The Power of Advance+ Confirmed

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Provita has unveiled the results of recent tests in Northern Ireland which confirm the benefits of its new inoculant Advance+. 

“We tested 28 random samples of first cut silage made at the end of May this year. Fourteen of these were treated with the new Advance+ inoculant:  the others were untreated, the grass was placed in mini silos, compacted and then left to ferment. The samples, which were subsequently sent to AFBI Hillsborough for analysis, were taken fifteen and thirty days after fermentation had commenced,” explained Provita’s Tommy Armstrong.

“And the results that are now back with us are truly astounding in terms of the benefits delivered by Advance+. “

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Getting to Grips with the Challenge of Scald

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Possibly the only downside to the tremendous grass growing conditions that now pertain right across Northern Ireland is the greater predisposition of lambs and ewes to foot scald. The condition, a precursor of Foot Rot, is a direct consequence of sheep constantly walking on wet ground. Denver McCall, who runs a four hundred strong flock of mostly Suffolk cross ewes near Armagh, takes up the story.

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First Cut Silage Crops Exceptionally Heavy

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Contractors in the mid Ulster are confirming to Farming Life that crops of first cut silage made this week are yielding exceptionally well.

“We have cut 400 acres of grass to date with most fields averaging between 8 to 10 tonnes per acre,” explained Alan Ewing, from AJ Ewing Contracts.

“This has been an exceptionally good grass growing year. Farmers are more than happy with the forage yields they are getting and, what’s more, grass quality is holding up well.”

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Advance+ Excellent for Dry and Wet Conditions

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Independent trials submitted to the new EU silage additive registration and approval system have demonstrated excellent efficacy for Provita’s new silage inoculant Advance+.

It demonstrated excellent efficacy on easy, moderate and difficult to ensile crops, including grass, red clover, alfalfa, whole crop maize and corn cob mix. These trials were done on dry-matters from 24% to 69% and on sugars from 1.1% to 5.78%.

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Provita attend VIV Exhibition

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Provita will be attending the VIV Exhibition, 20-22nd May 2014 in Utrecht, Netherlands and we invite you to visit us at Booth 10B017. VIV Europe 2014 is a European trade show based on the ‘Feed to Meat’ principle. This event is set to become the World Expo for animal husbandry & processing. The multi-specie event … Read more

The Balmoral Show, 14th – 16th May

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Provita are exhibiting at Balmoral Show, 14th – 16th May 2014 and we invite you to come along and visit us at stand AP17, in the Agri Pavillion to avail of our Show Specials. See our Special Offers section to claim your FREE ticket. T&Cs apply, only available to Northern Ireland customers. For more information on … Read more

New Research Studies Compares Footbath Solutions

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Many dairy farmers use a range of different footbath solutions to help control lameness, often switching from one to the other with little difference in performance. Many solutions arrive on the market with the promise of treating all lameness problems but fail to live up to expectations. So how do farmers decide what will work against their lameness problems, especially the complex digital dermatitis problem? One option is to listen to other farmers. However as every farm is different often what works on one farm will frustratingly not work on another. Another option is to consider independent peer reviewed scientific evidence.

One such highly respected source of evidence is the Journal of Dairy Science. It recently published a peer reviewed article titled, ‘Effect of a tea tree oil and organic acid footbath solution on digital dermatitis in dairy cows’, by the University of Kentucky. This robust on farm study used a split footbath so that two different solutions could be compared scientifically with genetics, yield, lactation etc. being equal for both products. The study compared Copper Sulphate to Hoofsure Endurance. Both products reduced M1 and M2 digital dermatitis by 50%. There was no statistical significant difference between the two products.

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Excellent start to the lambing season on Co Down sheep unit

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David Jardine farms with his brother Jonathan midway between Dromore and Dromara in Co Down. They run a combined commercial sheep and pedigree Limousin cattle enterprise with Jonathan the man having the primary interest in breeding the ewes and lambs.

This year’s lambing season is now in full swing with approximately one third of the 300 strong Mule flock now fully occupied with their new arrivals.

“To date 102 ewes have delivered 207 live lambs. This figure ties in with the scanning results. But it is still uplifting to see all the newborns doing so well,” David explained.

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