WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE, IMAGES BY ANNIE STUDHOLME
No two farms are the same and that is even more so when it comes to the mineral needs of livestock upon them. Variations in soil type, feed inputs and fertiliser levels will all have a complex, interacting impact upon an animal’s level of valuable nutrients and trace elements.
Often these deficiencies can be unseen, lurking below the surface of outwardly healthy stock, but quietly corroding their health, wellbeing, and productivity. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of Ruralco’s livestock and nutrition specialists the cooperative has developed a range of quality supplements, in its BOOST formulations. The range includes BOOST Dairy Feed as a meal or pellet, BOOST Complete high protein (19%) calf pellets, and most recently BOOST Minerals developed for dispensing through water troughs on dairy farms.
Ruralco’s On-Farm Sales Manager Andrew Mitchell is excited by what the customised BOOST Mineral Blend will mean for his farmer clients keen to have a product they can tailor to their herd’s specific nutrient needs. “There are plenty of mineral supplement options in varying qualities out in the market today, but we have worked hard to ensure the custom blend meets the highest mineral specifications and have made sure our clients will have peace of mind that we have sourced only the best to include in our BOOST Mineral Blend,” he says.
The custom blend is developed for water line delivery, being fully compatible with in-line dosing systems like Dos-A-Tron, with its high-quality formulation ensuring a free flowing, non-blocking constant delivery. To enhance stock uptake of the minerals, the formulation includes an aniseed flavouring offering, a more appealing flavour profile than the typical masking tastes utilised in some products.
“The aniseed flavour has been proven to actually enhance water uptake, rather than simply mask a taste the stock don’t like, ensuring they are getting more than adequate intake not only of water needs, but also of the minerals themselves,” says Andrew. Ruralco have put their farmer clients and their livestock needs at front and centre in developing BOOST Minerals, offering it in either bulk bag sizing for self-measuring, or pre-measured “day” bags for ease and certainty of dosing.
“And of course, it is up to each client to determine what they want included by way of minerals in their particular BOOST order. The active ingredients are subject to your livestock’s requirements, and are likely to include trace elements, minerals, vitamins, and any other additives as required,” says Andrew. Ruralco advises clients to consult with their veterinarian on their herd’s particular needs.
Brent Chamberlain brings another layer of experience and knowledge to Ruralco’s BOOST supplement range, having spent 25 years in the animal health sector. He also has a strong farming background and appreciates the quality and effort that has gone into developing the BOOST range.
“The custom mineral blend also offers the convenience of herd day packages, meaning the required amount is pre-portioned and all good to go, ensuring an accurate amount is being added day in day out. As a dose supplement BOOST Minerals is competitively priced and offers a consistent high-quality means of mineral delivery,” he says.
Brent has been working with Dunsandel based farmers Graham and Adele Wells for several years. The Wells run 800 cows and have been using BOOST Minerals for their whole herd. Graham says the formulation is meeting all their dairy cow and young stocks’ mineral requirements, with calves and two-year-olds getting the same blend. “Based on the blood tests that we do in the spring via our vet and also our liver post cows going to the works in autumn, they are all very good and at the levels we are requiring,” he says.
Andrew is also particularly proud to be involved in the BOOST product launch, and his role at Ruralco has seen him become heavily involved in animal nutrition and supplementation. Having been a dairy farmer himself, he then embarked on a career in livestock nutrition, gaining many of his earlier skills while working in the industry and specialising in agronomy.
“For the past 10 years my focus has really been around nutrition, which is something of a passion for me and this fits well with Ruralco’s development of the BOOST range.” He believes in the past few years more farmers have become aware of the value of trace elements and minerals, particularly at peak stress times of mating and calving. “We are forever trying to drive up production rates from the same number of animals, and expecting our herds to be capable of doing more every year means demands on not only feed levels, but the quality of the nutrients they are consuming, becomes ever more critical.”
BOOST Dairy Feed has proven particularly popular with dairy farmers looking to tailor their herd’s feed supplementation to meet their cows’ particular needs, depending upon mineral and nutrient status and seasonal feed quality challenges. Using quality locally grown grain ingredients and the highest standard of dietary grade minerals available, BOOST Dairy Feed has provided peace of mind to farmers that their cows’ dietary needs are being met even at the most stressful periods of lactation.
Andrew is also proud to see the BOOST Complete calf pellets now available, another product that captures much of what Ruralco is aiming to do for its farming members. “We use entirely locally grown grain in the pellets, process them locally and have ensured they offer a very high quality, value for money option for farmers wanting to give their future herd the best possible start in life.”
Find out more about our BOOST range by calling 0800 787 256, visiting www.ruralco.co.nz/boost or by contacting your Ruralco Representative today.