This months linked article's:
SPRING / SUMMER CUSTOM BLENDS...
Grass Staggers (Hypomagnesaemia)
Now is the time when many farmers are assessing the weather with a view to turning out. Now is also the time to bear in mind Grass Staggers and ensure your animals are fully prepared for all that lovely fresh grass.
What is it?
Grass staggers occur when the intake of magnesium is exceeded by its output. Clinical signs can appear very quickly and often no signs are apparent other than a dead animal. Cows do not store magnesium, so are therefore reliant on their daily dietary intake. It is a disease common in lactating cows and occurs in the spring because of rapid growing grass, it can also be seen in the Autumn when there is a late flush of grass. Ryegrasses are particularly quite low in magnesium, whilst slower growing forages particularly clovers and other broad-leaved plants have much higher levels.
Beef and sheep can also be affected.
Signs to watch out for:
- Nervousness and restlessness
- Loss of appetite
- Twitching of muscles - particularly face & eyes
- Grinding of teeth
- Staggered gait
- Convulsions
- Paralysis
- A reduction in milk yield may also occur before an attack
- Sometimes an attack can happen so quickly no signs are seen
Prevention
Here at GP Feeds, we have several products to help prevent the onset of grass stagger, ranging from minerals to liquids. Whichever route you choose to take, treatment should be started at least 2 weeks prior to turnout. All our dairy compound feeds have higher levels of magnesium in them, ready for turnout.
Getting ready to turnout? Talk to us about Magnesium products. (Even if you've already turned out it's still worth giving us a call.)
| Hi Mag Minerals From £545/t Cal Mag (Agma) £455 / tonne Mag Chloride Flakes £523 / tonne (price based on 10 bag delivery) Rumag Aqua 37.5p/ litre (min delivery 1000 litres) Tecmag 4 40.5p/ litre (min delivery 1000 litres) All prices subject to delivery area Prices valid until |
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SPRING / SUMMER COMPOUNDS
Elite Summer 15 Nuts (4% Oil, 15% Protein, 10% Fibre, 7.5% Ash)...
HE Supreme HDF 16 Nuts (3.6% Oil, 16% Protein, 9.5% Fibre, 7.8% Ash)...
Excel 16 Nuts (4.5% Oil, 16% Protein, 7.5% Fibre, 7.5% Ash)...
SPRING / SUMMER CUSTOM BLENDS
YOU TELL US WHAT YOU WANT OR ASK US TO BALANCE YOUR RATION FOR YOU
We know that all farm situations are different and therefore 'one blend' will not fit into all farms: i.e. differing cow yields, types of forages, amounts of forages, grass, buffer feeds available, etc.
Getting the right blend will improve performance in terms of yields, quality and cow health. A properly balanced blend can be worth up to 5 litres per cow. We will supply you a FIXED FORMULATION with ONLY QUALITY RAW MATERIALS to suit your individual situation.
All of our blends are produced in a coarse blend form with accurate computerised weighing of all materials, which are mixed thoroughly in the mixer before being held in bulk bins.
RING US TODAY ON 01948 661602 FOR A QUOTE OR ALTERNATIVELY
VISIT OUR BLEND CALCULATOR or if you need a bit of help
we will gladly send an INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT FREE OF CHARGE, to sit
down with you and devise a full feed plan.
GET PREPARED FOR SILAGING
Spring, will soon be upon us and before we know it many of you will be looking to do your first cut of silage, so now is the time to book you additive. We recommend Ecosyl, which is the world's most proven inoculant:
- 15 dairy trials & 19 beef trials
- 40 intake, digestibility & ME trials
- More than 200 independent fermentation trials, across a wide range of dry matter from direct cut (15% DM) to well wilted (over 50% DM)
- Sold worldwide in more than 20 countries
- First product to get FDA (Federal Drug Administration) recognition for its fermentation claims in the USA
- First inoculant to get approved for milk yield improvement claim in Canada
- Approved for milk yield improvement by the DLG govenering body in Germany
- Awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2007
ECOSYL ULV (ULTRA LOW VOLUME) Cost £1.28 per tonne (until 30th April)...
ECOSYL 66 Cost £1.28 per tonne (until 30th April)...
DOUBLE ACTION ECOSYL Cost £2.10 per tonne (until 30th April)...
CUT SILAGE WASTE - USE CLAMPFILM...
Use CLAMPFILM with the right additive and get the best results from your silage.
Fats
There are many fats on the market today which all claim to benefit the modern dairy cow. The question is - which one is right for you?
Here at GP Feeds we have a number of fats available. We choose to sell only the best available on today's market, and the ones below are both EXCLUSIVE TO GP FEEDS - you won't find them available through anyone else.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND - GOLDSTAR 98 VERY HIGH ENERGY FAT...
Mineral Market Update
Currency
Currency volatility continues to have a clear impact on the raw material markets, this has been more noticeable in products like Magnesium chloride flakes that are traded in US dollars ($), bought into Europe as euros (€) and then sold in the United Kingdom as pounds sterling (£).
Phosphates
Last year's high prices for phosphates have started to fall back helped in part by reduced demand in the monogastric sector due to phytase enzymes and also by a reduction in the levels of phosphates in ruminant minerals.
Vitamins
Some market stabilisation has seen prices decrease for products like vitamin E and Biotin over the last few days; the prices for these high value products have been very volatile with small changes in the currency rates having a profound knock on effect.
Calcined Magnesite (magnesium)
Had we been talking about the cost of this product last year we would have been citing increases in energy costs, high demands for this product in the steel markets, and the reduction in exports from China as reasons for increased prices for this product. Fast forward to a few months later, and although there are limited exports from the Asian markets, the prices of crude oil have fallen considerably and the steel producers have reduced manufacturing outputs as the world economy has slowed down but there has been no reduction in prices.
Outlook
In a majority of cases the cost of mineral supplementation should fall going into summer 2009 however the effects of the weakened currency still need to be taken into account and has the potential to upset the applecart at any time.
GP Feeds Minerals
Minerals are a must for every diet. Here at GP Feeds we pride ourselves on supplying only quality minerals. Whether, that be a General Purpose, High Magnesium, Maize Balancer or even a customised mineral.
All our minerals are competitively priced. Don't buy your usual minerals until you have spoken to us. Call us today on 01948 661602 to discuss your needs.
Easter Order Dates
(Good Friday 10th April, Easter Monday 13th April)
With Easter fast approaching we will be busy as ever ensuring that no one runs out of feed. Please note that there will be no deliveries over the Easter weekend, last delivery before Easter is Thursday 9th April and deliveries will recommence on Tuesday 14th April. We would advise placing your orders as soon as possible.
QUALITY PRODUCTS FOR QUALITY PRODUCTION
Contact
Gareth or Rachel (Office)
01948 661602 Fax 01948 871776