{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"We Live It | LiveAg's Livestock Marketing Podcast","title":"The Gut Health Secret Behind Healthier Calves with Dr. Chris Cassady","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1577,"description":"Nutrition might be the one variable in a cattle operation a producer can actually control — and according to Dr. Chris Cassady, it's also one of the most overlooked drivers of value on sale day.\nIn this episode of We Live It, Ty deCordova and Casey Mabry sit down with Dr. Chris Cassady, Director of Technical Services at BioZyme, to break down exactly how the company's nutrition programs translate into healthier, more marketable cattle. Chris shares his path from growing up on a diversified Illinois grain and cattle farm through Texas A&M, a master's and PhD at the University of Illinois, and a faculty position at Iowa State before joining BioZyme's technical team.\nFrom there, the guys dig into the VitaFerm Raised badge — a value-added program for calves fed VitaFerm in utero or for at least 45 days leading up to sale — and why buyers increasingly view a documented nutrition program as a signal of overall management quality. Chris explains the science behind the gut-immunity connection (roughly 70% of the immune system lives in the gut) and how that ties directly into vaccine response and long-term health.\nThey also walk step-by-step through the Gain Smart program: the drench that jump-starts appetite in freshly received, stressed calves; the stress tubs that keep gut health in check through the first two to three weeks; and the fortified mineral and vitamin line that carries cattle the rest of the way to delivery. Ty shares a real-world example of nearly a pound-a-day gain difference between two adjacent wheat pastures where mineral was the only variable — plus their own experience running Liquid Boost through the water tank. Chris closes out with a look at Sure Start, BioZyme's day-old calving drench built to support passive immunity right at tagging.\nWhether you're a commercial cow-calf producer, a stocker or backgrounder, or a cattle rep helping clients tell their nutrition story on sale day, this conversation is packed with practical takeaways on turning a...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/SsNLQLqn7ePgfHzuUJzXQtMtFUBesC-szTPaDkxMq9k/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yODFk/YzU4YmMzNjgyMjEy/OTQ1YjFlODk0NTY1/N2Q4Yi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}