Nutrient Requirements of Pigs at Different Life Stages

Ruan Nowers: Technical Advisor, AFGRI Animal Feeds Feed is one of the most critical factors in producing high-quality animal protein. As pigs grow, their nutritional needs evolve, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of these changing requirements to optimize growth, health, and productivity. Pigs experience several distinct life stages, each characterized by specific physiological changes that demand […]

Gars as ʼn Bron van Stysel in Skaaprantsoene

deur Pieter Louw.     Met die huidige hoë mielieprys moet daar gekyk word na goedkoper of alternatiewe bronne van energie vir skaapgroei en afrondrantsoene. Daar is verskeie opsies wat oorweeg kan word wat soortgelyke groei bewerkstellig sowel as die produksie van die besigheid handhaaf. Met weersomstandighede wat ideaal is vir die produksie van gars, […]

Importance of feed intake in commercial layer systems

 By Herman Rossouw, technical advisor,  AFGRI Animal Feeds The feed component of the average poultry production system makes up 70% of all expenses. Given the sharp increase in feed prices these past three years, there is renewed focus on the consumption and effectiveness of rations. In March this year, the average layer meal was 80% […]

Feeding the transition cow

By SP Els, AFGRI Animal Feeds Sound nutrition and management practices during the transition period will have a positive financial impact on dairy businesses. Most farmers have specific, quantifiable goals regarding milk production, milk solids, feed and labour costs, and profitability in terms of profit per hectare or per cow. However, it seems that the […]

Heat Stress – Causing the Dairy Industry to lose billions in revenue each year.

The effect of heat stress (HS) is detrimental to a variety of dairy production parameters including milk yield and reproduction and will become a greater challenge in the future due to global climate change. Therefore, the negative impact HS has on our dairy parameters is a significant financial burden on our dairy producers. Heat stress […]

PRODUCTION CHALLENGES WITH KIKUYU PASTURES

SP Els, AFGRI Animal Feeds   When the grazing platform changes from ryegrass to kikuyu and/or the neutral detergent fibre (NDF) increases and the protein content decreases – historically the first nutrient nutritionist would increase is the crude protein (CP) concentration in the dairy meal. Making decisions based on CP concentrations as well as energy […]

Nutritional flushing of Sheep

In recent times the economic pressure that sheep farmers have experienced has been detrimental. To relieve the pressure that farmers experience, flush feeding could be used as a management tool to maximize the economic viability of their sheep enterprise. The proper nutrition during the breeding season is key. Flush feeding Flush feeding is a well-known […]