Courtesy of Fran Minnaert

Midwest Edition Electronic Newsletter

October 22, 2007
Volume 2, Number 10

This past month was filled with some very exciting and successful selling events.  One of the largest events was the Ak-Sar-Ben Livestock Expo that was held in Omaha at the end of September.  The Ak-Sar-Ben is the largest youth livestock show in the upper Midwest and this year marked the fifth year that we have been a part of this huge event.  Our Show Feed Fitting Challenge which was held during the Ak-Sar-Ben provided us positive exposure to show cattle owners and breeders from across Iowa and Nebraska.  The final day of the show, I received numerous compliments and thanks from cattlemen in attendance. The Fitting Challenge is probably one of the most successful events in which we have participated.  Congratulations to the team from Platte County, Nebraska, for winning first place at the 2007 Fitting Challenge.  Check out the Show Feed section of this newsletter to see pictures of the top five teams at this year’s event.

Now that the Ak-Sar-Ben has ended, our focus shifts to making follow-up calls on all the cattle breeders who helped to sponsor the Fitting Challenge. These breeders are very influential in the show feed world.  Therefore, it is important they are following one of our feeding programs specifically formulated for show cattle.

What is the best method of contacting potential horse feed customers in your market?  Do you have a cost effective method of keeping your name in front of these people?  What about utilizing the MANE PROGRAM, the Purina horse newspaper I established for that purpose?  The MANE PROGRAM is being distributed to 9000+ horse owner households in Iowa and Nebraska.  It is loaded with information about Purina horse customers and Purina horse research----it is all about promoting Purina Horse Feed in your market.  The next issue will be distributed the first of December.  If you are interested in learning more about the paper and how you can get it sent to horse owners in your area, please give me a call and I will furnish details.

Fran
Fran Minnaert
Lifestyle Consultant
16405 "W" Street
Omaha, NE   68135
(402) 650-6150

E-Mail:  fminnaert@landolakes.com

Calendar

February 5-7, 2008   PALM SPRINGS RETAIL SOLUTIONS EXPO, Wyndham Palm Springs Resort and Convention Center,
                                   Palm Springs, CA.  Registration Deadline: January 3, 2008.  Register early!  You can't afford to miss out!
                                   (Click Here for details!)

Feed-On-The-Floor Gets Attention for Red Flannel™

Woodard Grain & Mercantile in Maize, KS did a nice job in creating a great feed-on-the-floor display as they introduced Red Flannel™ to their customers.  An antique truck that they use quite frequently in their store draws attention and allows for the feed as well as p-o-s material to be displayed nicely.  Click Here for this example of a great product display!

Exclusive® Brand Pet Food Price Increase

Due to unusual conditions in the ingredient market, especially higher quality ingredient costs such as Fresh Chicken, Chicken Meal, Rice and Poultry Fat, there will be a price increase on the Exclusive® brand pet foods that will range from $1.00 to $2.00 per bag -- this will vary by lifestyle formula.  These new prices will go into effect November 5th, 2007.  To view ingredient cost information chart, Click Here.


 

Omolene Challenge Kits Hit the Streets!

Omolene Challenge Kits are being mailed now to any Dealer who ordered Omolene at an Expo (PE0922).  Watch for it!

Strategy® Fall Blitz Promotion
     (Better Animals® dealers only)

Horse Health Fairs
     (Better Animals^® Dealers Only)

Don't miss the opportunity to hold a Horse Health Fair!  Click Here for more details on how to participate.  Click Here to view/print sign-up form, then fill in all required information and fax to the attention of Horse Marketing at (314) 317-5276.

 

Change in Provider for Checkerboard Items/Brochures/Etc.

Today, October 22nd, Land O'Lakes Purina Feed launches a NEW marketing materials supply program. The new program will offer many benefits for Land O'Lakes Purina Feed dealers and company users.

During the transition to our new corporate service provider, we had to make our marketing materials unavailable (October 5th - 21st).  However, everything should be in place now.  You may have received an e-mail communication by now that inventory has been transitioned and is available.  You will still be able to access materials as you have in the past via a link on Ag2Ag.com.

We hope this was not too inconvenient for you during the time that we moved our inventory to the new facility.  Thank you for your patience.
 

2008 Better Animals® Program

This program continues to grow!  If you are not currently participating in it, contact your sales representative to find out how you, too, can get in and start growing your business and market share!  Over 1,200 dealers are participating, and the results are astounding.  This program is a multi-media promotional marketing program that speaks directly to animal owners--educating and informing them and entertaining them with interesting and heart-warming stories of people and their animals.

Beginning next month, sales people will receive details on our 2008 Better Animals® Program.  Shortly thereafter, your sales person will be able to present the 2008 Better Animals® Program to you.  If you are not currently participating, be sure to take this opportunity to get enrolled in the 2008 program . . . designed to help you grow your business and market share!

Also, be sure to visit our website, www.betteranimals.com if you haven't done so already.

 

2007 Ak-Sar-Ben Show Chow's Fitting Challenge Winners!

Congratulations to the following Nebraska counties for their top five finishes in the recent 2007 event --
                          (Click on the Team below to view picture of each)

 
Show Chow Awards Program

For more pictures and stories on Show Chow winners and our awards program details, be sure to visit our website at www.betteranimalsshowseries.com.  If you have a Grand Champion or Reserved Grand Champion at your County Fair, Click Here to redeem your prizes on line.

Purina Wins Big at National Rabbit Show!

Purina Mills and our Rabbit Chow brands performed very well at the 84th Annual National American Rabbit Breeders Show recently in Grand Rapids, MI. A huge show with 23,384 rabbits from 47 breeds exhibited over three days. Purina Mills Rabbit Chow Show Formula (from our Harrisburg plant) fed the Best in Show Rabbit in the Youth Category - an English Angora. In fact, Purina Mills Rabbit Chow products fed 48 Best of Breed or Best Opposite Sex (best "doe" or "buck" rabbit - opposite from Best of Breed) - or more than half of the best rabbits at the show...this is quite an accomplishment!
For more details and a sample of winners fed from our Rabbit Specific Plants, Click Here.

Purina's "Scary Hare Costume Contest" Produced Some Great Contestants!

This event, where kids and their rabbits dress up for small prizes, always produces some wonderful creative costumes.  Over 55 kids participated and always have fun at this annual event.  This is a great idea for a local Halloween event at your dealership.  Click Here to view some pictures from this year's contest.

Re-Vamped Websites for Rabbit/Goat/Poultry

We have totally revamped our websites for the Purina Mills brands of Rabbit, Goat and Family Flock.  Be sure to check them out at:
                    www.RabbitNutrition.com        www.GoatNutrition.com        and        www.PoultryNutrition.com

For more detailed explanation of our re-vamping, Click Here.

Goat's Milk Has Met Its Match

Land O'Lakes® Doe's Match™ Premium Blend Kid Milk Replacer is a great choice for a producer wanting to help kids reach their full potential -- it even outperforms goat's milk.  Producers spend less and goats grow more.  Click Here for details on this new product.

Brood Cows - Pregnancy Checking In Fall

As we work with producers, a question that often comes up is what about my brood cows as I preg check this fall. Options are: bred and good BCS, bred and needing BCS, or open. Don’t just dump the opens, put them on feed and reap the rewards of upgrading the cows from poor, shelled out cows to choice white grease #1 cows. The economics are in the upgrading in the initial cost of the open cow.

Consider the rations and recommendations you are giving for replacement heifers and the goals of the producer. Get them on a good starting program, and finish the next 30 days of growing along with the steers, then sort off those that are going to be good replacements, drop the nutrition level --- including some poor quality roughages that they will consume as cows, i.e., straw, corn stalks, crp hay, etc. Research has shown that as they consume this as an open heifer, they will remember this as a bred heifer and a cow and have better BCS during those corresponding years of productivity. 30 days prior to breeding, bring these heifers up to a flushing ration, and implement your synchronizing programs.

Special Care for First-Calf Heifers

Make the transition from birthing a first calf to becoming a reproductively efficient cow successful -- Click Here to learn how Purina can assure you of a cow that produces a healthy calf each year and breeds back early -- good heifer management.

Cull Cow Feeding Project in Southwest Iowa

Read this interesting article by Evan Vermeer, Beef Technical Consultant, Quality Liquid Feeds -- it contains some interesting observations from a recent feeding project coordinated by ISU extension that concluded in Southwest IA -- Click Here. 


 
Save 10% on Woodland Buck Charge® Deer Supplement!
    (Check with your customer service department for availability.)

Stocking Promotion -- first order only.  PE #0417.  Last day to ship: October 31st    Click Here for details.

Heritage Trading October Specials

Check out Heritage Trading's October Animal Care Specials (these offers end October 31st).  Click Here  for details.

                        To place an order, call Heritage Trading Company at (888) 669-6050 Opt. 3 or fax to (800) 435-2070.

Mazuri^® 56CD Alpaca Growth and Repro

We have added beet pulp to the diet blend in order to increase the amount of high-quality fiber ingredients in our Mazuri Alpaca diets.  To review more details regarding this change, Click Here.

Visit our Mazuri^® website at  www.mazuri.com.
 

• Purina Mills, LLC - www.PurinaMills.com
• Better Animals - www.betteranimals.com
• Wildlife Products - www.wildlife.purinamills.com
• Mazuri Products - www.mazuri.com
• Show Chow Products - www.showchow.com
• PMI Nutrition Products - www.pminutrition.com
• Purina Mills Horsin Around - www.horse.purinamills.com/horsin
• Purina Mills Horse Articles - www.horse.purinamills.com/articles
• Purina Mills Horse Communication Resources - www.horse.purinamills.com/communications
• Heritage Trading - www.heritage-trading.com
• Internal Revenue Service - www.irs.gov
• AgBusinessMail.Com - www.agbusinessmail.com
• FeedDealer.com - www.feeddealer.com
• Small Business Administration - www.sba.gov
• Strategic Mapping & Data Services - www.sm-and-ds.com
• United States Dept. of Agriculture - www.usda.gov

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Contact Information:

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Feed Dealer Electronic Newsletter
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