25 July 2011

2 minute read

Oceania

Dairy Australia’s Grains2Milk programme leader Dr Steve Little said the dairy feed testing service was now being offered by George Weston Technologies, after a successful 18-month trial in northern and western Victoria proved it to be commercially viable.

“Feed test results mean you know what the cows are really getting in their diet or exactly what a potential feed supplier is offering,” Dr Little said.

The service provides an analysis of the most important nutrients including dry matter, metabolisable energy, crude protein, fat and ash for a range of feeds including pasture, silage, hay, straw, grains, meals and pellets.

“The RAPID Feed Analysis kits are simple and easy to use. The information on the package is self explanatory and the samples get picked up by the tanker driver from the dairy,” Dr Little said.

“Most results are available within two days from George Weston Technologies and are sent via fax and email. The quick turn around time means you can make decisions quickly.”

Dr Little said farmers could also get help interpreting test results by using the My Feed Report tool on the Dairy Australia website.

Grains2Milk is one of the many examples of the dairy service levy at work. Farmers receive a benefit of three dollars for every one dollar invested by Dairy Australia on their behalf. For more information on this and other levy investments visit www.dairyaustralia.com.au.

TheCattleSite News Desk