BioZyme’s Amaferm-based products make the most of cattle feed
By Mark Johnson
When it comes to livestock success, there’s no magic bullet. Healthy, profitable cattle operations are built on consistent nutrition, smart management, and a little help from the right technology. That's where BioZyme® products like Amaferm® and VitaFerm® HEAT are making an enormous difference, and why some of the top operations in the country, including the legendary Four Sixes Ranch, rely on them to keep cattle thriving year-round.
What Is Amaferm?
Amaferm is BioZyme’s flagship prebiotic ingredient, developed through decades of fermentation research. It starts with a carefully controlled fermentation of the beneficial fungi Aspergillus oryzae, resulting in a powerful feed additive that boosts rumen microbial activity. Unlike probiotics, which add new microbes, prebiotics like Amaferm stimulate the good bugs already present in an animal’s gut. The result is better feed efficiency, improved digestion, enhanced immune function, and ultimately, stronger performance on pasture or in the feedlot.
“Amaferm helps cattle get more out of every bite,” says Chris Cassady Ph.D., Director of Beef Technical Sales for BioZyme. “By promoting microbial growth and increasing the production of volatile fatty acids (the cow's main energy source), it not only improves gain and feed efficiency but also helps cows maintain better body condition and breed back faster.”
The Heat Stress Challenge
Managing cattle through hot weather has always been a challenge. Ruminant animals naturally generate internal heat through fermentation. In summer, this internal heat load adds to external temperatures, stressing cattle, reducing feed intake, and ultimately slowing gains and reproductive performance.
“Cows under heat stress spend more time trying to cool off and less time grazing,” explains Cassady. “They're standing in ponds or bunching under trees instead of eating. That leads to body condition loss and lower conception rates.”
Amaferm directly addresses this problem. By enhancing fermentation efficiency, feed passes through the rumen faster, reducing internal heat buildup. This keeps cattle grazing and gaining — even when the temperature climbs.
Introducing VitaFerm HEAT
Building on Amaferm's foundation, BioZyme developed VitaFerm HEAT, a premium mineral supplement specifically designed for heat stress conditions. VitaFerm HEAT combines Amaferm with a proprietary blend of plant extracts, including capsaicin (the active component in hot peppers) and garlic.
Capsaicin acts as a natural vasodilator, improving blood flow to the extremities and helping cattle dissipate heat more effectively.
Garlic produces sulfur compounds that discourage insect biting, helping reduce fly pressure naturally.
“When cattle are cooler and more comfortable, they’re less stressed, they graze more, and they perform better,” says Cassady. “The combination of Amaferm and the HEAT technology is a game-changer for summer management.”
Real-world success: The Four Sixes Ranch
Few names are as respected in the ranching world as the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas. The ranch has found even greater fame over the past several years as an important part of the fictional TV show, “Yellowstone.”
Joe Leathers, President of Operations and General Manager at Four Sixes, has been working with BioZyme and Amaferm products for more than a decade. Originally skeptical about protein tubs, Leathers agreed to trial BioZyme tubs fortified with Amaferm in two of the ranch’s toughest winter pastures. The results were eye-opening.
“Our cows stayed in just as good condition as they did on cubes,” Leathers says, “Our breed-up rates were, if anything, a little better.”
Beyond performance, the convenience and cost savings became impossible to ignore. With tubs strategically placed, Four Sixes reduced labor costs, diesel use, and vehicle wear-and-tear from daily cake feeding. In tough drought years, Leathers also noted that cows maintained excellent body condition on a consistent consumption rate.
“Consumption has always been the deal-breaker with tubs for me,” he says. “But with Amaferm-based tubs, the cows consumed exactly what they were supposed to.”
Spreading out and staying on the grass
One of the hidden advantages Leathers discovered with Amaferm-based tubs is improved grazing distribution.
“When you feed cubes, cattle tend to bunch around the feed ground,” he says. “They overgraze the area around the truck and don’t utilize the pasture the way they should. But with the tubs, cattle stay scattered. They spread out and use the whole country, even the rougher areas.”
Better grazing distribution means better forage management, healthier pastures, and ultimately, a more sustainable operation.
Avoiding diminished performance
Hot, stressful days aren’t just uncomfortable for cattle — they can take a real toll on performance. As producers work through the “dog days” of summer, tools like VitaFerm HEAT are proving critical for maintaining gains, fertility, and overall herd health. Managing internal heat load helps cattle stay productive, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.
“It’s not only about making cattle comfortable, although that’s important,” says Cassady. “Heat stress impacts gains, fertility, immune function — every economically important trait. By keeping cattle cooler internally, you’re protecting their productivity.”
Also, by minimizing bunching, producers are also seeing an indirect fly control benefit: flies find it harder to move between animals that are widely spaced across a pasture.
Nutrition and reproduction: A clear connection
Another major benefit of Amaferm-based products is reproductive success. With a 16% boost in volatile fatty acid production, cows receive a higher energy plane from the same forage, allowing them to maintain body condition, cycle faster, and breed back more efficiently.
“If a cow's basic nutritional needs aren’t being met, she’s not going to breed,” Cassady says. “Amaferm helps maximize her intake and digestion, so she has the resources to stay in the herd and raise a healthy calf every year.”
Reproductive efficiency is critical to profitability. Every open cow represents a lost investment, and the cost of carrying non-productive animals can erode margins quickly. That's why producers who prioritize nutrition—especially gut health and nutrient utilization—see stronger conception rates, tighter calving intervals, and heavier, more vigorous calves at weaning.
Four Sixes Ranch has seen this firsthand.
“I’ve fed cake without Amaferm, and I’ve fed cake with it,” Leathers says. “The cows with Amaferm bred back better every time. I believe in it. I use Amaferm everywhere. It’s not a theory for us. We’ve proven it with thousands of head over many seasons.”
Not only about cattle performance
In today's cattle business, controlling costs is as important as maximizing performance. Moving from daily feeding to self-fed tubs with controlled consumption has saved Four Sixes thousands of dollars in labor, fuel, and equipment wear.
“Tubs aren't just nutrition. They're a labor management tool,” Leathers says. “We can put out tubs once a week — sometimes every two weeks — and the cows do great.”
By reducing the need for daily or even multiple weekly feedings, the ranch has dramatically cut down on diesel expenses, minimized the wear and tear on pickups and feed wagons, and freed up manpower to focus on other essential tasks like herd health, pasture management, and branding. Fewer trips into the pasture also means less stress on the cattle, keeping them spread out and grazing naturally instead of bunching up around feed trucks. In dry conditions, when every blade of grass matters, that kind of efficiency can make a measurable difference to both animal performance and pasture sustainability. “It's a game changer,” Leathers says. “Saving money is great, but saving time and preserving our country is just as important.”
A natural fit with LiveAg’s mission
LiveAg exists to connect buyers with top-tier livestock — cattle with proven genetics, health, and management behind them. BioZyme’s approach to nutrition fits perfectly with that mission.
“If you're selling cattle today, you want buyers to know they're getting animals that have been given every advantage,” says Cassady. “Good genetics plus good nutrition equals performance. Amaferm and VitaFerm help producers get the most out of their cattle.”
For buyers, knowing cattle have been raised on proven nutritional programs means less risk and better returns. It's a value-add that speaks directly to the heart of what LiveAg is building: a trusted national marketplace that matches quality livestock with serious buyers across the U.S. Using cutting-edge technology, LiveAg supports timed and in-person auctions, live video auctions, and purebred cattle sales — all integrated into a single, seamless platform.
With decades of combined experience from leaders Jason Barber and Ty deCordova, LiveAg understands that long-term success in cattle marketing depends not just on sale day, but on building reputations and relationships over time. Partnering with companies like BioZyme ensures that cattle listed through LiveAg aren’t just marketed well — they’re raised right, too.
‘This stuff works.’
In a business where margins are tight and conditions are unpredictable, every advantage counts. Products like Amaferm and VitaFerm HEAT aren't just nice-to-haves — they're critical tools for keeping cattle healthy, productive, and profitable year-round.
Whether it's maintaining body condition through a tough winter, grazing longer through a hot summer, improving breed-up rates, or managing labor costs, BioZyme’s innovations help real-world ranches succeed. They support not only day-to-day performance but also long-term herd health, pasture sustainability, and bottom-line profitability. Every day a cow stays productive — without added inputs or complications — is a win for the operation.
In a brevity of words consistent with the no-nonsense approach of a life-long cowboy, Joe Leathers lays it out.
“Well, it's simple. This stuff works."
Learn more about Amaferm and VitaFerm HEAT at BioZymeInc.com and find cattle backed by proven performance at Live-Ag.com.