REPORTS FROM THE LIVESTOCK FIELD
Articles and Data from Field Research

LIVESTOCK

Using Growers Mineral Solutions as a nutritional supplement for livestock, farmers are seeing added benefits such as less DAs and retained placentas, better feed intake and utilization, fewer feet and leg problems and improved heats and conception rates.

The minerals in GMS are more soluble than those in traditional dry mineral mixes. In particular, the phosphorus is readily available to the animal.  Because the minerals are better utilized, there is less waste.  Less waste means less nutrients in the manure and therefore less potential pollution downstream.

Our animal nutrition experience has shown that the lack of exchangeable calcium in the soils fosters Mineral imbalances in the crops.  This eventually can have strong adverse influences on the health of animals consuming those crops. As minerals in soils become unbalanced, so do minerals in crops, which in turn ensures unbalanced minerals in animals. When imbalances occur, normal body functions are hindered which allows disease to overcome the animal's natural protective mechanisms. 

DAIRY FARMER CAN SLEEP EASIER AT NIGHT
"I went from the point I was always in need to buy cattle to where I am now in need to sell cattle....Used to be I had 10% stick around until the age of 12, now I have 25% that stick around," states Greg. "I've cut my feed bills more than half. When you add in the reduced vet bills and A.I. costs, no you don't become rich, but boy; it sure lets you go to sleep a lot easier at night.  I want to see a cow milk on what I grow. This is the way to go. It works. I can make a cow grow up good, milk good, look good and be there a long time."

From Indiana County in western Pennsylvania, Ed Fabin and sons Doug and Greg, grow 1250 acres of alfalfa, wheat, corn, oats and soybeans and milk around 150 to 200 cows.

CUT LAYER HEN COSTS WITH GROWERS
Francis Cornish of Ontario, Canada reports, "In 1994, I began feeding my laying hens GMS through their drinking water. For our year ending May of 2005, our feed conversion was 1.27 kg (2.79 lb.) of feed per dozen eggs. This was done with a total of 79 US gallons of Growers Mineral Solutions over the 50-week "flock year". Other significant numbers:

• 90% plus laying production for 35 weeks
• Year end production was 7.3% over std. production
• Hen loss for the year was 3.5%
• Cracks and rejects were 2.98%

The Growers Program and Layer Hens Production
Summary 2002 - 2007
 

PLEASED WITH  BETTER PRODUCTION & HEALTHIER COWS
"To be honest with you, I had some tough times early on. I'd been using fat in my rations and dropped it about the same time I started with the Growers, and lost production which was discouraging.  I knew there might be a few tough years, and there were, but persistence finally paid and things started to come around. I mean it really paid off! I have better production, healthier cows and I'm not worried about B.S.E That's a big peace of mind. I am pleased.  Real pleased."  Calvin Stam dairys with his sons, Nathan and Caleb, near Oskaloosa, Iowa.

For the past four years, Cliff has used almost 3 gallons of Growers Mineral Solutions (GMS) to the ton of feed. He also has continuously added a little GMS to the water trough. There is no other livestock mineral used. When Cliff hauls the steers to a show, he also adds GMS to the water buckets. Masking the city water taste, the steers readily drink the foreign water.

Cliff's parents, John and Diane farm near Tiffin, Ohio. The home farm is well limed according to the Growers philosophy. All of their home raised feed; the corn, oats and hay, is on the Growers Program. John says, "I have not used dry fertilizer on the farm since 1995."

Currently the Tauers are raising alfalfa, corn, a few beans and oats. "Pretty much all of it gets some Growers on it at one time or another," said Robert. "Especially the alfalfa. We like to treat it after every cutting." They have reduced their corn nitrogen down to 40 or 50 pounds, side dressed when it is 8 to 10 inches high. Robert said, "I definitely like to get the silage corn foliar sprayed with Growers each year. I figure the whole plant will be going back into the livestock, so I make the effort to spray everything."

Robert said, "Overall herd health has gotten considerably better. Even the cows on cement are having fewer leg problems, David hasn't trimmed very many recently and we don't have the vet out that often. Our replacement numbers are down, way under the average, and the cull rate is down. This past year, we've probably increased our herd by 15 and at the same time we are kind of excited about the boys being able to sell 14 spring heifers. All this might be because of our feed."

"We grow about 12 acres of mixed grain; barley and oats," Ken continued. "We treat the seed with the Growers in a cement mixer. We grow at least 30 acres of hay and try to spray it with a good shot of Growers in the spring and again after we get the first and second cut off.

"Since I started steadily feeding the Growers to the cows and have taken away the dry mineral, I haven't had any trouble at all."

"Within about three weeks or a month, I noticed they started shedding their hair to a nice slick, shiny coat. That really surprised me.
Ken gives each cow about an ounce and a half of GMS twice a day. He also top dresses a vitamin pack of A, D, E and selenium on their grain. His cows get Omnicarb lime, Redmond salt and GMS free choice in the yard.

Ken remembers, "Before they were always standing up and always reaching for more feed all of the time. Now they get full sooner and come in and lay down They are satisfied. I start milking and shortly after I'm done, quite a few of them, if not all of the them are laying down. They are full. It's the nutrition in the feed!

"I just wish the other fellas would get on this program," Ken said. "They complain about vet bills and fertilizer bills all of the time. I wish they would try something different. Get on this program! They waste so much money on other things; vet bills, fertilizer, spray.

Ken added, "Yes, you just really wonder. 'Am I making a big mistake?' And then, after a year or so, you start realizing, something is happening here. 'I'm not always having troubles like I was.' You are suddenly clued in, 'Maybe it does have something to do with the Growers.'"

On one side of the field, 200 pounds per acre of ammonium sulfate was bulk spread before planting. The crop was planted using 4 gallons per acre of GMS in the row and 2 gallons per acre of GMS as a foliar spray.

On the other side of the field, 200 pounds per acre of ammonium sulfate and 100 pounds per acre of urea were bulk spread. The crop was planted with 25 gallons of a 7-21-7 fertilizer.

When the crop was harvested, John collected silage samples from each side. Both fertility treatments produced 20 tons per acre at 70% moisture or 30% dry matter. Thus, each treatment produced 6 tons of dry matter corn silage per acre. Using the value of $15 per one hundred pounds of milk, and the MILK2000 computer program, he calculated the economic advantages of the GMS fertility approach.

The analyses from Dairy One Forage Testing Laboratory, Inc. MILK2000 spreadsheet are summarized in Table 1. The bottom lines show the GMS fertility was higher than the competitor's fertility by 259 (3,698-3,439) pounds of milk per ton of dry matter or $233.10 per acre.

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