Newsletter - September 2001
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Welcome to the September newsletter. We hope that despite the drought, many of you are still experiencing a good year. One of the first things that I have to announce with a great deal of pleasure is that we have finally achieved a registration with Canadian Food Inspection Agency for our Bio-Lac. According to the government, it is now a legal, legitimate product that is safe, for you as a consumer, to use.

The story of the year comes from one of Bio-Ag's personal experiences when we approached the Veterinary Division of Health & Welfare about the idea of registering Bio-Lac to help control E.Coli bacteria. We were told that the regulatory process would take three to four years to register as a new drug. The most interesting thing about all this is that we can reduce E.Coli approximately 95% in the manure. However, the government has now seen in its wisdom, to give a company out in Eastern Ontario between $7 & $10 million to develop an E.Coli vaccine. As though a vaccine would control this!

Isn’t it interesting that the more we continue to fight and kill the bug, the more we seem to decimate our own immune defense mechanism and that of our animals.

As a society, we seem to get sicker. It is quite a commentary on those people in Ottawa and Toronto who are there to protect people like you from people like us.

Fall 2001

I would like to introduce to you several new employees that are or will be involved with Bio-Ag. The first person is Keith Brooksbank who is our Sales Manager. Keith will be working with our dealer network to increase service to our customers, increase our sales area and focus on marketing. Keith has a background in marketing education and has used Bio-Ag products on his hobby farm. Keith & his wife Wendy are in the process of relocating to Milverton to be close to Head Office and the dealer network.

The second person that we would like to introduce is Andrea Bender as Office Assistant. Andrea has exceptional computer skills and a general background in naturopathic medicine. The third person that will be starting in October is Dana Eccleston-McGregor. Dana is a graduate of Wilfred Laurier University and has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry. Dana will be spearheading our new laboratory, which we are in the process of finishing and hopefully will have operational by the end of September.

As you can see, Bio-Ag is continuing to expand to bring you, our loyal customers, better products and better services. We endeavour to show people that there is a future in using natural products and that farming can be profitable using these products. Our only solution is not genetically modified foods, etc!!

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS

Speaking of genetically modified foods, we also are starting to see more controversy than ever before on genetically modified organisms (GMO). In Europe, they are now starting to find that these organisms are actually mutating and are not staying the same as the ones they initially placed in the original seeds. To date, we have absolutely no idea where this is going to take us at an intercellular level or what is going to happen to RNA and DNA in terms of reproduction!

Program for Incoming Calves

I would like to make a few suggestions for those of you who have incoming calves in the fall. We have found that these cattle tend to present far less problems once they get two or three weeks down the road, if farmers add:

Bio-Lac

• 10 grams for smaller calves per head per day
• 15 to 20 grams for bigger calves per head per day
• along with free choice: Kelp Meal, Humates, Mineral

We know this is the time of year when farmers start bringing in cattle and at this time of year, the weather starts to take dramatic ups and downs. One day it can be totally warm, the next day it can be freezing. These kinds of stress conditions in calves that have been bounced around for 2000 to 3000 miles, tends to be very severe, ranging anywhere from BVD to pneumonia problems to upper respiratory problems. Many things can be used to help. If you need to treat your animals, many of the natural treatments, would include:

• Our L.K.L. boluses; as well as
• Selected homeopathics;
• Protein Feed Supplement; and
• Vitamin C.

Many of you also have made the switch to bringing in small baby calves. We suggest that there are ways of treating these little calves as follows:

1) If a calf that you bring in is on milk replacer, put at least 5 cc of Bio-Lac Liquid into the milk replacer at each feeding.

2) We recommend you put the calves on our Bio-Ag Calf Starter plus hay for the first two months. This seems to get these calves off with a lower protein, which in turn reduces the incidence of coccidiosis and many respiratory problems.

3)After two months you can switch to the following ration:

• Beet Pulp 10 lbs
• High Moisture Corn or Dry Shell Corn 300 lbs
• Soybeans Extruded or Roasted 100 lbs
• Bio-Ag Gold Premix 6 lbs

This should make a 416 lb mix of a 16% protein feed.

4)The other option that many farmers should consider is when they have calves coming in—either feedlot or dairy calves. They should be putting Reckeweg remedies R87, R88 and R93 into the water for the first two weeks. This seems to help get these calves off to a much better start.

Bio-Lac Supplement

We also know that this time of year, many of you are cutting corn, filling silos, doing third cutting. All of these could be helped by our Bio-Lac supplement in terms of getting a better fermentation. Many farmers have used the product throughout the summer and have reported excellent success.

Silo Safety

While filling silo, please remember to take precautions against silo gas. As we witnessed in 1999, unusually dry summers greatly increase the chances that farmers may be exposed to silo gas, which can burn lungs in just a few seconds. It is recommended that farmers stay out of upright silos for three to four weeks after filling. If it is necessary to re-enter the silo, a self-contained breathing apparatus should be worn. Ventilation for at least 30 minutes with a blower at the base of the silo is also recommended prior to entering the silo during this three-week period. Ventilate silo feed rooms by opening windows and fans for a period of three weeks after filling silo. If you experience coughing, shortness of breath or throat irritation, get away from the silage immediately.

Patrick Wey

Bio-Ag Web Site Manager

Bio-Ag would like to introduce you to Patrick, who has been working on the Web site since start-up (over 1 year). Patrick's background? His biography includes:

• Recognition in the world of media (photography) and arts
• Entrepreneurial activities
• An understanding of organic foods

Patrick took company ideas on presenting information about Bio-Ag -the company and its products; research trials/field tests of products, and testimonials from users, and designed and setup the company's present web site. His responsibilities include updates on the site on a regular basis, including trials/tests and new product introductions, updating the site with new technology -making it more user-friendly, easier access, and looking to link the Bio-Ag site with other alternative agricultural sites.

We think he's done a great job but he'd like your opinion.

Patrick is looking for-

• Suggestions for improving, altering the site
• Concerns about the site
• Mistakes on the site
• Questions about the site

For those customers who wish, instead of the standard mail delivery of our newsletter, the option will be open to you to receive the Bio-Ag newsletter over the Internet. Please let us know if you wish to receive the newsletter in this manner, use the e-mail site, parry@bio-ag.com. To pass on information to Patrick, use the e-mail site, patrick@bio-ag.com.

The Benefits of Kelp

Kelp Seaweed also known as Ascophyllum nodosum has been used for centuries and is widely recognized to be the richest marine plant for agricultural use. The regular use of Ascophyllum nodosum kelp meal as a supplement helps increase the utilization of all the ingredients in the complete feed ration, improving the overall health and performance of animals. Kelp provides elements that are naturally balanced which is important because animals have finely balanced needs for trace elements: too little produces deficiency symptoms, too much is toxic.

Kelp can be added to the diet of all sorts of animals:

• Dairy & Beef Cattle
• Poultry
• Swine
• Sheep & Goats
• Horses
• Fish
• Shrimp & Prawns

FLAX MEAL

We have found a new source of conventional Flax Meal and are able to pass substantial savings onto you, our customers. The 25 kg bag is now $15.00 and we are also retailing the meal in bulk. These come in a tote, with varying weights between 650 and 750 kg per tote. These totes retail for 45 cents per kilogram ($450 per tonne).

Dealer Profile: Marc Raynaud

Marc Raynaud has been farming all his life. However, it has been a big change for him from the steep Swiss mountains to the plains of Ontario! In Switzerland, they made cheese and hay, brought down from the mountains with the helicopter. Canada has attracted him since his teens, however when he met his wife to be, a Swiss immigrant to Canada, this made his dream easier to accomplish!

Marc and Stephanie bought their farm east of Ottawa in 1993 and now have three children pictured above left to right. They milk approximately 60 cows and work just under 350 acres. They switched to Bio-Ag products in 1997, due to the high cost of other feed companies. They took over the Bio-Ag dealer position from a friend and neighbour who moved out of their area in 1998. They are pleased with the results they have seen with their herd using Bio-Ag products.

Make sure to visit the Bio-Ag booth at the International Plowing Match, in Navan, Ontario, September 18-22. Marc will be available to talk with you at the booth on the 18th in the Exploring Organics tent. The Raynaud family services the area east of Ottawa including points in Quebec. They can be reached at their home in Vanleek Hill at (613) 678-6032, phone & fax.

Working With Nature...Naturally

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