|
Newsletter
- Winter 1998 January
------------------------------------------------------------------------
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I hope the holiday season and 1997 have been good for all of you.
I also hope that 1998 will be an even more successful year than
the past year.
Here at Bio-Ag, exciting things have been happening. We really
want to share some of these things with you. For starters, we
have a new person on staff who will add tremendous depth, knowledge,
information and talent to the existing Bio-Ag team. Dr. Carl Middlebrook,
DVM joined forces with Bio-Ag in October 1997. Carl has been a
practising veterinarian for many years and most recently was involved
in the pet food industry. He is now back with us here at Bio-Ag.
Carl and myself go back many years to the era of my dairy farming
years where we both learned together, on sick, dying, dead and
diseased cows.
We all know in life what sometimes appears to be the end is really
a new beginning. This is one of the things we can say about the
formation of Bio-Ag. This company formed when everything seemed
to be going wrong and much of the information that you as clients
are benefiting from today, came from the mistakes or things that
had been done wrong in the past.
Carl will be available at the office every Monday to receive calls
from customers with their questions or concerns. Carl is also
available to go out with salesmen to visit you, the client. All
you have to do is call our office and let us know when and where
you would like to see him. Carl does not practice veterinary medicine
perse but is more an ongoing consultant rather than a practitioner.
The other day we were reminiscing. Twelve years ago, when meatmeal
and tallow were popular--the only thing to feed a cow--I was already
saying that this was not a good idea and that down the road we
would pay a penalty or price for this short term gain. Interestingly
enough, we now have the BSE or mad cow disease in Britain and
meatmeal has been banned in North America from being fed to ruminants.
Somehow all of the companies are now jumping on the bandwagon
trying to tell you farmers how much better it is to go with natural
products. How interesting!
The other exciting thing is that we have added a new dimension
to our newsletter. Starting with this edition, we will have a
guest column (Doc's Spot) from a longtime friend of mine, Dr.
Bob Scott. Dr. Bob is a retired veterinarian and college and university
lecturer. We certainly welcome Dr. Bob with open arms. Dr. Bob
has had many years of experience and his articles will share and
talk about these experiences as he went through the school of
life. You will see an introduction for Dr. Bob and Dr. Carl. I
hope that you will take advantage of the expertise that Carl will
bring and if you have other questions, I am sure we can contact
Dr. Bob for his input or opinion. This is all part of a renewed
commitment to the agricultural community on the part of Bio-Ag.
We at Bio-Ag are also looking forward to putting an addition onto
the warehouse in the spring to handle the increased demand. This
new expansion will help us to continue to meet the needs of our
clients and allow us to continue with great service, great products
and great people. Thank you for your patronage in the past and
we look forward to serving you with even more dedication and better
service in 1998!
- Murray Bast
From the Staff at BIO-AG:
Murray, Florence, Ted, Bill, Mary Lou, Susan, Mel, Marianne &
Carl
R. R. 3
Wellesley, Ontario
N0B 2T0
(519) 656-2460, 656-2481
1-800-363-5278
------------------------------------------------------------------------
$ FOR SALE $
Organic OCIA Mixed Grain (Oats/Barley) Allenford, ON
Doug Tocher (519) 934-3176
4 EVA Cow Mats 4 ft X 7 ft
Call between 6:30-8:00 am or pm
(519) 698-2306
George B.M. Martin, Linwood
------------------------------------------------------------------------
? Good Lighting ?
Lighting is something so important but often
overlooked. With the short days and often overcast daylight hours
upon us, we must seriously look at how this affects our housed
domestic stock. For reproductive efficiency whether it is heat
detection and conception or egg laying, an animal or bird requires
18 hours of Full Spectrum light rays. Without this light, the
entire endocrine system goes into a static mode.
Since we have forced animals to give us offspring throughout the
entire year, rather than seasonally, we must give lighting a top
priority. Many farmers have addressed the lighting problem during
the fall, winter and spring months by using Full Spectrum lights
in the barns and placing the lights on timers so that 18 hours
of light is maintained. Placing these lights at the head of the
tied up animal stimulates the pineal gland that regulates the
entire endocrine system.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introducing Two New Members of the Bio-Ag Team of Consultants...
Dr. Carl Middlebrook, DVM
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Carl Middlebrook has joined
our staff at Bio-Ag. Graduating from O.V.C. in 1975, Dr. Middlebrook
has had a passionate interest in nutrition.
"Quality sources of ingredients are so important in balancing
a nutritional program. I am looking forward to meeting and working
with the good people that are involved with Bio-Ag."
Dr. Bob Scott, DVM (Dr. Bob)
You never know how important it is to make a friend. I met Dr.
Bob Scott, DVM through a company called Pro-Ag and we immediately
enjoyed each other's company. We have stayed in touch over the
years and when Dr. Bob was in Ontario, he stopped to see the new
building at Bio-Ag. That was the beginning of a decision for both
of us to continue to exchange ideas.
Dr. Bob was raised in Brighton, Colorado, a farming community
just north of Denver. He developed an interest in livestock when
raising rabbits and earned enough money from that to get a few
sheep. He made the decision to become a veterinarian when the
local vet came to his dad's farm and delivered a baby lamb from
a ewe that was in trouble. He began as that vet's helper and about
10 years later, after vet school, he went back home to Brighton
to become a farm animal vet.
Brighton was a wonderful farming area with good water, soil and
ambitious farmers. The practice serviced several feedlots, including
the largest sheep feedlot in the world with 60,000 head capacity.
Dr. Bob purchased a dairy farm in 1960 which he owned and operated
for 10 years. The well on the farm was poll-uted with nitrates
and in those days not much was known about nitrates. Dr. Bob began
to study how to find answers for farms that were in trouble.
Denver gradually increased in size and covered all the farmland.
In 1980, after 30 years of practice, Dr. Bob sold his share in
the vet clinic. Since that time he has been a troubleshooter for
three different companies who have sent him all over the world
in this capacity. He has been on over 1000 farms in 23 states,
Canada, Mexico and New Zea-land. He brings a wealth of practical
experience and ideas to our newsletter and you may be assured
that the diagnostic skills he has acquired are available through
Bio-Ag.
Dr. Bob and his wife Luella currently live just north of St. Paul,
Minnesota. His e-mail address is bscott@bpsi.net.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DOC'S SPOT
Winter is upon us. As we look forward to some
long winter nights, there are some hazards to our livestock during
this cold season that require some positive thinking. The purpose
of our newsletters is to educate you, the client, to have a competitive
edge.
Even though we live in a northern climate, keep in mind that one
of the reasons we are able to be competitive in the marketplace,
is the fact that the long days we will see in the spring put more
total digestible nutrients per day into our crops. This equates
to more milk per tonne in our hay, than hay that grows in only
12 hours of sunlight. One of the reasons that Canadian cows make
some of the best production records in the world is due to the
fact that we have long cold winters and we get paid back next
spring with long daylight hours.
All plants are solar collectors! If we learn how to properly harness
this energy and harvest these plants at the correct stage of their
life and at the proper time of day, we can reap the benefits.
Bio-Ag's forage additive, Culbac, provides a microbial ferment-tion
product that helps utilize the proper nutrients and sugars in
your feedstuffs. This will translate into healthier animals, more
meat, more milk, at less cost.
Let us now focus on potential chall-enges we face for the remainder
of this winter.
Respiratory Problems:
Confined housing has its hazards. Carrying feed into our animals
and taking manure away from them spells work and capital investment.
The obvious hazard we don't often recog-nize is that the air our
animals breathe is a potential carrier of pneumonia viruses. The
pneumonia viruses depend on finding animals with lowered resistance
or weaker immune systems to gain a foothold. Those animals with
a greater resistance, survive while others who have a dietary
deficiency develop a crack in their protective shield thus allowing
the viruses and germs to thrive.
Scientists have long recognized that germs can gain strength and
increase their ability to survive by invading and establishing
colonies, ultimately making our animals sick. These germs have
developed a "greater pathogenic power". This power increases
as the trace elements and immune system weaken. In other words,
the more animals get sick, the faster the problem spreads.
How can we build your animal's resistance? By the use of a good
balanced nutritional program. Immune stimulants such as Kelp,
Culbac, Healthy Start, Protein Feed, Chelated Minerals, Antioxidants
are just some of the products and ingredients that Bio-Ag has
to offer. Our goal, then, is to supply information and products
to keep your animal's resistance at a high level. Doing some simple,
inexpensive "stuff" is the key!
External Parasites:
Don't let lice rob your calves of their blood. Confinement without
sunshine allows lice, mange, and ringworm to get the advantage.
Look for the lice eggs or little black specks of black dirt that
begin to develop between the calves hind legs. Kill the lice!
If they are "lousy", they are losing blood and they
are vulnerable. Diatomaceous Earth mixed 50/50 with sulphur can
be put through duster bags or rubbed onto calves. This method
can greatly reduce population. Ringworm can develop when there
are inadequate levels of Vitamins A, D, E, selenium and zinc in
the diets. Molds, known to depress the immune system, can also
play a role in continued ringworm infestation. It is always easier
to prevent than to treat. Definitely look into a good mineral/
vitamin program!
The longer feed is stored, the fewer vitamins it contains. As
we get closer to those wonderful spring days, be sure that you
maintain adequate levels of Vitamin A. Bio-Ag premixes ensure
that these vitamin/mineral levels are maintained during critical
times of the year. It is more economical to buy a vitamin/mineral
supplement than expensive antibiotics to treat chronic lung-damaged
animals.
Full spectrum light bulbs or tubes are important because they
emulate natural sunlight during the winter months.
Ventilation:
The air that your animals breathe in the barn is constantly recycled.
To keep the contagion factors down, get the humidity out. We have
some simple ideas to change the quality of air for your animals.
Rumen Flora:
Always make sure that there is something in the ruminant's diet
that will float. It sounds silly at first but the reason our ruminants
can digest forages like hay or haylage and silage is that the
rumen is full of our allies... the rumen bacteria. They need this
roughage that is floating on the surface of the rumen liquid.
These bacteria need to get up there and get a breath of oxygen.
If nothing is floating such as dry hay, straw, barley hulls, corn
cobs, oat hulls, beet pulp, then an anaerobic dominance in the
microbes takes place in the gut.
This shift in population of microbes spells out lowered resistance
and trouble. The pH of the body fluids starts to shift in such
a way to foster viruses and bacterial infections. Put something
in the diet that will float. Simple, yet powerful, making it profitable!!
We recommend rumen inoculants such as Culbac that keep the proper
workmen on call in the rumen. These dietary supplements only increase
added resistance. We will help make your winter hazards less expensive.
Till next time,
Dr. Bob
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Farmer Meets Computer
With so many farmers now having computers on
their farm, we found these definitions may offer a lighter side
to understanding computer terms.
Log on Make the woodstove hotter.
Download Getting the firewood off the truck.
Floppy disk What you get from carrying too much firewood.
Hard drive Getting home in the winter.
Windows What to shut when it's cold outside.
Byte What the black flies do.
Chip Munchies.
Modem What you did to the hay fields.
Lap top Where the kitty sleeps.
Mouse What eats the grain in the barn.
Main frame What holds the barn up.
Enter City talk for, "Come on in, eh?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
? JANUARY SPECIAL! ?
KELP MEAL
5% DISCOUNT
FOR THE MONTH OF JAN/98
DISCOUNTED PRICE
$28.75 - 25 kg bag
REGULAR PRICE $30.25/bag
Volume Discounts
10-19 bags $1.00/bag
20 + bags $2.00/bag
Kelp Meal - Ascophyllum nodosum - Naturally balanced, chelated
mineral and vitamin supplement which satisfies the needs in animals
for trace elements lacking in mixed feeds, pastures and other
forages.
Uses: Increases regularity of heat cycles, through improved selenium.
Improves rate of conceptions, more efficient feed utilization,
problems caused by dietary deficiencies.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIO-AG DAIRY
BUS FARM TOUR
MARCH 11, 1998
Feature Farms Jubilee Farms
Henry & Janet Boot
Clinton
Kenneth Jantzi
Wellesley
Please bring a bag lunch to be eaten on the bus between stops.
Cost for Bussing: $8.00 per person, payable in advance.
Bus #1 will start pick up at 9 am in Macton (church yard), continue
to Linwood (Community Centre), back to #86 to Tralee (main intersection),
then to Jubilee Farms.
Bus #2 will start pick up at 9 am in Wallenstein (main intersection),
continue to Elmira (Freiburger's), St. Jacobs (train stop), Heidelberg
(main intersection), St. Clements (main intersection) and Wellesley
(Community Centre), then to Kenneth Jantzi's.
At approximately 12:30, we will depart from each farm to travel
to the next while eating lunch aboard the bus. Drinks provided.
Approximate time of return 5 pm.
We plan on booking two buses with Ayr Coach Lines. To reserve
your spot, we need to have a confirmation by January 31st. Please
complete information below and bring to the seminar along with
payment on Jan. 28th or call the office at 1-800-363-5278, 656-2460.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Registration: Bio-Ag Dairy Bus Farm Tour, March 11, 1998
Name___________________________Phone Number_________
Address _________________________Bus No. #1 or #2 _______
No of Persons Attending _____ X $8 = $ _______ Total Owing
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your Farm Management Team is invited to a FARM SEMINAR
sponsored by: Bio-Ag Consultants & Distributors Inc.
Wednesday, January 28, 1998
Wellesley Community Centre
Registration 9:30 a.m.
Meeting: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Dan Stewart, of Water Revitalization (Canada) Inc., Saskatchewan
will be speaking in the morning on the benefits of "Living
Water". The "living water" system energizes water
so it can purify itself.
Murray Bast, president of Bio-Ag will focus on the effects of
molds and mycotoxins in our feeds. He will site what symptoms
one can expect when mold is present and offer some practical solutions.
A hot lunch will be served for a fee of $6.00 (payable at the
door).
Henry Boot, Jubilee Farms, will share his experiences since his
farm started the Bio-Ag program. (Note--the bus tour on March
11 will be visiting Henry's farm.) Jeff Quinn, one of our dealers
from the Embro area, will share some new information on soil management
including the use of Paramagnetic Rock. Murray Bast, will wrap
up the day with information on Bio-Ag Premixes followed by a Question
and Answer period.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Registration: Please RSVP by Monday, January 19th, to reserve
a ticket for lunch, ?1-800-363-5278 or local 656-2460, ? Bio-Ag
Consultants & Distributors Inc., RR 3 Wellesley, ON N0B 2T0
Name ___________________________________________________
Address ________________________Phone Number _____________
Number of Persons Attending _______ X $6.00 = $______Total Owing
BACK TO TOP OF PAGE
|
