Headquartered in Mason City, Iowa, Vi-COR®(Varied Industries Corporation) has a half century long history of innovation.  Their success and company culture is driven by three main objectives. First, to develop innovative products that deliver consistent results for the end user. Second, to employ people who are knowledgeable in all species of the livestock industry (including providing technical support in over 60 countries). And third, to build lasting relationships by listening to ideas and providing flexible, responsive services for our customers.

At the helm of Vi-COR is one of the industry’s most innovative and entrepreneurial leaders, Mark Holt.  As owner and president, Holt is the driving force behind the growth and success of Vi-COR, and has engineered their evolution into a world-class manufacturer of fermentation feed ingredients.  Under his leadership, Vi-COR has experienced a rapid development of new products and innovative technologies, all while staying true to their mission of providing quality consistent products that are extensively researched and field tested.  Keeping the livestock producer in mind, and knowing that these products will give them a competitive advantage is priority one for Holt and Vi-COR.

An Innovative Leader

Vi-COR is recognized world-wide for their livestock feed additives and nutritional innovations. Products such as A-Max®Liquid Yeast Culture and Celmanax®SCP, are just two examples of product application borne from the needs expressed by the customer. A-Max Liquid is the first liquid yeast culture that adds convenience for liquid feed manufacturers. Celmanax SCP is the first three in one product which is a soluble powder. It is highly concentrated, easily mixes into dairy milk replacers, drenches and VTM’s and is economical to ship, therefore significantly reducing warehouse costs.

According to Holt, “In order to produce Celmanax SCP, it required a whole different way of thinking, a whole different way of processing.  Celmanax SCP is a unique product because we’ve eliminated the carrier. That’s a cost savings to the end user. It’s about nine times more concentrated, so one truckload of Celmanax SCP is equal to nine truckloads of the original Celmanax Dry.

“What makes Vi-COR an innovative company is our willingness to try new things, to challenge ourselves,  to never forget we got here by trying to do something different,” says Holt. “When we chose to compete in this marketplace over fifteen years ago, we made the conscious decision to enter the industry with the passion to make a difference.   In short, we wanted products that performed. And we wanted to be able to touch the industry in a way nobody else has done it in the past.” 

Celmanax replaces multiple yeast-based products in dairy diets that contain yeast mannans and glucans, plus provides the added benefits of yeast culture. It improves digestibility and rumen health, promotes growth without antibiotics, and protects against bacteria and parasites such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Crypto.  Results show that Celmanax is especially beneficial for young calves that are stressed and have scours.

When Vi-COR developed Celmanax, they created a whole new class of yeast culture. Using a proprietary process to separate the beneficial structural components of the yeast cell wall, this all-natural, precision process is consistent, predictable and reliable and provides benefits for all livestock and poultry. Years of innovation and on-farm knowledge have helped Vi-COR build an unbreakable bond of trust with nutritionists, veterinarians, and producers. “The knowledge transfer is probably one of the more critical things that I think has helped Vi-COR grow. Whether it be product delivery, which is how the liquid product was born, product concentration, or product form, we are constantly soliciting feedback from our customers. We tend to think of Vi-COR as an outside-in company. Where we learn things outside of the company, bring them in, and try to figure out how we develop something to meet that challenge,” says Holt.
 

Customer Service

Our experience has taught us to remain flexible and provide consistent services such as our free Milk to the MAX®dairy audit and bilingual employee training program. This unique service goes beyond nutrition to improve milk production and parlor efficiencies. It is the first of its kind. And it’s provided absolutely free to customers of Vi-COR.

This comprehensive program is designed to train dairy employees on cow physiology, cow comfort, proper milking procedures, and calving care.  Vi-COR dairy specialists performs a pre-evaluation of the current surroundings and milking procedures, and then they make recommendations to maximize quality milk production, reduce SCC and SPC counts, and increase milk flow while reducing unit on-time. An important component of this extensive on-site training program is bilingual support. Our team of highly skilled dairy specialists work on behalf of the nutritionists, and provide this training in Spanish and English. The team also promotes milk quality at special mastitis workshops that focus on udder function and health and they will work with your managers and nutritionists to customize their visit to your dairy. The dairy specialist will then sit down with milking technicians and help them understand how to be more efficient, and more profitable. This service is free with our products in the ration.

Holt says, “our Milk to the MAX team are very talented technicians who go in and perform full scale dairy audits. They are very intense and thorough. Being able to give feedback directly to the owner of the dairy and the herdsman on what the issues are to make the process more efficient is invaluable for our dairy producer clients.”

Most importantly, Vi-COR’s products such as Celmanax and A-Max deliver proven performance validated through university research and on-farm use around the world. Vi-COR’s power in this industry is an unequalled understanding the customer, the livestock and the market.  According to Holt, “they need cost-effective, highly efficient efficacious inputs and more importantly, I think we need to understand what role our product plays in the animals’ physiology. What are we actually doing to the animal when we receive a response? This is the question which needs to be answered so that we can better decide when our products should be fed. To just use a product all the time may not be cost-effective. We’re putting a lot of energy into the discovery of why our products work.”

“What makes Vi-COR an innovative company is our willingness to try new things. To challenge ourselves.  To never forget we got here by trying to do something different”
 

Product Quality

One of Vi-COR’s main goals is to ensure that we produce a quality, consistent product for the end user. Being GMP and Safe Feed Safe Food certified ensures we adhere to stringent procedural guidelines.  No matter where our products go, we work closely with local distributors to meet the varying needs of each region.

Whether you choose Celmanax Dry, Liquid, or SCP – increases on return on investment and profitability will be seen.  You get the triple power of an all-in-one convenient application.

“There’s energy in this company, and it comes from all the people that are on the

Vi-COR team. They are so engaged and passionate in what they’re doing. Everybody who touches this company feels it and senses it. That’s the power of V.  That’s the power of Vi-COR.”

For more information, contact your

Vi-COR representative or visit vi-cor.com/dairy for Celmanax feeding directions, research results, and testimonials from other dairy producers.
 

Two New Programs Made Possible With Funding By Vi-COR.

Amino Acid Balancing

The NRC 2001 Dairy model is an excellent model from which to balance rations based on amino acids; however, its non-linear approach to a solution has long presented a major road-block to software vendors. This road-block has been removed with the development of Formulate2 Core Components, which can integrate one-step amino acid and MP optimization with ration software that implements the NRC 2001 model. This add-on application provides the following features:

 One-step Amino Acid and MP balancing

 Adjust microbial yield estimates for more accurate prediction

 Estimate milk and protein yields based on Lysine and/or Methionine supplies

 Fully customizable

Currently, Formulate2 Core Components is available as an option in the latest version of Feed Ration Balancer™ software from Feed Management Systems.

 Ask a Vi-COR representative for information about available licenses for current customers.

Water For Cows

SID, v2.0 is the second generation of water evaluation tools which allows nutritionists, advisors and dairy producers an opportunity to see just how much mineral their water supply is providing to the cows, and what impact it may be having on them.  This updated model uses published NRC equations and guidelines to:

 predict water intake of the cows

 calculate mineral intake from the water based on the water analysis

 combine water and dietary mineral intake for a total mineral intake prediction

 compare the total mineral intake to the NRC requirements for the breed size and lactation status

 provide visual and narrative guidelines to the relative safety or concerns of mineral levels

 calculate the Strong Ion Difference of the water, DCAD of the diet and the Total Intake Cation Anion Difference to gauge the impact of water and diet on pH homeostasis of the cows

This evaluation tool has been licensed to Vi-COR and is

available at http://vi-cor.waterforcows.com

Vi-COR and BIGFOOT

A Winning Combination at World Dairy Expo

Vi-COR will have a huge presence at World Dairy Expo 2012. Their main exhibit will be in the Exhibition Hall, booth # 2417, 2418, 2517, 2518. You can meet their representatives and learn more from their technical team about their all-natural quality products, and find out how you can get the free customer support service for your dairy needs. Stop by and get your Milk to the MAX wristband…they are pretty cool!

The International Lounge booth # is 332. Vi- COR has a global presence in over 60 countries through relationships with distributors. The WDE is a great venue to have International customers tour the Vi-COR facilities located in Mason City, Iowa and attend this event as their guest.

BIGFOOT®“Bessie” will be taking center stage in front of the Exhibition Hall with driver Darron Schnell signing autographs throughout the day. Schnell has already found on-track success in 2012, as BIGFOOT and VI-COR finished second-place in the Monster Nationals indoor racing tour, which kicked off in January and wrapped up in April. Schnell finished in the second spot, right behind veteran driver, teammate, and defending series champ Rick Long in the E3 Spark Plugs BIGFOOT. “What a great way to start the year with the new Vi-COR BIGFOOT,” said Schnell.

“We ran against stiff competition all season long, and at the end of it all to have a pair of BIGFOOT trucks atop the podium means a lot, especially with this being the inaugural season for the Vi-COR BIGFOOT truck. I can’t wait to cut this beast loose outdoors and see what she’s really got!” Schnell, a sophomore driver and South Dakota native, now looks toward the outdoor racing season on the Lucas Oil 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals tour and a chance to carry their momentum from the indoor arena season into the bigger venues found on the outdoor tour, all the while taking the Vi-COR/Celmanax BIGFOOT to new heights in the monster truck world!

The newest addition to the exhibiting of Vi-COR at WDE, will be the BIGFOOT/Vi-COR tractor/trailer hauler which will be located in the Outdoor Trade Mall booth #738, 737. Stop by and check out this rig and take a load off your feet!

We look forward to seeing everyone at World Dairy Expo 2012!