INTRODUCING PASTURE PLUS

Pasture Plus is a highly palatable single blend molasses based supplement that is designed to enhance rumen function and animal production.  It contains a balanced supply of non-protein nitrogen (urea and sulphate of ammonia) and natural protein, phosphorus, salt and essential trace minerals and vitamins.

Pasture Plus contains the rumen modifier, Flaveco™.  Flaveco™ improves liveweight performance through enhanced utilisation of fibre.

Pasture Plus is a convenient alternative for cattle producers and graziers who mix simple molasses blends, such as M8U.  It can be used as a supplement for any class of cattle grazing paddock feed.  Pasture Plus can also be used as a supplement with crop stubble, hay or straw.

Back to top 

WHY uSE PASTURE PLUS?

Your pastures are the key to optimal cattle production.  By using an effective supplement program like Prolix (full service supplement) or Pasture Plus, you will enhance your animal’s utilisation and performance on the feed that you have available.  Prolix and Pasture Plus can be used on both growing and mature pastures as well as crop stubble and hay.

Pasture Utilisation

Pasture growth is seasonal and many pasture species throughout Southern and Central Queensland and Northern New South Wales are typically summer growing and remain dormant over the winter months.

Changes in pasture quality can affect your cattle’s productivity.  This is because:

1. As plants mature during winter their nutritional value declines, resulting in reduced levels of Protein, Energy and Minerals.
2. The mature plants are harder to digest and utilise efficiently.  This is due to increased levels of fibre
3. Your pastures are the key to optimum cattle production.  By using Pasture Plus, you will enhance your animal’s utilisation and performance on the feed you have available.

Back to top 

Features of Pasture Plus

• Balanced supplement and includes a rumen modifier
• Contains high levels of natural protein
• One blend, highly palatable liquid supplement
• No mixing time or equipment required
• Can be fed out in open troughs • You can regulate intake levels
  

Benefits of Pasture Plus

• Improved animal performance by –
• Maintaining or improving body liveweight during the winter months
• Assisting in maintaining body condition at calving
• Improved conception rates
• Better milk production and weaning weights
• Readily accepted by all stock
• Simple and easy to use
• Enhanced utilisation of pasture

Back to top

NATURAL PROTEIN

The majority of commercially available single-blend pasture supplements contain a high level of non-protein nitrogen (NPN) usually in the form of urea.
Although these products deliver production responses, there are limits to how much of the total protein can be supplied in the form of NPN before diminishing utilisation of pasture and therefore animal performance occurs.

When compared to supplements that provide crude protein in the form of NPN alone, feeding supplements containing natural protein in conjunction with NPN is shown to further stimulate forage intake, digestion and animal performance.

In addition to urea, Pasture Plus contains a liquid natural protein source.  This means that approximately 30% of the protein in Pasture Plus is supplied as natural protein.

Incorporation of natural protein in Pasture Plus allows for improved utilisation of supplemental NPN leading to improved pasture utilisation and ultimately animal performance.

Back to top 

FLAVECO™

Both Pasture Plus and Prolix contain the rumen modifier, Flaveco™.  Flaveco™ is a feed additive that has been proven to enhance growth, performance and deliver commercial benefits for beef and dairy cattle production.

The Benefits of Using Flaveco™

• Flaveco is approved for use with all classes of cattle, including calves.
• Flaveco provides an increased rate of weight gain and improved feed conversion efficiency.
• Flaveco improves digestion of high fibre diets.
• Increased milk yields, higher protein content and increased butter fat levels can all be anticipated in dairy cattle along with lower somatic cell counts and higher fertility.
• Flaveco has a significant safety profile.  The active in Flaveco is flavophospholipol, which has one of the widest safety margins of any performance product
• Flaveco has a nil withholding period and therefore can be fed to stock right up until time of slaughter.
• Flaveco is highly palatable, so there is no refusal by the stock

Flaveco™ is a cost effective tool to improve nutrient supply and profitability by positively influencing rumen fermentation patterns in ways the other performance products can’t.

The inclusion level of Flaveco™ in Pasture Plus and Prolix is at the recommended 10ppm.

For more information on Flaveco™ contact the manufacturer International Animal Health Products, Huntingwood NSW 2148, or visit their website. To return to this page, please use the "back" arrow on your browser.

Back to top 

FEEDING RATES

Pasture Plus can be fed in open troughs. Initially, place troughs near cattle tracks, camps or watering points. Once cattle have started on Pasture Plus, troughs can be shifted to other areas of the paddock so as to encourage animals to graze out and utilise feed more efficiently.

Consumption rates will vary depending on animals' body condition, physiological status, pasture availability and quantity.

Recommended Feeding Rates

Note: 1 litre of Pasture Plus weighs approximately 1.25 kilograms

Based on the recommended feeding rates (above), feed out enough Pasture Plus to last the cattle for four days.

To evaluate your Pasture Plus supplementation program, it will be important to keep accurate consumption records.  Ask a Bundaberg Molasses representative for assistance in developing an easy to use table for this purpose.

Back to top 

NUTRIENT ANALYSIS

Pasture Plus is a highly palatable molasses based single blend supplement designed to enhance rumen function and animal production for beef and dairy cattle grazing dry pastures, crop stubble or hay.  It contains non-protein nitrogen (urea and sulphate of ammonia), natural protein, a rumen modifier, sources of phosphorus, salt and a balanced profile of trace minerals and vitamins.

The following table outlines the nutrient profile of Pasture Plus:

Quality Assurance
Bundaberg Molasses, Oakey plant, is quality assured to ISO 9001 - 2000 standards. Our products are designed and manufactured to meet nutritional requirements whilst ensuring product stability and ease of handling. Products are tested regularly to further ensure that nutrient content, viscosity and stability criteria are met.

Back to top 

STORAGE AND HANDLING

Pasture Plus should be stored in a cool dry environment.  When storing Pasture Plus in bulk it is recommended that tanks suitable for molasses storage are used.

Tanks

Strength
• extra strength is required as molasses is 1.4 times as heavy as water.

Size
• consider freight costs
• need larger than load size (so doesn't have to be empty before each load - reduces risk of running out)

Material
• steel, fibreglass and poly common
• non-toxic (toxic substances from either the tank, its protective coating or the substances it has previously held must not be released into the molasses) non-corrosive (or coated with a protective coating)
• Concrete may be ok but will corrode (can coat to protect against this). Stronger walls required than for water tanks or risk the tank bursting.

Other
• Beware extra costs eg protective coatings, repairs, cradles or foundations.

Protective Coatings
• cost
• waterproof
• acid resistant
• non-toxic to animals
• suitable for the surface to be coated

Toxicities
• Beware of fuel tanks which have held leaded petrol. Galvanising creates a risk of zinc poisoning.

Fittings and Connections
• 4" outlet and pipes generally recommended (3" may slow the flow) unrestricted type valves eg gate, plug or ball valves elbows, bends & long radius bends all suitable
• keep pipes as short as possible especially on the inlet side of the pump.

Location
• all-weather access for delivery truck and feed out vehicle
• foundations must be adequate to support the weight per area touching the ground

Temperature Control
• rarely required in Australia though the molasses will flow more slowly when cold, heating the pipes and pumps may be sufficient to reduce this.

• must be positive displacement
• gear, mono, internal lobe gear, and vane pumps all suitable
• consider viscosity, capacity (l/min) & delivery pressure (static head + friction + margin)
• non-corrosive material
• self-priming beneficial

Back to top