The concept of animal nutrition does not require a layman explanation given the nature of its significance. The fact that inadequate animal nutrition can cause a serious impact on the agriculture sector is evidence enough to underline the need for continuous innovation.
This edition, World’s Top 10 Animal Health Companies Enhancing Lives, endeavors to place the spotlight on companies striving to deliver high quality and comprehensive animal nutrition products.
Featured on the cover of this edition is BioZyme® Inc., which serves the agriculture industry as an innovator in the fields of animal health, nutrition and microbiology.
Headquartered in St. Joseph, Missouri, the company reaches a global market of customers throughout the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
In the business for 70 years, BioZyme offers a complete line of high-quality vitamin, mineral, and protein supplements with the Amaferm® advantage. Additionally, it markets Amaferm as a feed additive for others to include in their feed and supplements.
Amaferm is a proprietary prebiotic produced from a select strain of Aspergillus oryzae; it works naturally to increase intake, digestion and absorption. Amaferm has nearly 150 published University research studies on its mode of action, impact on digestion, absorption and its increase on animal performance.
With a continuous commitment to applied research, BioZyme offers products for a variety of animals including cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, goats, horses, and dogs. BioZyme brands include Amaferm®, VitaFerm®, Vita Charge®, Sure Champ®, Vitalize®, Gain Smart®, DuraFerm®, and Backyard Boost™.
BioZyme is unique in its approach toward growth in the animal health and nutrition space. First, the BioZyme team is very relevant to the market in which it resides. Even more so than relevant, there are many times the BioZyme team are the influencers. So, if you’re talking about goat nutrition, there is someone on the team who feeds goats every day and understands what it takes to maximize their performance.
Secondly, BioZyme works tirelessly to develop proprietary products. These products have some components that include technology or innovation, so they do exactly what BioZyme says they do to help the animal every time. If the product was developed to help mitigate heat from the animal or help get the animal back on feed, they do those things. If the product claims to help a dog manage digestive issues, it does that, and you can watch them improve quickly after taking the product.
The third thing is BioZyme’s outreach to both young people who are involved in livestock production, and veterans who have been injured while fighting to defend the country. All BioZyme’s differentiations are important but giving back has got to be one of the most important things for the future of the country, the industry, and for all the people who work at BioZyme.
Quality Nutrition at the Core
BioZyme’s offering is based on the fact that 70% of immunity resides in the gut. “Every product we make ensures that its center focuses on ensuring gut health and then incorporates additional relative ingredients that have research behind them for that specific species of animal and for its production cycle,” says Lisa Norton, BioZyme President and COO.
“So, if an impact on egg quality is the need, we make sure the ingredients we are utilizing, including BioZyme’s microbiology, have proof that they do that. Not only is this a competitive advantage, but it is also the right thing to do for the animal.”
“At BioZyme we really like to talk about our heart, and our heart focuses on ‘care that comes full circle.’ If all of us take care of the animal, it will take care of us. The same is true of customers, employees and vendors. One should never forget their heart no matter what they are doing,” Norton expressed.
The Power Source
The team at BioZyme is made up of a diverse and talented group of people that have all been on different journeys before they converged at BioZyme. This diversity and talent have allowed the company to flourish at the rate and the intensity desired to ensure the company’s double-digit growth.
This diversity allows the leadership in the company to challenge one another creatively and effectively. The team has worked very hard to challenge itself and is very passionate about what they do to respond to those challenges. Whether its Ignacio Ipharraguerre looking at the cellular level of the biologic and the different impacts that has on the animal or Jamie Miller looking at the data that is needed to make smarter, faster decisions, all are passionate about what is done. Everyone always says that anyone they reach out to at BioZyme is very passionate and that is because the modus operandi of the BioZyme leadership team has been established that way.
Advising those entrepreneurs who aspire entering the animal health and nutrition market, Norton says, “To venture into the animal health and nutrition market, an entrepreneur must care about the animal first and most. If the venture exists solely for the economics or short-term growth, even if you have amazing products, it isn’t going to be sustainable. Animal nutrition isn’t an industry where the margins are large or entrepreneurial models thrive, but if you really want to be successful, you need to focus on what is right for the animal.”
Braving a Pandemic
When asked about the challenges BioZyme faced and how they pivoted to sustain operations while ensuring the employee safety, Norton said, “One of the beauties of being in the animal nutrition business is that animals didn’t/don’t know there is a pandemic going on, which meant that business from their perspective was normal. Since animal life was normal, what BioZyme had to do was figure out how to
deliver despite a pandemic going on all around them.”
“The biggest challenge wasn’t within the walls of BioZyme; it was getting the product where it needed to go in a timely manner. Logistics was a real challenge. Another challenge was the constant number of unknowns: not knowing if things were going to be over soon or knowing if we needed to change how we behave in terms of proximity in the workplace and protecting people. It was also a challenge to not be able to go out and meet customers. Zoom calls are draining, less invigorating, and less personal than face to face meetings, and not very much fun,” she expressed.
Riding the Tech Wave
We asked the leadership team at BioZyme for their opinion on adopting modern technologies in the animal nutrition industry. In response, the team said:
“Sustainability is a priority for both our customers and our company. In order to keep that priority in focus, we have continued to use modern technology to keep our business relevant.”
“At BioZyme, the last two years, we’ve worked diligently at getting as many of our production processes automated as we possibly can, which has allowed us to transition people from being manual operators to being checks and balances on the products we make. We’ll continue that process, and machines will help us verify the quality of what we’re doing and make sure we’re meeting all the parameters to ensure the nutrition is what we say it is when it gets to the animal.”
Venturing toward New Horizons
BioZyme has scaled in 2021 by expanding its distribution network, both nationally in the United States and internationally across the globe. Identifying top-notch, action-oriented companies that want to partner with BioZyme to get products distributed across the globe, all for the benefit of the animal has been one of its ways to scale. Whether that was the supplement distributor in the southeast U.S. or its newest distributor in the Netherlands, BioZyme has been careful and smart about picking those partners and then being a good partner back to them by providing them all the support and resources they need to help both companies grow.
Exhibiting Excellence
The BioZyme Marketing Team was recognized with the following honors at the 2021 Livestock Publications Council Awards Banquet:
- First Place Logo for the Sure Champ Joint Juice Logo
- First Place General Excellence Marketing Campaign for the Vitalize NFR Campaign
- Second Place Commentary Article for COVID-19 4 Lessons to Teach Our Young People
- Second Place Digital Content Series for Sure Champ’s #PreptoWin in a Pandemic
- Second Place Newsletter for BioZyme VISION (dealer newsletter)
- Second Place Ad Campaign for Progressive Cattlemen Rely on VitaFerm
This is what BioZyme’s customers have to say about the company:
“My whole protocol has changed because of Vita Charge® Cattle Drench. I used to give a lot of antibiotics, fill them up with shots, but once I started using drench, I’ve eliminated every shot I give them. Now, I give them the drench and I worm them. That’s pretty much it for the first week until they are eating good and drinking good. Then we’ll come back and work them. When I bring in at-risk calves at 130 to 400 pounds, there are Vita Charge Stress Tubs out 24/7. There is no amount of money on keeping one alive. If I didn’t use these products, and I lost one calf, at the end of the year, that’s like
losing 700 bucks.” – Spencer Nero, Oklahoma
“I wouldn’t breed cows without VitaFerm® Concept•Aid®. I believe that much in it as far as getting them bred. We try to be 100% A.I. or embryo transfer, and there is no doubt to me it makes our program successful. We see a difference in CL quality; we very seldom have a recip that gets turned down. I believe that nutrition has a lot to do with it.” – Eddie Burks, Kentucky
“We have been using Vitalize® Alimend® for over a year now and continue to be very happy with its results. Our horses have beautiful coats, great appetites and most importantly no signs of ulcers. When new horses enter our stable who are underweight, we immediately add Vitalize Alimend to their diets. Within a month we are amazed at the changes we see in their appearance and work ethic. The show jumpers often travel many miles between competitions and must adjust to different water and hay tastes. We rely on Vitalize Alimend in keeping their stomachs happy and healthy and ready to compete!” –
Laura Kraut, Olympic Show Jumper, Florida
“We’ve used the DuraFerm® Goat Concept•Aid® for three years and have seen an improvement in our overall goat health due to more available nutrients to them. We’ve used the same feed for roughly 15 years, and we’ve noticed a difference with a healthier coat, a better conception rate and the overall production of the goats seems a whole lot better. I have seen increased kid vigor at birth and the does have a higher milk output. Many goat producers are aware that DuraFerm is out there, but it has been fairly beneficial from our perspective. We’ve used several different minerals over the years, and we’re the happiest with this one.” – Trevor Corboy, Ohio
Quote:
- “Every product we make ensures that its center focuses on ensuring gut health and then incorporates additional relative ingredients that have research behind them for that specific species of animal and for its production cycle.”
