Sponsored by Priority IAC

    When focusing on your herd, it makes sense to work with experts — but what if your team of experts is missing a crucial component of your herd?“When we think of the cow, think of the many systems that define her and her success in your operation. We look at her milk production, reproduction, and even digestion — There is so much more to it than just the cow,” shares Richard Breunig, founder of Priority IAC. “All life revolves around microbes. They are everywhere; they are the life in us, the soil, as well as in your animals.”The idea of something so small, microscopic in fact, making a difference is difficult to grasp, but the fact is the number of microorganisms in the World outnumber the human population significantly — 10 million trillion microbes for every human on Earth. Image harnessing that power to benefit your herd! For Priority IAC, they are doing that through a unique approach to nutrition.Priority IAC was founded by Richard Breunig, with the purpose to help dairy farmers by sharing the impact of microbiology. Having managed Clover Mist Farms, he brings his practical experience as a producer, breeder, and nutritionist to others. With his on-farm experience and knowledge of microbiology, he travels to speaking engagements for producers around the country, each year providing valuable information on how something so small can make such a big impact.

Complexity of Microbiology
As Priority IAC dug deeper into the impact that microorganisms have, they focused on the positive or beneficial ‘bugs’. By diligently selecting from the millions and millions of microflora, Priority IAC was able to identify the best of the best naturally occurring bacteria strains on their strength and performance when fed back to animals.“Only the most effective and highly focused bacteria make the cut to be our Smart bacteria,” shares Richard. “The unique strains are only found in Priority IAC products. They are incredibly special and notably unique as they have very specific functions within the digestive tract.”Only recently have new gene sequencing technologies and powerful microscopes given us a window into the world of microbiology. Priority IAC has harnessed this knowledge to positively impact the health and well-being of animals. For dairy cattle they are taking this knowledge to influence the complex microbial communities, or microbiomes, to enhance animal nutrition, digestive function and even improve immune function.
“We need to learn to work with these microbiomes that surround us,” explains Richard. “Our research has found that very specific bacteria, like the Smart bacteria we work with provide amazing benefits because of how specific their roles and functions are.”

Managing Pathogens
“To many when the word microbes is mentioned, the first thing that comes up is pathogens (the bad guys), thinking how can we do away with them. Research regarding the bacteria population on Earth estimates that only 5% of this population is pathogenic. The truth is, however, that there are many powerful organisms that drive life on Earth with a beneficial role,” states Richard.Truly demonstrating the power that a microorganism can deliver, Priority IAC has launched Gold Spike™. This product delivers an all-natural approach, allowing the microorganisms delivered through the product to manage pathogens and work with the immune system in a quite positive way. While antibiotics may wipe out all bacteria, both good and bad, the Smart bacteria in Gold Spike™ work with the immune system to enhance immune response while their unique B5000h,™ B5005h,™ and B5150h™ strains are research proven to significantly reduce the growth of pathogens including Clostridium perfringens A by 89%, E.coli by 100%, and Salmonella by 99%.Because Gold Spike™ is made like antibiotics, but has the ability to work with the animal’s natural immune system through the GI tract, it is a safe alternative to antibiotics. In fact, producers are choosing to combat mastitis and high SCC with Gold Spike™ as it has no milk or meat withholdings. It’s quite amazing to think the Smart bacteria 1E-1™ provided in this Priority IAC product is so impactful and unique as an alternative to antibiotics.

Unique Strains Specific to Need
Priority IAC, has spent the last 20 years tapping into and expanding the impact of microbiology in animal health. They have diligently selected from millions and millions of bacteria, identifying the best of the best naturally occurring bacteria strains, much like genomics in animal breeding. They then evaluate them on their strength and performance not only from lab testing, but also in the real life setting to see how they perform when fed back to animals. Only the most effective, highly focused, and beneficial bacteria that deliver on-farm results make the cut to be Priority IAC’s Smart bacteria. These unique strains have very specific functions within the rumen and lower digestive tract that deliver positive impacts not only in the lab, but have proven themselves again and again in on-farm trials.

Here’s an example Richard shared, which helps to explain the uniqueness of their Smart bacteria. There are seven major breeds (species) of dairy cattle varying in number from tens of thousands to millions of cows of each breed. By comparison there are numerous species of bacteria, with scientific estimates at more than a billion. There are millions and millions of strains of each of the different species that form the estimated bacteria population on the Earth at five million trillion trillion, or 1030. Just as there are notable differences between individual cows, the same is true between this unimaginable number of bacteria strains. The cows in the different breeds are usually identified by a name or number to indicate their individuality, the same is true for Priority IAC’s Smart bacteria. Each strain that Priority IAC works with has a unique, identified strain number, so producers knows exactly what they are purchasing and know they are specific only to Priority IAC products.“Identifying the effectiveness and results of these specific strain numbers, we then brand those numbers to verify the individuals we’ve selected are delivered,” shares Richard. “Our Priority IAC products list the genius species of each bacteria on our labels. However, we go one step further and list each branded strain number so producers know exactly what they are purchasing. This may seem trivial, but the keys to success are in the details. We know there is a big difference in the results, we want to make sure our customers are getting the best.”After finding this needle in a haystack, Priority IAC ensures the quality of their product by utilizing a state of the art quality standard in microbiology, Bacteria Quality System (BQS). BQS includes quality checks to meet population counts and purity of that guaranteed bacteria strain. This allows for the reproduction of this unique needle without any adulterations or mislabeling.Additionally Priority IAC has multiple quality check points in processing starting with the raw ingredients, during premixes, as well with the final product. This BQS approach includes genotype testing and genetic fingerprinting to make sure that every lot manufactured meets and exceeds the product guarantee so that customers know they are getting a high quality, certified product.It’s because of this commitment to quality you truly cannot find another like Priority IAC and their Smart bacteria.

Smart Nutrition
Priority IAC is the founder and exclusive provider of the P-One Program™, which ensures farmers can feed the highest quality homegrown forages for maximum benefit as it optimizes energy transport through efficient carbohydrate metabolism. Research shows these branded strains of Smart bacteria balance rumen pH, allowing producers to safely feed rapidly fermentable carbohydrates like soluble fiber, starch, and sugars.

Priority has developed nutrition around the facts of rumen function, how the rumen was meant to be fed, and away from expensive high fat and protein diets.“This new nutrition concept is much cheaper to feed and healthier for the cow,” states Richard. “There are principles to nutrition that seem to have been lost, due to the inability to manage rumen pH or acidosis. Acidosis is a word that is blamed for every illness issue on the dairy today, and rightfully so. If acidosis is a constant issue or concern, the principles of nutrition are lost and replaced with guessing.”Priority IAC, does nutrition with a foundation on microbiology. This makes perfect sense, as the rumen is simply a fermenter growing bacteria driven by energy fed (carbohydrates). This promotes a constant growth and death of bacteria happening in the rumen. The goal is to multiply as many bacteria as one can this, only done under a constantly managed rumen pH. When the bacteria conclude their life cycle and die, they are producing microbial protein — protein in perfect amino acid balance, protein producers don’t have to purchase.Priority IAC provides education on how each branded strain of Smart bacteria works, how the highest quality home-grown forages can be used, and how producers can monitor their cows performance to know what adjustments to make.As a farm-developed, family-owned company, Priority IAC was founded following the dispersal of Clover Mist Farms, home of D-R-A August EX-96 4E — a foundation cow part of the herd that Richard Breunig developed and managed for 20 years. A feed manufacturing error and the loss of many animals pushed his focus to study nutrition and microbiology for answers, which he uncovered and then some. Priority IAC brings the fields of microbiology and nutrition together, a paradigm shift in nutrition, truly making them the Smart bacteria & Nutrition Company.™