Friday, 07 June 2024 10:55

Rugby star turns brand ambassador

Written by  Staff Reporters
Rugby star and Taranaki dairy farmer Scott Barrett is now a brand ambassador for Multimin. Rugby star and Taranaki dairy farmer Scott Barrett is now a brand ambassador for Multimin.

Animal health company Virbac is teaming up with rugby star and farmer Scott Barrett.

The lock will be a brand ambassador for Virbac’s trace element Multimin.

Virbac says Barrett, although better known for his time spent within the painted lines of a 100 metre paddock, has the rural upbringing and farming background to make him the ideal brand ambassador.

Known for his 60+ test caps and leading role in his team’s domestic championship wins over the years, farming is in Barrett’s blood, hailing from a strong farming pedigree on the windy southern coast of Taranaki. As secondgeneration dairy farmers in the region, the Barrett family farm was converted into a dairy operation around 17 years ago. As well as occasionally pitching in on the farm when visiting home, Scott now has his own share in a 180ha dairy operation on the Taranaki coast.

As a leading professional athlete and farming enthusiast, Barrett says he’s dedicated to ensuring the highest performance from his team – both under the lights on the 100-metre field and his team of 420 cows on the fields of Taranaki.

Virbac is delighted and honoured that Scott has agreed to align himself with the Multimin brand, says Multimin product manager Katie Turner.

“Like Multimin, the formidable forward personifies the brand’s ‘performance ready’ positioning. With a leading mentality, Scott is a wellrespected and top performing New Zealander, proven to deliver results when representing his country at the highest of levels,” says Turner.

Multimin is a multimineral trace element injection for cattle, sheep and deer, trusted by vets and proven by local and international research, and the company says for close to 20 years it has been improving the performance of livestock across the country.

Containing a patented formulation of zinc, selenium, manganese and copper (as well as a formulation without copper, Multimin Copper Free), Virbac says it has been proven to enhance immunity and improve reproductive performance.

Barrett says growing up on a dairy farm, he always had an interest in the land and working with animals.

“This passion drew me to Lincoln University where I gained a Bachelor of Agriculture before my rugby career took off. I am excited to be partnering with Multimin, a brand who like me, is striving for high performance” says Barrett.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to connect New Zealand vets and farmers alike with one of our nations sporting icons,” says Turner. In his role as brand ambassador Barrett will feature in a national media campaign and promotional events.

More like this

Three Pillars of BVD Control

Solid biosecurity practices, regular monitoring and timely vaccination are the three key pillars of effective Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) control on New Zealand farms. Zoetis veterinary technical advisor, Karley DeFrees, explains BVD is a costly but preventative disease that impacts a significant number of dairy farms in New Zealand. Implementation of a BVD control plan can help protect your herd from this avoidable disease.

Clostridial Disease in Lambs: NZ Vaccination Guide

Although preventable, lamb loss from clostridial diseases during the first year of life on New Zealand hill country farms continues to be an issue. A field trial, where lambs were vaccinated at docking and weaning, demonstrated that vaccination was highly effective, lowering clostridial deaths by 23%. Zoetis veterinarian Dr Victoria Chapman unpacks the importance of robust animal health programmes, vaccination timing and the potential harmful consequences for stock when vaccination isn't given.

BVD Control in Dairy Herds: How to Find & Remove PI Animals

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is estimated to cost New Zealand's dairy and beef industries more than $150 million every year, yet many of the tools needed to control it are already well understood. After more than 25 years in veterinary practice, Andrew Weir, animal health technical specialist at LIC, has seen firsthand the impact BVD can have on herd performance. We asked him about the role of persistently infected (PI) animals and the practical steps farmers can take to reduce their risk.

Transition Period: The Make-or-Break Window for Dairy Cows

The transition period is the make-or-break window for your entire season. If this period is poorly managed, you don't just see a few downer cows, you see a downward spiral that affects the cow's health, production and reproduction long into the season.

Featured

Sharemilkers Credit DairyBase Tool for Staffing Decisions

Signing up to a benchmarking tool is not about competition, but about improving collectively, says Ximena Puig and Alvaro Luzardo who are 50-50 sharemilkers at a 164-hectare (effective) dairy farm in Eketāhuna in the Lower North Island.

National

Machinery & Products

 

 

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

True Reflection?

A fair question has been raised about how member-funded organisations should conduct themselves when taking a public position on any…

Civil Circus!

OPINION: It really is getting harder to lampoon government bureaucrats when they do such a good job of it themselves.…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter