increase font size
Cattle Fodder Beet Block.
Fodder beet is an increasingly popular winter crop for beef and dairy cattle due to the large amounts of dry matter it produces.
But stock won't get the best out of the crop if its nutritional gaps aren't managed, warns product development manager Jackie Aveling, of SealesWinslow.
Its high sugar content makes fodder beet very palatable to stock, but it has sub-optimal protein content (13%), low fibre levels (<20%) and is low in phosphorus, magnesium and essential trace elements.
"At SealesWinslow, we've found a way to overcome these issues with a solution that's easy to use and which provides good nutritional support for stock grazing on fodder beet," says Aveling.
The result is a specially formulated Cattle Fodder Beet Block now on sale following on farm testing.
The new block addresses phosphorus deficiency and balances other minerals like magnesium and essential trace elements that are lacking in cows and heifers on a fodder beet diet.
"A diet deficient in these minerals, particularly phosphorus, can lead to 'creeper cows' in the short term, and longer-term difficulties including poor milk production, reduced appetite, weight loss and poor reproductive performance.
"Current practice to reduce the chance of phosphate deficiencies developing in stock grazed on fodder beet is to dust the crop with dicalcium phosphate (DCP) or use a slurry of the compound on silage or straw. However these practices can be dusty, time-consuming, wasteful and the intake is variable."
The new Cattle Fodder Beet Blocks come in 25kg tubs which are simply placed at the crop face under the fence in front of the cows.
Available from merchant retail stores, the block is said to pay its way in convenience, labour time saved, lower downer costs and longer-term stock problems, the supplier says.
It also compares favourably with the price of a single intravenous downer cow treatment. The recommended block to cow ratio is 1:25.
Trace elements are the ‘invisible fence at the top of the cliff’ that can protect a dairy herd’s health and ensure cows meet their full production potential, says SealesWinslow nutrition extension specialist Simon Butler.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
OPINION: Few things are more stressful for dairy farmers than running out of feed when cows need it most.
Now is not the time to stop incorporating plantain into dairy pasture systems to reduce nitrogen (N) loss, says Agricom Australasia brand manager Mark Brown.
Waikato dairy farmers are well-placed heading into the peak of summer, thanks to favourable growing conditions late last year that resulted in abundant onfarm feed reserves.
Among this year’s Primary Industry NZ (PINZ) Awards finalists are a Southlander who created edible bale netting and rural New Zealanders who advocate for pragmatic regulation and support stressed out farmers.
Rockit Global has appointed Ivan Angland as its new chief operating officer as it continues its growth strategy into 2025.
Nominations are now open for the Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) board.
A Mid-Canterbury dairy farmer is bringing a millennial mindset to his family farm and is reaping the rewards, with a 50% uplift in milksolids production since he took over.
OPINION: People have criticised Christopher Luxon for the time he’s taken to appoint a new chief science advisor.
A new Indonesian school milk programme is expected to significantly increase the country's total dairy consumption, creating opportunities for New Zealand and other global dairy players.
OPINION: Last week's announcement of Prime Minister’s new Science and Technology Advisory Council hasn’t gone down too well in the…
OPINION: At its recent annual general meeting, Federated Farmers’ Auckland province called for New Zealand to withdraw from the Paris…
