Developments

A new Magnesium-rich feed blend is being launched to help beef farmers in the fight against Hypomagnesaemia (Magnesium deficiency) and Milk Fever (Calcium deficiency) – potentially deadly and costly problems.  Difficult to detect and treat due to the extensive nature of beef cattle, Hypomagnesaemia, can be a major culprit of cow death and complications at calving, with losses of up to 20% reported on properties prone to the problem[1]. Often, the first sign of Magnesium deficiency is death, meaning loss of capital stock between $1,600-2,400 per cow (based on current prices), loss of calf, plus loss of breeding potential in the herd. To help solve the problem, animal feed ingredient supplier, BEC Feed Solutions, is partnering with animal feed manufacturer and blender, James & Son (NZ) Pty Ltd. Together, they’ve developed ‘Optimiser MAG – BEEF’ – a new Magnesium-rich concentrated feed blend, featuring the innovative and highly palatable BOLIFOR® MAG33 product – specifically for beef breeding cow operations. Trina Parker, BEC Country Manager, says awareness is growing about the need for adequate Magnesium in beef breeding cows leading up to calving and for the month post-calving, resulting in increased demand for a convenient, cost efficient mineral supplementation product.  “On the back of our success with the Bolifor® range in dairying, we’ve had numerous requests from beef farmers for a low-risk feed blend incorporating high levels of Magnesium,” explains Ms Parker. “Our partnership with James & Son means we can deliver these benefits in the form of ‘Optimiser MAG – BEEF’. And, because BOLIFOR® MAG33 is extremely palatable, a concentrated mineral blend such as this will be readily accepted by the herd” ‘Optimiser MAG – BEEF’ comprises a blend of vegetable and grain by products, BOLIFOR® MAG33, sweeteners and additional flavours and is delivered in 500g per day dose rates. ‘Optimiser […]

Farmer-owned co-operative LIC (NZX:LIC) has secured a new strategic partnership with the world-leading cow monitoring and milking intelligence solutions company, SCR. The partnership includes a distribution agreement whereby SCR, recently acquired by Allflex Group, will distribute the co-op’s DAL milking sensors internationally and LIC will become a New Zealand distributor for SCR’s cow reproduction and health monitoring system, Heatime®. LIC chief executive Wayne McNee says the partnership is part of the co-op’s strategy to grow the business overseas and provide New Zealand dairy farmers with more choice. “SCR is a world-leading provider of cow intelligence systems with a strong history of delivering solutions to improve farm efficiency worldwide. This agreement aligns with our vision to improve the prosperity and productivity of our farmers, and our focus on key international markets that will add value for shareholders in New Zealand. “DAL sensors are highly regarded here in New Zealand for their unique ability to measure a range of factors (milk volume, fat, protein, lactose, and somatic cell counts) while a cow is being milked. This partnership confirms the global demand for the value the sensors deliver on-farm, and ability to meet the needs of farmers worldwide. “The SCR Heatime system will be a valuable addition to our range of herd improvement and animal management solutions here in New Zealand,” McNee said. LIC and SCR have identified four initial markets for distribution of the DAL meters, with the potential to add more in the future. SCR’s Heatime will be available to all New Zealand dairy farmers from LIC, with its Protrack™ farm automation systems. Heatime collects and analyses critical data points, from activity to rumination, on every individual cow, delivering the heat, health and nutrition insight to improve accuracy and drive overall farm efficiency. Shane McManaway, general manager Allflex Australasia said it […]

Breeding new fast-growing grass varieties that produce more seeds and are resistant to drought, pests, grazing and disease may inadvertently be creating the next generation of invasive weeds, warns an international team of researchers.  As the global demand for dairy and beef escalates, farmers are increasingly seeking ways to reap greater productivity from their pastures. The problem is that in making grass varieties more robust, they are more prone to becoming a problem for the environment. For instance, new varieties can invade adjacent areas and spread across the landscape, or they can interbreed with existing invasive weeds. That’s according to Professor of Plant Biosecurity at Lincoln University and lead researcher at the Bio-Protection Research Centre, Philip Hulme, who has co-authored a research paper published in the latest edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). “Pasture species such as ryegrass and fescue may not strike people as major threats to the environment but they are regarded by the Department of Conservation as environmental weeds,” explains Professor Hulme.  The research team have highlighted the need for government and agribusiness to ensure pasture plants are of low risk to the environment.  “Pasture is big business in New Zealand and a large part of our economic success arises from agribusiness developing ever more productive or persistent varieties,” says Professor Hulme. “As a result there is a clear conflict between economic and conservation outcomes.” Agribusinesses do not have to assess the environmental risk of the new grass varieties they develop, but some consideration in this area might prevent the future spread of environmental weeds. “It is probably those varieties being developed for greater persistence, especially in the face of drought, that might pose the greatest future risk,” suggests Professor Hulme.  The researchers have made four biosecurity recommendations for government, industry and researchers: […]

A PhD focused on increasing the energy efficiency of milk powder production has led University of Waikato engineering graduate Tim Walmsley to a full-time job with the very research group within which he worked as a PhD candidate. “My PhD research demonstrated that steam use in a typical New Zealand milk powder factory could decrease by 10% if exhaust heat recovery for the milk dryer is installed. Lab scale tests indicated issues relating to milk powder build-up and fouling, which is a key reason why dairy companies choose not to install this energy efficient technology, can be avoided through smart heat recuperator design and purposefully not being greedy in recovering heat,” says Tim. His position as a Research Fellow came about when the University of Waikato’s Energy Research Group was awarded a three-year grant from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) late last year. “Fonterra, Windsor Engineering and the Energy Education Trust co-funded our research bid and a significant part of this successful proposal continues on from my PhD research.” The next step in his research is to prove his design solution at a pilot-scale level before further up-scaling to a full-size New Zealand milk spray dryer. “A milk spray dryer exhaust heat recovery project is a million dollar investment and a pilot scale installation will help de-risk and bring greater certainty around the economics of a full-scale project.” While studying towards his PhD, Tim won a University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship, the Todd Foundation Scholarship in Energy Research, and a Claude McCarthy Conference Travel scholarship. These scholarships supported him through his three years of study towards a PhD in engineering, which he completed in June 2014, and provided the opportunity for him to present his work at two international engineering conferences.