JULY 08 NEWSLETTER

This months linked article's:

WASTE NOT WANT NOT...

CUT SILAGE WASTE - USE CLAMPFILM...

MINERAL REMINDER...

RAT BAITS...

STOP PRESS...

GOING INTO YEAR 10

We believed at the beginning that you 'only get out what you put in' and to follow the route of least cost formulations at any cost was not the correct way forward. As a result of this we have our own range of bespoked compound feeds, blends, minerals and of course CS PLUS which is high in C16's to boost energy, fertility and overall health of your herd. All of these products have our unique guarantee of FIXED FORMULATION and FIXED PRICE for contractual periods. We pride ourselves that formulations never alter unless something unforeseeable happens, if this ever did, we would notify you before you take delivery. Our heartfelt thanks go out to our suppliers of these products for supporting us since the start.

We firmly believe that these reasons are the foundation of why we have so few delivery problems or palatability issues. Having said that we recall in the very early days; on a hot August day in 1999 when at 1pm the phone rang, from a customer who was not best pleased that his 12 tonne bulk load of dairy nuts had all been blown into one 3 tonne compartment in his home made bin above the parlour! As this bin was divided into four 3 tonne compartments, each served individually by a homemade moveable box, it was fairly obvious the reason why our customer was unhappy! We could have buried our heads in the sand and hoped the problem would go away or we could get it sorted. Obviously we had to get it sorted, so that is why a few hours later two hot, sweaty and tired people (namely Gareth and one of the mill workers) emerged from the loft looking as though they had just done a twelve hour shift in the mines! The loft was spotless and all the nuts were in the correct compartment but had we pacified the farmer? 10 years on that customer is still trading with us and we still laugh about what went on that day. Customer service is extremely important to us and will remain to be one of our top priorities for the future.

Many amusing and traumatic things have happened that have helped us through some difficult periods but they have also cemented our relationships within the farming community. Here are just a few of them:

  1. The day Gareth fell down an open grid on a farm yard and came out covered in slurry up to his arm pits. How the rest of the staff wished they could have been there to see it or even better if someone could have got it on camera!
  2. The dark days of a blocked loo in the office.
  3. The fond memories of paddling around Nantwich Show ground on numerous occasions up to our knees in mud (It still didn't stop us getting first prize in the small show stand category for 4 successive years).
  4. The morning when we found the office had been broken into.
  5. The enjoyment of sponsoring some very successful and amusing Gentlemen's Evening at Delamere.
  6. The satisfaction of having excellent farmer support at a number of Farm Open Days we have held.

There must be more but enough is enough!

We pride ourselves that all our staff have almost been with us since the beginning which in itself we feel helps customer relation. All of us at GP Feeds would like to thank all of those customers who have used our products and services and have entrusted their business with us over the years. For those of you who receive this monthly newsletter and have not dealt with us - WHY NOT? We are only a telephone call away so what do you have to lose? Why not give us a try and see if we can make a positive difference on your farm as we have done so for many others over the past happy and eventful 10 years.

YOUNGSTOCK

The foundation of any good quality yielding herd, is only as good as the youngstock you replace into it. It is vital that your herd's next generation is fed correctly in order to be an asset to your business.

From weaning off milk or milk replacers, all of your animals should continue to grow quickly in the most economical and profitable way. This must include checking their weight throughout their lives to ensure that target weights are being met. Failure to reach target weights will lead to small heifers at bulling, small heifers at calving and small heifers at the lactating stage.

To help maintain growth and health here at GP Feeds we have a range of products, whether it be a quality coarse calf mix to get a good foundation for replacement stock, maybe a heifer rearing nut or even an economical ration to keep them up to standard ready for exporting, we have something to suit all your needs. These products, when fed alongside quality forage, will ensure that all aspects of growth patterns throughout the various stages of their young lives will be taken care of.

COARSE CALF 16 MIX (Oil 3½%, Protein 16%, Fibre 6.8%)

Extremely palatable mixture fed ad lib from 2 days to 10 or 12 weeks of age.

Contains: Barley, Linseed, Sugarbeet, Hipro Soya, Flaked Peas, Flakes Maize, Oatfeed, Sopralin, Molasses, Minerals and Vitamins.

SUPERGRO HEIFER REARING 20 NUTS (Oil 4.2%, Protein 20%, Fibre 9.9%)

A specialist heifer replacement product to be fed from 10 or 12 weeks of age to calving. Well balanced ration providing in excess of 1 - 1½ kilos LWG per day.

Contains: Wheat, US Maize Distillers, Rapemeal, Sunflower, Palm Kernal, Barley, Maize, Hipro Soya, Sugarbeet, Citrus, Biscuitmeal, Molasses, Minerals and Vitamins and Fat Blend.

GPF HEIFER NUTS (Oil 4%, Protein 18%, Fibre 14%)

Popular and cost effective alternative to our Supergro Heifer Rearing 20 Nuts, still providing excellent results and uniform growth. This product is suitable for all types of youngstock.

Contains: Soya Hulls, Rapemeal, Wheat, Wheatfeed, Palm Kernal, Sunflower, Sugarbeet, Molasses, Biscuitmeal, Minerals and Vitamins and Fat Blend.

GPF BEEF 16 NUTS (Oil 4%, Protein 16%, Fibre 13%)

Although primarily aimed at the beef market, the mineral pack can be change to suit the type of youngstock you are raising.

Contains: Wheat, Wheatfeed, Palm Kernal, Soya Hulls, Sunflower, Rapemeal, Sugarbeet, Biscuitmeal, Molasses, Minerals and Vitamins and Fat Blend

As with all our feeds the ingredients have been carefully chosen for digestibility, with well balanced starch and sugars and quality protein sources, along with FIXED FORMULATIONS.

Phone the office today on 01948 661602 to discuss your Youngstock needs.

WASTE NOT WANT NOT

What value will you be putting on your maize silage this autumn? Over £500 per acre? Around £100/tonne of dry matter?

At these values you certainly can't afford to waste it, so take a look at this graph which has been presented at an MGA conference and shows the % Dry Matter Losses you can expect.

% Dry Matter Losses you can expect.

So did you realise that if you are growing 100 acres of maize at least 20 acres will be wasted before the cows ever see the silage?

What can you do to stop it? Nothing, but here are a few ideas to minimise the problem

  1. Harvest at 30% DM or a little over to be sure of no effluent and achieve a starch % over 30
  2. Make sure the grains are well cracked so the starch is digested and not passed through
  3. Roll it & Roll it & Roll it & Roll it & Roll it
  4. Treat with Double Action Ecocorn which is a combination of the safe but very effective food preservative
  5. Potassium Sorbate and the leading inoculant strain MTD1.
  6. Use Clampfilm

ACID + INOCULANT …ALL IN ONE

The acid preservative reduces the Face & Feeding losses while the MTD1 reduces the Fermentation losses and Increases Milk or Meat Production

  1. If you are a sceptic at least treat the top half of a conventionally filled clamp to protect the silage to be fed out Oct-Jan and which is generally less well compacted
  2. If you are growing Wholecrop the picture is probably worse as the silage is a lot dryer. We recommend use of Double Action Ecocorn for Wholecrop as well as maize

We supply Double Action Ecocorn for liquid or dry application and would generally deliver in September unless you want some earlier for wholecrop, but order now, for the out of season price, and just at the moment this is rather a unique product in that it is just about the only thing that hasn't gone up since last season.

So we look forward to speaking to you about your requirements. Give us a call on 01606 73817

CUT SILAGE WASTE - USE CLAMPFILM

The secret as all farmers know is an 'air tight clamp is a safe clamp'. An anerobic fermentation is essential for making good silages, it is this fermentation process that uses up the oxygen in the clamp sucking the CLAMPFILM onto the surface of the silage, and in effect 'vacuum-packing' the feed. Normal black silage sheeting is not flexible enough to contact the silage in every dip and hollow, and is also oxygen permeable and therefore rarely forms a complete seal. More...

MINERAL REMINDER

As with all raw materials at the moment prices are continuing to rise. This is also the case with minerals. At GP Feeds, we have bought very well against this rising market. If you are using minerals you need to give us a call on 01948 661602 - it could just be the best call you make this month.

As with our compounds and blends our minerals are only of the finest quality and can be bespoked to suit your herds needs.

RAT BAITS

We are now able to offer you a complete range of NEOSOREXA (the UK's Number 1 rodenticide) rat baits and boxes.

NEOSOREXA eliminates more rats every year than any other brand. Deadly even against warfarin resistant strains, NEOSOREXA features a unique and powerful combination of the anticoagulant difenacoum, with a specially flavoured highly palatable cereal base. More...

STOP PRESS - WE NOW HAVE THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS AVAILABLE

Product DM
(%)
ME
MJ/KG
DM
CP
(%)
Fibre
(%)
Description
Brewers Grains 24 11.7 24.5 17 Moist brewing co-product from barley. Suitable for all ruminants especially dairy cows. 4kg can replace 1kg of concentrate.
Mashed Filter Grains 29 12.5 26 18 Moist brewing co-product from barley. Suitable for all ruminants especially dairy cows. 4kg can replace 1kg of concentrate.
Supergrains 30 14.5 32 20 A palatable, moist feed comprising cooked cereal co-products from grain whisky manufacture. Not suitable for sheep
Orange Citrus Pulp 24 12.5 6 22 Residue left after crushing of citrus fruits. Remainder of fruit flesh, peel & pips. Orange is the main fruit, but Grapefruit, Lemon & Limes are present in some samples.
Moist Blend 35 13 18 13 Moist Blend of Orange Citrus, Brewers Grains, Palm Kernal, Cereal Blend & Wheat Based Liquid. 27% Starch & Sugars.

For up to date prices for your area please contact the office on 01948 661602.

QUALITY PRODUCTS FOR QUALITY PRODUCTION

Contact

Gareth or Rachel (Office)
01948 661602 Fax 01948 871776

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