How You Can Choose a Supplement that is Right for Your Herd and Your Bottom Line

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2 How You Can Choose a Supplement that is Right for Your Herd and Your Bottom Line

3 Thanks to advances in research in breeding and nutrition, New Zealand livestock farmers have an overwhelming number of choices for feeding and supplementation of their animals. The diversity of terrain in New Zealand allows for varied livestock to thrive in a farmed situation. From cattle and goats for dairy, pigs, sheep, cows, goats and deer for meat to llama, alpaca, angora and sheep for fibre, there is a herd for every landscape. With the abundance of information out there, you are always presented with new and improved methods and products. The bottom line, while economy enters the equation, balances delicately on the health and well-being of the individual herd and their thriving over time and in all conditions. You have staggering variables based on requirements for optimum health. What are your grazing patterns, lactation requirements and environmental factors? Are you raising meat, dairy or fibre? What are the current regulations and recommendations regarding waste and gases produced by herds? There are more and more decisions all the time. Your best ally is a proven, sustainable, programme of fertilisation and supplementation through a company with decades of a proven track record. Basic and Not-So-Basic Many of the nutrients needed in animal supplements have proven to be critical to healthy deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

4 Increasing research points to the importance of this double-helix foundation of life. It is present in every cell and has to adapt and respond to every environmental and physical variable an organism experiences. This foundational building-block, when supported with nutrition, hydration and essential vitamins and minerals, provides a resilient immune system and a strong constitution for livestock. New Zealand is a relatively new land with areas of rich, volcanic soils which can support lush plant life. Other areas are more suited to sheep and goats. For centuries, farmers could rely on all the nutrients needed to be present in the soil, available to the plants upon which the animals grazed. Macro and micro nutrients were bio-available and easily ingested when conditions were optimum. Volcanic soils are rich, but an ash layer can cause a deficiency in some nutrients. Even though there were more available nutrients present, they still had to contend with low levels of rainfall to the point of drought, excess rainfall which leached nutrients in runoff, which could change the profitability year to year. Even now, when farmers are conscientious in application of fertilisers and irrigation, the best, most efficient method of ensuring ingestion of required vitamins and minerals is to add them to the supplemental feeds. The minerals required for healthy stock are defined as Macro nutrients and Micro nutrients, depending on the amount needed. There have been numerous supplements developed by large, corporate agribusinesses. They can seem economical at first glance, but upon closer scrutiny, are you getting complete, usable, digestible, absorbable forms of the nutrients? Are they present in the correct percentages? How are the products developed and manufactured? How are they broken down and returned to the ecosystem? If you wish to live in a world where natural alternatives to the artificial chemicals that have taken over most mainstream operations are available, it is right here at your doorstep.

5 There are some excellent options ready and waiting for you, but you first have to know what the problem is and how to spot the solution. In this special report, you ll learn the most important things to watch out for when choosing a supplement for your livestock, without biting into profit along the way to returning to a naturally healthy state. Macro Nutrients Some of these macro nutrients will sound very familiar as we all need them to thrive. Bone-building, metabolism-enhancing, muscle toning, vigour-generating minerals are needed, and needed consistently in quantity. The first one of these is Calcium which is used in the formation and maintenance of bones and teeth. It also functions in transmission of nerve impulses and contraction of muscle tissue. Optimal availability involves calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D working together to maintain a relatively stable concentration of calcium in the blood. Calcium and phosphorus are stored in bone and mobilized into the circulatory system when dietary intake of the two minerals is adequate. Measurement of calcium in the blood is not a good indicator of dietary intake of this critical mineral as it includes amounts that have come from the bones as well. As mentioned, Phosphorous is the second macro nutrient. Phosphorus works in conjunction with calcium in the formation of bone. In addition, phosphorus is a component of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the molecules that make up chromosomes and control genetic inheritance. Phosphorus is also involved in the chemical reactions of energy metabolism. Phosphorus-containing compounds are the body's major storage depots of readily available energy. Worldwide, phosphorus deficiency is reported to be the most prevalent mineral insufficiency in grazing livestock.

6 A lack of phosphorus results in decreased animal performance, including reduced weight gains, poor reproductive efficiency, and low milk production. When these nutrients are out of balance, dangerous health conditions can occur. When supplementing for nutrients, these two are considered in conjunction with each other to maintain that balance. Magnesium acts as an activator for many metabolic enzymes. The enzymes control reactions such as the breakdown of glucose for energy and the replication of DNA, which is necessary for cell division. The most common problem associated with magnesium deficiency is a condition known as grass tetany. It is most obvious in the early spring when grass tetany results from the consumption of lush forage, which has low levels of magnesium. The lack of magnesium appears to result from the high water content of rapidly growing plants. Symptoms include frequent urination, erratic behaviour and convulsions. If left untreated, death can occur within several hours. Magnesium is a mineral where balance, especially with potassium, is critical. The supplement you use should accommodate this balance. Since we are discussing the macro nutrients, this is where the requirement for sodium and chlorine enters the scene. It is commonly expressed as a salt requirement - NaCl = Sodium Chloride. Both sodium and chlorine function to maintain the volume, ph and the availability of minerals dissolved in body fluids. Everyone is familiar with the need for salt during physical activity and exertion. Just as we must maintain correct levels of salt, so must animals. They instinctively know this and seek it out wherever they can find it. Sodium is involved in muscle and nerve function. Chlorine is essential for hydrochloric acid production and for carbon dioxide transport. This combination is a critical element in the delivery of magnesium for optimal function.

7 Sodium chloride is frequently offered in the form of a block, or lick in the pasture. This can be problematic as some animals will over indulge and mineral levels can become out of balance. Cattle deficient in salt often eat dirt, manure, and urine in an attempt to satisfy their appetite for salt. This condition, known as pica, can be easily corrected with salt supplementation in correct amounts. Potassium is ubiquitous in the bodies of mammals because it is required in large amounts by most organ systems for normal functioning. A deficiency of potassium results in nonspecific symptoms such as poor appetite, followed by thinness, reduced performance, and stiffness, especially in the joints of the front legs. Potassium is leached from pastures, especially in winter conditions and supplementing potassium in balance with magnesium will keep your herds in prime condition. Sulphur is present in protein, certain vitamins (thiamine and biotin), enzymes and other compounds. This is another mineral which must exist in careful balance. Excessive sulphur interferes with the metabolism of selenium, copper, molybdenum and thiamine (Vitamin B1). Sulphur deficiency symptoms include decreased feed intake, unthrifty appearance, dullness of the hair coat and hair loss. Feeds that are high in sulphur include water, molasses, beet pulp, cruciferous plants, and corn-distilling by-products such as corn gluten feed. Prevention of excess sulphur intake requires that both feed and water be tested for total sulphur content. Between the volcanos of the North Island and the fault lines of the South, sulphur and other minerals can be present in higher amounts in the ground water than in other countries. All factors are taken into consideration when formulating supplements for this unique environment. A supplier who understands all these factors is essential as a partner in your operation. These are the macro nutrients which must be in balance and will be present in forage and feed to varying degrees depending on environment, climate, depletion and seasonal changes.

8 Micro Nutrients The micro nutrients include iron, which aids in oxygen delivery to tissues and is required along with enzymes involved in energy metabolism and maintaining a correct body temperature. Another micronutrient is zinc which plays a role with enzymes in testosterone, insulin and adrenal systems. Manganese deficiency will cause bone and joint weakness in young animals as well as reduced birth rates and increased occurrence of birth defects and stillborn young in older animals. Molybdenum is involved in assimilation and utilization of copper. As with the macro nutrients, phosphorous and calcium, copper and molybdenum must be in correct balance to avoid overall weakness caused by copper deficiency from dull hair and coat to low birth rates, poor bone health and even sudden death. Cobalt is the micronutrient necessary for production of vitamin B12 in the gut of grazing animals. Selenium is critical in micro quantities to avoid rear-leg weakness and buckling, immune suppression, retained placentas and white muscle disease. Boron is needed for joint health. New Zealand terrain can make herd grazing a challenge. Volcanic ash of the central North Island may be well-stocked in Selenium, but seriously deficient in cobalt. The soils on the west coast of the North Island, still volcanic in origin, are more in need of phosphorous application. Whether you are raising sheep in the south or fat cattle in the north, the most efficient way to insure proper diet for your herd is a combination of natural, organic fertilisers and supplements in readily bio-available form. The concept to keep in mind is complete. Nothing exists in seclusion. Macro and micro nutrients, animal waste, fertiliser, feed and supplement production, transportation, packaging and delivery are all part of the big picture.

9 Formulation Feed supplements are an entire market unto themselves. A search of the internet will provide endless studies, data, graphs, recommendations and information, and that s just for New Zealand. Your eyes can glaze over after five minutes. Many brands have found ways to formulate isolated blends for specific nutrients, causing a need for farmers to purchase more and more of their products. There is broad agreement on the nutrients, vitamins and minerals needed for living organisms, whether flora or fauna. When considering the available information, keep some questions in mind: What is the source of the nutrients? What is the vehicle for delivery? Which will metabolize best, optimising absorption? There are as many forms and carriers for supplements as there are nutrients. Salt blocks, glutens, grains, legumes, and the list continues. Keep in mind that at their best, most efficient functioning, physical systems work when all the elements operate together. The advantage of a formulation derived from the ocean is that many of the elements are already dissolved and available. They can be administered easily to dairy and beef cattle, deer, sheep, goats, even working dogs. When everything is in balance, your animals will have immune systems which will take them through stressful periods including drought, cold, breeding, and more. Once a proven programme is in place, you will see a vigour you can bank on. Growth and muscle tone, milk production, ample coats, all benefit from a complete diet.

10 Avoid Artificial Fillers Many feed supplements contain vehicles for delivery which can include fillers. Fillers are just that. Be aware that the composition of fillers is not required to be listed on packaging. The only bottom lines that fillers boost are those of the companies who make them. When you look at your bottom line, why would you factor in fillers? Some fillers can actually bind with nutrients, keeping them from metabolizing efficiently. In current times with climactic change, much has been studied about the production of waste and waste gases from herds and farms in general. By providing the animals with the highest quality feed supplement, there is less waste and management of wastes which have less impact on pastures, environment and profit margin. The Bottom Line As you can see, synthetic, bulky supplements may seem like an easy, quick fix, but in the long run, an organic basedprogrammeof animal nutrition is the way to healthy, resilient, renewable grazing herd. Delivery and storage and sustainable packaging are easily handled with materials with no chemical contamination. Megimmune by Plasma Biotec Solutions comprises a complete range for all your livestock: Cu Red extra copper Cu is the chemical symbol for copper and Cu Red is specially formulated for livestock farmers whose livestock is suffering from copper deficiencies.

11 If your livestock coats are lacking in lustre and your stock isn t thriving as well as you know they should be, this might be ideal for you. Newborn perfect for dairy and beef calves, lambs and very popular also for in-lamb ewes and Pro Pig makes a big difference to fat pigs, breeding sows, growing piglets. Multistock is just that - all your stock. It includes dosage information for all stock at all stages and is formulated to be effective at a larger dose for any animal under stress of calving, inducing, transporting, or other trauma. Your healthiest herd is composed of individuals with a strong constitution and immune system which will withstand the ups and downs of unpredictable variations in the New Zealand year. With peace of mind once the programme is in place, you can focus on breeding, milking, raising, shearing and marketing your outstanding product, known around the world for quality and consistency. Plasma Biotec Solutions provides that foundation for a complete diet for your animals, and will also be here to answer all your questions and concerns over the years. An organic based, naturally derived programme is the healthiest and most economical to bring your best stock to market. They say you are what you eat and, as farmers and breeders are acutely aware, this is true of our livestock too. Give your herd the best blend possible and watch them flourish when youjoin thousands of New Zealand farmers already using Plasma Biotec Solutions Plant Plasma fertilisers and Megimmune Multistock.

12 Do get in touch we re waiting to share our experience with you with no-obligation farm visits and trial samples. Give us a call on 0800 PLASMA ( ) for your no-obligation free farm advice visit With kind regards Kath Kath Burdett Managing Director Plasma Biotec Solutions PS Give us a call on 0800 PLASMA ( ) for your no-obligation free farm advice visit Contact Us: Call Kath Burdett: Call Bruce Pearce: Call Neil Harre: Free Phone on 0800 PLASMA ( ) or Local Number (09) mailto:info@plasmabiotec.co.nz Google My Business: Facebook: ts Youtube: Plasma Biotec Solutions, 316 Neilson St, Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand