Animal welfare and health is becoming increasingly important. Political activists and intense lobbying have made the attention to this aspect of farming crucial in recent years. While health and welfare should be top of the priority list anyway, a healthy animal will also produce healthier offspring and be more productive, with either meat or milk. Furthermore, the increasing calls for bans on the regular use of antibiotics in animal feeds have resulted in an increase in production diseases where such additives are banned.
Natural non-antibiotic growth promoters
Calf health and growth is not only affected by the environment, but also by nutrition. Commonly, calves face respiratory challenges often leading to a disease state. For years, antibiotics have been added to milk replacer and calf starter feed with the thought that this supplementation will reduce the incidence of respiratory and other health diseases. With synthetic products being banned or severely compromised, producers are looking for AGP-free supplementation that will provide a health benefit. Sugar from yeast has shown great promise for dairy calves. Trials have shown a reduction in the incidence of respiratory disease, improved health status due to improved immune system functioning and a reduction in scouring.
Selenium status
Until recently, only inorganic selenium sources were widely available to supplement animal feeds. Now producers can benefit from supplementing an organic, highly available form of this essential trace element. Selenium deficiency is rarely dramatic and is often over-looked, but it may be implicated in costly reproductive disorders - such as retained cleansings, metritis and cystic ovaries - and in conditions that result from reduced immunity. Mastitis and high somatic cell counts may be influenced by selenium deficiency, for example. Weak calves and general poor performance are also classic signs.
Trace minerals and animal health
Profitable production requires that managers keep incidences of infection, sickness, issues with reproduction and coat and hoof problems to a minimum. One method of doing so is to ensure that ruminants receive balanced and effective mineral nutrition. For dairy cows, zinc plays a critical role in keratin formation. Keratin is a wax-like layer lining in the teat canal, which forms a barrier to invading bacteria. At each milking, some of this lining is stripped away and must be regenerated. If zinc is in insufficient supply this process is hindered and infection in the udder can arise. Keratin and zinc are also critical to regeneration of hoof tissue. Copper plays a critical role in iron transport, muscle protection and enzyme activation.
Mycotoxin contamination
Mycotoxins are poisons produced by moulds and occur frequently in a variety of feedstuffs. The high frequency of occurrence as well as the concentrations suggests that mycotoxins are routinely consumed by dairy cattle, causing subclinical symptoms which result in production losses. Mycotoxins are most often found at low levels which may result in subclinical decreases in milk production, increase in disease incidence and severity, and decreases in reproductive performance. In some cases, mycotoxin concentration in feedstuffs is high enough to cause more severe problems. The effects on the cow are dependent on the level of mycotoxin in the diet, the duration of feeding, and the interaction of the mycotoxin with other mycotoxins or stresses that may activate or accentuate these responses. Such stresses may include disease, calving stress, heat stress, nutritional deficiency or excess, acidosis, and production stress.