October 2021 Changes

We have lots of changes happening this month. Be sure to check them out below.

PRODUCT UPDATES

  • In November and December, the Vitalize® Horse Treats will be packaged in Christmas packaging for the holiday selling season.
  • On September 1, the Vitalize® Equine Recovery Gel and Vitalize® Dog Recovery Gel were renamed to Vitalize® Equine Gel and Vitalize® Dog Gel. This change was made In order to be in compliance with new state AAFCO and NASC regulations, and in line with BioZyme®’s commitment to producing quality products through a quality process that are represented and registered accurately.

CUSTOMER PICK-UPS

  • EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Customers picking up with a livestock trailer must provide a wash out ticket before we will load product. We will not be able to load the trailer if the wash out ticket is not provided.

LOGISTICS UPDATES

  • At BioZyme, we are continuing to experience logistics challenges for our ingredients and materials, such as our packaging, which are resulting in both shortages and increased costs. We are working tirelessly to overcome these challenges to keep pricing under control and continue to deliver quality products quickly.

January 2022 Changes

FULFILLMENT UPDATES

  • Starting January 1, 2022, BioZyme® will require a minimum order of 2.5 tons. This change is being implemented due to the ongoing challenges we are experiencing with reliability and availability of LTL shipping. Distribution partners are available for smaller orders with coverage in over 30 states. If you need help working through these partners, please contact your Area Sales Manager or the Outreach Support Center.

Are Your Customers Ready for Weaning?

Now is the time to have the conversation about how to WEAN STRONG with a combination of Vita Charge® & Gain Smart®.

STEP 1

Receive with Vita Charge® Cattle Drench
Once within 48 hours

  • Jumpstart feed and water intake
  • Stimulate cattle’s immune system
  • Allow maximum effectiveness of vaccinations

STEP 2

Start with the Vita Charge® Stress Tub
First 7-14 days

  • Promote feed and water intake
  • MOS to help trap bad bacteria limiting their ability to do harm
  • Increase digestibility to maximize the energy value of feed for more gains
  • Option available with HEAT® to help combat heat stress at 70 degrees and above

STEP 3

Grow with Gain Smart® Stocker HEAT®
Minimum of 45 days, 100 days is recommended

  • Promote calf health and vigor
  • HEAT to help combat heat stress at 70 degrees and above
  • Stimulate digestion and increase nutrient uptake for optimum gain
  • Support hoof health and immunity
  • Accurately supplement those minerals lacking in the pasture and rectify mineral imbalances

*Other available minerals are Gain Smart Stocker, Gain Smart Wheat, Gain Smart Balancer RU1600

Selling Tools

The new Gain Smart Money Saving Minute Series and other great videos featuring Gain Smart and Vita Charge are available on the media page of our Gain Smart site.

Check them out now:

Share with your Customers

There are some great educational pieces and resources to help you sell Gain Smart available on the website at www.gainsmart.com. Be sure to check them out, including:

Dealer Spotlight: Lamoure Feed & Seed

It’s not always what you know, but who you know. That held true for some North Dakota teens with a show heifer that went off feed at their county fair, but they knew the late Dorothy Orts, BioZyme® Area Sales Manager extraordinaire. Dorothy introduced a young Trevor Wendel to a product called Amaferm®, and his heifer started eating, and that is a lesson he never forgot. Years later when he returned to his family’s feed store, LaMoure Feed & Seed, he knew that Amaferm and the BioZyme products needed to be part of their offering.

“Amaferm is the one thing that sets us apart from all of the other mineral companies out there. It’s a magical powder that once our customers try, they don’t want to go without,” said Wendel, feed manager at the store, which is owned by his brothers.

Wendel relies heavily on word-of-mouth marketing for the success of the business. He looks to larger scale, successful cattle producers who take pride in their operations to try the products with the Amaferm advantage. Those producers are happy with the results and in turn share the information with friends and neighbors, who then also want to try the products as well.

The Gain Smart® mineral is by far his most popular product, although he said it isn’t always used on strictly stockers. He said many of the cow-calf operators will mix Gain Smart Balancer in to their TMRs to give their cows the vitamins, minerals and Amaferm they need through the winter months.

Another popular product is the VitaFerm Concept•Aid® 5/S. He makes a custom blend with that and rumensin for producers to use during calving season and prior to breeding.

LaMoure Feed & Seed hosts a producer meeting each fall prior to weaning time to show appreciation to its customers and educate customers on anything new. Otherwise, they take a no-frills approach to conducting business and rely on the quality of products to sell themselves. He advises newer dealers to lean on their ASMs as a resource and always find those good customers.

“Customers that have good cattle are proud of their cattle and will spread the word about the products they use. They will also pay the bills, and that is important,” he said.

Thankfully Dorothy ran across that struggling 4-H member all those years ago with her magical Amaferm! That young 4-H member remembered Amaferm and has evolved into a long-time, multi-year VIP BioZyme dealer. That is care that comes full circle!

Letters From Lisa – September 2021

The food an average American family wastes translates into about $2,500 per year. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), beef is one of the least wasted foods, with only 20% spoiled or not eaten. If beef waste were cut in half, the sustainability of the whole industry could be improved by 10%.

Not only is beef delicious and nutritious, but the beef industry continues to implement numerous proven sustainability practices throughout each step of the “pasture-to-plate” process. Though the path to sustainability is never complete, it is a continuous journey.

To the beef community, sustainability comprises much more than environmental considerations. Today, a sustainable food supply balances efficient production with environmental, social and economic impacts.

BioZyme’s Gain Smart ® line was developed for stockers to help them enhance what they do best; turn grass into the beef we all love to eat. Throughout the beef cycle, each sector makes efforts to improve sustainability. Stockers are no exception. So please help us by helping them and remember to include Gain Smart in your conversations with those raising sustainable beef.

A sustainable beef herd is like a sustainable company – one whose purpose and actions are equally grounded in financial, environmental and social concerns. I am not very experienced in beef sustainability but in a company, I feel like I can offer a few ideas. Below you will find five ways to help you shape a more sustainable future for your company.

  1. Do not stand still, embrace change When you change and act fast, you can be the biggest, boldest and brightest unicorn, but if you remain still and don’t change and adapt to a situation quickly, you are closer to extinction than sustainability.

For instance, in the 80s, IBM got close to extinction. In fact, they were featured on the Forbes and Fortune magazine covers along with dinosaurs. So, the idea is there’s no standing still, or you will petrify just like the dinosaur. One may have a great idea that works, but it doesn’t matter how big the idea is, if you can’t find ways to take it to the market quickly you aren’t driving sustainability.

  1. Focus on creating the customer’s value proposition, not yours Don’t ever lose sight of the fact that at the end of the day the business purpose is to drive value for the customer. Focus on creating high value, high capabilities that are useful for your customer base. This doesn’t mean that you need to be an expert at everything; it’s about creating value on the top end with existing resources.
  1. Remember growth and comfort don’t co-exist We are no longer in the 50s, 60s, and 70s era. For example, if you are a banker, your new competitors are completely different. If you are in retail, now everybody is a retailer. Similarly, if you have been in the mobile business, then you can see that it’s no longer an industry; it’s a platform, it’s a capability. This is uncomfortable. But growth comes from businesses that focus on delivering value in innovative ways for their customers, even when it is uncomfortable.
  1. Focus on excelling in an area It’s no longer about one company delivering value to every client at every place; it’s about being a part of an ecosystem. If you are not part of the ecosystem, then you are limiting yourself. You might have a successful start, but eventually it starts becoming difficult. Further in the bigger ecosystem, you are going to become a part of many ecosystems. In some, you might be a significant player and in others, you might be a small player. But in the end, it’s all about the contributions you are making in each of those ecosystems. So don’t try to be a big player in every ecosystem, rather look at how things work to drive incremental value in your ecosystem.
  2. Focus on constant reinvention When you are part of a company, then it’s all about constantly reinventing what you do, it’s about reimaging how you do it and at the same time retaining your above core belief system because you want your employees, your clients, and your partners to work with you and for you.

Sustainability – believe you can make a difference and keep pushing.

September 2021 Changes

We have lots of changes happening this month. Be sure to check them out below.

PRODUCT UPDATES

  • On September 1, the Vitalize® Equine Recovery Gel and Vitalize® Dog Recovery Gel will be renamed to Vitalize® Equine Gel and Vitalize® Dog Gel. This change is being made In order to be in compliance with new state AAFCO and NASC regulations, and in line with BioZyme®’s commitment to producing quality products through a quality process that are represented and registered accurately.
  • Temporary Tub Packaging Update: Over the course of the next 4-6 weeks, Consumers will potentially be updating their top plastic slips on all tubs from clear plastic to white plastic due to supply issues. No other changes are being made to the tub products. This change will be temporary lasting between 4-6 weeks.
  • We have increased the mold inhibitor in our pelleted Sure Champ® products. This will help our products stay fresh smelling and mold-free while maintaining the quality of nutrients in the product.

CUSTOMER PICK-UPS

  • EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Customers picking up with a livestock trailer must provide a wash out ticket before we will load product. We will not be able to load the trailer if the wash out ticket is not provided.

SHIPPING UPDATES

  • EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Due to consistent service delays, high damage rates and a change to their freight claim reimbursement policy, BioZyme, Inc. is no longer shipping products with Holland Transfer Company. Customers and Area Sales Managers [ASM] can still choose to use Holland Transfer Company for shipping LTL orders. However, both the Customer and the ASM must sign a Release of Liability for each order for which Holland Transfer Company will be used.

PRICING UPDATES

  • At BioZyme, we are experiencing price hikes due to shortages in both ingredients and materials like packaging. As we always do, we are trying to do everything we can to keep pricing under control.

Strengthen your Stock with DuraFerm

Regardless of if you run a herd of 10 does or a flock of 500 ewes, their nutrition should be your number one concern. If they are not feeling their best nutritionally, they simply won’t perform. Quality nutrition found in the DuraFerm line fueled by the Amaferm® advantage will help keep flocks and herds healthier, in better overall shape and more reproductively sound.

With many cattle producers getting into the sheep and goat business, it is easy to compare DuraFerm to the VitaFerm ® of the sheep and goat world. DuraFerm is a vitamin and mineral supplement for sheep and goats with the Amaferm advantage to increase fertility and conception rates resulting in more lambs and kids. When used at least 30 days prior to lambing and kidding through breeding, the formula supports quick repair of the reproductive tract, faster breed back and increased milk production for lamb and kid vigor and growth potential.

For Goats

DuraFerm Goat Concept•Aid®

A free-choice vitamin and mineral supplement for goats specifically designed to target cycling, embryo production and conception when fed 30 days prior to kidding through breeding. Especially beneficial in A.I. and E.T. breeding programs.

DuraFerm Goat Concept•Aid ® Protein Tub

A breeding mineral with 20% natural protein in a cooked tub for goats specifically designed to target cycling, embryo production and conception when fed 30 days prior to kidding through breeding. Especially beneficial in A.I. and E.T. breeding programs.

For Sheep

DuraFerm Sheep Concept•Aid

A free-choice vitamin and mineral supplement for sheep specifically designed to target cycling, embryo production and conception when fed 30 days prior to lambing through breeding. Especially beneficial in A.I. and E.T. breeding programs.

DuraFerm Sheep Concept•Aid HEAT®

Same DuraFerm Concep•Aid formulated with HEAT to help prevent heat stress during temperatures of 70 degrees or above. Especially beneficial to combat the challenges of getting ewes bred in the summer.

DuraFerm Sheep Concept•Aid Protein Tub

A breeding mineral with 16% natural protein in a cooked tub for sheep specifically designed to target cycling, embryo production and conception when fed 30 days prior to lambing through breeding. Especially beneficial in A.I. and E.T. breeding programs.

Dealer Spotlight: Shoberts Feed Supplements

Sharing personal experiences that they’ve had with products has helped Shoberts Feed Supplements of Hennessey, Oklahoma, excel as a DuraFerm® dealer. Chad and Amy Charmasson, owners of Shoberts also own Charmasson Club Lambs, where they run 200 ewes, and have had had a fantastic experience with the nutritional products from BioZyme. Their experiences combined with positive experiences of existing customers, helped propel them to the number two DuraFerm store front dealer in the company in 2020.

“The DuraFerm products have proven themselves over and over for us. It’s not hard to sell a product that has such great results from a production standpoint in terms of healthier ewes that are in good breeding shape. Our conception rates are better, and that helps make it easy for us to sell this product,” Charmasson said.

He added that not only does he talk about his own flock’s health and reproductive status to potential customers, but he also feeds off of the results that his customers have had with the DuraFerm products and shares those results. Potential customers want to hear about outcomes, especially when they might already be using a product and not be getting good results.

He said the majority of his customers are not new to a mineral program. They have simply used a competing program that doesn’t work.

“They are willing to try something new, and BioZyme® products have a good reputation based on consistency. It is extremely important to me that these products are backed by science. I like the idea that research trials have been conducted and nutritionists have formulated the products to benefit our industry,” Charmasson said.

He said the easiest product for him to show instant results on is the DuraFerm Sheep Concept•Aid® HEAT® mineral because regardless of the time of year, the sheep don’t stress much due to the hot temperatures when they are on the HEAT formula. However, he said the DuraFerm Sheep Concept•Aid Protein Tubs are probably the most popular product he sells as many producers choose to leave those out year-round, except for maybe right at weaning.

Charmasson advises that dealers that are acquiring new DuraFerm customers tell their customers to be patient and explain that since their sheep or goats are likely mineral deficient, they will consume a lot of the mineral at first. The animals are just regulating themselves, but once they even out, the DuraFerm program will be a cost-effective mineral program.

“Too often, the customers see their animals overconsume the DuraFerm mineral and think it is too expensive, but once they level out, the producers will actually spend less money on the DuraFerm products and have healthier ewes and does that are in better shape with higher conception rates than they were when the fed mineral from the competition,” he said.

Happy, healthy flocks and herds are made of nutritionally sound animals backed by the Amaferm® advantage. Thanks to dealers like Shoberts Feed Supplements, flocks and herds are being taken care of by the Charmasson family who show care that comes full circle!

Letters From Lisa – August 2021

Diversification is a key component of a long-lived, healthy business. Diversification is the process of a business enlarging or varying its range of products or field of operation. Personally, I don’t think of diversification as a process, I think of it as a conscious decision to prosper. Diversification is a proactive growth strategy. Adding new products and services to your business can gain you entry to an attractive new industry full of new customers and high sales potential. It can also kick-start growth again with your current customers.

At BioZyme®, sales diversification is one of our five corporate goals. As a high growth, innovative company not diversifying is not really an option for us. Of course, the tricky part is determining where and how to diversify. Adding the small ruminant brand wasn’t all that tricky, but it has been a pretty easy way to accomplish diversification.

It all started with end-users asking why their sheep and goats could not get the Concept•Aid® line like cattle people could. Being taught by Dr. Francis Fluharty that sheep and goats are not the same and that they are way different than a cow, I wanted us to create products for each of these small ruminants instead of a one-line-fits-all approach. While the population numbers make you think you would put them together, my educator taught me to realize that would not be best for the animal. As an animal lover, having both sheep and goat products in the DuraFerm line became the only way to go for me.

The population of sheep and goats in the U.S. has been stable over the last few years at around 8M head. This is just about the same number as the population of dairy cows and horses. In all cases, we should be focused on a targeted sales approach with salespeople that have time to focus on the diversification, a specific marketing strategy for the diversification effort and a thorough follow-up effort on both to keep the pipeline funnel moving correctly.

At the risk of being long winded, I can’t pass up the opportunity to expand on how diversification brings up the importance of knowing your customers’ demands. To deliver value to your customers, you must have a clear understanding of their needs. This doesn’t change if they are a sheep, goat, dog or horse customer. However, it is probably more important to acknowledge it as a business owner when one is trying to diversify.

A customer need is a problem that a person is trying to solve, which motivates them to seek a product or service to do so. Another way to understand customer needs is to think of them as jobs to be done. The jobs to be done (JTBD) theory was first introduced by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen. In the online course Disruptive Strategy, Christensen asserts that customers don’t really buy products; they “hire” them to get a “job” done. In Disruptive Strategy, a JTBD is defined as “a circumstances-based description of understanding your customers’ desires, competitive set, anxieties, habits and timeline of purchase.”

Based on this definition, customers hire a product or service based on how well it fits their job description. If you understand the jobs your customers are hiring your product or service for, you can create a winning value proposition and drive innovation within your organization.

By aligning your company with JTBD, you can tailor your offerings to deliver value to your customers, achieve differentiation in the market, and avoid disruption. There are a number of ways to learn about your customers’ jobs to be done. Here are three ways to develop an understanding of your customers’ needs to better serve them with your products and services.

  1. Reflect on Your Experiences
    The first method for identifying jobs to be done is to reflect on your own behaviors and experiences, identifying patterns in your decision-making process. You yourself are a customer and, in the absence of other data sources, self-reflection can be a helpful starting point.
    • What motivated me to make the purchase?
    • What other options were available to me?
    • Why did I choose this product over the other options available?
    • What goal did the product help me achieve?
  2. Observe Behaviors Around You
    In addition to reflecting on your own experiences, you should observe the behaviors of those around you. If possible, look for opportunities to observe people at each stage of the buying process—from the time the job to be done arises to the final decision. Observe how people use the product or service to understand what goals it helps them achieve or challenges it helps them avoid. Look out for compensating behaviors or actions people take when a product or service doesn’t exist to fulfill their needs. Understanding the JTBD at the core of inconvenient alternatives can help you identify an underserved need in the market and inspire ideas to satisfy it.
  3. Order some DuraFerm
    Force yourself to diversify and figure out how to get the job done!

August 2021 Changes

We have lots of changes happening this month. Be sure to check them out below.

PRODUCT UPDATES

  • Temporary Tub Packaging Update: Over the course of the next 4-6 weeks, Consumers will potentially be updating their top plastic slips on all tubs from clear plastic to white plastic due to supply issues. No other changes are being made to the tub products. This change will be temporary lasting between 4-6 weeks.
  • We have increased the mold inhibitor in our pelleted Sure Champ products to the manufacturer recommended level for 1 year of shelf-life. This will help our products stay fresh smelling and mold-free while maintaining the quality of nutrients in the product.
  • On July 1, the Vitalize® Alimend® and Vitalize® Alimend® K9 labels were updated to comply with NASC standards. Though the presentation of the labels look different, the formula and ingredients remained the same. The feeding directions were changed to mL (instead of ounces), but the feeding rate did not change.
  • Vita Charge® Gel and Vita Charge® Climate Control Gel are now being produced and shipped in 60 mL tubes. This change was made in June due to supply issues with the 80 mL tubes. The case quantities, product numbers and SKUs of these two products did not change.

SHIPPING UPDATES

  • EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Due to consistent service delays, high damage rates and a change to their freight claim reimbursement policy, BioZyme, Inc is no longer shipping products with Holland Transfer Company. Customers and Area Sales Managers [ASM] can still choose to use Holland Transfer Company for shipping LTL orders. However, both the Customer and the ASM must sign a Release of Liability for each order for which Holland Transfer Company will be used.

PRICING UPDATES

  • At BioZyme, we are experiencing price hikes due to shortages in both ingredients and materials like packaging. As we always do, we are trying to do everything we can to keep pricing under control.

ORDERING UPDATES