CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Letters Lisa FROM
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: PROGRESS TOWARD PERFECTION
Continuous improvement is an initiative throughout BioZyme® that ensures ongoing efforts to enhance our service, products and processes. In the business world, this approach is not merely a strategy; it’s a commitment to excellence and adaptability. Embracing continuous improvement helps us achieve greater efficiency, innovation and growth.
The spirit of continuous improvement lies in the belief that no process is perfect and that there is always room for getting better at everything. It encourages a culture where everyone can assist with suggesting and implementing improvements.
In order for continuous improvement to happen effectively, one must assess the following:
• Assessment of the current industry environment
• Employee and customer feedback
• Collection and analysis of data from best practices
• What incremental changes can be made
All of these components are hard and time consuming to accomplish, but if they can be achieved, the results of continuous improvement can be very beneficial, including:
• Increased efficiency
• Enhanced quality
• Culture of innovation
• Easier adaptation to change
• Employee engagement and morale
• Customer satisfaction and loyalty
To successfully implement continuous improvement, businesses should:
1. Develop a Clear Vision and Strategy: Define the goals and objectives of continuous improvement efforts. Align these with the overall business strategies and then communicate them clearly.
2. Foster a Culture of Improvement: Encourage a mindset where everyone is committed to seeking better ways of working.
3. Provide Training and Resources: Equip yourself and your employees with the skills and tools they need to identify and implement improvements.
4. Establish Feedback Mechanisms: Create channels for gathering feedback from customers, employees and other stakeholders. Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement.
5. Measure and Communicate Results: Regularly assess the impact of improvement initiatives using data.
Continuous improvement is a powerful approach that drives excellence and resilience in business. By fostering a culture of innovation, efficiency and customer focus, companies can continuously adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world. Embracing continuous improvement is not just about staying competitive; it’s about always making progress toward perfection and knowing that the pursuit of the perfection is always evolving.
EMBRACING CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IS NOT JUST ABOUT STAYING COMPETITIVE;
IT’S ABOUT ALWAYS MAKING PROGRESS TOWARD PERFECTION AND KNOWING
THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION IS ALWAYS EVOLVING.
LEAD TO NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS
TIMES AND CONDITIONS CHANGE SO RAPIDLY
THAT WE MUST KEEP OUR AIM CONSTANTLY FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE.
This quote from entrepreneur Walt Disney aligns perfectly with the values of BioZyme®. With a mission to show care that comes full circle to all animals and caretakers of those animals, our team is continually focused on making positive changes for the future.
One of BioZyme’s more recent changes and improvements comes from forming a key partnership with Zinpro®, a world leader in trace minerals. We are excited to kick off this partnership that allows us to introduce a new organic trace mineral (OTM) technology.
“Absorption is key. Present research shows that using an amino acid complex opens multiple doors for absorption and increases mineral retention rate, providing for maximum utilization. Zinpro Performance Minerals also utilize amino acid transporters for uptake into the bloodstream,” said Chris Cassady, Ph.D., BioZyme Director of Beef Technical Sales.
Zinpro amino acid complexes have four primary benefits outlined here:
1. Soluble
Soluble simply means being capable of being dissolved in a liquid. Since we know that the animal’s body is primarily made of water, if a mineral is not soluble, it won’t be available.
Mineral absorption is water based, and all Zinpro Performance Minerals have high solubility to improve efficacy and absorption into the enterocyte (small intestinal cell).
2. Stable
The stability of the organic trace mineral is primarily based on the bond between the mineral (metal) and the amino acid it is “complexed” to.
Varying bond strengths and pH changes throughout the GI tract cause a lot of OTMs to break apart and become less usable. The rumen is 6.7-7.0, the abomasum is around 2, the duodenum starts to increase back to 5, so it has to be strong enough to make it through this gauntlet of pHs. All Zinpro Performance Minerals are bound to an amino acid ligand with a stability constant between 2-7.4 pH.
Stability requires a balance, tight enough to stay together, but not so tight that it can’t let go when needed.
Cassady compares stability to a dating relationship. “Stability is a really good girlfriend. If you find this person, you should marry them.”
“A crazy (too strong bond) clings, clings, clings to you and never lets go when you need it to,” he explains. “Alternatively, the weak girlfriend kind of holds your hand, but lets go and leaves you hanging when younger, more attractive guys show up to the party (antagonists in the rumen),” he said.
3. Absorbable
For an OTM to be absorbable, it is able to easily enter the bloodstream. Obviously, for trace minerals to be used by the animal, they must be absorbed and distributed through the bloodstream to organs, tissues and enzyme systems.
Zinpro Performance Minerals are manufactured to create a molecule that the animal can absorb and put to good use. Inorganics and some other organics are inadequately absorbed or not absorbed at all. If they aren’t absorbed, they aren’t used, and are excreted into the environment.
Zinpro has the data and science to prove that their amino acid complexes are absorbed through the amino acid transporters. So, the receptor on the enterocyte essentially recognizes the specific amino acid it is targeting and “pulls it in”. The Availa Zn, Mn and Cu we are now using have these minerals complexed to multiple amino acids instead of just
one glycine molecule like we had in the past. This increases the affinity and “opens more doors” for the complex minerals to be absorbed compared to the technology we used in the past.
4. Metabolically Available
Metabolically available amino acids are in the body, available for immediate use and help animals reach their full genetic potential more efficiently and effectively. Zinpro Performance Minerals are research-proven to provide greater efficiency to reach target organs, tissue, and enzyme systems. These OTMs give us the opportunity to consistently increase the amount of minerals that are available and usable in the animal.
As you can see, the primary benefits of the Zinpro Availa organic trace minerals are increased health, performance and absorption for the animals. The producers should see more efficiency, a reduced cost and more gain.
At BioZyme, we know that continuously improving is important to the animals, the customers and you, the dealers. If our products don’t get better, we don’t get better. We hope that you and your customers appreciate these enhanced OTMs the progress we are making to improve our products every day.
- Chris Cassady, Ph.D., BioZyme Director of Beef Technical Sales
SUCCESSFUL PRODUCER MEETING A STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH TO A
The BioZyme Team wants your next producer meeting to be a success. Follow this guide as you plan your next meeting this fall or winter.
1. Set a Date
Setting a date can be the biggest challenge, as you want to work around your customers’ schedules of calving, harvest, pulling cattle off of governmentmanaged ground and other tasks. Work with your Area Sales Manager and set a date at least 60 days out that works best for your schedule.
2. Submit a Marketing Request
At least 60 days before your producer meeting, submit a Marketing Request through the Online Dealer Center to let your ASM and the Marketing Team know that you are planning a Producer Meeting, along with all the pertinent information. The Marketing Team will send invitations on your behalf, provide you with literature and arrange one of the BioZyme experts to speak at your event, if you so choose.
“Use the BioZyme Marketing Team. They are a talented, creative group, so let them help you,” said Keith Micke, K Triangle Feed. Micke hosts at least one successful meeting annually.
3. Update your Customer List
submitted to the Marketing Team. Make sure this includes customers and potential customers that you want to invite to your meeting.
Make sure your list is relevant; if you have customers out of state, no need to invite them. If you are focusing on cow-calf nutrition, should you invite customers who only buy dog supplements?
4. Make Local Arrangements
Decide on what you need locally for your meeting. Are you providing a meal or heavy appetizers? Secure the caterer or work with a local church group or producer’s group to do the cooking. Make sure you have adequate tables, chairs, plates and utensils. If you are having a speaker, you will need a screen and an LCD projector.
5. Follow Up with Phone Calls
Micke advises following up the printed invitation with a friendly phone call. Although the postcard invitation is professional and looks nice, so many of his customers get lots of mail. He said the phone call is a nice reminder for people who might otherwise forget about the meeting.
6. Host the Producer Meeting
Once you have your Marketing Request submitted, you will want to get an updated customer mailing list
On the day or evening of the meeting, make sure you have everything you need. Micke said the best piece of literature he offers attendees is the Product Guide.
“I used to flood them with too much literature. Now we just go through the Product Guide to let them know we have products for every animal and even humans. I will usually sell Baxyl at every meeting,” Micke said. “The other piece of literature that is important is the Amaferm booklet. It all starts with Amaferm, and they need to see how it works.”
He adds that his customers really appreciate seeing someone from BioZyme like Chris Cassady or John Jeffrey at the meeting, as they do a great job explaining and showing care that comes full circle.
7. Close the Sale
At the end of the meeting, follow up with the attendees to gather any orders, especially if you are offering a one-time discount. Follow up with potential customers who you might have met at the meeting within a few days to answer any questions.
The ASM will collect contact cards. A thank you email will be sent on yours and the ASMs behalf. Producer meetings are a great way for outreach, marketing and sales. Reach out to your ASM or the Marketing Team if you have questions on how to make your next producer meeting a success!
HEIFER DEVELOPMENT PREBIOTIC TOOLS FOR
By Chris Cassady, Ph.D., BioZyme® Inc., Director of Beef Technical Sales
A new era of calf prices has brought amazing revenue for cow-calf producers. Immediate income opportunities incentivize cattlemen to sell their weaned calves, meaning a greater number of heifers are destined for the cattle feeding sector. Collectively, the cow herd hasn’t expanded as quickly as projected, ushering in amazing value for the replacement female. Like any valuable asset you may own, protecting your genetics with quality nutrition and management can help cattlemen get the most out of their retained females. Longevity is key to success in this business. With minimal incentive to grow the cow herd, it’s time to explore all the technologies available to produce high quality, sufficient levels of beef with the fewest cow numbers in decades.
Maximize Cow Herd Longevity
Maximizing longevity is dependent upon getting your replacement heifers bred up early enough to calve by two years of age. Research has shown the long-term negative impacts of late calving heifers on their productivity and stayability as a mature cow. Fertility is paramount, but it’s hard to single-trait select for due to its low heritability. Additionally, the fact that reproduction is nonessential, it’s no surprise that any nutritional or health insult to a growing heifer can prevent her from effectively breeding. Missing cycles takes away substantial dollars to our weaned calf market next year and puts the replacement herself at risk of falling out of the herd thereafter. Collectively, it’s our job to protect cattle from any stressors that can impact their lifetime productivity in the herd.
in your animals, but did you know that more than 70% of the immune system can be found in the gut? Hence, researchers have focused their efforts in evaluating the positive relationship between gut health and overall immune function. It may be time to take a proactive approach to the well-being of our developing heifers. Products such as prebiotics are designed to improve the number and activity of beneficial bacteria in the rumen and gastrointestinal tract. Competitive exclusion by promoting the good bugs and maintaining a stable rumen pH can help to eliminate pathogens and their negative effects on reproductive function.
Heifers need to stay healthy to breed. However, the immune system requires an exorbitant amount of nutrition when activated and is responsible for anestrous, early-term abortions and more. The first thing that comes to mind when talking about herd well-being are effective vaccination protocols. Many are effective promotors of acquired immunity
Just like a late-night informercial would claim, that’s not all for prebiotics! Prebiotics are defined by their positive impact on beneficial microorganisms in the gut, and some are research proven to improve feed utilization. At BioZyme®, we are proud to have AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, a research-proven prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility. Amaferm stimulates the growth of energy-harvesting bacteria, resulting in greater volatile fatty acid production (VFA) in the rumen. Volatile fatty acids serve as the primary energy source for ruminants, and an improvement in VFA production by 16% from feeding Amaferm is
nutritionally the same as feeding a pound of DDGS per head per day. Unlocking more energy from within affords the heifer additional energy available for growth, improved body condition and an earlier onset of puberty. Not to mention elevated energy levels have been shown to improve the production of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are crucial to the effective onset of ovulation in heifers. Obviously, these are essential for reproductive success, meaning that the prebiotic Amaferm can help improve breed-ups without any risks of grain-fed, overweight heifers.
Prebiotic vs Probiotic
One of the key elements that distinguishes a prebiotic from a probiotic is that it is non-living. The fact that it stays viable at extreme temperatures and varying moisture and pH levels suggests that many delivery mechanisms exist for your heifers. Prebiotics can be fed via total mixed rations (TMR) in confined heifer development systems but are more commonly incorporated into mineral supplements. Vitamin and mineral supplementation strategies are wellestablished promotors of beef production efficiency. When highly available mineral and vitamin products serve as the carrier for a powerful prebiotic, an effective one-two nutritional punch can be provided to your replacements.
GREAT GENETICS REQUIRE PREMIUM NUTRITION
The best way to incorporate Amaferm into your herd is through the VitaFerm® vitamin and mineral supplements powered by Amaferm. VitaFerm® is a line of nutritional supplements for beef cattle that maximize energy and forage utilization for successful production. A variety of products are available for cattle producers that contain organic trace minerals and Amaferm to help your heifers optimize their health and maximize their reproductive success. The feeder calf market is holding back any herd expansion because it incentivizes producers to cash in on their heifer calves while the market is hot. However, if you’re keeping fewer replacements this year, it’s likely you’re keeping the absolute elite of your calf crop. While this will certainly improve the genetic merit of a smaller domestic cow herd, it’s still up to us to maximize the genetic potential of our programs by developing our heifers in the best possible way. Great genetics require premium nutrition, and now is the most critical time to effectively set up our yearling females for a lifetime of success in the herd.
Offering a prebiotic like Amaferm through a supplementation program like VitaFerm is the best way to ensure your yearling heifers are successful contributors to the herd. Prebiotics are powerful tools that can proactively benefit health from within as well as improve feed utilization and energetic status in the animal. Collectively, this technology serves as a vital tool for maximizing heifer breed-ups in the first year, and effective longevity thereon.
Read more about the VitaFerm products available for replacement heifers.
This article was originally published in Progressive Cattle and has been reprinted with permission.
COMPANY NEWS:
BIOZYME SHARES NEW PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY ON SUMMER SHOW TOUR
Exhibitors at the Junior Nationals were some of the first to see and experience the new packaging technology that BioZyme® has invested in at its Cogent Solutions Group plant in Lexington, Kentucky. Exhibitors received sachet packets of Sure Champ® Liquid Boost®
These sample-sized packets are similar to ketchup packets that you might get at a fast-food restaurant. They will be ideal for our human products, mostly of which are a daily regimen, and will be more sustainable than the current glass packaging we use. The sachets were a fun and efficient way to distribute Liquid Boost to exhibitors – just another way BioZyme is making continuous improvements in packaging.
PREP TO WIN WORKSHOP SHOWCASES PRODUCT PROPERTIES & FUN
by Jillian Bryant & Ella Jordan, Summer Interns
Sure Champ® gels are formulated to enhance the health and performance of show livestock. Our gels, Appetite Plus, Clench and Climate Control contain minerals, vitamins, MOS and AO-Biotics® Amaferm®.
The “Prep to Win” workshop gave the juniors an opportunity to learn more about these gels while engaging in a hands-on, educational activity that combines the fun of making slime with the science of gut health. Hosted by Sure Champ at each of the four Junior Nationals we attended, this outreach activity aimed to teach young participants about the importance of gut health in animals while allowing them to create their own slime using ingredients that symbolize components of Sure Champ’s gels. The slime making process requires just a few ingredients; glue, baking soda, saline solution, glitter and food coloring.
Scan the QR Code to view a video that highlights the slime-making activity!
Here is summary of what each represents when the youth are making their slime:
• Glue represents the base for all the gels we make.
• Baking soda resembles all of the added minerals and vitamins.
• Saline solution represents a binding agent that holds all of the product together.
• Glitter represents MOS which is added for optimal gut health.
• Food coloring represents Amaferm, a key component in each gel.
Once these steps have been completed, the slime is ready to go! At the end of the activity, participants had a colorful, fun slime creation to take back to the barn and a newfound understanding of how Sure Champ’s gels work to promote gut health in animals. The hands-on experience helped solidify the educational concepts, making science accessible and enjoyable.
If this is something you are interested in doing at the local level to teach your young customers about gut health and our products, reach out the Marketing Team for the “recipe” and additional ideas.
5.
1.Twin
2.
3.CFC
4
5.Heritage
Does not include distribution partners.
DEA LER REC OGN ITION
Congratulations to these dealers who completed the Master Dealer Program during the month of June! Way to take your dealership and knowledge to the next level!
Chapter 1
Big B Show Feeds
Diversified Ag Nutrition
Chapter 2 44 Feed & Supply LLC
Big B Show Feeds
D & M Ag Supply
Diversified Ag Nutrition
Chapter 4
Champion Maker LLC Northwest Ag Supply LLC
Do you want to see your dealership name on this page? Take action with Annabelle with these three valuable tips from this issue of VISION:
1. 2. 3.
Encourage a mindset where everyone is committed to seeking better ways of working.
Take the opportunity to work with the BioZyme Marketing Team and your ASM when planning your next Producer Meeting! They can help you issue invitations, provide literature and giveaways and provide timely information for your customers and potential customers.
Educate yourselves on the four primary benefits of the new organic trace minerals now in BioZyme products: soluble, stable, absorbable and metabolically available. The OTMs found in VitaFerm® ReproMaxx® will help your customers maximize their reproductive success.
CHECK OUT WHERE WE’RE HEADING:
BWI Expo
Fort Worth, TX • September 16–18
Arkansas Youth Expo
Fayetteville, AR • September 30–October 3
World Dairy Expo Madison, WI • October 1–4
Platte Valley Boer Nanza / Big Red Buckle Series Grand Island, NE • Oct. 3–7
Ozark Fall Farmfest
Springfield, MO • Oct. 4–6
TUNE IN TO THE NEXT AMERICAN RANCHER
Come along with us to Douglas, Arizona, to learn more about KT Cattle Inc., and how they use VitaFerm® Concept•Aid® and VitaFerm Concept•Aid HEAT® on their operation.
The American Rancher will feature BioZyme® dealers & customers Kyle & Amy Best of KT Cattle.
Tune in:
Monday, Sept. 2 • 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8 • noon (all times EST)