Laurie Apelt

“AgSolutions Feed Ration Service Has Improved Our Operation”

Product Range: MegaMin Feedlot Enhancer

Region: Condamine, QLD

  • Ration formulation
  • Less smell in feedlot
  • Improved performance and less health issues

Laurie Apelt is no stranger to feeding cattle, with around 550 head on grain all year round. Laurie finishes over 2000 head a year to meet his existing markets. AgSolutions field advisor, Paul Pritchard regularly updates Laurie’s feedlot ration to accommodate the ever changing available inputs.

Ensuring our customers’ feed mixes are balanced to maximise weight gain and to protect rumen health is rewarding because the results can be measured through improved performance and less issues in the feedlot,” according to Paul.

Laurie reports, “We’ve been using MegaMin Feedlot Enhancer as our feedlot concentrate along with the free ration service from AgSolutions for around two years now. Paul’s assistance and advice regarding our rations and feeding program has certainly been a benefit to us. Just recently we needed to adjust our ration to include Sorghum grown on farm. Every time we have needed to make changes, Paul usually has the updated rations back to us within 48 hours. Paul has also provided training for my staff to highlight the importance of accuracy when weighing and mixing rations and consistency when feeding cattle. This has made a huge difference to the understanding that my employees now have, helping to ensure our rations are mixed accurately, which has resulted in a noticeable improvement in weight gains and profits.

To us, weight gain and the health of our cattle on feed are the priority. Weight gains of 2kg per day are the bench mark for us to maximise our efficiencies. Since using MegaMin Feedlot Enhancer, we are very happy with how our cattle have been performing with less Pneumonia in our feedlot and definitely less smell. These improvements are directly linked to rumen health and the balance of our rations. Recently, with the shortage of roughage during the drought, we had to use by-products such as ‘grape marc’ in our rations and AgSolutions feed ration program and nutritional support allowed us to accommodate the need to use these different ingredients.”

MegaMin Feedlot Enhancer is economical to feed with an inclusion rate of only 20kg per tonne of finished ration (less for silage rations – around 11 kg per tonne of silage ration). This product can be used in all types of rations such as feedlotting, cull cows, bulls and weaning as well as feedlotting sheep.