This spring, calcium is king

Eli Vollebregt will never forget the sight of 20 cows stricken with the effects of low calcium. He was a young herd manager, heading into the paddock to round up the cows for milking and was met with many dozens of cows staggering, stumbling or already down with low calcium.

Now a contract milker on a 260ha property near Opunake and on the slopes of Mount Taranaki, Eli runs a team of three, milking 600 springcalving cows. Eli, 32, his wife Susannah, 26, and their two young sons live in a farmhouse on the property. Eli says the herd’s calcium levels had plummeted due to a change in diet and within hours cows had started to collapse all over the paddock. “It was like a nightmare. I rang up the herd manager and said you better get down here. It was terrifying – one of those scenes you dread coming across as a farmer.” It was a sight Eli has never forgotten. The soil on the property is free-draining and rich but the farm is pock-marked with volcanic rock and large swathes of swampy rushes. Only around 55ha of the farm is mowable. He has to work hard to ensure high production, and that means a sharp focus on animal nutrition. He has in-shed feeding, so is able to provide a mix of goodness, including molasses and minerals, magnesium oxide and lime flour, for the cows to feed on during milking. His tried-and-true recipe allows for each cow to eat 150g of Calcimate every day. The property is a particularly wet farm, recording around 2,500mm of rain each year, so Eli worries about mastitis and cows losing condition on the challenging terrain. His third concern would be low calcium but he doesn’t lose any sleep over it anymore, thanks to accurate mineral allocation through the in-shed mineraliser. “If we didn’t use Calcimate, we’d be chasing our tail, trying to solve problems rather than prevent them. Because I’ve got that lime flour, I’ve got no worries at all. I had 10 down cows through last season and they all survived. “Keep calcium levels up, your cows keep producing milk and you save on vet bills. Calcimate saves us money." Every second day Eli uses the mineraliser to make a mineral brew to feed the cows in-shed. It takes him about 20 minutes to mix calcium with molasses and other minerals, depending on the needs of the herd at that time of year, such as magnesium, zinc and cobalt. Eli grew up on a farm near Featherston and has been milking cows since he was 8 years old. He remembers his father mixing up Calcimate to drench every cow during milking. Eli started his first paid job in dairying at 17 and says between calving and the start of autumn, Calcimate has always been part of the equation. “I’m observant and quick to react when I see those signs of low calcium. I’m straight in there with the necessary nutrients, as well as molasses mixed with Calcimate and it boosts them right back up.”

Drive production further with tips for avoiding low calcium

Have cows in the correct BCS at calving (5.0 to 5.5).

Reduce calcium intake before calving and avoid any added oral calcium, allowing the cow to mobilise her own calcium from the skeletal system after giving birth.

Avoid lush pasture for autumn calving cows and avoid supplementing with magnesium in shed.

Feed a good quality dry cow mineral that is high in magnesium just prior to calving and has no added calcium or low added levels.

Use a Nutritionist to assist with diet formulation throughout lactation, thereby helping to improve productivity and reduce metabolic disorders.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Graymont.

Young Paeroa farmers passionate about NZ-made

Ayoung Paeroa couple believes buying NZ-made products not only helps support Kiwi firmswhen they need it most, but it makes sense for theirfarm business too.

Tessa andBrendanHopson arecurrently 20% equity partners and 25%lower order sharemilking340 cows on 108 hectares nearPaeroa,where they livewith their sons, Toby andOllie.

They haveapassion foragriculture and are proud tobeNewZealanddairyfarmers.

“Producing highquality milkfromhealthy happy cows iswhatgets us out ofbed in the morning,” saysTessa. “We love the idea thatthe milkwe produceonourfarm helps feed peopleherein NewZealand and on the othersideof theworld.”

Brendan andTessa r ecentlywon the NZDairy IndustryAwards 2020Auckland/ Hauraki Share FarmeroftheYearcompetition, andreceived six merit awards in recognitionoftheiroutstanding on-farm practicesandbusiness acumen.

The Hopsonsbelievethatto be good farmers,they needqualityproducts theycan trust to getthejob done. For the Hopsons,NewZealand-mademeans quality forthe NewZealandfarmer.

“That’swhatwe’re looking for –something madeforour conditions,” Brendan says.

“We trust home grownproducts more.As Kiwisourselves,welike to supportthe local economy andgiveback toNewZealand businesses,even m ore so at themoment with many businesses struggling. NewZealandisn’t abigplace, soifwe support our own,wefiguretheywill support ustoo.”

“Whenwe buy a NewZealand-made product for ourfarm,wehave peaceof mind it’s beenmade for our country’sfarmers, testedhereandbuiltforourenvironment,” Tessa says

“It’s alsoreassuring to knowthat ifwe dohaveany teething issues, it’s easy toget hold of someonefroma local customer service team to get it sorted.”

“We had always used a pretty manual system, which wasn’t very accurate, and we weren’t getting the results we were chasing. Nowwe have a more bullet proof system sowe know the exactweight of our calves at weaning. Being able to use NZ-made products to help us achieve this is the icing on the cake!”

Tessa and Brendan Hopson, Paeroa,August 2020

With thehelpofonefull time teammember, theHopsons milk theirKiwi Cross herd twice aday througha 36-asideherringbone,withelect ronic cupremovers and automaticteat sprayers.

Theirproduction target forthe current season is 40,000kgMS.Theyareusing grass silageandPKE tohelp them get there,aswell as maize–8hectares ofwhich they are growingthemselves onfarm.

Matingcomprises of 6 weeks ofArtificial Insemination (AI),using bulls atthe start for non-cyclingcows andalso at the tail endofmating.Theyrear70replacement heifers each season.

The Hopsons haverecently investedinsome NZ-madeweigh scalesand ahand held EIDTagreaderanddata collector from Gallagher.

“Wewantedmorecontrol over theweights of ouryoungstockandto feel confident theywereentering theherd attheright time,” says Brendan. “Wealsoneeded aquic k and easyway toread EID tagsand identifyanimals."

Compatiblewith LIC’sMINDA ® App

For both Android and Apple, accessing your herd records using GallagherHand Held EIDTag Readers is easier than ever.

Available from your local Farmlands store.

Download the latest version ofMINDA ® App

A scale and reader made in NZ.

MADE IN NEW ZEALAND, FOR NEW ZEALAND.

BrendanHopsonDairyFarmer Paeroa “The scale is so easy to use, especiallywith an EID reader. Even our grazer was amazed at how efficient and quick itwas toweigh calves. And they’re made in NZ, sowe know they’re built to last.”