Friday, March 29, 2024

New approach to bloat

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Bloat became a real issue for Southland farmer Geoff Clark when he lost three cows.
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Dissatisfied with conventional bloat oils, which were messy, unreliable and, in his view, unpalatable for his cows, Clark sought an alternative treatment.

“I began to see the benefit of moving towards a bloat control product with added production benefits, for virtually the same cost as the old bloat oils.”

So last year he attended the product launch of Rumenox, a new approach to bloat control.

“When it comes to my cows I’m a big believer in following the science and acting on the advice of the experts.

“The big bonus for me is the continuous protection Rumenox gives the cows.

“Technical problems mean we can be without water for a day or two a couple of times a year but because Rumenox provides bloat control for a longer period of time after the cows have drunk from their troughs, I know they are protected, which is reassuring,” he says.

While Clark acknowledges it’s difficult to measure the expected lift in milk protein from Rumenox, he’s confident in the science behind the product and the NZ trials showing favourable milk protein responses on pasture.

Knowing his cows are receiving the best care for bloat control gives him peace of mind, leaving one less challenge for him to deal with.

Clark, a third generation sheep farmer, ran 5000 breeding ewes on Glendale, until converting to dairy in 2009.

He has since expanded the property to 600ha and milks 840 Kiwicross cows aiming for the consented 900 cows next season.

For more information visit www.glenmarkvet.com.

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