PRACTICAL ADVICE
We are frequently asked by publications to help provide insight into essential and prevalent issues. These include animal nutrition features written by our technical specialists. Practical advice that works made available to you. Sit back and have a read.
Making & Feeding Quality Forage – Principles
Maximising growth and utilisation of high quality home grown forages is a key component in driving dairy farm profitability, particularly with low milk prices. This includes both grazed and conserved pastures and crops, as dairy farmers will need to feed both to match forage supply with herd requirements. This is the first in a series [...]
The Key to Maximizing Profit: Quality Silage
Making high quality silage is about achieving the twin goals of rapid, efficient front-end fermentation and back-end stability during storage and feedout. Even in the best situations, there are likely to be challenges simply due to variability in the crop or weather variations during harvest. However, focusing on good management practices, including selecting the right [...]
Merger Revamps NZ Silage and Animal Nutrition Markets
The merger of two leading forage technology and animal nutrition businesses will create opportunities that can benefit New Zealand contractors and farmers, say the companies' directors. Nutritech International and Lallemand NZ Ltd (trading as Vitec Nutrition) have combined their businesses to create the country's largest supplier of animal supplements and forage technologies. The merged business [...]
Early Lactation
Previous articles have emphasised the importance of good feeding and management during the transition period around calving, so early lactation management should build on a good transition foundation. Early lactation is a stressful time for dairy cows, as they recover from calving, rapidly increase milk production while losing body condition, and prepare for the next [...]
Tips for Effective Calf Rearing
Successful calf rearing relies on getting the basics right, attention to detail across the board, and promoting health and immunity. The basics covers good biosecurity, hygiene, housing, ventilation, bedding, management and nutrition, including feeding timely and adequate amounts of quality colostrum. Adequate levels of basic nutrients, such as energy yielding nutrients, amino acids (protein), carbohydrates, [...]
Calf Rearing
Numerous trials have demonstrated the importance of good calf rearing practices on increasing 1st lactation and lifetime milk production, thus profitability. Early rumen development, gut health and integrity, and avoiding a weaning check are key factors influencing calf growth. Highly degradable starch based feeds promote development of the rumen and its papillae. Recent trials have [...]
Benefits of Good Transition
The risks of disease and metabolic issues are greatest during the transition period (3-4 weeks either side of calving), which is dominated by a series of adaptations as cows move from pregnancy to lactation. As much as 80% of all health issues related to this period. Establishing successful lactations requires an integrated transition management and [...]
Rearing More Productive Heifers
It has been demonstrated that better grown calves and heifers have higher first lactation and lifetime production than less well grown ones. What is less certain is the extent to which the benefits of early rumen development remain through to and after calving, with heifers reared off farm. This was tested in an on farm [...]
