On many farms supplementary feeds delivered in bags are required in small amounts to compliment the main bulk delivered feeds.

The FeedCo philosophy is to prioritise the foundations of good rationing before considering any supplements: this is the correct balance of quality forage and digestible concentrate feed to deliver high levels of healthy animal performance. This FeedCo approach keeps the use of supplements to a minimum, but supplement feeds do sometimes have their place. There may be a place for a yeast supplement in a high grain diet; or the use of a rumen protected fat where the diet energy is limiting. Where these are used we want to ensure the most value is returned: through the directed use of the right product at the right time. We also believe it is important to take these products out again when the reason for their inclusion has changed, too often they continue to be fed adding unnecessary ration cost.

Manipulating milk proteins is an example of profitable supplement usage. On milk contracts where milk protein is well rewarded maximising milk protein output can be achieved with the correct amino acid balance. The return on investment from increased milk income, in solids and litres, means the farmer makes more money from more productive, healthy cows. This is an example of where the targeted use of supplements such as amino acids has a real benefit.

FeedCo Agri Supplies stock a range of dependable brands delivered to farm efficiently.

We keep a selection of rumen protected fat, proteins and amino acids. The reason for rumen protecting these is that the rumen, as the first stomach in ruminants effectively breaks down many nutrients through the fermentation by microbes. This is why ruminants are brilliant at digesting fibre, a good thing; but has the down side that nutrients we want to target to the animal must be protected to get them past the microbes in the rumen so the animal can digest them further down the gut.

FeedCo Agri Supplies also stock rumen buffers, yeasts and mycotoxin binders for those circumstances where they are required by the farm feeds available. For example the availability of plenty of cereal, or very fermentable forages may make the use of a buffer to maintain a stable rumen pH important. Rumen pH stability is vital to keep microbes, particularly the microbes which break down fibre, healthy; and so in turn the animal productive. Yeasts also help stabilise rumen pH, particularly in high grain diets such as fed to beef animals.

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