WHY DO MOST SA CATTLE FARMERS PREFER VOERMOL’S PROTEIN LICKS?

• Cattle farmers prefer Voermol’s protein licks because of their unique characteristics and the wide range that is available to supplement protein, mineral, trace element and vitamin shortages on all types of grazing.
• Some Voermol protein licks contain natural protein (bypass protein), which increases the potential to achieve excellent animal performance.

• Urea is dissolved in molasses syrup which decreases the risk of urea poisoning.
• The relatively low pH in Voermol’s products ensures that the breakdown of urea to ammonia in the rumen is slower thereby reducing the risk of urea poisoning. The slower release of ammonia ensures more effective utilisation thereof by the microbes in the rumen.
• The energy of molasses is immediately available to the microbes in the rumen. This ensures the effective utilisation of urea thus reducing the danger of urea poisoning.
• Molasses is rich in potassium which is a moderate laxative and subsequently aids in preventing dry gall sickness in animals on dry grazing. Molasses is palatable and thereby ensures that licks are not dusty which assists in reaching the prescribed lick intake and at the same time prevents licks from blowing away.
• Voermol markets a range of molasses-based rumen-stimulating protein licks in various forms (loose lick, block and fluid); formats (premix and ready-to-use and self-mix); with high or low phosphorus content and with high levels of all six essential trace elements as well as macro-minerals and Vitamin A. Farms often differ vastly due to various factors (e.g. different soil types; climatic conditions; grazing composition and species; grazing and animal management practices; etc.) which necessitate changes to existing lick supplementation practices and recipes in order to gain optimum response.

• Supplementing nutrients that are lacking on dry grazing has a stimulating effect on an animal’s appetite and promotes the digestion of dry grazing which can then increase grazing intake by up to 20 %. It limits the loss of condition and weight, thus improving fertility. Without sufficient protein supplementation through licks on dry grazing, breeding cows will not achieve their target condition by the start of the breeding season. The result is poor conception and resultant lower calving percentages.
• Animal performance and optimal functioning of the immune system are adversely affected if animals are exposed to a protein shortage on dry grazing and crop residues. Low resistance due to weak immunity will make animals more susceptible to bacterial and viral disease, while animals will also immunise weaker when vaccinated.

• By choosing the right Voermol Protein Lick for unique conditions, one does not only ensure that animals gain maximum benefit from the available dry grazing but also cost-effective animal production.
• The following premix dry season licks are available for beef cattle: Voermol Premix 450 (V4676) for very harsh winters; EG Lick (V22522) for sourveld areas with moderate to harsh winters; Bovelder Lick (V19218) for lower lick intakes where traditional winter lick intakes are too high (e.g. suurveld areas); Highveld Lick (V16150) for higher phosphate supplementation; Dundee Lick Concentrate (V10737) with or without extra phosphorus for self-mixing (see Table); Rumevite Econolick (V11147) for animals requiring extra energy, such as weaner calves and first-calf heifers; Protein Block (V10448) and Cattle Block (V10932) where lick troughs are not available (the former is also high in phosphorus).

Providing a protein lick to cattle on dry grazing is essential because the

nutritional value of this grazing is too low to maintain normal production and

reproduction. Thus the question is not what a protein lick supplementation costs,

but whether producers can afford not to feed it!