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Heat Stress and Summer Management

Heat stress negatively affects both animal welfare and production. The heat stress an animal experiences is a combination of temperature, humidity, solar radiation and air flow. It is important to provide shade, fresh clean water and optimal nutrition to help support livestock during times of heat stress. Heat Stress in New Zealand While New Zealand […]

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Picking the right inoculant for the job

MAGNIVA® Platinum significantly improves the quality and aerobic stability of silage prone to heating, for example, high dry matter grass silage, wholecrop and maize silages. Cool silage means less dry matter loss, more metabolisable energy retained, less spoilage, and fewer mycotoxins resulting from lower yeast and mould activity. Using MAGNIVA® Platinum it is safe to […]

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Sustaining egg quality in laying hens

The Food Price Index (Eggs) Report distributed by the Egg Producers Federation (EPF) shows a continuing reduction in the number of birds in lay. This trend suggests, among other factors, that we are holding birds in lay for longer to extend their life cycle. As a result, maintaining egg production and in particular, egg shell […]

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Heifers; the herd of the future

Heifers are the future of the herd and whilst they are often referred to as the most important animals on the farm, it can sometimes be a case of “out of sight, out of mind”. However, it is important to keep them top of mind, even if they are not seen every day. Our calves […]

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The value of grass and legume silage

With feed prices at their highest and most volatile we have seen them in some time it is imperative, now more than ever, that farm businesses recognize the value of silages and home-grown feed. This value comes from both security of supply as well as the economic value of quality silage relative to other feed […]

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Innovative Transition Management

An innovative approach to transition management proves just the trick to restoring freshly-calved cows to full health and production, says Canterbury farmer Kieran McDonald. Kieran McDonald, who contract milks for Peter and Kirsty Schouten on one of their high producing herds in Eyrewell, Canterbury and has been using NutriMin®Springer Cow Balancer in his herd for […]

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Which are the best silages for dry cows?

There are three aspects of silage quality to consider when selecting silages for dry cows – nutritional quality, fermentation quality, and hygienic quality Nutritional quality The three key nutritional parameters are energy, protein, and fibre. While generally the higher the energy and protein the better for milking cows, this isn’t necessarily so for dry cows. […]

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New silage inoculant MAGNIVA® Platinum proves to be popular in the field

Last season New Zealand farmers and contractors had the opportunity to try the new live bacterial forage inoculant, MAGNIVA® Platinum. Feedback on the new Lactobacillus hilgardii bacteria has been overwhelmingly positive, with the unique combination of bacteria and enzymes in MAGNIVA® Platinum having a noticeable effect on silage quality, palatability and temperature. According to Manawatu […]

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What are Mycotoxins and how can we reduce their impact?

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by certain types of fungi (moulds), which increase in the presence of oxygen in the hot, humid months of the year. These fungi produce mycotoxins under certain conditions, which can be harmful to animal health and productivity. It’s important to note that not all fungi produce mycotoxins, and the presence […]

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