Savvy cattle producers who proactively manage bloat this season are seeing production gains that not only offset the cost of bloat treatment but also deliver additional financial returns.
At an estimated $49.6 million, according to a 2022 MLA study, a significant portion of the total cost of bloat is due to production losses, of which livestock deaths account for 100%.1 Note that this is not including lost production through avoidance of grazing high-risk pasture. In the same study, bloat prevention was estimated to cost producers $15.2 million and included the use of hay, bloat capsules, blocks and licks – all with varied effectiveness.
Common bloat reducing active ingredients
Bloat is a complicated metabolic disease with many environmental and internal variables that contribute to its onset and severity. Although there are different actives that have been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of bloat, some do this through very different modes of action.
Ionophores (Bovatec and Monensin) reduce bloat by altering rumen fermentation by changing the microbial population in the rumen to decrease methane production, essentially the development of bloat.2
Surfactants like poloxelene (Teric) reduce bloat by actively breaking down stable foam within the rumen, releasing the built up gas and enabling the gas to be expelled through the cow belching.3,4
A combination of actives can do both at the same time
The combination of effective doses of each active is believed to represent the properties of both actives individually, therefore reducing bloat development at the same time as breaking down the build up of stable foam. This is where the concept for StockMins-BoviBloat Plus was created.
StockMins-BoviBloat Plus is a weatherproof loose-lick supplement that is designed to provide cattle grazing green feed with a full effective dose of poloxelene in combination with a full effective dose of Bovatec to help reduce bloat through two different modes of action.
Pre-launch trials and commercial feedback from product launch last Spring have been very promising, with customer experience trials suggesting that the product is a very effective tool in managing bloat. However, feedback also suggested that the added growth benefits of Bovatec more than accounted for the cost of the product.
What if your bloat treatment also increased liveweight gain?
Additional to a registered bloat claim Bovatec has production claims including:
- Aiding in the improvement in milk production in cows fed high protein pastures
- Improves liveweight gain and feed conversion efficiency in growing cattle, and
- Controls clinical signs of coccidiosis
Particularly related to growing cattle, trials on Bovatec have shown to increase liveweight gain in livestock grazing green feed by up to 14%.5
Although 14% extra growth may not seem like much, 140g/day extra on a steer growing at around 1kg/day equates to around 66 cents. This more than pays for the product that costs around 42 cents/hd/day for a 150g dose.
Does the growth really outweigh the cost of the product? Let’s do the sums.
Scenario 1: 350kg steer supplemented with StockMins-BoviBloat Plus grazing medium-risk pasture.
A 350kg steer can eat around 9kg DM of lush green feed. At 11MJME/kg DM the animal is estimated grow at 1kg/day.
Estimated supplement intake: 150g/hd/day
Estimated supplement cost: 42c/hd/day
Estimated 14% increase in liveweight gain: 140g/day
Value of extra growth at current market price: 66c/day
Value of extra growth (66c/day) – Cost of supplement (42c/day) = 24c/hd/day surplus.
Scenario 2: 350kg steer supplemented with StockMins-BoviBloat Plus grazing high-risk pasture.
A 350kg steer can eat around 9kg DM of lush green feed. At 11MJME/kg DM the animal is estimated grow at 1kg/day.
Estimated supplement intake: 200g/hd/day
Estimated supplement cost: 56c/hd/day
Estimated 14% increase in liveweight gain: 140g/day
Value of extra growth at current market price: 66c/day
Value of extra growth (66c/day) – Cost of supplement (56c/day) = 10c/hd/day surplus.
Don’t wait, proactively manage bloat for free today… What do you have to lose?
Call AusFarm Nutrition Products today on 0412 048 055.
