This months linked article's:
The importance of Sugarbeet in summer diets...
LUNCHTIME COURSES
Keep your eye out for information about our courses that will
be run by our nutritionist in an area near you.
The first course will be held on the
2nd of August
In Bangor on Dee
The course subject will be:
REDUCING LAMENESS, MASTITIS AND INFERTILITY.
THE ROLE OF DRY COW MANAGEMENT
Should you wish to attend,
Please give Sarah a call on : 01948 661602
GRASS SHORTAGE
Grass growth has been significantly affected by the hap-hazard weather recently. Maize silage or Wholecrop will replace reduced grazing and it will help overcome low fibre levels and low butterfats. As the season progresses, the quality of grass declines both in energy and protein. Therefore increasing the protein levels slightly will offset any shortfalls.
If there is a dietary shortage of effective rumen degradable protein, the rumen does not work properly, milk yield is depressed and blood and milk urea levels are low. If your milk test results show levels of milk urea above 0.035 they are too high and below 0.020 they are becoming too low, between these two figures you should be all right.
Please ring the office or discuss with your agent if you think you should go to an 18% protein cake / blend.
WINTER CONTRACTS
We are currently busy putting contracts into place for the coming winter. We believe that raw materials will continue rising and commodities like Soya, Rape, Maize Gluten, Biscuitmeal need to be contracted now, either as individual products or as part of a blend. The majority of our blends are based on individual customers needs, with our coarse blends being formulated after discussion with the farmer and / or his consultant and then contracted for the winter, on a FIXED FORMULA basis. Please ring us if you are interested in prices for next winter we strongly recommend that this market needs to be looked at very soon.
YOUNGSTOCK
The foundation of any successful dairy herd is only as good as its youngstock. Within approximately two years of birth, your new calf will be producing a calf of her own. To maintain strong and healthy growth and for this heifer calf to reach correct bulling weights at the correct age, she needs to be grown quickly and fed properly.
Good forage and good compounds or blends are paramount in this feeding programme if target weights are to be achieved. GP Feeds recognise that youngstock feeds are a very important part of dairy farming practice. Our quality controls, high standards and fixed formulations are the same as for all our other manufactured products. The company we use to manufacture the products to our specification, originated as calf rearers, so they do know the importance of high quality products. Our full range of youngstock feeds is shown on our 'Calf, Beef & Sheep' page along with feeding instructions.
All are available in bulk, ½ tonne tote bags, 1 tonne tote bags or 25kg bags. For individual customers we can also make an individual youngstock blend. All blends can be mineralised and molassed if required and you can choose bulk blown or tipped. Ring for a quote. We are confident that our feeds are the best!
FAT PRODUCTS
Beware of cheap imitations. There are now numerous products on the market all claiming extra benefit with their use. Remember the old saying 'you don't get owt for nowt'.
We recommend MEGALAC, DYNALAC, ENERGISER RP10, BERGAFAT F.100 and our own CS PLUS.
For quotations and the full information on the above products please ring the office or your agent and we can hopefully help you through the minefield!
MINERALS
Various minerals are required for growth, bone formation, reproduction and many other body functions. Those that are required in fairly large amounts include sodium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and potassium. Those that are required in very small yet crucial amounts include iodine, copper, zinc, sulphur and selenium. Mineral content is affected by the type and quality of the feedstuff. Adding supplementary minerals to the ration is usually required to ensure that the proper amounts of these elements are available to the animal. The type of supplementary mineral mix required is determined by the feeds in the ration and the animals requirements. Deficiency symptoms can be poor growth, poor conception rates, brittle bones, muscle tremors, lameness and general poor condition, which will mean added cost (to you the farmer).
On most of the farms that we visit, the minerals being supplied by other suppliers, are just NOT delivering the amount of mineral that the modern dairy cow requires. We have products that address this situation and it is important that you also talk to us about dry cow minerals. The dry period is the most crucial time for ensuring that the cow and unborn calf have the daily required intake of vitamins and minerals. This will affect the subsequent lactation and will determine whether the cow experiences feet problems in the weeks following calving.