An innovative program that accurately dispenses a liquid microbial feed supplement, directly into the cow feed at milking is being widely adopted across Australia
Mylo liquid microbial feed supplement from Terragen Biotech, has been scientifically proven to increase milk production and reduce cell counts while improving the overall health of the herd.
This was achieved with a dose of just 10 mL of Mylo, per cow per day.
To help dairy farmers meter out the small doses of Mylo, Terragen introduced their pump program, which can be used in both Rotary and Herringbone dairies.
The pump is plumbed into the dairy and automatically dispenses the correct amount of Mylo into the feed of every cow.
Pumps are installed by qualified technicians and are customised to the type and size of the dairy.
Terragen installs the Mylo pump system at no charge and, after 12 months of use, it becomes the property of the dairy enterprise.
It allows farmers to assess the benefits of Mylo in their own situation. If they don’t think it has a fit, the pump can also be removed without any charge.
There are approximately 60,500 dairy cows receiving Mylo daily across Australia (as at 30 June 2021) with more than 120 dairy farms involved in the program.
Some of Australia’s largest dairy enterprises have embraced the program.
One of the dairies embracing the program is located in south-west Victoria and belongs to Clive and Chris Baxter. The Baxters installed the Mylo pump system in their rotary in the months leading up to calving.
Originally the heifers and springers received 10 mL of Mylo per cow per day. This was reduced to 5 mL per milking after calving.
The pump technology was incorporated into the dairy computer system and allowed for varied doses for individual cows, if required.
The Baxters initially spoke to their local Terragen sales representative who advised on the pump set-up that would suit the size of the dairy and the technology already being used.
Demand for the Terragen pump system has been high after scientific and commercial dairy evidence has demonstrated the effectiveness of Mylo.
The scientific trial was conducted at the University of Queensland, where a number of lactating cows were separated into two groups.
While the feed offering to both groups was identical across the 24-week study, one group was supplemented with Mylo and the other group did not receive Mylo.
At the end of the study, the Mylo group averaged 24.83 litres per cow per day compared to the control group at 24.04 litres per cow per day.
This was an increase of 0.79 litres per day for the Mylo cows.
As well as the extra milk litres, the Mylo group recorded a dramatic reduction in the Somatic Cell Count at 33,000 cells/mL compared to 53,000 for the control group.
The Mylo cows also gained an average of 5 kilograms per cow across the 24-week study compared to the control group, which lost on average 12 kilograms.
There was very little difference in feed intake between the two groups, however the cows fed with Mylo showed a tendency to maintain or increase their liveweight.
These results demonstrate that Mylo given in the mixed ration fed to dairy cows leads to an increase in milk volume and improves milk quality through a reduction in somatic cell count.
The Terragen Mylo pump program provides dairy farmers with a hassle-free way to get the Mylo directly to the cows and evaluate the program on their own property.
For further information on the pump program please contact Terragen Biotech on 1300 837 724 or email info@terragen.com.au or see more at this link.
