is the is the practice of encouraging customers to purchase a comparable higher-end product than the one they might be originally considering. Cross-selling urges customers to buy related or complementary items. These two practices are most effective when they are used synergistically, and the end result for you, the dealer, is increased sales and hopefully a customer who sees better results.

Cross-selling is a practice that should be used in business nearly every time you make a sale. Products in the new Backyard Boost™line like Backyard Boost Daily Essentials and Backyard Boost Defense were created for cross-selling opportunities. Most people won’t immediately think of nutritional supplements for their backyard birds. However, they will think of other essentials like coops, heat lamps, bedding and feed. When they go pick out their feed or have questions about bird health, these are some ideal times for some cross-selling statements.

  • Have you thought about how you’re going to keep your chicks healthy?
  • Would you like to add a supplement to your chick feed to keep them feeling healthy and keep them happy?
  • Did you know that a product like Daily Essentials will help your chickens get the most nutrient supply from their feed?
  • How are you going to treat your chicks when they stress out and get sick? Have you thought about Defense.

Cross selling allows you to add on an essential product that will benefit the customer in his or her endeavor. Often times when you cross-sell, the customer hasn’t thought about that additional need yet, but when you mention it, it becomes an “ah-ha” moment for them, and a cross-sell suggestion often saves the customer a trip back to the store in the future, while helping you create a sale.

Upselling is a tool that should be used anytime you have a product that contains Amaferm®. With a prebiotic like Amaferm, products like Backyard Boost Daily Essentials and Defense are already more beneficial than other supplements that exist on the market. The Amaferm advantage and other natural ingredients in these supplements will:

  • Support performance and health of the birds by supporting the digestion and absorption of nutrients.
  • Reduce digestive upset, therefore improve the overall health and wellbeing of the birds.
  • Increase egg production, while improving eggshell and yolk quality.
  • Supports growth and feather quality.
  • Boosts immune response and combats negative effects of stress.

Upselling allows you to share experiences of a high-quality product with your customer and those benefits that a premium product will provide. Remember, a premium product doesn’t always have to be the one with the highest price tag; it is the one that is backed by research and has the most high-quality ingredients included in it.

Take the time to practice upselling and cross-selling across all species and products. There is always a product that will add value to another product.

New Product Alert!

Sure Champ Extreme with Clarify is available to order March 15! 

A pelleted, daily supplement with the Amaferm advantage for show cattle and pigs that can be top-dressed or mixed in the ration to promote appetite and digestive health and includes technologies designed to help support animals during extreme temperatures and to control horn, face, stable and house flies in their larval stage. 

Ready to order in Online Dealer Center: https://dealers.backofficeapps.com/products/2147

Two Minutes in Ag: March

Last month, many of the BioZyme sales and marketing staff attending the Cattle Industry Convention in Houston. It was great to talk to so many customers and potential customers about our products. While there, CattleFax presented its annual market and weather forecast, which is typically right on target. 

 According to CattleFax, even with continued challenges and uncertainty from the pandemic, cattle price and profitability trends for producers are heading in the right direction. While issues around labor and packing capacity have lingered, both are expected to improve in the year ahead. Expansions in capacity combined with strong global and domestic consumer beef demand suggests increased profitability across segments, good news for our customers. 

Kevin Good, vice president of industry relations and analysis at CattleFax, provided the following market forecast: Average 2022 fed steer price at $140/cwt., up $18/cwt. from 2021, with a range of $130-155/cwt. throughout the year. All cattle classes are expected to trade higher, and prices are expected to improve. The 800-lb steer price is expected to average $172/cwt. with a range of $158-184/cwt., and the 550-lb steer price is expected to average $205/cwt., with a range of $180-230/cwt. Finally, Good forecasted utility cows at an average of $75/cwt. with a range of $65-85/cwt. and bred cows at an average of $1,850/head with a range of $1,700-2,000 for load lots of quality, running-age cows. 

The weather forecast isn’t quite as favorable as the cattle market with La Niña staying in control of the ocean-atmosphere system. For the U.S., barring any change to the La Niña outlook or sudden warming in the Gulf of Alaska, dryness continues across the Southwest and South with warms temperatures, too. The Northern Plains and Corn Belt are expected to have wetness farther east this spring and drier conditions for this summer, with temperatures closer to normal compared to last year. 

As you know supply chain and transportation issues continue to challenge everyone in agriculture.

Look for more positive news next month, when hopefully we start to see some April showers! 

Dealer Spotlight: Simme Valley Feed Focuses on the Customer

For a young boy from Providence, Rhode Island, spending summers on his aunt and uncle’s farm in NewYork were a highlight. It is there, he first showed Simmental cattle and learned to appreciate the wide-open spaces.

Fast forward in time, Philip Paradis offered to return to Simme Valley located near Groton, New York, to help his aunt Jeanne White after his uncle passed away. At first it was just for a breeding season. Then for a little while at calving.And, now for the past nine years, Phil has become a permanent partner withJeanne, who started the Simmental operation with her late husband more than 50 years ago.

“It was quite a change for kid from the inner city. I was just going to come help with calving for 60 days, and I’m still here,” Philip said.

Those early summers showing at fairs with his aunt and uncle foreshadowed what would become a passion for Philip, as he now shows the family’s beloved Simmental cattle all through New York and along the East Coast. That is how he discovered BioZyme®-through the Sure Champ® products.

“With Sure Champ, when we are traveling and showing our cattle never go off their feed or water regimen,” he said.

Then, he discovered the same Amaferm® advantage in the VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® products. However, sourcing them wasn’t the easiest, so he decided to become a dealer, and he hasn’t looked back.

‘I’m so glad I switched to the VitaFerm mineral. Concept•Aid has shortened our calving window from 60days to 45 days on natural heats. Getting done calving in 45 days was amazing! BioZyme has created a product that sells itself,” Philip said. He uses a lot of signage and word of mouth to share his success with the products and to grow his business. He also uses social media to share what he does on the farm and what shows he will be attending. When he first started, he had three customers. Three years later, he has more than 40 customers. He is trying to diversity his offering, by finding sheep producers to try the DuraFerm® line. He said one of the most popular products he sells is the Country Vet Natural Dog Food. He said his customers appreciate the price point, the way it helps their dogs not feel gassy and how it clears up their skin.

His best advice is to make sure to know what your customers use and don’t use so you keep your inventory correct and don’t have unnecessary products.

From the city life to simpler ways, Philip Paradis has become a successful BioZyme dealer in New York, living his dream. Thanks for sharing the Amaferm advantage with so many others, Philip!

Letters From Lisa – March 2022

Does passion make you work harder and smarter? I don’t think so. I think passion makes you want to work harder and smarter. But there is way more to working harder and smarter than passion. The real problem with this cliché is that it gets tossed around so casually as an answer to all business problems and yet, it has so little to do with how a business needs to operate.

Many people believe work balance is really the goal and so they changed the phrase to “work smarter, not harder.” What’s the difference?

Luckily someone took the challenge of finding a clear answer… UC Berkeley professor Morten Hansen looked at 200 academic papers, interviewed 120 experts, ran a pilot study on 300 subjects and built a framework which he then tested on 5,000 participants from various industries and backgrounds.

He found seven behaviors that made up 66% of the difference in how people performed. (By comparison, standard metrics like education, age and hours worked were only responsible for 10% combined.) His new book, “Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More” outlines these seven.

We’re going to look at three of my favorites so that we can get hard, smart work done — and maybe even achieve that mythical “work-life balance” unicorn everyone is always talking about.

Do Less — then Obsess
Everyone agrees we need to quit trying to accomplish 9,000 things at once. But when Hansen looked at the data, he found that this was only half the solution. Top performers focus on fewer goals — but they also obsess like crazy over them. This is a really hard one for me. I am very good at obsessing but if I am honest, I obsess over all of the hundreds of opportunities I think BioZyme has. I am going to take this advice to heart and pick three for 2022.

Use “The Learning Loop”
Deliberate practice seems straightforward in sports, music or chess. But how do you do it in the workplace? Hansen offers some clear steps:

  • Pick one and only one skill at a time to develop. It’s “do less and obsess” all over again. Trying to get better at everything at once gets you nowhere. Right now, you want to be better at social media. So, learning QuickBooks will have to wait.
  • Pick one and only one skill at a time to develop. It’s “do less and obsess” all over again. Trying to get better at everything at once gets you nowhere. Right now, you want to be better at social media. So, learning QuickBooks will have to wait.
  • Just like a baseball player might try to improve a specific element of their game (batting, fielding or running), you want to break down what goes into good social media and set a goal. “I’m going to learn Promoboxx to help with my social media
    marketing.”
  • Get feedback. After the Facebook post is made, ask people how you did and what you can do to improve it

Follow Passion & Purpose
Top performers didn’t merely “follow their passion.” They also had a sense of purpose in what they did. This combo produced huge results. It boosted energy levels and increased the amount of effort they were able to exert. Hansen found that at least 10% of people in every arena and role examined had passion and purpose.

Purpose is about creating value for others in a way that is personally meaningful to you. Like passion, this is less about the actual tasks you perform and more about how you frame them. Shoveling elephant poop does not seem terribly meaningful. And when looked at in that limited frame, it isn’t. But when you love animals, it can be deeply meaningful — as a study of zookeepers revealed. In a 2009 study of zookeepers, researchers found that some saw cleaning cages and feeding animals as a filthy, meritless job, while others saw it as a moral duty to protect and provide proper care for the animals. Same job, different feelings of purpose.

Summing It Up
If we choose to implement these three behaviors, I think we will all be able to work smarter which will naturally convert to working harder and we will do it all with passion and purpose without even knowing it. Isn’t doing something so naturally you don’t even know you are doing it the real secret to work and life? One last thought. If doing all three of these behaviors is too much for you right now; 23% of the difference Hansen found in how people performed came from one behavior – Do Less then Obsess. Here’s permission to passionately obsess!

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Changes Happening In March 2022

NEW PRODUCTS

  • BioZyme will be launching two new products featuring ClariFl
    • Sure Champ® Extreme with ClariFly® available March 15,2022,  a pelleted, daily supplement with the Amaferm® advantage for show cattle and pigs that can be top-dressed or mixed in the ration to promote appetite and digestive health. Includes technologies designed to help support animals during elevated temperatures and in control of horn, face, stable and house flies in their larval stage.
    • VitaFerm Conserve® CTC 3G with ClariFly® available March 1, 2022, an economical vitamin and mineral supplement for beef cattle that supports the health and condition of the whole herd. Includes the Amaferm® advantage to optimize nutrient digestion and absorption while the vitamin and mineral pack preserves cattle performance. Includes CTC for the control of Anaplasmosis and ClariFly to stop horn, face, stable and house flies in their larval stage.

PRODUCT UPDATES

  • To increase palatability of our DuraFerm® Sheep Concept•Aid® HEAT® we are working on a new and improved version that will be released soon.

COVID SUPPLY CHAIN UPDATES

  • Many organizations we work with today are experiencing volatility in the market. The information is built on market data from public sources and Freight quote by C.H. Robinson’s information advantage, based on our experience, data and scale. Please use these insights to stay informed, make decisions designed to mitigate your risk and avoid disruptions to your supply chain.
  • Truckload: Trucking labor and volume is changing
  • Supply
    • 8,000 more jobs in trucking, the U.S has more trucking jobs than pre-pandemic levels but driver hiring and retention remains extremely challenging for carriers
    • Decreased active capacity due to increased absenteeism from COVID-19 Omicron variant
    • Omicron capacity crunch – CH Robinson 2022 forecast has increased to a 9% higher average cost as compared to 2021 for U.S. sport market dry van  
  • Demand 
    • Freight volumes are outpacing Class 8 tractor growth, which contributes to sustained tension in the trucking market 
    • Efforts to improve inventory to sales ratios and the forecasted Q1 GDP rate of 4.5% will result in meaningful freight volumes 
  • LTL: Capacity continues to be stressed 
    • COVID-19 Omicron variant is causing elevated absenteeism at carrier terminals; expect delays into March as a result
    • Expect persistent delays in LTL carrier networks from the backlogs 
    • With capacity already constrained, multiple LTL carriers are now implementing freight embargoes at various locations across the country 
    • Rates are projected to stay 35.8% higher than the 2018 baseline – but remain level with Q4/2021 
  • Ocean and air limitations impact North American surface transportation:
    • Los Angeles/Long Beach and New York predict unprecedented labor shortages to work vessels in the coming weeks 
    • Port of Vancouver backlog continues after severe flooding and mudslides 
    • Recovery times at U.S. airports remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic conditions, but demand has softened in early 2022   
    • Keep a close eye as volumes increase post Lunar New Year, and congestion is likely to return 
  • Border crossing demand is at an all-time high:
    • As interest rates remain low; the demand for Canadian capacity has never been higher 
    • The factors that are putting the greatest pressure on border crossing capacity are as follows: 
      • COVID-19 Omicron absenteeism 
      • Vaccine mandate 
      • Freight volumes 
      • Winter weather
      • Boarder blockades 

Meet The BioZyme Family

Team: Outreach and Customer Support

Leader: Jennifer Miller, Outreach Sales and Support Senior Manager

Number of people on your team: 6

Key Responsibilities: To ensure that we provide the best customer service to all present and future customers. That entales everything from orders, product questions, where to get BioZyme products, logistics, merchandise and so much more!

List of each team member and role they play at BioZyme:

Jennifer Miller– Outreach Sales and Support Senior Manager- Oversees daily operations with all aspects the team provides in the customer service world.

Heather Brant– Works with all present customers, future customers and BioZyme Area Sales Manager to ensure the best customer service we can provide.

Katie Williams– Outreach Support Dealer Coordinator – Works with all present customers, future customers and BioZyme Area Sales Manager to ensure the best customer service we can provide.

Kenny Voboril– Outreach Support BTS Coordinator- Works with all new distributor customers to help ensure a great onboarding process.

Ashley Jones– Logistics Coordinator- Manages the securing of logistics for all orders and overseer’s any freight claims or concerns.

Jody Purvis– Sales Support Manager- Coordinates all BioZyme merchandise, promotion fulfillment and works with trade show and livestock show support.

How does your team help with “Care that comes full circle” for BioZyme Customers: The Outreach and Customer Support Team is diverse in its skill set and the people it works with on a regular basis. The small team offers support to employee and customers from taking and tracking orders, ensuring contact information is updated, answering product questions, logistics, merchandise, literature, general concerns and more. We love to help all our employees and customer to assure their success in all they do!

Backyard Boost® Defense now comes in two sizes!

Introducing an 8 oz bottle for easier handling, samples or smaller flocks.

Backyard Boost® Defense is a liquid supplement for all classes of poultry that promotes feed and water intake during times of stress and recovery to help support digestive health and promotes a healthy inflammatory response.

Still available in 16 oz bottle for bigger flocks.

Two Minutes this Month: February

A new year is upon us, but the same challenges exist if you’re in agriculture; land values are high, feed costs are high, and if you are a farmer, seed and chemical costs are going to be higher than ever this spring. However, those involved in U.S. production agriculture continue to persevere and produce the world’s safest food, just like BioZyme focuses on producing safe, accurate products. 

New this month, we’ll start highlighting some news from across the ag community that you can read in a quick two minutes.  

Cattle slaughter was down in December, and overall declining cattle numbers are projected to reduce cattle slaughter by 2.5 -3% in 2022 and lead to a 2.5% decrease in beef production for the year. However, drought could change the timing by forcing more liquidation and slaughter sooner and delaying the decrease in production until later. 

Mother Nature cannot play nice; she either sends excessive rains and storms to parts of the country or drought continues to wreak havoc elsewhere. The U.S. Forest Service along with other government agencies are partnering to help eliminate the spread of wildfires moving forward. This 10-year plan initially will target some of the highest risk areas, including the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada Range in California, the front range in Colorado and the Southwest. 

The BioZyme brands were represented in January at both the Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City and the National Western Stock Show in Denver. In its second year, Cattlemen’s Congress boasted strong open cattle shows with great sales, many sponsored and supported by breed associations after a successful first year, as a pivot show when the National Western cancelled during the height of COVID. The new stockyards at the National Western are very impressive, and the NWSS staff was very exhibitor friendly this year. Quality junior market shows among the species make Denver a special place in January, with the junior market auction better than ever. Sales in the new auction arena in the Yards were strong and though attendance was slightly off this year, foot traffic at the BioZyme booth was tremendous.