Terragen delivering impressive improvements in animal & soil health

Innovative biological agricultural company Terragen has been delivering animal health benefits across the Tasman, with 80,000 calves and 63,000 cows using their microbial supplement, and Terragen products are now available in New Zealand.

Terragen’s IP and innovation story is at the heart of its business

Terragen’s product development is underpinned by evidence-based research programmmes, and they are constantly progressing studies from the lab to the field for plant and animal applications. Their state-of-the-art research and manufacturing facility features molecular biology diagnostic tools that are used for research and to continue searching for new microbes that can benefit the rural sector. Terragen’s incredible story began with world class scientists looking for individual microbial strains that could benefit the agricultural sector. There are thousands of strains of probiotics available, but they don’t all deliver the same benefit. It’s the combination and type that is important. Terragen’s world class scientists used their expertise in genome sequencing and bioinformatics to identify and determine which strains work best and more importantly, how they work together to create a bigger impact. They were able to spot individual strains of Lactobacillus which now form the basis of Terragen products. Mylo®/calf and Mylo®/cow, live liquid direct fed microbial supplement, made with AmpliBoost™ technology are now available through Ruralco as is Great Land Plus® , a live liquid soil conditioner, made with AmpliStim™ technology. The AmpliBoost™ and AmpliStim™ technology is Terragen’s proprietary IP for developing world-class biological products. It encompasses the unique microbial strains, formulations and years of proprietary research and development on the next generation natural biological products. Terragen’s products are backed by science

Mylo®/calf is a next generation microbial feed supplement for calves that’s scientifically proven to increase rumen development and weaning weights, providing a 5:1 return on investment. Mylo®/calf is a sustainable formula made of naturally occurring, living microorganisms that out-perform potentially harmful bacteria, leading to increased feed efficiency, more energy, and better quality calves. Mylo®/ calf liquid product is added to milk, CMR or calf meal when weaned, at a recommended 10ml per animal/day. It does not clot or clog calf feeding equipment. Terragen’s Canterbury based manager Jeff Hill, is confident the science behind Mylo®/calf is robust and proves the efficiency gains are achievable in New Zealand farm conditions. We already have New Zealand farmers seeing the benefits. Selena in Whangarei said, “We wanted a probiotic with recent research, one that supported our animals in a challenging environment, that led us to Terragen. Since

meal consumption and the calves are looking great! Mylo has assisted us in supporting the calves through current tough weather conditions coming out the other side looking better than ever. We are pleased with the results of Mylo and are delighted in having Terragen on board with us as our calves put their best hoof forward.” (Used during autumn calving 2022). Independent research by the University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science found calves supplemented with Mylo® were 8.4% (5.8kg) heavier at weaning, had more uniform weaning weights, and had heavier, better developed, gastrointestinal tract organs compared with calves not fed the supplement. Calves fed Mylo® in a commercial field trial on a South Australian dairy farm weaned 7.7kg heavier, with lower costs per head and on-going growth differential beyond weaning. Mylo®/cow is a next generation microbial feed supplement that’s proven to help improve cow health and milk production, providing strong financial returns. Mylo®/cow is made of naturally occurring, living micro-organisms, is free of antibiotics and chemicals, has no withholding period and is certified for organic farming in New Zealand. A liquid formula, it mixes easily with daily feed rations at a rate of 10ml/cow per day. Research shows that when lactating cows are fed Mylo®, they maintain their health, body weight and produce more milk* . New research conducted by Agriculture Victoria Research, Ellinbank SmartFarm, has revealed Mylo® helps reduce methane emissions. In the study, methane intensity (g CH4/kg ECM**) in the control group was 7.5% higher than in the Mylo® group and methane production in the control group was 4.4% higher than in the Mylo® group. The supplement reduces emissions by the equivalent of 100 tonnes of CO2 for every 350-cow dairy farm per year, a reduction of nearly a third of a tonne for each cow. Not only did it reduce methane, cows that received the baseline dose of 10ml of Mylo® a day gained 21% more weight than the control group over the five-week period. On average the cows on the Mylo® diet ate less feed but produced more milk, which means the feed conversion efficiency of the cows fed Mylo® was higher (1.7% higher when expressed per unit of milk yield and 2.5% higher when expressed per kilogram of energy corrected milk). A product that will be of interest in the South Island is Great Land Plus®, a liquid biological soil conditioner that stimulates soil biology to get the most out of the land. Soil biology is the lifeblood of agriculture. Great Land Plus® functions in several ways by interacting with existing soil biology to stimulate plant growth whilst making soil-bound nutrients more readily available. This enables nutrients that would otherwise be locked up in the soil, and unusable, to become accessible by the plant, increasing the output and decreasing the input required to maintain fertile land. Great Land Plus® contains five bacterial and one yeast species, is free of chemicals and is

Stimulate microbiome Improves soil health Improves plant health Soil bound nutrients become available

Great Land Plus®, a liquid biological soil conditioner that stimulates soil biology to get the most out of the land

certified for organic farming in New Zealand. Optimal results occur with a pH 6+ and is applied at 4 litres per hectare (water rate 40L to 150L per hectare) via Boom Spray, Tow & Fert or Helicopter before or during rain events to ensure flushing into the root zone. People who’ve been using Great Land Plus® commercially have reported benefits ranging from cows graze more evenly and thoroughly, better root development, better plant growth and yields, and improved clover content and pasture density. Great Land Plus® builds up beneficial microbes for diverse soil biology and soil health while reducing the need for more chemical based products. A commercial trial in Taranaki evaluating the impact of Great Land Plus® on maize silage yield resulted in an extra 4.5t silage (wet weight) per ha than the control block. DM% were similar at nearly 28%, resulting in a yield gain of 1.31 tDM/ha. This gain was further enhanced by superior quality (ME and digestibility), equivalent to 0.59 tDM/ha when modelled with ‘Udder Model’1. Overall, a gain of 1.90 tDM/ha (11.3%) over the control block. To learn more about Terragen products, go to terragen.co.nz or call Jeff Hill on 021 038 5703. Available to order now through your Ruralco store. THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED BY TERRAGEN * Visit terragen.co.nz for further research details. ** Energy Corrected Milk 1 Benchmarking and performance analysis on dairy farms, modelling - DPSL (dairypro.co.nz)

LIVEWEIGHT (KG) 80

70

60

50

40 CALVES FED MYLO®

CALVES NOT FED MYLO®

30

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