Newsletter - Summer 1998 June
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To All Our Valued Customers:
Welcome to the June newsletter. Before I go any further, I want to welcome you to our July 8th Open House and Customer Appreciation Day. Please come and join us, view our new warehouse and have some lunch. We will have many company representatives on hand to talk to our customers.
Some new things:

1. Remember BST! "The Lancet", a prestigious medical journal from England, now says the IGF-1 hormone is tied to diabetes. Interesting, isn't it!
2. Monsanto is getting sued by its own Shareholders. "Shareholders of Monsanto Co. have filed four lawsuits against the company, its directors, and American Home Products seeking to block the proposed $33 billion merger, which would be the largest ever between two drug companies."
- taken from Iowa Farmer-Today.
3. SUPER COW DIES! In our mad quest for money and power, the South African Super Cow who has produced 124 litres of milk per day got sick and quit breathing when scientists tried to extract skin off her tail to do cloning. One week after skin biopsy, the cow was dead. Panic stricken, they tried to retrieve reproductive organs and flew them across the country to fertilize the eggs but "the ovaries were not in very good shape".
But-this cow's half sister has just calved and is milking 100 litres per day, so they should get a chance to try it again??

4. Final Reminder - With weather unpredictable like it is, we want to remind farmers that one way to stop weevil in your grain is to use Diatomaceous Earth at 7 to 10 lbs per tonne of finished feed. This preventative measure is insurance against moldy feed and sick animals.

From the staff at Bio-Ag:
Murray, Florence, Ted, Bill, Mary Lou, Susan, Mel, Marianne & Carl
(519) 656-2460/2481
1-800-363-5278

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FOR SALE - WANTED
* Weaner Pigs, 50 to 60 lbs.
Call 656-2648.
* Alpine Air Unit, like new,
Model 700, Variable Speed Switch,
Call 669-1801.
* Wanted - 25-30 head dairy cattle from freestall herd, springing and early lactation preferred. Call Keith or Heather (519) 787-0446.

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WANTED---FARM PHOTOS!!
Photos are still being accepted for our 1999 Bio-Ag Calendar. Please submit your photos as soon as possible to have your farm photo chosen for one of six months.
The photo should be a minimum of 4" x 6" and can depict any number of seasonal farm scenes. All photos will be returned.

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Pass on the Passion
Family farming is an inner-driven passion,
Hard work, long hours, a labor of love.
It's the ever-so-gentle nudging of Nature,
with help from above.

It's optimism, opportunity, a way of life,
A hope for the future, never ever set in stone.
It's pride in the feeling of accomplishment,
Of making it, strictly on your own.

It's the challenge, the independence,
The struggles, the fears and the pain.
It's the peace of mind brought,
From an ever-so-gentle spring rain.

It's the pride in ownership,
Of saving the dirt and the land.
It's the hope of leaving it better,
With the help of God's hand.

It's crop failures and bumper crops,
And the market's roller-coaster ride.
It's the heartbreak, the joys and the pain,
That you must always take in stride.

It's moist dirt between your fingers,
The joy and amazement on a young child's face.
It's the annual rebirth of life,
And this wonderful place.

It's emotional peace of mind, your legacy,
Your niche carved out on earth.
It's just part of what you'll leave behind,
A tiny piece of your worth.

Pass on the passion to the next generation,
For life, the family, the land.
You'll get back tenfold what you gave,
In the years you made this stand.

By Rod Fee

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ONTARIO PORK CONGRESS
Be sure to visit the Bio-Ag booth at the Pork Congress. You'll find us in the tented city!
June 25-26, 1998
Stratford Fairgrounds
Visit with our Septi-Sol representatives

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DOC BOB'S SPOT
Of all the wealth in this world - jewels, precious metals, all that man considers valuable - none is so priceless and vitally important as the organic matter complex in our soils. Since the third day of creation, when the Lord created the grass, shrubs and trees, Mother Nature has sown, harvested and stored the bounty of her crops in the granary of the soil.
All of us know that the manure from our livestock almost equals the daily input of feed we put through the animal. When we learn to look at the residue from the feed used by the animal as a valuable material that can contribute to next year's crop, we begin to get an understanding of the great potential we have to make our soils more productive.
Experts agree that oxygen is an important component, necessary to increase microbial activity and speed up the natural digestive processing of solids and gases. Septi-Sol increases the dissolved (available) oxygen in manure and feeds the beneficial bacteria in the lagoon or pit a combination of trace minerals, enzymes and amino acids. Septi-Sol has been marketed for over 30 years, more intensely since the late 1980's. Most livestock producers agree that if odour problems or the threat of ground water contamination aren't addressed voluntarily, Canadian regulations will become much stricter. Septi-Sol is an environmentally friendly product capable of meeting the challenge.
Septi-Sol will:

* reduce odour and ammonia
* improve livestock daily gain
* decrease the risk of disease
* reduce pumping and agitation time
* be economical to use
* improve the working conditions of the environment
* improve the condition of the soil
* improve manure nutrient availability

The growing plant cannot benefit from the nutrients contained in the manure until nature has reduced the material through microbial activity. Another term to describe this action is composting. Composting is defined as a process that changes undesirable organic residues into valuable plant food. The bounty of the soil is built and rebuilt by the action of microbes on crops and animals.
When we use Septi-Sol, the bacterial action necessary to change manure into plant food is activated before the manure hits the field. This is effectively illustrated by a dramatic reduction in odour. The treated manure is not only well on its way to becoming plant food, the same bacteria and other microbes which were working on the manure are now ready to devote their activity to any crop residue left in the soil. By increasing the armies of workmen, we accelerate the processing of nutrients so vital for the formation of next year's crop.
The investment we make in Septi-Sol can be one of the quickest returns we will ever get because we are adding to the organic matter complex in our soils. This is the true value of our farm and when we become the proper soil stewards of this valuable asset, we are capable of handing a better farm to the next generation than the one we received.
WARNING: The beneficial bacteria in the pit can be adversely affected by most strong disinfectants being used today. For this reason we recommend the use of hydrogen peroxide along with the Septi-Sol. Hydrogen peroxide will not only kill the anaerobic bacteria on the surface but it will also help feed the aerobic bacteria in the pit.

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SPECIAL
As Advertized in the Bio-Ag Calendar
5% Discount
REDMOND CONDITIONER
Discount for the Month of July/98
50 lb bag Regular Price $19.95
Discount Price $18.95

Our satisfied Bio-Ag customers report positive results from feeding Redmond Conditioner. Beat Looser of Atwood starting feeding Redmond Conditioner when his sows went off feed. Suspecting there might be a mold problem in the feed, he has continued to include Conditioner in his feed and reports the sows are back eating normally.
Frank Danner of New Hamburg has used Redmond Conditioner in his veal calf operation. Frank buys corn to feed to the vealers and feeds Conditioner as insurance to prevent any problems which may develop if molds are in the feed.
Two dairy farmers have reported a dramatic decrease in Somatic Cell Counts after feeding Redmond Conditioner. One Bio-Ag customer had tried several things including different milking techniques to reduce his SCC with unsatisfactory results. While his feed looked fine, he realized that there was probably a mold problem. After he included the Conditioner in his TMR, the SCC dropped by 50% and stayed at that level, feeding the same feed with the addition of Redmond Conditioner.
Another Bio-Ag dairyman has been using the Conditioner for two months to reduce his SCC. He has experienced a 30% decrease in the SCC. This particular farmer prefers to topdress the Conditioner and discovered that some cows consumed a greater amount than others.
Contact your local Bio-Ag dealer or call Head Office 1-800-363-5278 to take advantage of the July 5% Discount and experience some of the same outstanding results with your livestock.

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