Favourable growing conditions over spring helped cows put more milk in the vat and that trend continued to hold throughout summer.
Drying off is the best time to assess your herd’s trace element status so you can rectify any deficiencies well before they calve again. Organising blood tests on the herd and/or liver tests on culled cows will help diagnose which trace elements are required over winter.
Consider undertaking a full range of tests, especially selenium, copper, cobalt and magnesium as these are critical. It is a good opportunity to also check iodine, calcium and zinc and, if facial eczema has been an issue, then a gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) test is recommended to measure the degree of liver damage.
Left unattended, low mineral status in dairy cows can cause metabolic disorders, poor growth rates, infertility, production losses and even death in the most pronounced situations. The cost of these issues and the subsequent milk production losses significantly outweigh the cost of an effective trace element programme.
Starting well before calving is key as feed quality and quantity declines with the onset of winter and affects the mineral availability of many trace elements in the plant. Coupled with the demands of the late stages of pregnancy - maintaining body condition and weight - it is necessary to address the cows’ nutrient needs daily via a Dosatron inline dispenser, feed-out wagon, feed pad etc.
Mike and Brenda Karl farm 650 cows at Ngatea, and, after reviewing bloods, livers and herbage tests, the couple introduced a programme that included Bell-Booth’s premium IntenSE240 powder trace element product, and Nutrimol 4n1.
IntenSE240 has been formulated to contain seven of the essential trace elements; selenium, zinc, copper, cobalt, manganese, boron and sodium. The levels are set to rectify any deficiencies and address metabolic issues, poor milk production and infertility. The formulation will also help reduce the number of involuntary culls.
Mike was impressed with its performance. “The results demonstrated to us that even with the conditions against you, supplementation to bridge the gaps can support cows right through to reproduction. I am impressed with the results from the combined IntenSE240 and Nutrimol 4n1 combo, and actually I’m not sure what the outcome would have been if I hadn’t implemented the programme,” says Mike.
No farmer wants cows to calve in a deficient state so dosing IntenSE240 before the onset of winter is recommended. After the demands of pregnancy, birthing and then cycling only weeks later places additional stress on cows. Couple this with expected milk production and you can see why cows need to be fully charged well before calving.
While IntenSE240 is the premium formulation, the range includes other blended formulations as well as single individual elements. There is also a specific range for BioGro registered organic farms. Look for the bright orange containers in your local Farm Source store and you will notice they are all Dosatron Approved products.
For more information on IntenSE trace elements programme talk to your local Farm Source TSR or visit your local Farm Source store.
Article supplied by Bell-Booth Ltd