“Care that comes full circle” is more than just a company slogan for BioZyme® Inc. It is the principle that the company bases its product development and marketing decisions on daily. Will a new product provide the care that the animal needs? Will the animal stay healthy and continue to grow for the producer if it consumes the product? And with increased health and performance will that animal become part of the nation’s safe and nutritious food supply?
After asking those questions, BioZyme’s R&D Team introduced a new line of products specifically for the stocker calf sector – VitaFerm® Gain Smart®. Gain Smart is a line of vitamin and mineral supplements for beef cattle with the Amaferm® advantage that promotes economically produced pounds by maximizing the natural energy and protein available in forage.
BioZyme offers many valuable supplements for mature cows through its VitaFerm product line. However, Kevin Glaubius, Director of Nutrition at BioZyme, points out the nutritional requirements for a lactating cow are very different from those of a 500-660-pound stocker calf. And that is why the company saw a need and developed Gain Smart.
“Anything you can do to increase gain tends to have an overall impact on profitability,” Glaubius said. “Gain and feed efficiency are those drivers for the stocker calf.”
Gain Smart contains Amaferm, is a prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply for maximum performance. It is research-proven to increase intake, digestion and absorption.
Because operators run their stocker calves in different environments – on wheat, in pastures, and in feedlots – three different Gain Smart products are available. However, they each have the same goal of maximizing feed efficiency in a safe, natural manner.
“Amaferm is the common ingredient in all Gain Smart products, and Amaferm simply supports gain by making more protein and energy available through the forages and feedstuffs the calves are eating,” Glaubius said.
Higher performing, faster growing calves are typically healthier calves. And healthier calves are less likely to be treated with antibiotics. Although antibiotic use is safe, consumer surveys show they prefer protein from sources that are antibiotic free, another way that BioZyme provides “care that comes full circle.”
Gain Smart ensures calves stay healthy and growing, while being on a natural supplement. That growth lessens the stress on the producers and ensures consumers are getting a safe, natural product.
“The producer will get a direct return from the Amaferm advantage with more gain. The added performance and gain will more than pay for mineral program,” Glaubius said.
We ask extraordinary things of our animals, and it is our job to give them every advantage to maximize their natural ability to perform and thrive.
