A proactive approach to animal health issues is critical on organic farms, as few animal health treatments are permitted. It is far better to prevent a problem from developing than trying to treat it once it has occurred, both for the animal and for your profitability. In some cases, prevention can be as simple as avoiding nutrient deficiencies.
Altum stocks four animal nutrition products that have restricted use under the BioGro guidelines. Amongst these are our popular feed licks, Crystalyx Organyx Extra and Crystalyx Organyx Sheep.
When herbage magnesium levels are not sufficient to provide enough magnesium for animal health, drenching is a valuable strategy. Supplementing cows directly helps to ensure they have adequate magnesium in their diet, and this will help to prevent the onset of health issues such as milk fever.
Optimag is available as a drench under the restricted use BioGro guidelines.
An alternative approach to drenching is to use a supplementary feed balancer, dusting it on at times of greatest demand, e.g. before calving. Magnesium oxide is an ideal product to dust on pasture or other feed sources.
We choose Australian Causmag as the source of our magnesium oxide, as it has the best international reputation for purity and bioavailability.
