Greater Complementary Feeds Choice for South Island Farmers

28 September 2016

News release

Greater Complementary Feeds Choice for South Island Farmers

South Island farmers now have a much greater range of complementary feeds to choose from. The expansion of the range in the south has been made possible by the latest advancements in molasses and dry products blending technology installed at Agrifeeds facility in Timaru.

The complete range of Agrifeeds’ products, such as the highly-popular PKExtra and Pro Blend range as well as Grower 16 calf feed, is now available throughout the South Island, providing high energy feeds for the whole herd, from weaned calves to adult cows.

The new blender, which is now fully operational, replicates the plant installed at the Agrifeeds blending facility in Tauranga last year. Agrifeeds’ Operations Manager Dene Sambells says the move is very positive for both South Island farmers and Timaru. “The new Tauranga plant has proved so popular we wanted to replicate that model to better service our farmers in the South Island. We’re thankful for the commitment and expertise from local companies from around south Canterbury, including Johnson Building, Plunket Electrical and the Rooney Group, who helped make this project a success,” says Dene.

Brad Davies, Agrifeeds’ South Island Sales Manager, says the precision mixing capability of the blender provides South Island farmers greater feed options to complement existing locally grown feeds such as barley and wheat. “The new blender precisely mixes molasses with dry products, such as PKE and grains, providing more energy to the cow, which aids digestion and feed conversion. The PKExtra range – which are blends of molasses and PKE - has been proven to deliver a faster and more complete digestion, higher feed intake and more milk output than PKE alone. It can also help improve the rumen function, essentially producing higher protein milk,” says Brad.

While the PKExtra range delivers greater nutritional benefits for cows, it’s also an excellent base for custom-blends and farmers will benefit from the reduced dust and wastage that can be experienced when feeding out dry feed blends. Brad adds: “There are cost benefits too as our new blends’ offering removes the need to store and mix liquid molasses on farm and it also means farmers only need to receive one freight delivery, rather than two.”

Agrifeeds is delighted to be extending its offering for South Island farmers, says Brad. “Our blended feed strategy is all about improving milk composition to provide better returns to farmers. The precision of the Tauranga technology has proven very popular and we anticipate similar demand following the Timaru investment.”

Visit www.agrifeeds.co.nz to find out more about the benefits of molasses and view the comprehensive nutrition range available for both bulk and silo storage options.

ENDS

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