Another winter is approaching, and now is the time for planning, in order to make informed decisions around nutritional management.

Following a difficult growing season, there may be a large variation in quality between cuts so testing what silage is available is crucial to planning accordingly.

With dry cows, silage quality will dictate the condition of cows at calving, and dilution/corrective feeding may be required.

For youngstock, offering a silage-only diet, a weight gain of just 0.3kg/day can be expected from the same silage as offered to dry cows (68-70% DMD silage); 1.5 to 2 kg of concentrate would be required to achieve target growth rates.

Silage reserves are depleted in many yards: therefore, conducting a quick fodder budget to highlight sufficient reserves – or identifying a deficit – is crucial.   

Youngstock

It’s also a good time to check that heifers are still on track to achieve their target weight for age (% of mature weight). Weighing now compared to weighing at the point of housing allows the opportunity to identify behind-target heifers and group accordingly.

The threshold figure for 2024 spring-born weanling heifers is approximately 200 kg in mid-September (~33% of an assumed mature weight of 600kg).

Heifers lighter than this need to be given priority access to high quality grass and reintroduce or increase supplementary concentrates; feeding rates will depend on where they are in relation to their respective targets.

Higher weight gains can be achieved from grass rather than from winter/silage diets and a good response to autumn supplementation can be achieved.

Research shows that in autumn where 1 kg  of concentrate plus good grass is offered, average daily gains of 1 kg/hd/day can be achieved.

For more information contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Maeve Regan as Head of Ruminant Nutrition.

Maeve brings a wealth of experience to the role, both practical and academic. She holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from University College Dublin (UCD), where she specialised in Animal Science, as well as a Walsh Fellowship Research Masters, focusing on grass-based beef production, which she completed in collaboration with Teagasc Grange and UCD.

Having grown up on a pedigree beef farm in Co. Roscommon, as well as having spent time working on dairy enterprises in both Ireland and the US, Maeve has extensive experience with modern beef and dairy production systems, and is well known with farmers throughout the country from her time working with Glanbia as a technical support advisor.

Maeve’s primary role with Agritech will be to provide technical support to our national and international customers. Speaking about the appointment, Managing Director, Brian O Slatarra said, “We are delighted to appoint someone of Maeve’s calibre to this newly created senior position in the company. Her talent and knowledge will add a further dimension to helping to ensure that our customers get the best return from our products and their animals.”

Agritech’s business has grown significantly in the past number of years, both domestically and internationally, and now distributes products in a number of countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Brian concluded, “We look forward to Maeve’s contribution as we plan for future growth and innovation across the business.”

With ever tightening profit margins, especially in the beef sector, the complex area of feed efficiency is and must continue to command close attention. In intensively fed animals there is a constant challenge to juggle the balance between optimising milk and meat output in the most economical way, while maintaining optimum rumen health at all times.

It is vital that the rumen environment is maintained in a healthy state to avoid the occurrence of acidosis. Acidosis occurs as a result of poor rumen health status and can present in two forms; clinical and sub clinical. The second form mostly presents as Sub Acute Rumen Acidosis (SARA). SARA is the main dietary performance constraint of intensively fed animals.

SARA has three principal causes: 

• High intakes of starches, sugars and acidic feeds.
• Inadequate structural fibre in diet.
• Inability of rumen to adapt to a highly fermentable / low fibre diet.

Identifying Sub-Acute Rumen Acidosis (SARA) in your herd

The tell-tale signs of SARA are sometimes difficult to detect through visual observation however, symptoms include:

• Animals performing 5-10% below capacity.
• Bubbles on dung.
• Less than 80% of animals which are lying down observed chewing the cud.
• Mildly depressed demeanour.
• Increased lameness levels.
• Cows swishing their tails (due to passing acidic manure).

Rumen Buffer Feeding

Maintaining good rumen health can be achieved through the inclusion of adequate roughage in the animals’ diet, such as straw and through the addition of a suitable rumen buffer. Straw can act as an excellent buffer but must be limited due to its low nutritive value and space requirement in the rumen. This year in particular, straw quality in many cases is not of adequate feed quality for livestock and is no longer a cheap option.

Feeding of an appropriate rumen buffer will play a valuable role on all farms where there are intensively fed animals or low fibre diets. A high-quality rumen buffer will not only help avoid problems like acidosis but it will also improve feed efficiency, optimise the rumen environment and maximise the return from your winter ration.

Rumicare– why it’s the best option

Rumicare is a phased release buffer and is available as Rumicare Beef and Rumicare Dairy. It contains a unique blend of buffers that each have their own mode of action and different speeds of breakdown (phased release) within the rumen. The combination of ingredients maintains a more desirable pH within the rumen at critical times throughout each 24-hour period.

Rumicare works on two different fronts in the fight against SARA. It directly neutralises rumen pH through its alkaline properties, while the added yeast also acts as a natural buffer by enhancing rumen bacterial growth. This combination of buffers and yeast has long been shown to gel very well together.

Speaking with farmers that have used Rumicare in the past, livestock are in great form, displaying improved appetites, performance and producing more consistent manures. Rumicare also smoothens transition diets with less setbacks and less displaced abomasums. Another added bonus is that it provides a very good level of calcium and magnesium, which is particularly important for the lactating dairy cow in early lactation.

On farm support during COVID-19

In order to keep our customers and staff as safe as possible, our sales team and distributors we will be minimising the number of on farm consultations. We are however, as always, available for FREE delivery direct to farm and over the phone consultations. Contact your local Agritech sales rep/distributor to place your order or click here. 

For further advice or information on our Welmin Mineral Supplements range, click here.

The Irish dairy cow is working harder now than ever before, with longer lactations and shorter dry periods. In contrast to much of the global dairy herd, the predominant typical Irish dairy cow consumes her dietary requirements primarily from grazed and conserved grass, meaning that less concentrate is fed during the lactation.

As grazed grass is generally low in minerals and trace elements, and with concentrate mixtures generally supplemented with some level of minerals, spring calving grass based dairy cows can become quite depleted of minerals by the end of their lactation. It is therefore vital that the dry cow is supplemented with a high quality mineral throughout the entire dry period. 

Following a dry cow management plan has proven very successful for Co. Westmeath farmer, Hugh Gaffney. Alongside his father, Mattie, Hugh is milking a herd of 120 British Friesian cows just outside Killucan, Co. Westmeath. The farm is run on a grass based, spring calving system, with bull and heifer calves later sold as stores.  

According to Hugh, giving close consideration to good nutrition, careful management, and the addition of a high quality dry cow mineral has played a vital role in improving health and immunity in both his cows and new born calves.       

VIDEO: TAKE A LOOK AT HUGH GAFFNEY’S DRY COW PROGRAMME:

Dry Cow Management Plan

How you feed and manage your herd during the dry cow period will influence subsequent yields and fertility, along with conditions which manifest post calving, such as milk fever, metritis, ketosis, and displaced abomasums. 

A key part of Hugh’s dry cow management plan is monitoring body condition score (BCS), and correcting where necessary before calving. Hugh’s dry cows are batched according to BCS and cubicles are maintained in a clean hygienic manner throughout the dry period. It is best practice to dry off cows at, or close to, the best BCS for calving (3.00 – 3.25). It is also critical to maintain this condition score throughout the dry period. 

Agritech recommend a silage quality target of at least 72DMD. In addition to receiving good quality forage and supplemental concentrate where necessary, Hugh’s cows are fed a minimum of 6kgs of Agritech’s Welmin™ Dry Cow Elite mineral before calving. This is viewed as critical in order to improve health and immunity and reduce the risk of metabolic disorders in his herd.  

Dry Cow Elite

Key macro minerals required by the dry cow include high availability magnesium and trace elements such as organic selenium, chelated and hydroxy copper and zinc. Welmin™ Dry Cow Elite goes further than other dry cow supplements in terms of bolstering the cow’s immune system ahead of the rigours of calving through the inclusion of supplemental B vitamins, ImmunoWall yeast, and high levels of key vitamins A, D3 and E. This complete package is crucial in order to increase health and immunity, minimise retained placenta levels, and aid the uterine involution (cleansing) process post calving.

Addressing the bioavailability challenge

Agritech’s Welmin™ Mineral Range has also been at the forefront in addressing the bioavailability challenge; a challenge which has led to secondary mineral deficiencies becoming more prominent in modern livestock operations. These deficiencies are a result of antagonists binding with key minerals in the rumen, ultimately causing them to pass through the animal unabsorbed.

It is now widely accepted that the inclusion of elements from multiple sources significantly enhances the absorption of each element. Agritech have embraced this superior approach as their mineral range includes copper, selenium, iodine and zinc from multiple sources to ensure optimum bioavailability of these key elements. 

Intellibond C is also included in many of Agritech’s mineral mixtures, which is a highly available source of copper. Intellibond C is not soluble at neutral rumen pH which results in a rumen by-pass trace element that gives increased trace mineral stability in the intestine. Copper from Intellibond C is released slowly over the full length of the small intestine, resulting in more efficient copper absorption and thereby improving overall intestinal health.

On farm support during COVID-19

In order to keep our customers and staff as safe as possible, our sales team and distributors we will be minimising the number of on farm consultations. We are however, as always, available for FREE delivery direct to farm and over the phone consultations. Contact your local Agritech sales rep/distributor to place your order or click here. 

For further advice or information on our Welmin Mineral Supplements range, click here

With the recent deterioration in both weather and grazing conditions, beef cattle which are intended for finishing should be housed sooner rather than later in order to settle into a winter finishing system. If managed incorrectly, the transition from cold wet grass to low pH forage and concentrate feeding can lead to digestive upsets and lameness within your herd.

To minimise the dietary stress of transitioning, all stock should be fed 1 to 2 kg of a high fibre ration for 7 to 10 days before housing. A simple blend is 50% rolled barley and 50 % hulls. This blend should also contain a quality rumen buffer such as Rumicare in order to ensure a smooth transition. Once animals are housed, concentrate feeding levels should be built up gradually at a rate of ½ kg per day until the required feeding rate is reached.

Feeding Plan

With beef prices currently under the cost of production, it is vitally important to put an appropriate feeding plan in place. Silage analysis should be the starting point of this feeding plan as this will determine your feeding and management strategy for your stock this winter. High quality silage is an important consideration on any farm, with each increase of 3 DMD units having the potential to reduce concentrate feeding by up to 0.75kgs per head per day. The less feed that is fed to maximise daily live-weight gain will result in greater profitability for the farmer.

Mineral Supplementation

It is also critical to ensure your animals are adequately supplemented with the essential minerals and vitamins as poorly balanced diets can significantly reduce performance. Calcium and Phosphorous are required to build good bone structure to carry the extra muscle and fat required to meet kill-out specification. Copper and Zinc are natural growth enhancers which encourage development of good muscle structure. Selenium and Iodine, coupled with vitamins A, D3, E and B complex, are needed to fight against viruses and bacteria; something which animals are more susceptible to at this time of year.

To help ensure a healthy animal with good thrive, Agritech has developed Welmin Beef Rumigest to meet the mineral requirements for breeding and store cattle. Welmin Beef Finisher is also specially formulated to meet the requirements of intensely finished beef cattle and is now available with added sulphur for an Alkagrain diet.

Controlling acidosis

Controlling acidosis, both sub clinical and clinical, is critically important. To overcome this issue, Agritech have developed Rumicare, which is a unique blend of phased released rumen buffering minerals with strong alkaline properties, which will counteract rumen acidity right throughout each 24 hour period. This phased release technology ensures a constant and ongoing fight against both sub clinical and clinical acidosis, and the addition of Rumigest® yeast will further enhance rumen bacteria populations and activity, aiding better digestion.

Individual farms will all have variable mineral deficiencies. In response to this, Agritech’s Welmin Mineral Supplements range contains a variety of products which will correct the imbalances that are occurring on individual farms.

On farm support during COVID-19

In order to keep our customers and staff as safe as possible, our sales team and distributors we will be minimising the number of on farm consultations. We are however, as always, available for FREE delivery direct to farm and over the phone consultations. Contact your local Agritech sales rep/distributor to place your order or click here. 

For further advice or information on our Welmin Mineral Supplements range, click here.

Agritech will host a Winter Animal Health Open Day on Wednesday, October 30th on the farm of Donal Sweeney, Ballygarvan, Co. Cork, T12 F61V.

The open day will take place from 11am – 2pm and will bring together industry-leading experts from a number of different sectors including animal health, fertility and breeding.

Philip Whitley, Area Manager and Breeding Advisor with Eurogene A.I. Services, will provide expert advice on breeding a functional and profitable cow for the future. Topics of discussion will include bull fertility, selection and evaluation.

With over 30 years’ experience, Tom Farrington, MVB MRCVS VetMFHom, will discuss dry cow therapy and his experience of using homeopathic alternatives in the treatment of dairy and beef animals. Tom will also be accompanied by homeopathic dairy farmer and National Coordinator of HAWL Ireland, Pat Aherne, who will be willing to answer any questions that attendees may have.

Annie Galligan, Technical and Sales Support Specialist with Animal Health Monitoring Systems Ltd., will give a detailed insight into the SCR SenseTime Heat Detection and Health Monitoring System, and its increasing role in improving farm productivity and efficiency. Annie will discuss key areas including optimum time for AI’ing, and the monitoring of dairy and suckler herds.

In addition, Agritech’s Area Manager and leading nutritionist, Bil Ryan, will discuss dry cow nutrition and the importance of feeding and managing your cows correctly during this critical transition period. Bil will provide helpful advice on mineral supplementation and its influence on subsequent yields, fertility, and reducing the risk of post calving conditions.

All are welcome to attend this and light refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact Agritech Sales Representative, Joseph O’ Callaghan on 086 260 7445.