Category Archives: Novus International

Inaugural Women in Agribusiness Summit

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Women in the agribusiness and food sectors are relatively few, and it is a challenge to convince career-minded women to consider these industries. However, this group is one of great talent, drive and success – an important assembly that if brought together could grow in strength, knowledge and number.

HighQuest Partners is bringing this opportunity to life with the inaugural Women in Agribusiness Summit, to be held Sept. 16-17, 2012, in New Orleans. This event will encourage the sharing of industry ideas in a comfortable networking environment that fosters learning, growth and business development while helping to mentor the next generation of successful women in the agribusiness. In intimate town-hall style gatherings, women from all levels across the agricultural value chain will participate in dynamic dialogue, designed to advance their knowledge and professional network within the industry through positive and productive interactions.

And, join the Women in Agribusiness LinkedIn discussion group. Periodic polls will be posted to this group as input is sought in shaping the dialogue for this event!

The early registration rate ends June 29. Save an additional 5% off the current registration rate by using Promo Code: WIAEM3. Register here.

Novus Introduces NEXT ENHANCE

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The Novus International team rallied around Wally again this year at the Cattle Industry Convention. The company also had a new product announcement.

Novus International, Inc., announces the release of NEXT ENHANCE®, a source of plant extracts that affects the rumen environment to consistently boost both efficiency and weight gain in beef cattle.

NEXT ENHANCE is a source of cinnamaldehyde and garlic oil (containing the active ingredient diallyl disulfide), which have been shown to favorably modify rumen fermentation. This allows dietary carbohydrates and proteins to be more efficiently used by the animal.

On hand to discuss NEXT ENHANCE was Jim Gerardot, Executive Director, Global Strategic Marketing for Novus. He explains why this natural product is a great new option to optimize weight gain in cattle.

Listen to my interview with Jim here: Novus Introducers NEXT ENHANCE

2012 Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

The Novus Triple S Bottom Line

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At the International Poultry Expo, Novus International announced a new enzyme “candidate,” the first from their collaboration with Verenium. I spoke with Gary Hayen, Global Business Director for the fermentation products division. Gary says that by bringing these two companies together they will bring a strength to the industry to bring solutions to their customers.

He says that because of the growing demand for feed enzymes there will be be nothing but increased demand for high quality and specialized products like those being worked on by the two companies. He says the collaboration with Verenium has helped Novus achieve a desire to diversify their product portfolio while meeting customer needs.

Listen to my interview with Gary here: Interview with Gary Hayen

Besides the new collaboration with Verenium, Novus is re-branding itself with what they’re calling the Triple S Bottom Line. To learn more about it I spoke with Dan Meagher, President for Global Animal Nutrition Solutions business unit. Dan says the goal is “really to align with our customers and our customer’s issues.” He says everything has to be focused on profitability and on sustainability.

Listen to my interview with Dan here: Interview with Dan Meagher

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Products To Improve Poultry Production

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Enzymes are a key word heard a lot during the International Poultry Expo. You would also hear a lot of that word in the Novus International booth.

I visited with Jared Hux, Product Manager for Enzymes, about CIBENZA®, a “game changing” dietary enzyme formulated to give poultry producers control over their feed ingredients and rations. Jared says that with rising feed input costs, enzymes can help reduce those costs by utilizing nutrients in the feed better and can also improve performance. Jared is pictured on the right.

Listen to my interview with Jared here: Interview with Jared Hux

Another word discussed on the IPE trade show floor is coccidiosis. That’s not even a pretty word and it’s a big disease problem in poultry production since it can cause mortality. On hand to discuss the Novus solution for control of this disease was Marco Quiroz, Poultry Veterinarian. He says this disease is found in all areas of the world.

Marco says the answer is ADVENT®. This vaccine helps prevent the disease and is administered at one day of age for lifelong protection. He says the product is currently available in the United States, Mexico, Argentina and Thailand and they’re working on additional markets.

Listen to my interview with Marco here: Interview with Marco Quiroz

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Novus Commitment to Sustainability

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During the Animal Ag Sustainability Summit 2012 held in conjunction with International Poultry Expo, Scott Hine, Vice President – Product Management and Operations, Novus, spoke about the company commitment to sustainability.

Scott says the Summit was an opportunity for Novus and his message was that “if you want to be engaged in sustainability, which Novus believes is core to the future, that you really need to set up a way forward to engage your people and then set your goals and then achieve those goals and report on it.” He says they’ve developed their platform around SEE (Social, Economic and Environmental) which helps employees visualize what they’re doing. Those are linked to their goals. It’s obvious that it is critical to have employees understand and buy in to the company sustainability plan.

Listen to my interview with Scott to learn more about how Novus is working toward sustainability here: Interview with Scott Hine

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Novus/Verenium Collaboration Yields First Enzyme Candidate

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The collaboration between Novus International and Verenium has yielded its first fruit, “the selection of a next-generation phytase as the first enzyme candidate from the two companies’ strategic collaboration to advance toward commercialization.” The strategic partnership began in June of last year to develop a suite of new enzyme products from Verenium’s late-stage pipeline in the animal nutrition and health area globally. Pictured is Novus President/CEO Thad Simons (right) with Arne Solbak and Jonny Lyon, Verenium.

“This partnership has enabled us to create enzyme solutions for nutritionists, producers and others who want to optimize nutrition. This product is geared toward use in poultry, pork and aquaculture product,” notes Novus International President and Chief Executive Officer Thad Simons. “We’re pleased to be a valued partner in optimizing nutrition and, as a result, lowering feed costs for our customers through cutting-edge enzyme solutions like this one.”

Reducing the amount of phytate-bound phosphorus is key in helping livestock producers reduce the impact of animal production on the environment. The phytase enzyme being developed as part of this collaboration will help nutritionists and producers feed more efficiently and get the most out of their rations.

In addition to the next-generation phytase, the collaboration also has three additional products in late-stage development targeted at this market.

I spoke with Thad during the International Poultry Expo to learn more about the collaboration between these two companies. He also discussed the new Novus Triple S Bottom Line, Solutions, Service, Sustainability.

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Novus Chicken Balloons

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Chickens just want to have fun. Actually, chicken balloons.

This is part of the Novus International team here at the International Poultry Expo with one of their decorative chicken balloons that could be found at their social hour last night. You can also see the chicken balloon getting “scanned.” Everyone coming in had their badge scanned which was a very handy way for the company to know who attended. The hand scanner immediately delivers results to a smartphone too btw. I love new technology!

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

The Novus IPE Week Program

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The Global Poultry Market Manager for Novus International is Scott Carter (on right). I got an overview from him of all the activities Novus is involved in during IPE Week.

To start with Scott says they participated in the International Poultry Scientific Forum with a sponsored lunch featuring David Armano who spoke about social media. David was my interview in this week’s ZimmCast. Scott says he learned a few key things from that presentation, including the fact that academics are the most trusted source of information. Another learning point was that “everybody is empowered, everybody has a voice.” That’s social media.

Another way Novus was involved was with the Animal Ag Sustainability Summit where Scott Hine, Novus Product Management and Operations, spoke about Novus’s commitment to sustainability. I’ll have more on that topic in my interview with Scott coming up soon. Besides these programs Novus is catching up with “old” friends and customers in the trade show.

Listen to my interview with Scott here: Interview with Scott Carter

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Novus Launches New Sustainability Website

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Novus International has launched a new interactive sustainability website to promote the company’s global sustainability initiatives.

The website includes the 2010 Novus Sustainability Report which documents and measures the company’s comprehensive social, environmental and economic sustainability program at a global level following the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, the most widely used guidelines for sustainability reporting standards.

“This website outlines the goals and progress of our integrated sustainability initiatives worldwide,” said Joyce Cacho, Ph.D., Chief Sustainability Officer at Novus. “This allows us to engage with a diverse group of stakeholders: our customer base, the agricultural industry and the public.”

Novus’s sustainability program forges strong links between performance, food safety, the environment and animal well-being – market drivers shared by urban and rural communities worldwide. In achieving GRI Level B-Check, Novus reports sustainability performance in the areas of economic, environmental, human rights, labor, society and product responsibility.

The website can be found at sustainability.novusint.com.

Get The Truth On World Egg Day

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It’s time to plan some healthy Friday food with eggs. That’s because October 14 is World Egg Day!

Novus International is all about World Egg Day. They’ve got a great online resource about eggs at EggTruth.com. So if you need some recipe ideas you can find some here.

“Eggs are an affordable, nutrient-dense food,” said Scott Carter, Ph.D., Poultry Market Manager for Novus International Inc. “In only 70 calories, one large egg provides an impressive six grams of high-quality protein and at least 13 essential vitamins and minerals.”

Many nutritionists believe eggs are a critical source of protein for a rapidly growing population, which is why the International Egg Commission has proclaimed Oct. 14, 2011 as World Egg Day. In addition to local activities, Novus is celebrating World Egg Day with events worldwide. Among those efforts are media outreach in Brazil, educational events in 10 African countries and education outreach efforts in the United States, Taiwan, across Europe and Mexico.

“We know that working to educate consumers about where their food comes from and the people producing it, helps them make more informed choices for their families,” notes Dr. Carter.

In the photo an elementary school kid is coloring eggs during an educational event conducted by Novus in St. Louis. In the video below you can hear Jared Hux, Novus Product Manager talk about the reasons for World Egg Day.

Novus Hosts St. Louis Agribusiness Club

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The St. Louis Agribusiness Club held its lunch meeting today at Novus International headquarters. It has been a while since I’ve had a chance to attend one of these meetings but a “bye” week from the agriblogging highway made it work out.

Our speaker was Thad Simons, Novus International President/CEO. Thad talked about the challenges of feeding a growing world population before giving our group a current overview of Novus and its products.

After lunch the attendees were able to take a tour of the Novus headquarters and learn more about what the company is doing.

I got to add to my Thad Simons interview collection by visiting with him briefly after his remarks. Thad says he wanted our group to realize that we not only have a real need to feed a growing world population but that since the population is increasingly urbanized it is even more challenging. Besides having to produce more food we have to figure out how to get it to the people who need it.

When it comes to Novus, Thad says the company is still celebrating its 20th birthday with the next celebration being held in Spain. I attended the activities held earlier this year at Novus headquarters. Thad is now on his way to Des Moines, IA for the World Food Prize activities.

You can listen to my interview with Thad here: Thad Simons Interview

Novus International Shares Vision with US Soybean Growers

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usb soybean exportsThe vision of Novus International is “To help feed the world affordable, wholesome food and achieve a higher quality of life.”

That is a vision this global animal nutrition company shares with the U.S. soybean industry, with exports around the world accounting for more than half of annual production. “A lot of commonality in that and a lot of opportunity to work together and have complimentary efforts to do the right thing, not only for agriculture and livestock production, but for mankind,” said Novus International Director of Product Management Wendell Knehans, who participated in the US Soybean Export Council Animal Utilization Stakeholders meeting in Seattle this past weekend.

Wendell gave a presentation at the meeting to provide an overview of Novus and possibilities of partnership, explain some of the technical services that Novus provides in the livestock industry, and discuss some of the mutual opportunities.

Listen to my interview with Wendell here. Wendell Knehans with Novus International

USSEC First Animal Utilization Stakeholders Meeting Photos

Novus’s MINTREX Gets New Feed Ingredient Category

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A new feed ingredient category has been created for MINTREX® chelated trace minerals from Novus International.

According to Novus, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) accepted this new feed ingredient definition July 31, during its 2011 Ingredient Definitions Committee Meeting in Austin, Texas.

The Division of Animal Feeds within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine accepted the chelated trace minerals category earlier this year and recommended that AAFCO accept this definition for inclusion in its official publication.

“The formation of a new feed ingredient category for MINTREX is an extremely important step that gives us the opportunity to define a new class of trace minerals,” says Dr. Chris Knight, Vice President of Research and Development for Novus. “This announcement demonstrates to our customers in the animal health and nutrition industry that MINTREX is a next-generation trace mineral, truly defined as a chelate.”

In scientific terms, chelation means the trace minerals in MINTREX are bound with a ligand. This creates a stable complex in the acidic pH of the upper gastrointestinal tract; reduces break-up, or dissociation, of the mineral; helps reduce losses caused by antagonisms; and protects the mineral for efficient delivery and uptake in the small intestine.

MINTREX Cu, Zn and Mn supply the essential trace minerals copper, zinc and manganese. It can be added to feed for poultry; dairy and beef cattle; and hogs; as well as companion animal and equine diets, to provide for their mineral requirements and help animals perform to their full genetic potential. Because it is a highly bioavailable mineral source, MINTREX is absorbed and used by the animal to a much greater degree than comparable inorganic trace mineral supplements. This enables producers to maintain feeding efficiency with fewer minerals fed and excreted.

Find out more here.

Novus International Partners With Verenium

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Novus International will be expanding its animal nutrition products thanks to a new partnership with enzyme company Verenium.

novusThe focus of the partnership will target the development of products using Verenium enzymes for the global poultry, swine, beef, dairy, aquaculture and companion animals markets. “These new enzyme products will give us the ability to offer new solutions to the performance challenges our customers face,” said Novus International president and CEO Thad Simons.

Verenium is an industrial biotechnology company that develops high-performance enzymes for various industries, including biofuels.

Verenium“We are extremely enthusiastic about our partnership with Novus, the potential opportunity it represents for the continued development of our pipeline and for Verenium to become a more active participant in the animal health and nutrition marketplace with our suite of high-performance enzyme products,” said James Levine, President and Chief Executive Officer at Verenium.

Read more here from Novus and here from Verenium.

The Future of Food Business

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Dr. Marcos Fava Neves, Professor, University of Sao Paulo, is the author of “The Future of Food Business.” He autographed books following the stage celebration last week at Novus International headquarters.

I spoke with Dr. Neves while he was signing books. He says his book analyzes the major effects that are happening in the world that we can’t control. He says they are happening very fast and have major impacts on food companies. He calls it a “book to read and to think.” Dr. Marcos Fava Neves Interview

Novus 20th Anniversary Photo Album

Sharing The Novus Vision

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The President/CEO of Novus International is Thad Simons, seen here addressing the audience for the company’s 20th Anniversary Celebration at the headquarters in St. Louis, MO. Thad says that 20 years “seems like yesterday.” Many of the original founders and Novus team were on hand. He says this celebration provides an opportunity to take a look back and see “where we came from.” The original vision is still the vision of today.

In order to better learn what the needs of their customers are Thad says Novus has brought in people from fifteen countries to share their perspectives. Part of the discussion is looking forward to the next twenty years. As most companies and farmer know, the need for food is going to double in a very short time and Thad says that Novus and their customers take that challenge seriously and are looking for ways to meet the challenge. He says that interaction with international visitors shows how common the challenges are in all countries around the world. Thad Simons Interview

You can watch Thad’s remarks to the Novus 20th Anniversary Celebration in this video:

If you’d rather, you can download or listen to Thad’s remarks here: Thad Simons Celebration Remarks

Novus 20th Anniversary Photo Album

Congratulating Novus International On Twenty Years

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We had a fantastic lineup of speakers for the Novus International 20th Anniversary Celebration. They all lined up at the conclusion of the festivities. I have captured remarks and interviews with a couple of them to share with you and will have a couple more later.

Missouri’s Director of Agriculture, Dr. Jon Hagler, was on the program. Jon says that what Novus has accomplished is a serious benefit to Missouri. He loves the slogan, “Innovation with Integrity,” which “so well suits Novus International. Having a company like Novus here for twenty years make such a difference not only for communities like St. Charles and St. Louis but also for farm families all across the state, all across the nation and frankly if you look around us, all across the world.” I also asked him about the current status of farm disasters from flooding and storms. He points to Missouri Agriculture Disaster Relief Fund as a place that people can get information about how to help those who are struggling to recover. Dr. Jon Hagler Interview

I also recorded his stage comments for you which you can download and listen to here: Dr. Jon Hagler Remarks

Another one of our speakers was Dr. William Danforth, Chairman, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. He says that it’s great to have a company like Novus that “serves the world.” He calls their growth an “expansion into something very important and that is providing enough food for people to eat.” He says we’ve got great challenges and Novus is going to help solve them. Dr. William Danforth Interview

I also recorded his stage comments for you which you can download and listen to here: Dr. William Danforth Remarks

Novus 20th Anniversary Photo Album

Novus Developing Innovation With Integrity

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I’m on location for the big Novus 20th Anniversary Celebration. This Platinum Leed Certified building has continued to be developed, including the landscape. I’ve got some other views of the facility in the online photo album I’ve started.

To kick off my coverage I just met with Francois Fraudeau, President, Specialty Business. Francois is moving to the headquarters in St. Louis after having managed Novus business in the European and Asian markets. He says that his new position is part of the recent company organizational changes that have been made to position the company for future growth. He also says that Novus will use “Innovation with Integrity” to help meet the food needs of a growing world population. That he says required the development of new technologies, keeping in mind the need to focus on sustainability. Francois Fraudeau Interview

Novus 20th Anniversary Photo Album

Novus International Celebrates 20 Years

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Novus International is having a birthday party today and I will be there. Actually Novus is having birthday parties all over the world this year in celebration of 20 years. The company will host more than 500 people from more than 30 countries this week at its headquarters facility in Missouri Research Park.

Confirmed to speak at the Novus 20th Anniversary Ceremony:
• Honorable Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon, Governor of the State of Missouri
• Susuma Katagiri, Mitsui and Company, Ltd. (representing Novus’ Board of Directors)
• Thad Simons, President and CEO, Novus International
• Dr. Joe Privott, President of Privotts, LLC and Former President of Novus International
• Dr. Jon Hagler, Director of Agriculture State of Missouri
• Roberto Kaefer, President, Globoaves
• Thanomvong Taephaisithphongse, Executive Vice President, Betagro Group
• Dr. William H. Danforth, Danforth Plant Science Center
• Dr. Marcos Fava Neves, Professor University Sao Paulo, Brazil & Author, The Future of Food Business

During World Pork Expo I spoke with Dan Meagher, President, Novus Global Animal Nutrition Solutions Business Unit. Dan attended the Novus celebration in Brazil and I’m sure I’ll see him today in St. Louis. You’ve got to like a company that has multiple birthday parties in different countries.

Novus has experienced significant growth. Dan says they are a lot closer to accomplishing the company vision which is “helping to feed the world affordable, wholesome food.” In our interview Dan talks about how the company has grown.

Novus was founded in 1991, and today, has employees working in more than 100 countries, serving more than 3,000 customers worldwide. Novus has facilities including corporate offices, research and development laboratories, and manufacturing operations in more than 50 countries.

Dan Meagher Interview

Increasing Pork Producer Profitability

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The master carver working on a freshly roasted pig, pictured on the right, is Scott Moore, National Sales Manager, Pork, Novus International. Scott is from North Carolina. That was some very fine roasted pork he was preparing for us at World Pork Expo last week!

In his area Scott says that although the challenges producers have in his area aren’t unique they are more accentuated than other areas due to higher costs for grain brought in from the midwest. “If in fact $7 to $8 grain costs in the midwest is a problem, $9 to $10 costs is even more of a problem on the east coast,” he says. For this reason Scott says the new Novus Accelerating Finishing Profitability program contains specific elements to help producers deal with challenges, especially on a regional basis. Scott Moore Interview

2011 World Pork Expo Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 World Pork Expo is sponsored by NOVUSAgWired coverage of the 2011 World Pork Expo is sponsored by boehringer-ingelheim