The Farmers Mart Oct-Nov 2017 - Issue 53 | Page 39

Cattle / Sheep

NEW SUPPLEMENT INSTANTLY REDUCES METHANE EMISSIONS FROM RUMINANTS

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A RECENT NASA FUNDED study confirmed that livestock emissions are a considerable contributor to greenhouse gas emissions . The results , which were now published in the journal Carbon Balance and Management , revealed that global methane emissions produced by livestock exceed previous estimates by around 11 percent ( i ).
To date , there has been no commercial , scalable solution to reduce methane emissions from cows . Over the past years , researchers in the UK , funded by the Swiss-led life science group Zaluvida , together with leading European universities , developed a unique feed supplement , called Mootral , comprised of fruit and vegetables , to instantly
reduce methane emissions from ruminants by at least 30 %. Mootral can already today help the livestock industry to reduce carbon emissions immediately .
Jamie Newbold , Director of Research and Enterprise and Professor of Animal Science at the Institute of Biological , Environmental and Rural Sciences ( IBERS ) at Aberystwyth University and member of the Mootral Scientific Advisory Board of the Zaluvida Group says : “ What is unique with Mootral is
that we have taken the original concept of plant extracts and moved it forward and that the effects are repeatable and reliable and highly potent .”
Climate-friendly products have already been presented in the U . S . and will be coming to Europe this month . Enhancing the value of organic and regional products , Mootral offers consumers the choice to help the environment while continuing to enjoy beef and dairy . This is also crucial , since cows play an
important role in transforming biomass , such as grass , into valuable nutrients to feed a growing human population . Zaluvida ’ s Group CEO Christoph Staeuble said : “ I am delighted to present real beef from real cows that are no longer big polluters . At a time when agriculture must feed more people every month , climate-friendly beef and dairy guarantees a sustainable solution to greenhouse gas emissions - with beef and dairy that is 100 % authentic .
( i ) Revised methane emissions factors and spatially distributed annual carbon fluxes for global livestock , Carbon Balance and Management , 29 September 2017 .
www . mootral . com

Machine feeders consider rearing more surplus lambs

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MORE THAN 50 % OF SHEEP producers using an automatic machine to feed ewe milk replacer to surplus lambs find the practice so straightforward that they plan to rear more animals artificially during the 2018 lambing season , says Jackie Bradley from Volac .
The feedback comes from a recent survey of 35 farmers purchasing a Volac Eco Feeder within the last 24 months and highlights how successful artificial rearing is becoming .
“ Enquiries about automatic milk feeding are at an all-time high in the sheep sector ,” Jackie explains . “ Sheep farmers are undoubtedly attracted by the labour-saving benefits and the fact that machine-rearing frees up time to focus on other important jobs . But they also report faster growth rates because there is no limit to how much or when the lambs can drink . Producers also say they see fewer digestive upsets . Most significantly , though , users are reporting a decent margin over lifetime feed of anywhere between £ 15 and £ 25 per lamb .”
But it ’ s not just orphan and third lambs that producers are now putting on machines . The survey shows that farmers are increasingly also taking pressure of young ewes rearing multiples to boost lamb survival rates and performance .
“ This is particularly important for young mothers and will help them keep growing and producing enough milk for the lambs they have left ,” says Jackie .
When deciding which lamb to remove from a triplet-bearing ewe , Volac
nutritionists advise removing either the smallest or the largest one to leave a balanced pair .
“ Whichever lamb is chosen it must be sucking well , been with its mother for 24 hours after birth and have received a good supply of colostrum , particularly in the first six hours of life .”
Machines are available to buy directly from Volac , but Jackie stresses that they are not a substitute for good husbandry .
“ Sound hygiene is crucial and lamb pens must be draught-free , well drained and bedded to keep lambs as warm and dry as possible . Clean , fresh water also needs to be available along with creep feed ( 18 % crude protein ) offered ad lib to encourage early intake . Lambs should be weaned abruptly at no less than five weeks of age when they are eating an average of 0.25kg of creep a day over three days ,” she says .
www . farmers-mart . co . uk Oct / Nov 2017 39