When Travis Todd with Zinpro Corporation stopped at Linda Greenwood’s Canton, N.Y. dairy more than 16 years ago, she wasn’t very interested in talking to him.
“I thought, ‘Oh, no, here comes another salesman trying to sell me something I don’t want to buy,” Greenwood says.
But as it turned out, he was actually trying to buy something from her. Todd is in charge of Zinpro’s colostrum procurement program, which purchases colostrum from dairy farms and processes it into animal health and nutrition applications.
A Profitable Routine
“When I figured out what he wanted, I still told him no,” Greenwood says. She couldn’t imagine giving up valuable colostrum, which she needed to feed to the newborns at Greenwood Dairy, a 1,500-cow operation that she and her husband, Jon, started from scratch in 1978. Today, her son, Ted, and his wife, Hibby, also work in the business.
“Then I talked to another dairyman who was working with them. He told me they would take second-milking and heifer colostrum, which I was able to spare,” she explained. “So, I made a quick call to Travis, and he got me started. We laugh about it now; we’ve had a great relationship ever since.”
Today, Greenwood Dairy sells approximately 400 gal. of colostrum per month to Zinpro. It is stored in 4-gal. plastic, lidded pails supplied by the company and frozen in freezers also supplied by Zinpro. The farm’s only outlay is electricity to power the freezers, and labor to harvest and store the colostrum. The freezer storage area needs to be indoors in a climate-controlled space. Zinpro picks the colostrum up weekly, and brings a fresh supply of sterilized storage buckets.
After their initial postcalving milking, which is reserved for the dairy’s calves, the Greenwoods mark fresh cows with a green leg band, alerting the milking crew that the subsequent milking should be harvested for freezer colostrum. The extra effort is definitely worth the revenue procured by selling their excess liquid gold.
Colostrum Demands Soars
Demand for colostrum is exploding. A recent market assessment by Future Market Insights Inc. (FMI) estimated the global value of colostrum sold in 2023 was $1.49 billion. That figure is projected to see a compound annual growth rate of 6.5% for the next decade.
The applications for powdered, dehydrated bovine colostrum have spanned far beyond its original roots in nourishing calves. Colostrum is now being used in the human market for everything from bodybuilding supplements to baked nutrition bars, and protein powders to skin creams. Many health-conscious individuals also take it regularly via capsules, powder and chewable tablets.
FMI says colostrum is loaded with bioactive compounds and nutrients. It is a significant source of protein, and its antibodies are valuable in boosting immune systems and enhancing gastrointestinal health. Marketers also claim colostrum has anti-aging properties because it promotes cell regeneration and thus improves the skin’s suppleness and thickness.
Colostrum also has probiotic properties. A large percentage of consumers have embraced probiotics such as lactobacillus and acidophilus in an effort to prevent ulcerative colitis and colon cancer by supporting a healthy intestinal environment. Both are found abundantly in colostrum. On the animal side, calves aren’t the only creatures on the receiving end of colostrum products. Adam Geiger, manager of the colostrum division for Zinpro, says their colostrum ingredients also reach small ruminants, horses and companion animals.
Enabling Extra Revenue
“We continue to look for suppliers,” Geiger says, noting the company has 79 collection routes spanning 11 regions of the U.S. He says they are flexible in terms of farm size, but proximity along a route is necessary.
Farms that sell colostrum to Zinpro must have a comprehensive herd vaccination program and demonstrate that they adhere to sanitary colostrum harvest protocols. Geiger says they also are counseled to prioritize their own herd’s colostrum needs over sales.
A route driver picks up the frozen pails and delivers them to a Zinpro facility, where a patented process fractionates the fat and casein, increasing the animal’s ability to absorb immunoglobulin G (IgG). The resultant IgG level in Zinpro colostrum powder is a robust 50%, well above industry standards. Processing also includes a bacterial reduction step to ensure clean and consistent product quality.
Like Zinpro, Saskatchewan-based SCCL remains firmly in the animal market. “Collecting colostrum has become more common and competitive since its popularity has grown as an all-natural, bioactive superfood for human consumption and as an ingredient in many pharmaceutical and cosmetic products,” says Jeff Langemeier, USA sales manager. “But SCCL’s focus today is the same as when we were founded 30 years ago: developing innovative colostrum products and applications to optimize calf health and to create stronger herds and more sustainable dairy systems.”
Langemeier acknowledged selling colostrum into human and animal markets “is a growing opportunity for dairy producers to capture a diversified revenue stream, especially during times of low milk prices.”
Compensation plans vary, but conservatively, producers can expect to be paid at least double the commercial milk price for their colostrum.
Linda Greenwood estimated their annual colostrum-sales revenue at approximately $20,000. She uses a portion of those proceeds to keep her calf program ship-shape.
“If I want to order new calf jackets or feeding equipment, I’ve always got colostrum money to do that,” she says.
