While there is no big trade show at the Cattle Industry summer conference, the major animal health partners in the beef and dairy industry still have a presence, and one of the newer players there was Novus International. Novus introduced itself to the beef industry during the Cattle Industry Conference in January, with the help of a mechanical steer named Wally that was on display at their booth.

Novus Executive Director for Global Markets and Products Scott Fleetwood says the company’s products were originally focused in the poultry industry, but since 2004 they have expanded into other markets. “Including aquaculture, dairy, swine, and this year we acquired a company called Albion to expand our footprint and move into the beef market, because it obviously has similar needs,” said Scott during an interview at the summer conference. “We focus on gut health, nutrition, feed quality, all of those are common, so it was a natural fit for us.”

Most of Novus’ products are feed additives, like chelated minerals and amino acids, that help improve the overall efficiency of animals. “The goal is to get to one kilogram of grain in to one kilogram of meat or milk or egg out,” said Scott, noting that efficiency not only increases productivity, it also is key to sustainability. “Something that is very important to the beef industry is the sustainability aspect of it and the utilization of resources and there is a lot of misconceptions in the general population,” he said.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Scott from the summer meeting here: Scott Fleetwood Interview