Oats & Brassics – Increasing Weight Gains
Product Range: MegaMin Graze & Grow 6% Phos, MegaMin Extra Magnesium – SWEET, MegaMin Extra Sulphur and MegaMin Equine Enhancer
Region: Jerry Plains, NSW
Green Feed
According to Ben,
The best daily weight gains we’d achieved grazing brassicas and oats without supplements was 1.4kg/day. With the use of MegaMin Extra Magnesium Sweet (more palatable blend to achieve intake) an extra 300 grams daily gain was achieved at 1.7kg/day.”
The 1.7kg equates to a 21% increase and scientific research trial by Dove and McMullen (2009), data shows that up to 31% increased daily gains grazing winter cereals is possible. Ben also highlighted that there were no crook cattle when supplemented with the high magnesium lick on the winter forages.
Dry Feed – Pasture Certified
Ben runs a ‘pasture certified’ operation and uses the AgSolution’s Graze & Grow dry season custom lick with 6% Phosphorus that meets his ‘pasture fed’ and Phosphorus requirements. When grazing native grass paddocks during the drought Ben was able to compare one group of supplemented steers with an un-supplemented group. The season was tough and there wasn’t much in the paddock. The steers supplemented with Graze & Grow gained 0.5kg/day while the un-supplemented steers only gained 0.3kg/day. By the end of the drought, the un-supplemented steers were a long way behind.
An increase of 0.2kg/day equates to 1.4kg/week additional gain – in this case it was an increase of 66% during the drought. Since the rain, steers have bounced to 0.8kg/day in recent months. Supplementing cattle in the dry means they are ready to go when the rain comes or season breaks.
The cost of the supplement pays for itself in increased weight gain, when backgrounding on dry feed and finishing on green feed”.
Ben also uses the MegaMin Extra Sulphur for steers grazing summer forage sorghum. To top it off, as a keen Polocrosse player, his sporting horses are supplemented with the MegaMin Equine Enhancer. In today’s market, supplementing green feed and winter forages or dry feed can increase daily weight gains and profit. The key message from AgSolutions is getting the product and intake right for your conditions. One phone call to our nutrition team is your first investment.
