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.

As we approach Christmas and the days shorten, the majority of stock are now housed for the winter months to allow grass pastures to rest before the growing season of 2019.

To ensure animals remain healthy in these confined shed areas, it is important to consider the following factors:

1. Adequate lying space (Standard Cubicle)
2. Adequate feed space (Min. 600ml/hd)
3. Adequate natural light.
4. Adequate natural ventilation.
5. Adequate fresh water.

These are the basic requirements for an animal to remain healthy and productive. As with all man-made structures, design can limit the likelihood of fulfilling these basic requirements. If any or all of the above are limited and combined with the Irish weather (mild and moist air ventilation), it can create the ideal environment for bacteria and viruses to flourish.

Bedding Conditioner Requirements

To help reduce the risk of disease, most Irish farms are at some level using bedding conditioners.

A good bedding conditioner should satisfy the following:

1. Be highly absorbent as this is the foundation for a successful fight against bacteria growth.
2. Be kind to sensitive skin while neutralising the animal’s lying area.
3. Absorb ammonia odours to help air quality and reduce stress on the animal’s lungs.
4. Be easy to apply in a low volume per square meter. Ideally with a low dust content to help reduce irritation to the eyes and animal nasal passages.
5. Contain highly effective antibacterial properties.

Sanitise Bedding Conditioner

As units have expanded rapidly in the last number of years, this has provided an opportunity for us to develop our specialist product, Sanitise, a housing and bedding conditioning solution which promotes a dry hygienic environment in the bedding of all livestock.

Sanitise contains a high absorbent plant-based material which is highly effective at absorbing moisture from the bedding environment. It includes a blend of essential oils with natural antibacterial properties that gives a refreshing smell and neutralises the effect of ammonia, which in turn, reduces respiratory problems. As an added bonus, Sanitise contains a hoof conditioner to help counteract foot problems associated with standing in slurry and wet areas.

Application

Sanitise is very easy to apply either with a machine or by hand at 50g / cubicle/ square meter. Take a look at our application  video below:

For more information on Sanitise, click here or contact your local Agritech distributor.